From the Lighthouse

Page Richards on the changing states and stakes of literary fiction in contemporary times

In this week's episode of From the Lighthouse, join Michelle as she talks with Page Richards, director of Hong Kong University's MFA program and prize-winning poet and vaudeville artist. They discuss the changing states and stakes of literary fiction in contemporary times.

Before Shackleton there was Ursula K. Le Guin's "Sur"

Join Associate Professor Jane Messer and Michelle as they discuss Ursula K. Le Guin's speculative short story "Sur" about the group of women explorers who arrived at the Antarctic's South Pole, well before Shackleton. 

Graham Greene's 'A Little Place Off the Edgware Road' and Paddy OReilly's 'Baggage Claim'

Associate Professor Jane Messer joins Michelle to discuss a short horror story by Graham Greene, 'A Little Place Off the Edgware Road' and another short story by Australian writer, Paddy O'Reilly, 'Baggage Claim'. If you'd like to read O'Reilly's short story before listening, her story was published in Overland and the link is provided below.

https://overland.org.au/previous-issues/issue-231/fiction-paddy-oreilly/

Classic Teendaptation #5: She's All That

The 1999 film She's All That is an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion...or is it? This week, Stephanie, Kirstin and Jimmy discuss glasses,  the class system, and disappointment. 

Macbeth: The Enduring Appeal of Shakespeare's Scottish Play

Shakespeare's Macbeth is so good that we can't stop thinking about it, or talking about it. This week, Stephanie, Jimmy and Kirstin discuss the appeal of the Scottish play, as well as the best and worst adaptations.

Comfort Texts for a Brave New World

The world is in a very strange place right now, and we're in need of serious distraction. Jimmy, Kirstin and Stephanie take you through their favourite comfort books, television shows, movies and podcasts.

Kafka's Metamorphosis: The Complex, The Ambiguous and the Inexplicable

Stephanie is still too busy and doesn't have time to act as referee as Michelle and Jimmy lock horns over Kafka's The Metamorphosis (or, as Steph calls it, "the bug episode"). Join Michelle and Jimmy as they politely discuss the enduring appeal, complexities and ambiguities of Kafka's seminal text, before descending into an inexplicably long debate about the source of artistry in music. 

Best Books of 2019

In a proud From the Lighthouse tradition, Stephanie and Michelle give their verdict on the best books of 2019.

Interview with Diana Plater on her first novel, Whale Rock

Diana Plater, professional travel writer, journalist, and now novelist, discusses her first novel, Whale Rock, a sensuous exploration of mothering and loss and what it means to be a middle-aged woman in multi-cultural Sydney.

 

Credit for the pic of Diana: Sylvia Karschies.

Whale Rock by Diana Plater is available at:

https://themoshshop.com.au/collections/new-releases/products/whale-rock-by-diana-plater; 

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/924932

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07NYHWNTR

https://books.apple.com/us/book/whale-rock/id1454032970

#crusoeat300 and the Strange Life and Works of Daniel Defoe

2019 marks 300 years since the publication of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. This week, Stephanie is joined by Geoff to discuss the strange life, and perhaps even stranger works, of Daniel Defoe.