Literati Glitterati

Although the podcast format of Literati Glitterati has now wrapped, this show continues to be broadcast on Triple R. You can now listen to new episodes on Triple R’s FM On Demand service at rrr.org.au/explore/programs/literati-glitterati.Thanks for listening!

Julie Ostro discusses her new cookbook Good Cooking Everyday, and novelist Michelle De Kretser delves into her new book Theory and Practice.

The monthly Literati Glitterati Salon returns for its final instalment for 2024 to discuss autobiographical novel Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginzburg about life, language, and family in Italy from the 1920s to the 50s. Mel Fulton speaks to writer and editor Hilary McPhee, collection manager and multidisciplinary artist Marita Dyson, and writer Raeden Richardson on how Ginzburg uses words to create a family bonded by phrases and how the book explores the dysfunction and isolation of family, language, and identity with much humor and affection.

Alina Grabowski dials in to talk all about her latest book, Women and Children First, set in a fictional town in Massachusetts. It’s a burnt-out coastal town where the residents are confronted by the death of a young woman at a house party, and the novel is told through the voices of women in the community as they work through their grief and try to get to the bottom of what happened. Poet Andy Jackson joins Mel to talk about his collaborative project Raging Grace: Australian Writers Speak Out on Disability. Featuring work from over 20 disabled contributors, the anthology contains poems, essays and artworks which question and divulge the experience of being deemed troublesome. And there's still time to read this month's novel, Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginzburg, for next week's Literati Glitterati Salon.

Mel's first guest is Emily Maguire, discussing her recently-released book Rapture. In the second half of the show, Mel explores Australian Gospel: A Family Saga with author Lech Blain.

Special guest host Jess Zanoni fills in for Mel this week.Jess is joined by Jessica Friedmann author of Twenty-Two Impressions: notes from the Major Arcana to peek behind the curtain of the history and culture surrounding Tarot. Plus Joe Rubbo, Managing Director of Readings, stops by the studio to talk about 'A Day in Carlton' - a brand new literary festival being put on by the book retailer.

Mel Fulton speaks with internet darling Lucinda “Froomes” Price about her debut novel All I Ever Wanted Was To Be Hot. Froomes is known for outrageous comedic bits, celebrity obsessions and as a beacon for early naughties nostalgia. All I Ever Wanted Was To Be Hot is a memoir/manifesto that dives deep into her psyche, an honest and vulnerable account of Froomes' experiences with restrictive eating, cosmetic surgery and societal expectations, all backed by science, anecdotes and pop culture references. Mel and Froomes acknowledge that a lot of us want to be hot, but the lengths we go to can be detrimental. Together, they drill into some of the experiences in their own lives that made them stop and think about why they were doing what they were doing to their bodies, and work through decades worth of internalised commentary on their external appearance. If this conversation brings up unwelcome feelings regarding disordered eating, try talking to a loved one or call the Butterfly Foundation hotline on 1800 33 4673.

Mel chats with Katerina Gibson on her new book 'The Temperature', a collection of short stories about climate change in contemporary Australia. Then, Samah Sabawi discusses her novel 'Cactus Pear For My Beloved', a family story from Gaza.

In collaboration with the Emerging Writers' Festival, Mel chats with three authors, William Huang, Katy Chan, and Elizabeth Bourke, and premieres three unique audio pieces exploring ideas from AI, memory and creativity and being terminally online for the Digital Surrealisms event.

The monthly Literati Glitterati Salon returns to discuss 'Enter Ghost' by Isabella Hammad, a novel about a Palestinian production of Hamlet.Mel Fulton speaks to novalist Nevo Zisin, illustrator Sofia Sabbagh, and editor Tess Cullity on how the book portrays the power of Palestinian theatre, and the complexity of a book released just months before last October when Palestine was changed drastically by increasing violent conflict and opression from Israeli settlers and IDF forces.