Best Louisa Lim Podcasts (2024)

1
Tram Tales: The Show Must Go On 10:30

1d ago10:30

10:30

I’m Thomas Phillips Melbourne’s status as Australia's live music capital is under threat. Since the start of the pandemic, one third of small and mid-sized venues nation-wide have closed their doors for good. This week we’re bringing you stories about how performers along the number 19 tramline are getting by. It's the third episode of Tram Tales. …

1
S3E9: S0309: Jo Lauder on Audio Storytelling 25:47

5d ago25:47

25:47

"The thing that I love about audio is that...it's really intimate." ABC journalist Jo Lauder says audio can be really effective in transporting the listener to a particular time and place. She explains how she goes about planning different types of audio pieces, whether for Triple J's Hack or long-form narrative podcasts like Saving the Franklin. S…

1
Tram Tales: Odd Jobs 14:28

8d ago14:28

14:28

Ask a group of teenagers about their dream jobs and you’ll likely hear a familiar list: doctor, lawyer, architect, psychologist... According to an OECD survey, these are some of the most desired jobs among students worldwide. But what about all the jobs they don’t even know exist? This week, we’re bringing you stories from off the beaten career pat…

1
S3E8: S03E08: Daniel Browning on Objectivity in Journalism 22:57

12d ago22:57

22:57

“Who measures objectivity? Who judges objectivity?” Objectivity is traditionally seen as a cardinal tenet of journalism, but Daniel Browning's long experience in Australian newsrooms has left him questioning whether objectivity is possible, or even beneficial. The Bundjalung and Kullili man, who leads the ABC's Indigenous Radio unit, says First Nat…

1
Tram Tales: Feeling the Crunch 14:30

15d ago14:30

14:30

The number 19 tramline is Melbourne’s backbone, taking passengers all the way from Coburg north to Flinders Street Station. Our new series, Tram Tales, shares the stories and struggles of people who, live, work, and travel along this central artery. For our first episode, we're focusing on an issue that’s top of mind for most Australians — the cost…

1
S3E7: S03E07: Konrad Marshall on the Craft of Feature Writing 25:42

18d ago25:42

25:42

“Always get the name of the dog, the brand of the beer, and the title of the song that was playing as the car crashed off the road.” This is one writing commandment that the award-winning writer for Good Weekend Konrad Marshall keeps top of mind, as told to him by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tom French. For Marshall, that attention to detail is one trade…

1
Not Natural: Belonging 14:10

30d ago14:10

14:10

In the days of hunter-gatherers, social exclusion meant certain death. Humans have evolved with a primal need for belonging — and we still suppress our differences so we can fit in. But what happens when we buck this trend? This week, we’re bringing you stories about embracing our differences. It’s the sixth episode of Not Natural, a series about t…

1
Hold my popcorn: Diplomatic war in the Pacific Theatre 36:45

1M ago36:45

36:45

China’s largesse in the Pacific is nothing if not visible. From mobile phone towers to gleaming stadiums and government buildings, Beijing’s splashing out on those it sees as choosing “the right side of history.” In this episode, we explore Taiwan’s future in the Pacific as it is deserted by its former diplomatic allies, lured by Beijing’s goodies.…

1
S3E6: S03E06: Stephanie Convery on Feature Stories 26:16

1M ago26:16

26:16

“Focus on the intimate and particular.” When it comes to feature writing, Stephanie Convery says it is often the small details that count. Her work with Guardian Australia involves shining a light on inequality, and frequently focuses on people’s personal circumstances. She likens features to creative writing in the need to draw on literary devices…

1
Not Natural: Disrupting Decline 16:05

1M ago16:05

16:05

According to an old urban myth, a frog suddenly dropped in boiling water will instantly leap out to safety. But if the water is tepid and gradually heated, the oblivious frog will slowly boil to death. This process is a metaphor for human psychology — especially when it comes to ecological decline. Over time, gradual changes can make unprecedented …

1
S3E5: S03E05: Laura Murphy-Oates on Interviewing 24:02

1M ago24:02

24:02

“You can’t go in with no idea of what you might hope to get out of it, but you have to be open to what happens in the interview.” As former host of Guardian Australia’s Full Story podcast, Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to people for a living. Here she outlines her rules for interviewing, including the pre-interview research process and how to structure…

1
"Fizziology is phun" 42:33

1M ago42:33

42:33

[picture id="4KZS1QD_31813897_l_normal_none_jpg" crop="16x10" layout="full"] Ever wondered why the heart is associated with love, how it beats relentlessly without thought of mind, or why your physical fitness changes your resting heart rate? Understanding how the body works is "physiology" and Julian Paton is a passionate physiologist who insists …

1
Not Natural: Health Hacks 14:11

1M ago14:11

14:11

Every day, our brains take cognitive shortcuts. Our limited time and attention make it easy to fall back on familiar biases. Among the most deeply ingrained is the assumption that “natural” always means “healthier”. This week, we’re interrogating this idea with stories about “natural” and synthetic remedies. It’s the fourth episode of Not Natural, …

1
S3E4: S03E04: Saffron Howden on Writing News Stories 24:40

2M ago24:40

24:40

"If you haven't grabbed the readers' attention within the first 10-12 words, you lose them." Saffron Howden's job is training journalists how to write news for Australian Community Media. She sees news journalists as storytellers dealing in facts, who need to always be thinking about their audience. In this episode, she offers tips on the craft of …

1
Exploring extraterrestrial life with Kathleen Campbell 39:10

2M ago39:10

39:10

Is there life out there beyond Earth? And why does it matter? Join former NASA researcher and University of Auckland astrobiologist Professor Kathleen Campbell.

1
Not Natural: Digital Dependency 14:46

2M ago14:46

14:46

In the throes of addiction, people can enter a time warp. The clock seemingly stops when cravings are met and dopamine floods the brain. But I’m not talking about drugs. I’m talking about social media. Heavy users can squander hours per day on TikTok binges. And the App’s developers see this as a feature, not a flaw. This week, we’re bringing you s…

1
Not Natural: Skin Deep 14:33

2M ago14:33

14:33

Social media feeds can make Botox and fillers seem as commonplace as getting a haircut. On TikTok alone, the plastic surgery hashtag has 22 billion views. Is this newfound acceptance democratising beauty, or making beauty obligatory? And who gets to decide what counts as beautiful? This week, we’re binging you stories about our increasingly narrow …

1
S3E3: S03E03: Nick McKenzie on Ethics and Defamation 24:04

2M ago24:04

24:04

"It's about fairness in the search for the truth, and fairness in publishing our stories." The Age's Nick McKenzie has put fairness at the centre of his journalistic identity. It's led him to break some of the nation's biggest stories, winning him 16 Walkleys, but also has meant he's been sued for defamation on multiple occasions. In this episode, …

1
S3E2: S03E02: Finding Interviewees with Julia Bergin 25:14

2M ago25:14

25:14

"Every story that you do, you need to talk to people." Julia Bergin's journalistic career has taken her as far afield as Japan and the Northern Territory, meaning she's had to work at building up her contact book time and time again. In this episode, she talks about all that goes into finding the right interviewees for a story. "It's broadening thi…

1
Not Natural: God Mode 15:26

2M ago15:26

15:26

There’s this phrase God Mode that was born out of the gaming world. It refers to a notorious cheat code in the 1993 shooter game, Doom. Once activated, a player becomes invincible and vanquishes opponents with ease. Nowadays, God mode is a slang term for achieving superhuman feats in real life, and in our era of artificial intelligence and cybernet…

1
S3E1: S03E01: Finding a News Story with Angus Thomson 23:20

2M ago23:20

23:20

“You have to learn by doing, and you will only get better with practice.” Angus Thomson started with Sydney Morning Herald as a cadet in 2022, and is currently their health reporter. In this episode he explains how he goes about finding news stories, reflecting on his experience as a student at The University of Melbourne and as a professional jour…

1
The Feminists have Stood Up: Gender and Comedy in China 45:42

3M ago45:42

45:42

Stand-up comedy looked set to be the next big thing on China’s entertainment scene, with shows like Roast Convention drawing billions of views and comics scoring lucrative commercial endorsements. But comedy now finds itself in retreat. A new wave of feminist comics is struggling with attacks from online trolls and a disapproving state. To ask whet…

1
Full time children or half dead: China’s Gen Z goes to ground 40:36

5M ago40:36

40:36

Every generation in modern China has been richer and more ambitious than the one before—until Gen Z. With youth unemployment so high that the government has simply stopped reporting the figures, many are opting to lie flat, slump down dead, or even become full-time children. The Party frets that despite the best efforts of the propaganda organs to …

1
Subclass 500: Going back to normal 13:33

5M ago13:33

13:33

Since July, the cost of living crisis has gotten a whole lot worse for international students. Thanks to the reinstatement of pre-pandemic work restrictions, their maximum working hours have been limited to 24 hours per week. Experts call it a return to "normal", but those facing financial peril say otherwise. This week, Wuxi Fan talks to three stu…

1
Subclass 500: Caged by rules 16:42

5M ago16:42

16:42

Rules have been following us from the moment we were born. Children follow the rules set by parents, students follow the rules set by schools, workers follow the rules set by companies, and citizens follow the laws set by governments. But what happens when international students face rules in different countries and cultures? This week on Subclass …

1
THE MORALITY OF AI: TOBY WALSH (2023) 1:01:37

5M ago1:01:37

1:01:37

There are approximately three million robots working in factories around the world, and another 30 million in people’s homes. Soon robots will outnumber humans. But what happens if an autonomous AI harms or kills a person, deliberately or accidentally? It will happen. In fact, it already has. In Machines Behaving Badly, Professor Toby Walsh – Laure…

1
WORDS LOST AND FOUND: PIP WILLIAMS (2023) 55:41

5M ago55:41

55:41

Pip Williams’ best-selling novel The Dictionary of Lost Words tells the story of motherless Esme who spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers gather words for the first Oxford English Dictionary. Over time she discovers words relating to women’s experiences often go unrecorded. T…

1
THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA: SHEHAN KARUNATILAKA (2023) 1:02:28

5M ago1:02:28

1:02:28

The judges for the winning 2022 Booker Prize praised Shehan Karunatilaka’s novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida for the ‘ambition of its scope, and the hilarious audacity of its narrative techniques’. Set in Sri Lanka during the 25- year civil war, a murdered photographer has seven days to solve the mystery of his own death. It’s a philosophical …

1
THE BOOK OF ROADS AND KINGDOMS: RICHARD FIDLER (2023) 1:01:01

5M ago1:01:01

1:01:01

The Book of Roads and Kingdoms brings to life a dazzling culture of science, literature, philosophy and adventure arising out of the flourishing metropolis of Baghdad during Islam’s Golden Age. Australian writer / broadcaster Richard Fidler recounts how medieval Persian and Arab wanderers ventured by camel, horse and boat into the unknown, bringing…

1
SOMETHING THAT MAY SHOCK AND DISCREDIT YOU: DANIEL LAVERY (2023) 1:01:01

5M ago1:01:01

1:01:01

Delightfully inventive and witty, Daniel Lavery (as Mallory Ortberg) was the cofounder of The Toast, the pop-culture platform with literary depth that described its target audience as ‘librarians’. The best-selling author of Texts from Jane Eyre and Merry Spinster, next wrote Something that May Shock and Discredit You, an exhilarating series of ess…

1
INDELIBLE CITY: LOUISA LIM (2023) 1:00:53

5M ago1:00:53

1:00:53

In the opening paragraphs of Stella Prize shortlisted Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong, author Louisa Lim is torn between journalistic neutrality and her love of Hong Kong as she is invited by guerrilla sign painters to grab a brush and help produce pro-democracy banners. An award-winning journalist who reported from China fo…

1
CAN AI WRITE A BOOK? SARAH DANIELL, CATHERINE CHIDGEY, TOBY WALSH, TE TAKA KEEGAN (2023) 1:00:42

5M ago1:00:42

1:00:42

With open source AI chatbots capable of generating text that appears increasingly human, will they eventually replace writers altogether? Some claim that AI will never have enough creativity, empathy or originality – but over time could even these qualities be assimilated by robotwriters? Canvas editor Sarah Daniell recently experimented with getti…

1
TWO-SPIRIT: JOSHUA WHITEHEAD, ELLEN VAN NEERVEN, KŌTUKU TITIHUIA NUTTALL 1:01:46

5M ago1:01:46

1:01:46

Two-Spirit is a pan-Indigenous expression (FNMI – First Nations, Metis and Inuit) from Turtle Island (North America) reflecting complex understandings of gender roles, spirituality and a long history of diversity. Two-Spirit writer Joshua Whitehead (Oji-Cree member of the Peguis First Nation) took the word Indigenous and braided it with the word qu…

1
It's Not About Hope: CHELSEA WATEGO, EMMA ESPINER 59:53

5M ago59:53

59:53

In Another Day in the Colony, Mununjali and South Sea Islander health activist Chelsea Watego has a chapter called F**k Hope. She urges her mob to be nihilistic because hope is the dream deferred, better to embrace sovereignty and take matters into your own hands. Sharing the conversation is podcaster and author Dr Emma Espiner (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngā…

1
WE CAN’T NOT MENTION IT… : STEPHANIE JOHNSON, FIONA FARRELL (2023) 1:03:14

5M ago1:03:14

1:03:14

How do fiction writers deal with Covid? Full-on or sideways? Stephanie Johnson embraces it with gusto in her new satirical novel Kind, a thriller set in lockdown, with devious plots, social blunders and superyachts. Fiona Farrell’s The Deck is set a little way into the future and borrows a motif of Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron in which a smal…

1
LIVE LIFE: DAVE LETELE, WILLY DE WIT (2023) 1:00:45

5M ago1:00:45

1:00:45

In his book No Excuses Dave ‘the Brown Buttabean’ Letele shares how he overcame poverty, depression and crime to become an award-winning community leader inspiring people to turn their lives around. Willy De Wit was a regular on TV shows such as Funny Business, and a brekkie host on Radio Hauraki. In Drink, Smoke, Snort, Stroke he charts his journe…

1
SONNETS FOR ALBERT: ANTHONY JOSEPH (2023) 1:01:26

5M ago1:01:26

1:01:26

When I hear my father deadI flew 10 hours into the sunnext morning I put black onThe 2023 TS Eliot Prize award-winning Sonnets for Albert by Anthony Joseph was cited by the judges as ‘a luminous collection which celebrates humanity in all its contradictions and breathes new life into this enduring form’. Born in Trinidad, with calypso, surrealism, …

1
EVENT 09 TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW: GABRIELLE ZEVIN (2023) 59:54

5M ago59:54

59:54

‘Whatever its subject, when a novel is powerful enough, it transports us readers deep into worlds not our own. That’s true of Moby Dick, and it’s certainly true of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, which renders the process of designing a great video game as enthralling as the pursuit of that great white whale.’ Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Ai…

1
DOUBLE PULITZER PRIZE WINNER: COLSON WHITEHEAD (2023) 1:03:29

5M ago1:03:29

1:03:29

Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Colson Whitehead is the only writer to win for consecutive books. His best-selling novels 'The Underground Railroad' and 'The Nickel Boys' addressed racial injustice with what has been described as ‘lived wit’. Also the winner of many other prestigious awards, Whitehead’s wide cultural impact was s…

1
WHEN A POWWOW IS NOT A POWWOW 1:03:01

5M ago1:03:01

1:03:01

The word ‘Powwow’ is often used to refer to a quick impromptu meeting, but in Northern Plains Indigenous cultures, there is nothing quick or casual about their traditional gathering and ceremony. Rejecting misappropriation, where a cultural element is taken out of context and used in another – such as ripping off the Haka, or joking about didgerido…

1
BUT WHAT CAN WE DO? (2023) 1:01:52

5M ago1:01:52

1:01:52

The impacts of climate change are upon us, we know that, and the recent brutal weather events have shown we can’t sit idly by. It’s time for fresh thinking and radical action. Veteran journalist Simon Wilson, the author of several searching newspaper articles on our post-flood, post-cyclone future, will discuss new ways of approaching climate risk …

1
Subclass 500: Can love last long distance? 15:09

5M ago15:09

15:09

This episode explores long-distance relationships for international students. Part one is about the problems faced by a couple who are dating long distance. The second part introduces the phenomenon of life partners based on the story of a Melbourne-based Chinese student's relationship. Credits: Series Producer: Yuxuan Liu Senior Producer: Songyu W…

1
Subclass 500: Can I find a future in Australia? 14:48

6M ago14:48

14:48

The number of international students in Australia is rapidly increasing, and some of them want to stay here to work and live. But they will face various difficulties and challenges. They have all put in a lot of effort. However, their future is still uncertain. The first interviewee, Michael Zhao, studies engineering and will graduate at the end of…

1
Bombard the Past: Exhuming the Cultural Revolution 50:04

6M ago50:04

50:04

The exponential trauma produced by the Cultural Revolution is barely mentioned in China, yet has been foundational to a generation. Now the Communist Party is using the experience of its leader Xi Jinping as one of the 17 million young people sent down to the countryside to reframe the movement as showcasing personal sacrifice in the interests of n…

1
Subclass 500: Navigating Cultures 14:58

6M ago14:58

14:58

When international students first set foot in Melbourne, they often feel alienated due to the absence of a sense of home and may feel apprehensive due to the cultural differences. They yearn for resonance and familiarity. In this episode, two Chinese students join the university's Chinese martial arts club, while another student from China blends C…

1
TUATAHI (2023) 1:00:31

6M ago1:00:31

1:00:31

Three young fluent te reo speakers producing inspirational work across a variety of genres, talk about the bravery and passion it took to take the unmapped uncharted leap into a creative life. Founding member of award-winning slam poetry group Ngā Hine Pūkōrero Arihia Hall (Te Arawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Tūkorehe); the youngest director ever sel…

1
BIRNAM WOOD: ELEANOR CATTON (2023) 1:03:49

6M ago1:03:49

1:03:49

Aotearoa’s most anticipated book release of 2023 has been Eleanor Catton’s Birnam Wood, coming ten years after she won the Booker Prize for The Luminaries. A psychological thriller set in the South Island, Shakespearean in scope, a battle between good and evil – it has a complex intellectual core and also a great sense of mischief. Catton now lives…

1
WHAT THE MAGPIE SAYS: CATHERINE CHIDGEY (2023) 59:19

6M ago59:19

59:19

Is The Axeman’s Carnival the great Kiwi Gothic classic? Plenty of reviewers think so. Catherine Chidgey surprised everybody when she revealed her next book was going to be narrated by a mimicking magpie. Would it work? It sure does. Not only is it funny and magical, it’s also a bird’s-eye view into the very real struggle of farming life, a nuanced …

1
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS: DR MONTY SOUTAR (2023) 57:56

6M ago57:56

57:56

The Ockham New Zealand Book Awards shortlisted novel, Kāwai, by Dr Monty Soutar ONZM (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngā Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Kahungunu) has remained on the New Zealand bestseller list ever since it was released. The first in a planned trilogy, it met an appetite to bring to life the pre-colonial history of Māori. Soutar had an epiphany th…

1
HONOURED WRITER TRUE STORY: MY MANSFIELD 47:40

6M ago47:40

47:40

2023 marks the centenary year of Katherine Mansfield’s too-soon demise from pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 34. She is still cherished today in New Zealand and across the world, having played a part in shaping modernism, experimenting with style in a body of work that redefined genre. Some literary critics have called her the best short-story …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Louisa Lim Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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