The Book Club

Imaginative and prolific, Margaret Atwood is not one to be limited by form or genre. Poet, Novelist, Essayist, across all forms there’s an incisive intellect that shines through her writing and a delightful curiosity as well as she paints the world as it is, as it can be and as it hopefully will never become. Winner of the Booker Prize, the Arthur C. Clarke award, the Governer-General’s award amongst many others, Margaret was in Australia for the Perth Writers Festival and a performance of The Year of the Flood in Brisbane. While here, she join Sky Kirkham to talk about the environment, shifting perspectives and sprightly pigoons. Originally broadcast on 28/02/2013. The Year of the Flood is available through Bloomsbury and Hachette.

Edward St Aubyn’s first novel, Never Mind, was published back in 1992. Over the next four years he released Bad News and Some Hope, creating a trilogy of works centring around the semi-autobiographical character of Patrick Melrose and the rather long shadow of his father. In 2006 he revisited this world in Mother’s Milk, now focused on Patrick’s own young family and his difficult relationship with his mother. Now, 20 years after the first book, the story reaches another conclusion, with the death of Eleanor Melrose, Patrick’s mother, whose attempts at charity have led her to ignore her own family and inflict upon Patrick the mistakes of her own past. The series is a perfect exemplar of British writing. Caustically arch, deeply intelligent and remarkably funny it balances internal turmoil with external equanimity. Edward St Aubyn joined Sky Kirkham to discuss the story's completion, the gradually lessening unpleasantness of writing and revisiting the past. Originally broadcast on 28/02/2013. At Last is available through Pan Macmillan.

Griffith Review recently launched its thirty-ninth edition, called Tasmania: The Tipping Point? In the issue thinkers, writers and doers from Tasmania and around Australia examine and challenge the state’s image and reveal how Tasmanian’s see themselves at home and in the wider world. Sunshine Coast-based author Joanna Talberg joined Amy Stevenson to discuss her story (published in the edition) and her own perspective on Tasmania. Originally broadcast on 28/02/2013, Griffith Review is available at griffithreview.com

Graeme Simsion's first novel, The Rosie Project, is a new spin on the well-loved romantic comedy genre. Don Tillman is a brilliant scientist who is painfully socially awkward and lives his life according to a strict routine. When he decides to search for a life partner, he draws up a sixteen page questionnaire to find his perfect woman: someone as well-organised and rational-minded as he is. Along comes Rosie Jarman, who's messy, spontaneous and always late. The adventures they have together will throw Don's neatly ordered world into chaos. When the manuscript for The Rosie Project won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for best unpublished manuscript in 2012, there was immediate interest from publishers, and rights have now been sold in over thirty countries around the world. Graeme joined Grace in the studio to talk about autism, dating advice, and the broad appeal of comedy. Originally broadcast on 21/02/2013. The Rosie Project is out through Text Publishing.

Growing up, Nicolas Rothwell attended school throughout Europe, before studying at Magdelan College at Oxford. He worked as a foreign correspondent through the 1980s and the early 90s, reporting from the Americas, Western and Eastern Europe, before settling in the Northern Territory in the 90s, where he continued to write for The Australian, winning a Walkley in 2006 for his coverage of Indigenous Affairs. All of these experiences weigh heavily on Belomor, Rothwell’s sixth book, a mixture of memoir and history lesson, couched as lyrical fiction and composed of four stories with interlinked themes: of place, of art, of straining for transcendence. Nicolas joined Sky to talk about the nature of story-telling, historical figures and journalism. Originally broadcast on 21/02/2013. Belomor is out through Text Publishing.

Ben Shrank is a Brooklyn-based author and publisher whose new novel, Love Is a Canoe, is a book about a book. Marriage Is a Canoe was a self-help publishing phenomenon in the 1970s; a collection of marriage advice, full of saccharine anecdotes about the grandparents of the book’s author, Peter Herman. Forty years on, Peter is now an old man himself, who just wants to be left alone. Stella, an ambitious young editor, comes up with the idea of a contest for the book’s anniversary. One lucky couple will win a marriage counselling session with Peter himself. The winning entry come from Emily Babson, who love the book as a child and turns to it again for consolation as she finds her own marriage failing. But as these characters come together, they find that the answers aren’t as easy as those found in the pages of a self-help book. An intriguing and multi-faceted novel, Love Is a Canoe is not just about love and marriage, but relationships of all kinds, including the complex ones between a book, its author and its readers. Ben chatted with Grace about the publishing industry, marketing strategies and the role of art. Originally broadcast on 14/02/2013. Love Is a Canoe is out now through Text Publishing.

Mark Adams is a New York based writer. A deputy editor at National Geographic Adventure magazine, he assigned and corrected tales of adventure. But the last time he’d camped himself was as a child – in his own backyard. As the hundredth anniversary of Hiram Bingham III’s controversial discovery of Machu Picchu neared though, Mark felt the pull of Peru and so he headed off to explore the same paths that Bingham had taken. His new book, Turn Right at Machu Picchu, follows these twin narratives. An historical account of Hiram Bingham, and the modern tale of Mark Adams following in his footsteps, it’s funny, informative and sure to make the reader want to go exploring themselves. Mark joined Sky to talk about shifting climates, the fall of the Incas and reviewing tents by colour. Originally broadcast on 14/02/2013. Turn Right at Machu Picchu is out now through Text Publishing.

The author of 5 books, most recently The Great Derangement and Griftopia, Matt Taibbi is also a respected journalist and has written for the likes of The Nation, Playboy and the New York Press. These days, he’s a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, carrying on the legacy of Hunter S. Thompson and P.J. O’Rourke, covering politics and finance in a highly entertaining fashion over detailed, lengthy articles. Matt joined Sky to discuss the distinct place of long-form journalism in the world of writing and the news, and Rolling Stone's history in the medium. Originally broadcast on 30/01/2013.

Founded in 1940 by Clem Christensen, Meanjin moved to Melbourne in 1945 at the invitation of the The University of Melbourne and is now an imprint of Melbourne University Publishing. It’s known primarily as a literary magazine, but it publishes across the breadth of contemporary thinking. As part of our continuing series looking at Australian periodicals, Sky was joined by the new editor, Zora Sanders, to tell us all about Meanjin.

Voiceworks, part of Express Media, is a national, quarterly, magazine that features new writing by Australian young writers. It seeks to empower young writers and readers, as creators and participants without the larger arts community, and to allow young Australians to represent themselves through quality literary and artistic production. As part of our feature on Australian literary journals, Sky was joined by the Editor, Kat Muscat, to find out about the secrets of Voiceworks. Originally broadcast on 24/01/2013.

Island Magazine is a Tasmania based quarterly publication. Started in 1979, it publishes a wide range of writing, as well as art, and aims to contribute to a literary culture that is creative, distinctive and cosmopolitan. As part of our feature on Australian literary periodicals, Sky was joined by Island’s Managing Editor Rachel Edwards, to hopefully inspire the same culture on the show. Originally broadcast on 24/01/2013.

For an Australian literary journal with an explicitly political edge, Overland is the place to go. Founded in 1954, under the editor Stephen Murray-Smith, it aims to document lesser-known stories and histories, dissect media hysteria and dishonesty, and give a voice to those who’s stories are otherwise marginalised, misrepresented or ignored. Sky was joined by the current editor, Jeff Sparrow, to talk about all things Overland. Originally broadcast on 24/01/2013.

Kill Your Darlings is a quarterly publication that aims to deliver fresh, clever writing that combines intellect with intrigue. Founded in 2010, it's now up to its twelfth edition, just out in 2013. Rebecca Starford joined Sky to tell us all about KYD as part of our series on Australian literary publications. Originally broadcast on 17/01/2013.

The Lifted Brow is a bimonthly publication, focused principally on literature and the arts. Founded in 2007 as a small Brisbane-based journal, its reputation has grown significantly and it has since featured writing by the likes of David Foster Wallace, Helen Garner and Frank Moorhouse and features regular contributions from the likes of Ben Law and Anna Krien. Sky was joined by Sam Cooney, the new editor at The Lifted Brow to tell us all about the magazine, as part of our series looking at Australia's literary periodicals. Originally broadcast on 17/01/2013.

It's the start of a new year and we thought that was a good time to check in with the folks at the Australian Book Review and check what the journal has coming up in 2013. Peter Rose, editor at ABR chats to Sky about upcoming features, poetry and essay competitions and ABR's new poetry editor. Originally broadcast on 17/01/2013, you can find out more at their website.