In this episode of Booksmart, Randa Abdel-Fattah sits down with Soaliha for a powerful conversation that spans her brand-new novel Discipline, the controversies rocking Australia’s literary scene, and the realities of racism a...

In this week's episode of Booksmart, Soaliha Iqbal sits down with writer Natalia Figueroa Barroso to talk about her extraordinary debut novel Hailstones Fell without Rain.Of Uruguayan descent with Charrúa, Yoruba and Iberian ori...

In this week's episode of Booksmart, we’re joined by the wonderful Nicky Gonzalez, the author of one of this year’s most haunting debuts, Mayra - a novel that brims with tension, longing, and the sticky heat of Florida’s swamplands.

The Nile brought them life, but the Nile was not their friend.When a little boy drowns in the treacherous currents of the Nile, the search for his body unearths calamity and disaster, and exposes forgotten secrets buried for...

Not to hype this week's book too much....but Soaliha has confirmed that Candice Chung's new memoir Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You is one of the best books she has read this year. So, PSA: Go and buy this book, stat. ...

Meet Anne-Marie Te Whiu (Te Rarawa): a poet, editor and cultural producer - who is making BIG waves in the literary world. It was an honour to have her join us on the podcast this week.ICYMI: Anne-Marie has released Mettle, a re...

Khadija Gbla is an absolute force to be reckoned with - and we've been closely following her work for a long time.If she's not on your radar already - Khadija is a leading human rights activist and writer, amongst many other things. She ...

It goes without saying that due to misrepresentations of Autism in media and popular culture, many Autistic people miss out on seeing themselves, their unique experiences and their triumphs, platformed or seen. In the new a...

Acclaimed wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta has been mugged by whales, touched by a baby whale and covered in whale snot (just casually - as you do). Pirotta’s enthusiasm and deep knowledge of whales shine through in her book H...

Hello, friends - we're back with a really special episode! Soaliha Iqbal got to sit down with Samah Sabawi to discuss Samah's book Cactus Pear For My Beloved. It's a really moving conversation.Samah shares the sto...

TW: Discussion of violence against womenWe are only 41 weeks into the year — which means we have surpassed the much-quoted statistic of one woman being killed every week in Australia. By the time this podcast is edited ...

Introducing a **very** different episode this week, just to shake things up here at Booksmart. Because honestly, why not?This week, Tash sits down with the iconic Dr Jen Gunter for an equally iconic conversation.Dr Gunter is als...

We're excited to bring you a really special episode this week. Our Editorial & Partnerships Lead Alicia got to sit down with the wonderful Alyssa Huynh for a chat about her new (debut!) book Safe Space.ICYMI: In 2020, Alyss...

“I had to relearn how to live after nearly dying. It felt like a rite of passage no-one else had ever experienced, a journey there was no map for, and for so long afterwards, I was lost to myself. This book is for anyon...

If Dr Mykaela Saunders isn't on your radar, then we are changing that today. Mykaela is a Koori/Goori and Lebanese writer, researcher, editor and teacher. Her incredible speculative fiction collection Always Will Be (casually) ...

Shankari Chandran was once told that her stories weren't 'Australian enough.' She later went on to win the prestigious Miles Franklin Award - an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presen...

Everyone. We know we say that every episode of Booksmart is special, but this one is PARTICULARLY so (we promise). And it's poetry too, so even better. This week, Hannah Diviney got to sit down with proud Wiradjuri poet Jeanine Leane to...

Breaking our (small yet needed) hiatus from Booksmart and coming back with an absolute BANGER: the one and only Lisa Taddeo!Our EIC Hannah was lucky enough to sit down with Lisa to chat about her incredible writing, career, and bestsell...

CW: Discussion of sexual assaultIt's been described as the game-changing book about sex and consent that every woman - and man - should read.In 2021, Chanel Contos posted on Instagram asking people to share their stories ...

Is there a better way to kick off this year then chatting with the author of one of the most buzziest books of 2023?! Madeleine Gray is an arts writer, book critic, a PhD candidate in English literature at the University of Manchester (what can...

Sara M Saleh is a writer, poet, human rights lawyer, and the daughter of Palestinian, Lebanese and Egyptian migrants.  Her poetry is not only an inherently political act, but a deeply personal one. We could not think of a better person to ...

In the (highly) unlikely chance that Hannah Ferguson isn't on your radar, then we want to change that ASAP.Hannah  is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cheek Media Co, an independent Australian news commentary platform providing informed, ...

This week, Alicia Vrajlal from Missing Perspectives sits down with journalist Elfy Scott to discuss Elfy's book The One Thing We’ve Never Spoken About.Elfy grew up in a household where her mother’s schizophrenia was ra...

We know we say this about every episode of Booksmart...but this is a really special episode.This week, social worker and former Wayside Aboriginal Cultural Centre Manager Cassandra Ashcroft interviews Amani Haydar about her inc...

Welcome to a very special episode of Booksmart! This week, we invited athlete and equal pay advocate Lucy Small to interview Chloe Dalton about her new book