Talking Words Better Read Than Dead

Chris Flynn is an Irish author who has written three books, The Glass Kingdom, A Tiger in Eden and Mammoth, a novel that journeys from the Pleistocene era to 21st century America that's told through the eyes of an American Mastodon, otherwise known as a mammoth. In Olivia's last episode as host & producer of Talking Words, she chats with Chris about dinosaurs, the importance of nature and whether they may, in fact, be related.

Books mentioned:

•Mammoth by Chris Flynn
•The Illustrated Bible
•Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne
•The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Yumna Kassab is a neuroscientist and teacher who has published one book, 'The House of Youssef' which is a collection of short stories that was long-listed for the 2020 Stella Prize. From pondering about isolation to the beauty of first person narrative, Olivia and Yumna chat all things libraries, quarantine and writing.

Books mentioned:

•The House of Youssef by Yumna Kassab

Rick Held is a screenwriter who has written for Australian TV shows such as A Place to Call Home and Packed to the Rafters, and has just published his first novel, Night Lessons in Little Jerusalem. Olivia and Rick chat about the perils of adaption and the true story behind his novel.

Books mentioned:

•Night Lessons in Little Jerusalem by Rick Held
•Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne
•The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
•The Secret River by Helen Garner

Tara June Winch is an award winning Wiradjuri author who has written three books: Swallow the Air, After the Carnage and The Yield, which swept the 2020 NSW Premier's Literary Awards winning in three categories, including Book of the Year. In the first chapter of our isolation Special, Olivia and Tara chat about the importance of language and why art moves us.

Books mentioned:

•The Yield by Tara June Winch
•Dead Man Walking by Kate McClymont
•She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

Welcome to the finale of Season Two! In this chapter we yarn with Helena Fox, an award winning young adult novelist who has written one book, 'How It Feels to Float'. Alongside being an author, Helena mentors younger writers and runs workshops on creative writing and its positive impacts on mental health. Helena and Olivia chat about moving overseas to follow your dreams and how writing can be a beautiful act of self care.

Books mentioned:

•How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox.
•Lenny's Books of Everything by Karen Fox-Lee.
•The Treehouse Series by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton.
•Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans.
•The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
•The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

J.P. Pomare is an award winning crime writer who has written three books: 'Call Me Evie', 'In the Clearing' and 'Tell Me Lies' (available through Audible). J.P. talks to Olivia about the ins and outs of publishing a book and which novels have totally changed his life (hint: he's not the only one to think this!)

Books mentioned:

•Call Me Evie by J.P. Pomare
•In the Clearing by J.P. Pomare
•Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
•Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
•The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
•On the Road by Jack Kerouac
•The Family by Chris by Johnston & Rosie Jones
•The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
•Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
•Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
•Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
•Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace