Narrative Now

Narrative Now

Narrative Now is a podcast series that is produced by the Narrative Network in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne. It is hosted by Ashley Barnwell and Signe Ravn. The podcast will cover both ‘how-to’ episodes focusing on different approaches to working with narrative and storytelling as well as ‘what’s new’ episodes that dive into new trends in narrative research.

  1. 10/10/2025

    Episode 17: Tellable and untellable stories with Nikki Henningham and Wajeehah Aayeshah

    In this episode of Narrative Now we speak to Nikki Hennigham and Wajeehah Aayeshah about the ethical aspects and challenges of telling stories that are silenced, traumatic, or socially taboo. The discussion takes its starting point in Nikki and Wajeehah’s respective chapters in our recent book, Narrative Research Now but also goes beyond these chapters to touch on broader aspects that unite their two chapters. One thorny topic is ownership – who can tell whose stories – while another is the temporality of such stories, that is, are stories untellable for eternity or how do changing contexts also change how stories are viewed.

    41 min

  2. 05/05/2025

    Episode Sixteen: Trauma-informed storytelling and community co-design with Tare Poole and Trevor Coad

    For this episode we speak to Tara Poole, Coordinator of Creative City Ballarat, and Trevor Coad, a project collaborator and survivor, from the Continuous Voices project. Framed as a project that connects trauma and creativity to stand for change and resistance against sexual assault and sexual abuse, Continuous Voices will result in a co-designed memorial to survivors of sexual abuse in the city of Ballarat. The project was unique in its long development time-frame and collaborative, art-based workshops bringing together council, artists, and survivors. We discussed creative collaboration, trauma-informed storytelling, and place-based narratives.

    36 min

  3. 20/06/2024

    Episode 15: Learning from surveillance narratives in literature with Tyne Sumner

    In this episode we speak to Dr Tyne Daile Sumner, a literary scholar at the Australian National University. Tyne is currently conducting an ARC-DECRA project called ‘Beyond Big Brother: New Narratives for Understanding Surveillance’ where she looks at how new forms of digital surveillance are represented in literature. We spoke to Tyne to hear more about this project and find out how classic literary narratives - such as George Orwell's 1984 - and new surveillance novels alert us to trends in the present and help us imagine the future

    37 min

  4. 16/11/2023

    Episode 14: Narrative Medicine and the role of stories in health care with Mariam Tokhi and Fiona Reilly

    In this episode we speak to Dr Mariam Tokhi and Dr Fiona Reilly, both clinicians who are also affiliated with the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health sciences. Mariam and Fiona are both involved in Australia’s first university subject in Narrative Medicine and they share what they are trying to teach students in this course. We also speak to them about the role of stories in health care and what allowing room for telling and listening to stories of both patients and staff can bring.

    39 min

  5. 18/09/2023

    Episode 13: Audio stories beyond the narrative arc with Miyuki Jokiranta

    In this episode we speak to radio producer and podcaster Miyuki Jokiranta about audio stories. We discuss the challenges of capturing people’s attention via their ears as well as the seductive power of conventional modes of storytelling. Miyuki introduces us to the ethical imperative to rethink how we structure narratives and who we centre as storytellers. This ‘how to’ episode offers insights into the process of planning and creating stories for audio. For an extra feature of Miyuki’s list of listens see the Narrative Network website.

    37 min

  6. 19/06/2023

    Episode 12: Healing Trauma through Creative Writing with Edwina Shaw

    For this episode we spoke to Edwina Shaw, who teaches creative writing in schools, libraries and at the University of Queensland, and also is a writer herself. Edwina’s work focuses on the healing power of stories and in this episode we explore how storytelling can be a way of working through trauma. We focus on Edwina’s creative writing sessions with people who grew up in out-of-home care and hear about how imaginative and creative writing exercises hold the potential to tell one’s story in a different way. Edwina also addresses the extensive work that goes into making these sessions safe for everyone. Please note: the episode does contain references to traumatic life events that may be confronting. If listeners need to seek support, we recommend the following services: Lifeline (AUS) Beyond Blue (AUS)                Lifeline (US)  NHS overview of services (UK)

    28 min

  7. 28/04/2023

    Episode 11: Storytelling through objects with Sophie Woodward

    For this episode we spoke to Professor Sophie Woodward, University of Manchester, about her work with object-based methods. We asked Sophie why objects are so good at prompting people to tell stories, and what it is that we can learn from these stories. Sophie took us on a tour from her earlier work on fashion objects to her current project on dormant things we keep in our homes. We also hear about a storytelling toolkit, developed together with a community organisation, which takes these methods outside the university’s walls and instead puts them to work to facilitate positive connections between members through storytelling.

    36 min

  8. 28/11/2022

    Episode 10: Talking Wounded Storytelling and Vulnerable Reading with Arthur Frank

    In this episode we speak to Arthur Frank about his life’s work on narrative. Frank is an Emeritus Professor in Sociology at the University of Calgary, Canada, and has won many accolades for his work on illness narratives and ethics of care. We discuss Frank’s most well-known work The Wounded Storyteller (1995), now a central text in the narrative canon, and why this book became so influential. We also chat about Frank’s new book, King Lear: Shakespeare's Dark Consolations, where he coins the term ‘vulnerable reading’, a useful concept for narrative researchers in challenging times, and hear his views on the future of narrative studies.

    43 min
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out of 5
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About

Narrative Now is a podcast series that is produced by the Narrative Network in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne. It is hosted by Ashley Barnwell and Signe Ravn. The podcast will cover both ‘how-to’ episodes focusing on different approaches to working with narrative and storytelling as well as ‘what’s new’ episodes that dive into new trends in narrative research.

Information

  • Creator
    Narrative Now
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Narrative Now
  • Show Website
    Narrative Now