Best Susan Birch Podcasts (2024)

1
'Death by suicide? Division as a default setting in America' by Timothy J. Lynch 11:43

4h ago11:43

11:43

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Timothy J. Lynch considers whether the United States is on the path to a second civil war, as forecast by Nick Bryant in The Forever War: America’s unending conflict with itself. In his book, Bryant, a former BBC Washington correspondent, argues that hate and paranoia form a central core of the American experience. Timot…

1
‘Mitty Lee-Brown: artist in exile: From a boarding house in Woollahra to Sri Lanka’ by Nick Hordern 13:54

2d ago13:54

13:54

On this week’s ABR Podcast, Nick Hordern tells the story of Mitty Lee-Brown, the Australian artist who went into self-imposed exile in 1968 to Ceylon, which in 1972 became Sri Lanka. Nick Hordern is a former diplomat and journalist, and the author of several books, including World War Noir: Sydney’s Unpatriotic War. Listen to ‘Mitty Lee-Brown: arti…

1
'Pascoe's vision: Musings on life and Country' by Seumas Spark 10:28

8d ago10:28

10:28

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Seumas Spark reviews Black Duck: A year at Yumburra by Bruce Pascoe with Lyn Harwood. Spark writes: ‘Black Duck is two things: a record of a year in the life of the farm, and a collection of musings on life and Country’. Seumas Spark is an historian at Monash University. Listen to Spark’s ‘Pascoe's vision: Musings on lif…

1
‘Bloodstone: The day they blew up Mount Tom Price’ by Nicole Hasham 36:01

9d ago36:01

36:01

In this week’s ABR Podcast, we feature the third-place winner in this year’s Calibre Essay Prize, Nicole Hasham’s ‘Bloodstone: The day they blew up Mount Tom Price’. In preparation for the essay, Walkley Award-winning journalist Nicole Hasham travelled to the site of Wakathuni, the Pilbara mountain also known as Tom Price that was blown up in 1974 …

1
Peter Rose reviews 'Hazzard and Harrower: The letters' edited by Brigitta Olubas and Susan Wyndham 25:23

23d ago25:23

25:23

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Peter Rose reviews Hazzard and Harrower: The letters, edited by Brigitta Olubas and Susan Wyndham. The correspondence between writers Shirley Hazzard and Elizabeth Harrower ran from 1966 to 2008 and, in its unedited form, amounted to 400,000 words. Editors Susan Wyndham Brigitta Olubas have trimmed it down: ‘For the time…

1
'Copyright and its discontents: Frank Moorhouse's battle to defend authors' by Matthew Lamb 11:25

1M ago11:25

11:25

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Frank Moorhouse biographer Matthew Lamb tells of his subject’s battle to defend Australian authors and the founding of Copyright Agency in 1974. Listen to Matthew Lamb with ‘Copyright and its discontents: Frank Moorhouse’s battle to defend authors’, published in the June issue of ABR. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv…

1
Natasha Sholl's 'Hold your nerve' 22:11

1M ago22:11

22:11

Last month ABR announced the winner, runner-up and third-place recipient of the 2024 Calibre Essay Prize. In this week’s podcast we are delighted to present the 2024 Calibre runner-up, ‘Hold Your Nerve’, by Melbourne writer Natasha Sholl. Natasha Sholl is a writer and lapsed lawyer. Her work has appeared in publications including The Guardian, The …

1
Tony Hughes d’Aeth reviews On Kim Scott: Writers on writers by Tony Birch 11:14

1M ago11:14

11:14

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Tony Hughes d’Aeth reviews On Kim Scott: Writers on writers by Tony Birch. The book is the latest instalment in Black Inc.’s ‘Writers on Writers’ series. Tony Hughes-d’Aeth is Professor in English and Cultural Studies at the University of Western Australia and the author of several books including the recently published …

1
The link between food nutrition, trauma and mindset: An interview with Theresa Wright 1:09:18

1M ago1:09:18

1:09:18

Today, I talked about nutrition and sugar addiction with Theresa Wright. Theresa has been named one of Today’s Dietician Magazine’s “10 Incredible Registered Dieticians Who are Making a Difference”. She holds BS and MS degrees in Nutrition Science from Drexel University. She is a registered Dietician and Dietitian-Nutritionist. Theresa and I talked…

1
Tracey Slaughter's ‘why your hair is long & your stories short’ 46:27

2M ago46:27

46:27

With the publication of the May issue, ABR was delighted to announce the winner of the 2024 Calibre Essay Prize. Tracey Slaughter – from Aotearoa New Zealand – has become the first overseas writer to claim the Calibre Prize with her essay ‘why your hair is long & your stories short’. We are thrilled Tracey Slaughter could join the ABR Podcast to re…

1
Scott Stephens reviews Crimes of the Cross by Anne Manne 17:02

2M ago17:02

17:02

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Scott Stephens reviews a book by Anne Manne: Crimes of the Crimes of the Cross: The Anglican paedophile network of Newcastle, its protectors and the man who fought for justice. Why is narcissism a central theme for a book about child sexual abuse? Stephens writes: ‘without the capacity or willingness to be attentive to t…

1
Patrick Mullins reviews ‘Bad Cop: Peter Dutton’s strongman politics’ by Lech Blaine 11:28

2M ago11:28

11:28

This week on the ABR Podcast we review a profile of opposition leader Peter Dutton. Bad Cop: Peter Dutton’s strongman politics by Lech Blaine is the ninety-third issue of the BlackInc Quarterly Essay. In his review of Bad Cop, political biographer Patrick Mullins begins by comparing Dutton to another cop-turned-politician in Bill Hayden. Listen to …

1
How to use emotional freedom techniques to help recover from a variety of psychological and physical issues: An interview with Rick Wilkes 1:03:48

3M ago1:03:48

1:03:48

Today I talked with Rick Wilkes, from Thriving Now, about the use of emotional freedom techniques (EFT) to help us recover from a variety of psychological and physical issues, including pain, anxiety, phobias and weight control. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a form of psychological acupressure based on the same energy meridians used in trad…

1
Micheal Shmith reviews The Cancer Finishing School by Peter Goldsworthy 10:26

3M ago10:26

10:26

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Michael Shmith reviews a memoir from poet, novelist, librettist, and Adelaide GP Peter Goldsworthy. The book’s title is The Cancer Finishing School. Shmith begins by observing that doctors aren’t supposed to become incurably ill, before immediately recognising this as the useless delusion of a patient. Michael Shmith is …

1
Gregory Day 'The Neighbour's Beans' 22:37

3M ago22:37

22:37

In this week’s ABR podcast we feature one of the winners of the 2011 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. Gregory Day’s ‘The Neighbour’s Beans’ was joint winner of the prize that year with Carrie Tiffany’s ‘Before He Left the Family’. Gregory Day commented at the time that ‘the short story form encourages an intense display of the writer’s craft…

1
Frank Bongiorno on how the Albanese government is travelling 16:44

3M ago16:44

16:44

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Frank Bongiorno assesses the Albanese government, which has recently completed the first half of its first term in office. Frank Bongiorno is Professor of History at the Australian National University, President of the Australian Historical Association, and the author of books including Dreamers and Schemers: A political…

1
Sascha Morrell reviews 'Frank Moorhouse: Strange paths' by Mathew Lamb 22:01

3M ago22:01

22:01

In this week’s ABR Podcast Sascha Morrell reviews Matthew Lamb’s biography, Frank Moorhouse: Strange paths. Mathew Lamb might be the ideal reader for Moorhouse’s archive and seems to match Moorhouse’s capacity for telling the truth ‘bit by bit’, wink by nudge. Sascha Morrell is a regular ABR contributor and a Lecturer in Literary Studies at Monash …

1
Why we struggle to follow through with our plans and goals: An interview with Heather Heynen 1:05:52

4M ago1:05:52

1:05:52

In this conversation, I talked with the lovely Heather Heynen about why we struggle to follow through on our promises, even when they are important to us. Heather has worked in private practice as a licensed mental health therapist, health coach and exercise professional for over 20 years. There is considerable alignment between my career and Heath…

1
'The Great Red Whale', an essay by Michael Winkler 42:43

4M ago42:43

42:43

On this week’s ABR Podcast, we return to the winner of the 2016 Calibre Essay Prize, Michael Winkler’s ‘The Great Red Whale’. As ABR remarked at the time, ‘This excoriating yet remarkably subtle meditation is also a tribute to consolations: landscape, specifically the desert of Central Australia, and literature, notably Moby-Dick.’ Here is Michael …

1
Scott Stephens reviews Kevin Hart's book on contemplation 13:09

4M ago13:09

13:09

This week on the ABR Podcast we consider a poetics of contemplation with Scott Stephens. In his review of Kevin Hart’s book on reading and thinking, Lands of Likeness, Stephens writes, ‘there is no desire to consume the object of contemplation; what there is, is a longing to understand’. Scott Stephens is the ABC’s Religion & Ethics online editor a…

1
Pramoedya Ananta Toer and the Buru Quartet by Nathan Hollier 25:07

5M ago25:07

25:07

This week on the ABR Podcast we tell the story behind Indonesia’s twentieth-century literary masterpiece, the Buru Quartet, a set of novels that began life in a jail cell. The Buru novels were written by Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer, widely considered a potential winner of the Nobel Prize. Nathan Hollier, publisher at Australian National…

1
'Sleepers', a short story by Cate Kennedy 21:30

5M ago21:30

21:30

In this week’s episode of the ABR Podcast we revisit Cate Kennedy’s short story ‘Sleepers’, which won second prize in the 2010 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. ‘Sleepers’ was also included in Kennedy’s 2012 short-story collection Like a House on Fire. Cate Kennedy is an award-winning writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Listen to Cate …

1
Stuart Kells reviews 'Alan Joyce and Qantas' 13:00

5M ago13:00

13:00

This week on the ABR Podcast we look at Qantas with business writer and historian Stuart Kells. In his review of Alan Joyce and Qantas: The trials and transformation of an Australian icon by Peter Harbison, Kells notes that the company’s declining reputation extends beyond the area of substandard customer service. Stuart Kells is Adjunct Professor …

1
An essay on the lives of ‘ordinary’ migrants by Ebony Nilsson 16:00

6M ago16:00

16:00

In this week’s ABR Podcast, historian Ebony Nilsson tracks the lives of mid-century migrant Australians with the aid of ASIO and CIA files. Ebony Nilsson is a Research Fellow at the Australian Catholic University, the current ABR Laureate Fellow, and recently published her first book, Displaced Comrades: Politics and Surveillance in the Lives of So…

1
Kevin Foster reviews David McBride's whistleblower memoir 13:19

6M ago13:19

13:19

This week’s ABR Podcast features Kevin Foster’s straight-shooting review of whistleblower David McBride’s memoir The Nature of Honour, which begins: ‘Sometimes, for the faithful, it doesn’t do to look too closely into the life of your chosen idol.’ Foster’s books include Don’t Mention the War: The Australian Defence Force, the media and the Afghan …

1
Peter Porter Poetry Prize 2024 Shortlist 30:26

6M ago30:26

30:26

Welcome back to the ABR Podcast. We begin 2024 with the Peter Porter Poetry Prize. First presented in 2005, the Porter Prize is one of the world’s leading competitions for a new poem in English. It is worth a total of $10,000, of which the overall winner will receive $6,000. This episode of the ABR Podcast features the five shortlisted poets readin…

1
The dangers of supplementing with vitamin D: An interview with Jim Stepheson Jr 1:11:56

7M ago1:11:56

1:11:56

Recommendations to supplement with vitamin D and zinc have become standard practice from both allopathic and alternative medicine throughout the Covid pandemic; including from some of the people I respect the most. As the Health Detective, my job is to look deeper into whether health recommendations are based on evidence rather than speculation. It…

1
The Science of Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction in Human Health: An interview with Jayne Bullen 1:13:15

7M ago1:13:15

1:13:15

I had a fabulous conversation with Jayne Bullen, the Chief Operating Officer of the Noakes Foundation and Managing Director of Nutrition Network. Jayne is a contributor/editor to the book The Science of Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction in Human Health. We talked about the different chapters in the book and the benefits of medical nutrition ther…

1
The referendum and John Howard’s long political shadow 12:06

7M ago12:06

12:06

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Joel Deane argues that one person more than any other is the reason why more than sixty per cent of voters said No in the Voice referendum. Former prime ministers, he says, haunt Australian politics like Hamlet’s Ghost. Joel Deane is a poet, novelist and speechwriter. Listen to Joel Deane’s ‘A maddening country: The long…

1
Insights on health and healing : An interview with Amy Armstrong 1:15:14

7M ago1:15:14

1:15:14

In this episode, I talk to Amy Armstrong from Balance Health Naturally. Amy shares the healing journey of her chronically ill daughter. This honestly brought me to tears at times. I have so much respect for how this family handled such a difficult time with such resilience, hope, and compassion. It’s an inspiring story aside from the insights that …

1
Will we ever have another referendum? 15:30

7M ago15:30

15:30

This week’s ABR Podcast is a reflection on the future of referendums in the aftermath of the Voice. Constitutional scholar Anne Twomey argues that referendums in Australia are now an endangered species and reminds us of the original intent behind them. Anne Twomey is a Professor Emerita of the University of Sydney and was a member of the Constituti…

1
'The Morning Belongs to Us', an essay by Siobhan Kavanagh 16:28

8M ago16:28

16:28

This ABR Podcast features one of the eleven shortlisted entries in the 2023 Calibre Essay Prize, ‘The Morning Belongs to Us’, by Siobhan Kavanagh. The 2024 Calibre Essay Prize, worth a total of $10,000, is now open for entries and will be closed on the 22nd of January 2024. Full details can be found on the ABR website. Listen to Siobhan Kavanagh’s …

1
Integrating behavioural psychology with weight loss strategies: An interview with Dr Valarie Evans 1:01:27

8M ago1:01:27

1:01:27

Today, I sat down with Dr Valarie Evans, a behavioural analyst, to discuss integrating behavioural psychology with weight loss strategies. Valarie applies her training to help with conditions such as autism, addiction and eating disorders. In this podcast, we explore the obstacles to changing behaviours, the concept of “rule-breaking” to achieve be…

1
Live Q and A with Dr Louise Phillips 1:10:17

8M ago1:10:17

1:10:17

I'm so excited to have offered another informative live Q and A to help you get answers to your health problems. This month we had the pleasure of a Q&A session with Dr Louise Phillips. Dr Phillips shares my passion for providing high-quality nutrition education that truly makes a difference in people's lives. With her extensive background as a bus…

1
Jelena Dinić pays tribute to Charles Simic 12:57

8M ago12:57

12:57

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Jelena Dinić pays tribute to Charles Simic, the Yugoslavian-born American poet, essayist, and translator, who died earlier this year. After her own poetry received an award in 2020, Jelena Dinić initiated a correspondence with Simic in Serbian, two writers ‘born in a country that doesn’t exist anymore’. Jelena Dinić’s wr…

1
Marilyn Lake reviews 'My Grandfather’s Clock' by Graeme Davison 11:24

8M ago11:24

11:24

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Marilyn Lake reviews My Grandfather’s Clock: Four centuries of a British-Australian family by historian Graeme Davison. Lake argues that Davison has produced an ‘uncommonly good family history’, in part because of the broader history he tells. Marilyn Lake is an Honorary Professorial Fellow in History at the University o…

1
How a low-carb approach helps in weight loss and managing chronic diseases: An interview with Dr Louise Phillips 43:55

8M ago43:55

43:55

I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Dr Louise Phillips today. We have a lot in common with our desire to provide high-quality nutrition education that makes a difference in people’s lives. I’m delighted to share Dr Phillips's work. She has developed a unique tool for GPs, specialists and nutrition educators to use in their practice. As a busy GP, Sen…

1
Catriona Menzies-Pike reviews Question 7 by Richard Flanagan 11:07

9M ago11:07

11:07

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Catriona Menzies-Pike reviews Richard Flanagan’s new hybrid work Question 7. Menzies-Pike argues that Flanagan’s ‘sweeping engagement with history ultimately brings the author back to himself’ in ways that limit understanding of the present tense. Catriona Menzies-Pike is a literary critic and former editor of the Sydney…

1
Zora Simic reviews Graeme Turner’s The Shrinking Nation 11:16

9M ago11:16

11:16

On this week’s ABR Podcast historian Zora Simic reviews Graeme Turner’s new book, The Shrinking Nation: How we got here and what can be done about it. Simic argues that state-of-the-nation books ‘can capture the Zeitgeist, but always run the risk of being outrun by history itself’. Zora Simic is a Senior Lecturer in History and Gender Studies at th…

1
Julian V. McCarthy on unleashing clean energy 16:07

9M ago16:07

16:07

On this week’s ABR Podcast, Julian V. McCarthy reviews Powering Up: Unleashing the clean energy supply chain by Alan Finkel. McCarthy endorses Finkel’s claim that conceptually and technically the solution is simple – ‘electrify everything’ – as well as his judgement that this transformation will require considerable social, economic, and political …

1
Killing for Country – David Marr, Mark McKenna and Georgina Arnott in conversation 34:37

9M ago34:37

34:37

This week, on the ABR podcast, we feature a special conversation between author and journalist David Marr, historian Mark McKenna and ABR’s Georgina Arnott, recorded in the middle of September 2023, one month out from the Voice referendum. The subject was David Marr’s new book, Killing for Country: A family story, which takes the reader to early ni…

1
The root causes of infertility and the vital role nutrition plays in reproductive health: An interview with Dr. Robert Kiltz 1:43:51

9M ago1:43:51

1:43:51

Today I have a fascinating talk with Dr Kiltz a renowned fertility doctor and author. Dr Kiltz is a passionate advocate of the keto/carnivore diet, that he uses with his patients to help to reduce the costs of fertility treatments. His work is helping to shape the future of reproductive medicine. We talk about the root causes of infertility and the…

1
A Voice to parliament, not a Voice in parliament 12:32

10M ago12:32

12:32

In this week’s ABR Podcast, we hear from Melissa Castan and Lynette Russell on the history and mechanics behind the Voice to parliament, the subject of next week's referendum. Melissa Castan is a Professor of Law at Monash University and the Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law. Lynette Russell is Sir John Monash Distinguished Profess…

1
Diet, exercise and achieving goals: An interview with Dr Sarah Zaldivar 1:28:35

10M ago1:28:35

1:28:35

I had another fabulous conversation today, this time with Dr Sarah Zaldivar. Dr Zaldivar is a Professor of Nutrition at Miami Dale College and is passionate about sharing her knowledge of nutrition, exercise, and mindset. She brings new thinking and research to the topics of diet, exercise, and achieving our goals. Today we discuss a lot of differe…

1
Penny Russell reviews Kate Grenville's Restless Dolly Maunder 10:00

10M ago10:00

10:00

This week on the ABR Podcast historian Penny Russell reviews Kate Grenville’s new book, a fictional account of her maternal grandmother. In Restless Dolly Maunder, Grenville reckons with the life of a woman who left no written records but whose memory she carries from her childhood. Penny Russell is Professor Emerita at The University of Sydney and…

1
Des Manderson on the 1963 Yirrkala Bark Petition 22:12

10M ago22:12

22:12

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Professor Desmond Manderson takes us back sixty years to the 1963 Yirrkala Bark Petition drafted by Yolngu leader Yunupingu. The Yirrkala petition called for constitutional recognition of Indigenous rights and can be seen as an antecedent to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Desmond Manderson is Director of the Centre …

1
Sarah Ogilvie's The Melbourne Dictionary People 15:40

10M ago15:40

15:40

In this week’s ABR Podcast, Sarah Ogilvie explores the mystery behind the Oxford English Dictionary’s (1928) Australian lexicon. Ogilvie, a former Director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre, tells us about the Melbourne Dictionary People, a group of nineteenth and early-twentieth century Melburnians who contributed Australianisms for the…

1
Understanding Why Metabolic Health Is Key to Mental Health: A conversation with Dr. Rachel Brown 1:05:56

10M ago1:05:56

1:05:56

Dr. Rachel Brown is a metabolic psychiatrist and author of the excellent book “Metabolic Madness - Understand Why Metabolic Health Is Key to Mental Health’. During this episode, Dr. Brown and I talk about why our metabolic health plays such an important role in our mental health and how nutrition is the key to this process. This is an excellent epi…

1
Different perspectives and how we can thrive in the face of challenges: A conversation about mental health with Dr. Fred Moss 43:17

11M ago43:17

43:17

In today's podcast, I talk about mental health with Psychiatrist Dr. Fred Moss. Doctor Fred has been working in the field of mental health for nearly 40 years and brings a different perspective to the treatment paradigm and how we can thrive in the face of significant challenges and symptoms. Today we chat about symptoms, medications, and why Dr. F…

1
Joel Deane on The Great Australian Intemperance 33:08

11M ago33:08

33:08

This week on the ABR Podcast, we have Joel Deane with The Great Australian Intemperance, his essay on rising economic and political insecurity as reflected in the My Place movement, conspiracy theories, neo-Nazis, and ‘sovereign citizen’ groups. Joel Deane is a poet, novelist, journalist, and speechwriter. Listen to Deane’s The Great Australian Int…

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