The Kill Your Darlings Podcast

Kill Your Darlings
  • 5.0 (2)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Interviews, readings and discussions about books, culture and the arts in Australia and beyond, brought to you by Kill Your Darlings magazine.

  1. 10/29/2025

    Queering Country in Ellen van Neerven's Heat and Light

    Critic Raelee Lancaster joins Rebecca to discuss the final title in the series, Ellen van Neerven's extraordinary debut book. A collection of interlinking stories that dissolve boundaries and binaries with its depictions of blak queer lives, Heat and Light encourages readers to question their sense of belonging and identity, and has carved out lasting space in the queer literary canon.

    49 min

  2. 10/22/2025

    The Enduring Power of Holding the Man by Timothy Conigrave

    Critic Nigel Featherstone joins Rebecca to discuss the iconic gay memoir, Holding the Man. It is the love story of Tim and John, who first met as teenagers at their all-boys Catholic school in Melbourne, and whose lives are torn apart by the AIDS crisis. First published in 1994, the book continues to have a profound impact on countless readers.

    59 min

  3. 10/22/2025

    Elizabeth Jolley, lesbian longing and the Australian Gothic

    Critic Dzenana Vucic joins Rebecca to discuss The Well, which won Elizabeth Jolley the Miles Franklin Award in 1986, and established her reputation as one of Australia's most celebrated writers. When ageing spinster Hester brings home orphaned teenager Kathy to her remote farm in WA, she develops powerful, obsessive and possessive feelings. One night they accidentally hit and kill a man on the road and hide his body in a well—an event that haunts both of them and threatens to destroy Hester.

    1h 9m

  4. 10/15/2025

    “We are the Dream”: Sumner Locke Elliott’s coming out novel, Fairyland

    Critic Sam Twyford-Moore joins Rebecca to discuss Fairyland. This book is perhaps the most old-fashioned on the list, exploring not only queer awakening but also other social issues. It was Locke Elliott’s final book, where he openly and publicly discussed his queer identity and the loneliness he experienced. The story is primarily set in Sydney from the late 1920s to the 1950s, after which the protagonist, a writer, moves to the US.

    39 min

  5. 10/01/2025

    AFL, Secrets and Living Authentically: Danielle Laidley’s groundbreaking 'Don’t Look Away'

    Critic and memoirist Sam Elkin joins Rebecca to discuss Danielle Laidley’s unflinching autobiography, Don’t Look Away. A powerful account of a compartmentalised life, this book follows Laidley as she reckons with her gender identity over many decades inside the deeply masculine and heteronormative institution of the AFL.  Read Sam Elkin's essay, "This Secret Valley", here. Get the best of KYD by joining as a member.

    1h 3m

  6. 09/28/2025

    Heartbreak, Obsession, Rejection: Beverly Farmer’s lesbian cult classic Alone

    Bestselling novelist and literary critic Madeleine Gray joins Rebecca to discuss Beverley Farmer’s Alone, a lyrical, tender, sad exploration of a young woman’s heartbreak, hopelessness and obsession provoked by the ending of a passionate relationship and rejection by her female lover due to the social stigma of 1950s Melbourne.   Read Madeleine Gray's essay, Lesbians and Palimpsests here. Get the best of KYD by joining as a member.

    55 min
  7. Introducing: Queer Critics Series

    SEASON 2 TRAILER

    Introducing: Queer Critics Series

    New series from Kill Your Darlings, Australia’s leading independent literary organisation! Australian literature has a queer history. Join author and KYD publishing director Rebecca Starford as she chats with literary critics about the books that have a profound impact on our understanding of LGBTQIA+ experiences, gender and sexuality in Australia. From classic texts to hidden gems, they revisit these works with fresh eyes and uncover their lasting influence.

    2 min

  8. 06/29/2022

    Jackie Bailey on ‘The Eulogy’: First Book Club

    Editor’s note: This episode contains discussion of death and grief practices. Each month we celebrate an Australian debut release of fiction or non-fiction in the Kill Your Darlings First Book Club. For June that debut is The Eulogy by Jackie Bailey (Hardie Grant), an autofiction novel about family, death and grief that was shortlisted for the 2018 KYD Unpublished Manuscript Award. Our theme song is Broke for Free’s ‘Something Elated’. Sound production by Nial Hosken. Further reading: Read Ellen Cregan’s review of The Eulogy in our June Books Roundup. Read about Jackie’s favourite books and reading habits in this month’s Shelf Reflection. How To Be Between is available now from your local independent bookseller. (more…)

    31 min
See All (66)

Trailer

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Interviews, readings and discussions about books, culture and the arts in Australia and beyond, brought to you by Kill Your Darlings magazine.

Information

  • Creator
    Kill Your Darlings
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2025
  • Episodes
    66
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Kill Your Darlings Magazine
  • Show Website
    The Kill Your Darlings Podcast