The ABR Podcast

Madelaine Lucas was the overall winner of the 2018 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for her story ‘Ruins', and received $7,000 for first place. Here she reads an extract of her story, the full version available on the ABR website at: https://bit.ly/2QYABpu. Sharmini Aphrodite was placed second for her story 'Between the Mountain and the Sea' and Claire Aman placed third for her story 'Vasco'. For more information on the ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize, as well as the Peter Porter Poetry Prize and Calibre Essay Prize, click here: https://bit.ly/2Ahooqm

Peter Rose spoke to Beejay Silcox, recipient of the ABR Fortieth Birthday Fellowship, about developments at ABR since the revival of the magazine's second series in 1978. Beejay also discusses her Fellowship essay, 'Defying the moment', an engaging in-depth look at Australian magazine culture featuring interviews with several leading editors: Jonathan Green (Meanjin), Nick Feik (The Monthly), Amy Middleton (Archer), Mindy Gill (Peril), Rebecca Starford (Kill Your Darlings), and Jacinda Woodhead (Overland) You can read Beejay Silcox's essay 'Defying the moment' in the April 2018 issue of ABR: https://bit.ly/2uN1fLs To subscribe to Australian Book Review, visit: http://bit.ly/NCUP7o Music by www.bensound.com and David McCooey

Each year, ABR’s prestigious Calibre Essay Prize, one of the world’s leading prizes for a new essay, attracts some of the finest writers from Australia and overseas. Last year, the first prize of $5,000 was awarded to Michael Adams, an associate professor of Human Geography at the Australian Centre for Cultural Environmental Research at the University of Wollongong. Before that, Michael worked for environment NGOs, the national parks service, and Aboriginal organisations. His focus is on human–nature relationships, especially with Indigenous and local communities, and he likes full-immersion methodologies. He writes in a wide variety of forms, including narrative non-fiction, online essays and peer-reviewed academic articles. His Calibre Prize-winning essay ‘Salt Blood’, is a thought-provoking and original meditation on human evolution, the practice of freediving, and his father’s suicide. Few things we published in 2017 had such resonance with readers. We weren’t surprised when it was included in Black Inc.’s ‘Best Australian Essays 2017’. To read 'Salt Blood' by Michael Adams, visit the June-July 2017 issue in the ABR Online archive: http://bit.ly/2u1IUFN To subscribe to Australian Book Review, visit: http://bit.ly/NCUP7o Music by www.bensound.com Edited, produced, and introduced by Dilan Gunawardana, Deputy Editor (Digital)at Australian Book Review.

ABR Deputy Editor Dilan Gunawardana spoke to Greg Sestero: actor, model, author and co-star of the 'best/worst film ever made', 'The Room' (2003). His award-winning memoir 'The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Film Ever Made' chronicles the film's production and Greg's relationship with its creator, the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau. It was recently adapted into a film directed by and starring James Franco as Tommy Wiseau. Audio from the trailer of the 'The Disaster Artist' is courtesy of Roadshow Films/A24. Background music is courtesy of www.bensound.com

From the Herbig family who lived in a hollowed out tree trunk to Dr Bosisto’s ‘Syrup of Red Gum’, from the trauma and regeneration of bushfires to the ill-fated Burnside Village tree, the Tree of Knowledge, and the ‘dig tree’ - how can we understand Australia’s complex relationship with the eucalypt? The October 2017 Environment issue of Australian Book Review includes the third ABR Eucalypt Fellowship essay, ‘Ambassadors from Another Time’ by South Australian novelist Stephen Orr, in which he examines Australia’s evolving understanding of these iconic trees. Stephen Orr studied ecology at university before starting to write fiction. He has taught Biology, Agriculture, and English. He especially loves novels about science and our sometimes difficult relationship with the natural world. His most recent novel, 'The Hands' (2015), describes a farming family trying to scratch a living from drought affected grazing country. His most recent novel is 'Datsunland' (UQP, 2017). This $7,500 Fellowship is funded by Eucalypt Australia and we acknowledge their generous support. Music featured in this podcast comes from the 2017 album The Double by David McCooey, which can be listened to and downloaded via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/35dXqBWxCS4mPCu2K0JqEJ This essay appeared in the October 2017 issue of Australian Book Review: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/current-issue/4304-ambassadors-from-another-time-by-stephen-orr To purchase a copy of the print edition, please go to our website www.australianbookreview.com.au. It also appears in our digital edition, ABR Online, and you can subscribe via the website too. Subscriptions cost as little as $10. https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/subscribe

Eliza Robertson won the 2017 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize for her story ‘Pheidippides’. Author David Malouf announced Eliza Robertson as the overall winner at a ceremony at Potts Point Bookshop, Sydney. Dominic Amerena placed second for his story ‘The Leaching Layer’ and Lauren Aimee Curtis came third for her story ‘Butter’. Subscribers can read all three shortlisted stories in the August 2017 Fiction issue: http://bit.ly/1hUO625 The ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize is one of the country’s most prestigious awards for short fiction. This year the Jolley Prize attracted almost 1,200 entries from forty-two different countries. The 2017 Jolley Prize was judged by ABR Deputy Editor Amy Baillieu, and authors Ellen van Neerven and Chris Flynn. Peter Rose: 0:00 – 7:55 David Malouf: 7:56 – 12:45 Amy Bailleu: 14:15 – 18:22 Dominic Amerena: reads ‘The Leaching Layer’: 20:00 – 24:24 Lauren Aimee Curtis: reads ‘Butter’: 24:55 – 31:00 Eliza Robertson reads ‘Pheidippides’: 31:47 – 36:25 David Malouf announces the winner of the 2017 Jolley Prize: 36:56

The recent debate about same-sex marriage has been one of the most unseemly episodes in our recent history. A legal entitlement that has been endorsed by untold opinion polls has again been delayed because of internecine strife in the federal coalition. A postal ballot with dubious legal weight or status will further delay same-sex marriage and result in a divisive public debate – at quite a cost too. How far would $120 million go in our schools, our hospitals, our theatres, our laboratories? Yet again, gays and lesbians will be talked about and debated in ways that heterosexuals would find insufferable. You can read Peter Rose’s Comment on the same-sex marriage debate here: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/current-issue/4213-the-same-sex-marriage-debate-by-peter-rose

On Thursday, March 23, 2017, Australian Book Review held a ceremony at the Collected Works Bookshop to announce the winner of the 2017 Peter Porter Poetry Prize. What a great night it was – full of poetry, laughter and swapped spectacles. The joint winners were - Louis Klee (Vic) for his poem ‘Sentence to Lilacs’ and Damen O’Brien (Qld) for ‘pH’ The winners were chosen from a field of nearly 1000 entries from twenty-two countries. Other shortlisted poets were Ronald Dzerigian (USA), Anthony Lawrence (NSW), Michael Lee Phillips (USA), Jen Saunders (NSW), and Jessie Tu (NSW). The seven shortlisted poems appear in ABR’s March 2017 issue http://bit.ly/2mxvbqy Thanks again to our judges – Ali Alizadeh, Jill Jones and Felicity Plunkett – and to all the poets who entered the 2017 Porter Prize.

Peter Rose interviews ABR contributor Lee Christofis, who recently attended a number of exhibitions in Paris showcasing works by Léon Bakst, Cy Twombly, Arnold Shoenberg, and Sergei Shchukin among others. His visit coincided with the fortieth birthday of the Pompidou Centre. Lee's 'Letter from Paris' appears in ABR Arts: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-arts/arts/3848-letter-from-paris Lee Christofis is a Melbourne-based writer on dance and associated arts. From 2006-13 he was the Curator of Dance at the National Library of Australia. For more ABR Podcasts visit: www.australianbookreview.com.au/podcasts/…r-podcast The ABR Podcast is available via SoundCloud and iTunes. ABR Podcast intro music by David McCooey Other music by Danosongs: (www.danosongs.com)and Bensound.com

Gabriel García Ochoa reports back from Mexico following the US election in his article 'The City of Palaces' which appears in the January-February issue of Australian Book Review. For more ABR Podcasts visit: www.australianbookreview.com.au/podcasts/…r-podcast The ABR Podcast is available via SoundCloud and iTunes. ABR Podcast intro music by David McCooey Other music by Danosongs: (www.danosongs.com)and Bensound.com Comments by Donald Trump on Mexicans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo-7ISmwAi0

Michael Halliwell interviews Australian composer, violist, and conductor Brett Dean for the ABR Podcast. Dean composed the opera 'Bliss' based on the Peter Carey novel, and was for many years a violist with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He was the Artistic Director of the Australian National Academy of Music(ANAM) in Melbourne, and is now an artist in residence at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He is currently finishing his opera 'Hamlet', which will have its première at the Glynbourne Opera Festival in June 2017. For more ABR Podcasts visit: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/podcasts/the-abr-podcast The ABR Podcast is available via SoundCloud and iTunes. The music featured is 'Harry's Vision' from the opera 'Bliss' (Opera Australia/ABC Classics)

Peter Rose interviews American Soprano Amber Wagner for the ABR Podcast following the first cycle of Richard Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen', which is being presented in Melbourne by Opera Australia. Amber Wagner plays the role of Sieglinde in the second opera 'Die Walküre'. For more ABR Podcasts visit: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/podcasts/the-abr-podcast The ABR Podcast is available via SoundCloud and iTunes.

In this week’s ABR podcast Peter Rose talks to Colin Golvan QC – a lawyer specialising in intellectual property – about new threats to Australian creativity, chiefly the proposed removal of restrictions on parallel importation, as recommended by the Productivity Commission. Colin Golvan's article 'The god of cheaper prices: New threats to our literary culture from the Productivity Commission' appears in the November Arts issue of Australian Book Review. For more ABR Podcasts visit: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/podcasts/the-abr-podcast

In Washington DC, Peter Rose and regular ABR theatre critic Ian Dickson discussed the career and legacy of Edward Albee, the great American playwright who died on Friday 16 September, aged 88. For more ABR Podcasts visit: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/podcasts/the-abr-podcast

ABR's first US tour is in full swing, and Peter Rose has been to the Metropolitan Opera to interview Stuart Skelton as he prepares to become the first Australian to sing Tristan in the new production of Wagner's masterpiece 'Tristan und Isolde', which opens the 2016/17 Met season on September 26. Skelton talks about Marius Trelinski's new production, his own 'year of Tristan', and whether he will sing again with Opera Australia in the near future.

ABR's 2016 Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize ceremony was held at the Melbourne Writers Festival on 27 August. The event was compèred by ABR Deputy Editor, Amy Baillieu, with opening remarks from poet and author Maxine Beneba Clarke. Ian Dickson announced that Josephine Rowe was this year's overall winner of the Jolley Prize for her story 'Glisk'. Anthony Lawrence placed second for his story 'Ash' and Jonathan Tel came third for his story 'The Water Calligrapher's Women'. Subscribers can read all three shortlisted stories in the August 2016 Fiction issue: https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/archive/2016/content/184-august-2016-no-383/ We would like to congratulate all three shortlisted entrants and thank all those who entered their stories. ABR gratefully acknowledges the support of Mr Ian Dickson.

Westerly Magazine’s editor Catherine Noske recently spent time at the ABR office in Melbourne, thanks to a week-long cultural exchange of sorts provided by the Australia Council. Catherine was offered insights into the inner workings of our magazine, and the processes leading up to the launch of our August Fiction issue. In the most recent ABR Podcast, Catherine spoke to Peter Rose about her time with ABR, and the exciting new developments at Westerly, including the launch of their latest issue, celebrating Indigenous writing and culture. To find out more about Australian Book Review visit our website https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/

Australian Book Review’s States of Poetry is a major new project intended to highlight the quality and diversity of contemporary Australian poetry. Funded by Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund, this is one of the first federally arranged poetry anthologies published in this country. The NSW States of Poetry anthology was launched by state editor Elizabeth Allen and ABR Editor Peter Rose, at Gleebooks in Sydney earlier this year. ABR’s esteemed Laureate David Malouf introduced the magazine’s first Laureate’s Fellow Michael Aiken who read extracts from his Fellowship project, ‘Satan Repentant’, an epic poem about themes of contrition. Elizabeth Allen, then introduced the six NSW poets who contributed their works to the anthology: David Malouf, Susie Anderson (not present), Pam Brown, Toby Fitch, Kate Middleton, and Fiona Wright.

'... however we name or define this organism, by whatever new scientific methods we seek to interrogate or understand it, in whatever changing context we need to understand what it does or may do next, and whatever quantities of information and knowledge we amass: through all this, the eucalypt itself persists – in this case, through thousands of years. The tree stands on the ridge, overlooking the ocean. The watcher on the hill.' - Ashley Hay, 'The Forest at the edge of time' Each year ABR publishes an issue devoted to questions of sustainability, climate change, and the environment. This annual, themed issue is supported by the Bjarne K. Dahl Trust in Melbourne. The highlight of this issue is the Dahl Trust Fellowship, the fellow receives $7,500 from ABR to write a long essay on some aspect of the eucalypt. The 2015 Dahl Fellow was Ashley Hay, and her essay is titled 'The Forest at the Edge of Time'. Ashley Hay has published novels, and four works of non-fiction. Some years ago, she published a book called 'Gum', and in 'The Forest at the Edge of Time', she revisits that influential work. Hays' most recent novel was the 'The Railwayman's Wife', which won the 2013 Colin Roderick prize. In 2014, she edited 'The Best Australian Science Writing'. Ashley Hay's essay was published in the October 2015 Environment issue of Australian Book Review and can be read here: http://bit.ly/22Ox2SO The theme music for this podcast is by David McCooey. David's website is www.davidmccooey.com and his debut album Outside Broadcast is now available as a digital download. You can listen to more of his work on SoundCloud. Background music 'The jazz piano' by www.bensound.com To find out more about Australian Book Review visit our website https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/

'Over the past decade and a half – since HBO’s The Sopranos débuted in 1999 – America has produced cable shows that elevated television to an art. Television moved from ‘fast-food entertainment’, ‘mind candy’ (in producer Aaron Spelling’s words) to a medium reviewed in highbrow literary journals and discussed with a passion and currency that literary fiction can only envy ... I want to consider the circumstances that generated this new television, examine some of the era’s iconic shows, and evaluate the cultural impact of the shift. ' Each year, ABR offers a number of Fellowships, each worth $7,500. The aim is to broaden our long-form journalism and to allow critics and commentators to spend several weeks or months on a substantive article. James McNamara was an ABR Fellow in 2015. The title of his article was 'The Golden Age of Television'? Dr McNamara is an actor, screenwriter, and critic. Author's note: I am deeply grateful to The Ian Potter Foundation, AFTRS, Peter Rose, Amy Baillieu, David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Ian Collie, Andy Ryan, Matthew Dabner, Nell Greenwood, Mike Jones, Steve Vidler, Chris Phillips, Matthew Campora, Rebecca McNamara, Ken McNamara, and Randall Fields. James McNamara's essay was published in the April 2015 issue of Australian Book Review and can be read here: http://bit.ly/1TF70Rs The theme music for this podcast is by David McCooey. David's website is www.davidmccooey.com and his debut album Outside Broadcast is now available as a digital download. You can listen to more of his work on SoundCloud. To find out more about Australian Book Review visit our website https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/