In this wide-ranging Book Chat, author Lee Kofman discusses the inspiration behind The Writer Laid Bare — a work that is both reflective memoir and practical guide aimed at writers and deep readers. She shares her love of Chekhov, Ferrante and Knausgård, and her theory of writers as ‘builders or renovators’.
Video Series: Book Chats
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Book Chat: Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus on ‘Fancy Meeting You Here’
Ali and Michelle have been best friends for life. As ten year olds, they could be found ditching play time for writing club. Now, they write books together. ‘Fancy Meeting You Here’ is their latest novel — a charming and unconventional love story about trying to rewrite history.
In this Book Chat, Ali and Michelle explore how rom-coms have changed over the past two decades — and what elements of romantic comedies remain timeless.
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Book Chat: Michelle Wright on ‘Small Acts of Defiance’
Michelle Wright has studied at the Faber Writing Academy in Sydney. Her collection of short stories, Fine, was published in 2016 after being shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. In 2017, Michelle was awarded a six-month Australia Council for the Arts residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris. Small Acts of Defiance published in 2021 is her first novel.
In her book chat, Michelle discusses Small Acts of Defiance, the story of a young woman who leaves Australia for France in 1940, immediately prior to the Occupation. Michelle explores why she was personally drawn to telling this story, and how themes of family and loyalty — on both a personal and larger level — formed the basis for the work.
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Book Chat: John M. Green on ‘Double Deal’
John M. Green is an Australian thriller writer, well-known business writer, publisher and company director. He is a member of the governing council of the National Library of Australia. He was previously a director of UNSW Press and in 2008, co-founded Pantera Press. Double Deal is his fifth novel.
In his book chat on Double Deal, John explains why constructing a good thriller is akin to building a rollercoaster — and explores why writing ‘on the cusp of the near future’ can often involve finding one’s far-fetched fictional plot points coming true.
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Book Chat: Nina Bassat on ‘Take the Child and Disappear’
In this Book Chat, Nina Bassat not only explores her family’s experiences before, during and after the Shoah, and contemplates how being a child survivor has shaped her life, she also discusses the process of writing a memoir, and how it draws in other family members.
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Book Chat: Margaret Taft on ‘Leo and Mina Fink: For the Common Good’
Leo and Mina Fink’s contribution to Australian Jewry is well known but this book is the first that concentrates on their shared contribution, rather than individual efforts. In this Book Chat, Margaret Taft outlines what this extraordinary pair did for the Jewish community, how their personalities shaped their activities, and how their own backgrounds motivated them.
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Book Chat: Ginger Gorman on ‘Troll Hunting’
In Ginger Gorman’s book chat, the award-winning journalist — and author of ‘Troll Hunting’ — discusses the spectre of online harassment. Blending both personal experience and rigorous research, Gorman explores the concept of trolling, and highlights strategies to make technology companies accountable to the public good.
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Book Chat: Suzanne Leal on ‘The Deceptions’
In Suzanne Leal’s book chat, the writer discusses the responsibilities an author has when writing a novel about the Holocaust, and whether it’s ever really possible for an author to leave one’s stories and characters behind.
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Book Chat: Suzy Zail on ‘I Am Change’
In Suzy Zail’s book chat, the author of ‘I am Change’ discusses the decision to write about the lives of young women in Uganda, opting for fiction over biography, and writing to empower young women In Australia and Africa.
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Book Chat: Jeff Sparrow on ‘Fascists Among Us: Online Hate and the Christchurch Massacre’
In Jeff Sparrow’s book chat, the award-winning writer, editor and broadcaster discusses the 2019 Christchurch massacre, the urgent need to truly fight fascism, and the complexities of far-right responses to climate change.SHOW LESS