Interview Podcasts

Guest User

13 October 2014

Monday 6th October 2014

In conversation with Steven Lang at the 'Outspoken' literary event in Maleny, Queensland.

Click Here to Listen

Sally Piper on Instagram

Happy LOVE YOUR BOOKSHOP DAY ON Day 2 @briswritersfest. First up a panel titled It’s the End of the World & They Know It starring @catherinechidgey (THE STARVING BRIDE), @_elainecastillo (MODERATION), @writesfiona (KILL YOUR BOOMERS) and @jessyzwu (GOOD INTENTIONS). Such diverse books, but an illuminating conversation. Followed this up with a panel I was excited for and it didn’t disappoint: The Art of the Essay with Andrew O’Hagan (ON FRIENDSHIPS), Melissa Lucashenko (NOT QUITE WHITE IN THE HEAD), Cameron Hurst (EXCLUSIVE! DISPATCHES FROM THE PARIS END) and Elaine Castillo (HOW TO READ NOW), a conversation skillfully curated by Carody Culver, that confirmed the essay is not even close to dead (as some might claim), certainly for me. A day made complete with a birthday celebratory wine (or two) with @dranitaheiss and a 2027 @bigissueaustralia calendar purchase. An all round glorious day @bris_powerhouse.

The first 24 hours of @briswritersfest at the @bris_powerhouse has passed in a whirl of books, conversations, awards and meeting new writing friends and catching up with old ones. Kicked it all off with the @qldliteraryawards on Thursday night, then three panels yesterday, starting with Charlotte Wood in conversation with Damian Wilkins (DELIRIOUS), which took my thinking about writing dialogue to a whole new level. Followed this up with Carody Culver moderating a panel titled This Writing Life where she was in conversation with The New Yorker journalist Susan Orlean (JOYRIDE), Charlotte Wood (THE WRITER’S ROOM) and Andrew Pippos (THE TRANSFORMATIONS). Next up was Frances Whiting in conversation with Suzi Miller (INTER ALIA and PRIMA FACIE), which was a conversation that I wish the social media algorithms would force our young men to instead of the toxic content it currently does. The final event for the day was my panel, titled Societal Disconnect. And what a great joy and honour it was to share it with @thisisbrooked (NO ONE’S LOOKING) Michael Mohammed Ahmed (BUGGERED) and @kjohnsonauthor (EVERY WILD SOUL), each of us taken very ably through ideas about connection, disconnection and reinvention by the master of panel moderation @ashleyhay7. What a day! Loved it all! @uqpbooks #peoplelikeusnovel #brisbanewritersfestival

Saturday 10 October…mark the date in your diaries! This is always a fun day with many bookshops putting on special events, hosting stalls and offering giveaways, all in the name of celebrating books, reading and community. #lybd2026

I’m super excited to be hitting the road soon to visit libraries in regional NSW where I will be talking about my novel PEOPLE LIKE US and presenting my Witnessing Landscapes: Nature Writing Masterclass. A huge shout-out to the libraries I’m visiting for being so helpful and enthusiastic about me coming to their local community to talk books and writing. Nearly all the events are free but you will need to register for them. There is a link in my bio that takes you to an Events page on my website which lists the individual links for the author talks and the masterclass across each of the libraries. 🛻📚 @narrabrishirecouncil @tamworthcitylibrary @waggalibrary @bathurstlibrary @uqpbooks

What makes the Brisbane lit-scene so special? What does literary collegiality look like? What have bookshops like @avidreader and @riverbendbooks contributed to our careers? How has our writing altered the way we see our city or our state? Come along and hear the answers to these questions and a whole bunch more. It should be fun! Tickets can be booked through the link in my bio. @dranitaheiss @mirandiriwoe @kkneen

A nest, largish, made of coarse vines so not very cosy, quite drafty and possibly not completed before being blown from the tree. Not sure what species of bird.🐦‍⬛

A packed house for the launch of THE WEIGHT OF WITNESS @loftwestend and hosted by @avidreader tonight, an anthology written by Australian and New Zealand health care workers about their experiences serving in Gaza and published by @readerswritersagainstgenocide. The conversation was a beautiful tribute to the resilience, gratitude and generosity of the Palestinian people and the importance of words; that criticizing a genocide is not antisemitic and how threatening and silencing people who speak up doesn’t alter the truth of the ongoing genocide being committed against the Palestinian people.

More evidence that they’re on the move, this one shed in the bay leaf tree 🐍💚 #carpetsnake

A lovely visit to the good folk @paperchainbookstore while in Canberra. Signed copies of PEOPLE LIKE US instore now. @uqpbooks #peoplelikeusnovel

Thank you @thebookcowkingston and to the wonderful Canberra audience for your warm welcome, thoughtful questions and shared conversation last night. It warmed my heart to see you were all as passionate about the story of Tina in PEOPLE LIKE US as I am. And a very special thank you to @karen_viggers - I knew you’d be the perfect conversation partner for the event. It was an absolute joy to sit down with you and talk about my novel, its characters and the themes it addresses. If you’d like to hear Karen interview other authors, then check out her and @irma.gold’s podcast @secretsfromthegreenroom. They’re literary legends as interviewers of authors, and you can listen back to just how legendary on their free podcast at wherever you listen to your pods. @uqpbooks #peoplelikeusnovel #housingisahumanright