The Book Club

Amy chats to Paul Griffin about his latest book Stay With Me, accidentally writing young adult novels, working with and writing about at-risk teenagers, and creating true voices, characters and endings. Stay With Me is out through Text Publishing.

Sky chats to Alison Booth about her new novel A Distant Land, the effect of the Vietnam war on Australian society and the challenges of exploring grief in writing. A Distant Land is the final volume of the Jingera trilogy, but can be read as a stand-alone work. It follows the stories of Zidra Vincent and Jim Cadwallader, two journalists working in Sydney and Cambodia respectively, and how some moments can change your world. It's out now through Random House

Sky talks to Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford about his new novel, Canada, early reveals and the tenuous line between normalcy and criminality. Originally broadcast on the Bookclub on 12/07/2012. Canada is out now through Bloomsbury.

Sky talks to Jeff Sparrow about Left Turn, a new collection of strongly political essays that he edited with Antony Loewenstein. They discuss neo-liberalism, the state of the media and political arguments within Australia. Originally broadcast on the Book Club on 12/07/2012. Left Turn is out now through MUP.

Grace spoke to historian/author Kate Summerscale about her new book Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace, the true story of a little-known figure in English history - an unhappily married Victorian lady whose diary entries about her passion for another man sparked a landmark divorce trial in the 1850s. Originally broadcast on The Book Club, 5 July 2012.

Amy chats to Tina Clark, the coordinator of the Children and Young Adult Writers and Illustrators Conference, about what the event offers for emerging writers and illustrators, its annual writing competition, and getting writers noticed by publishers and readers. The CYA Conference is on July 7th at the Southbank Institute of Technology (TAFE), South Brisbane. For more information and bookings, see http://www.cyaconference.com/ Broadcast on the Book Club 28/06/2012.

Sky checks in with Anne-Maree Britton, from the Queensland Literary Award, to find out about their Pozible campaign and how successful the new award has been so far (short version: very successful). Originally broadcast on The Book Club on 29/06/2012.

Sky catches up with Kate Eltham from the Queensland Writers Centre to talk about the QWC/Hachette Manuscript Development program, the Books From Our Backyard Initiative and the call out for teachers for 2013. Originally broadcast on The Book Club on 29/06/2012.

Sky talks to Timeri N. Murari about his latest novel The Taliban Cricket Club, the contradictions between cricket and the Taliban, the experience of visiting Afghanistan and the challenges of explaining silly mid-off to a global audience. Originally broadcast on The Book Club on 29/06/2012. The Taliban Cricket Club is published by Allen And Unwin

Sky catches up with Peter Rose, editor of the Australian Book Review, to talk about the major happenings at the ABR and what listeners will find in the upcoming issues. They also talk about Peter's new poetry collection, Crimson Crop, which is out now through UWA Publishing. This interview also features a reading of 'Morbid Transfers', one of the poems from Crimson Crop.

Sky talks to Jennifer Miller about her debut novel, The Year of the Gadfly, prep schools, journalism and Edward R. Murrow. Originally broadcast on The Book Club on 21/06/2012. The Year of the Gadfly is out now through Text Publishing.

As the Mitchell Librarian at the State Library of New South Wales, Richard Neville has been on the judging panel of the Miles Franklin Award - one of Australia's most prestigious literary prizes - for the past three years. Grace caught up with Richard Neville to talk about what it's like to judge a literary award, his thoughts on this year's winner (Anna Funder's All That I Am), and Australian literature in general. Originally broadcast on the Book Club, 21 June 2012.

Amy talks to Simon Groth about The 24-Hour Book, an exciting project that combines the writing talents of Nick Earls, Steven Amsterdam, Krissy Kneen and others with a 24-hour deadline. The project runs from midday on June 11. If you want to keep tabs on the novel's progress, or get involved, follow the links from http://www.futureofthebook.org.au/2012/02/20/the-24-hour-book/. Originally broadcast on the Book Club on May 31 2012.

Sky chats to Romy Ash about her debut novel, Floundering, travelling to remote Australian communities and what happens when you start speaking like your protagonists. Originally broadcast on the Book Club on 31/05/2012. Floundering is out now through Text Publishing.

You’ve read this tale, or something like it, before: young protagonist is emotionally and/or sexually awakened by the entrance into their lives of a new person: an iconoclast or unconventional character, who throws their current perspectives into disar...