Ashley Kalagian Blunt, author of Dark Mode and co-host of James and Ashley Stay at Home

Differently Brained

In this episode, Jacinta and Lachlan chat with author and podcaster Ashley Kalagian Blunt. The trio chat about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, co-occurring mental health challenges and the lengths Ashley has reached to avoid going outside in the dark.

About our guest

Ashley Kalagian Blunt is the bestselling author of Dark Mode, a psychological thriller. Her previous books are How to Be Australian (2020), a memoir, and My Name Is Revenge (2019), a thriller novella and collected essays. My Name is Revenge was shortlisted for the 2019 Woollahra Digital Literary Awards and was a finalist in the 2018 Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award.

Her writing appears in Griffith Review, Sydney Review of Books, Overland, Australian Book Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Openbook, Kill Your Darlings, and more.

Ashley is an award-winning speaker and has appeared at Sydney Writers’ Festival, Brisbane Writers’ Festival, Story Club and more, and is a Moth StorySLAM winner. She is the co-host of James and Ashley Stay at Home, a podcast about writing, creativity and health, and was a judge in the 2020 Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship.

She also teaches a range of creative writing courses and mentors emerging writers. She has a decade of experience in teaching and curriculum design, working with children and adults, and has a Master of Research in creative writing.

Before moving to Australia, Ashley lived and worked in Canada, South Korea, Peru and Mexico.

In 2022, Ashley was an artist in residence at Bundanon, and on fellowship at KSP Writers' Centre. Her Armenian travel memoir was shortlisted for the 2018 Impress Prize for New Writers and the 2017 Kill Your Darlings Unpublished Manuscript Award, and received a 2015 Varuna PIP residency.

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Representations & resources

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About the podcast

Differently Brained shares the opinions of individuals and does not consider your personal circumstances. Differently Brained exists purely for information purposes and should not be relied on as health or medical advice. Because no brain is the same, please consult your healthcare professional for your personal medical needs.

The Differently Brained team acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we record, edit and stream this podcast. We pay our respects to all First Nations peoples and their Elders part, present and emerging. We extend that respect to all First Nations cultures and their ongoing connection to the lands, waterways and communities.