Roundtable - Meridian Australis

Meridian Australis
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A Melbourne-based show dedicated to uplifting Australian speculative fiction. Featuring author interviews, novel deep-dives, and occasional reporting on the industry. Created by Monte Weir as part of Meridian Australis. Hosted by Monte Weir. Edited by Monte Weir and Andrew Renganathan Roberts. Original music by Andrew Renganathan Roberts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. Aug 25

    Rhett Davis Interview - Arborescence, Masculinity, and Hope

    Roundtable returns! Host Monte Weir is joined by Australian author Rhett Davis to discuss his latest book, Arborescence. Rhett Davis hails from Geelong and writes fiction that sits somewhere between the real and unreal, often with an irreverent streak. He joins me at the Roundtable to answer questions about masculinity, his writing's space in the literary canon, his relationship to hope, and why his most compelling character is an ageless genderless concept named Voidstar. We dive into full-spoiler territory to uncover what makes Arborescence so beautiful and bittersweet, touching on climate anxiety, grief, and the spectacular joy that can be found in having a shit. Hosted and edited by Monte Weir. Original music by Andrew Renganathan Roberts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. 06/26/2025

    Kayla Morton Interview - Those Who Burn the Brightest, Queer Voices in Fiction, and Independent Publishing

    Harvey is joined by Australian debut author Kayla Morton for a chat about Those Who Burn the Brightest, her first published novel. They discuss the ins and outs of the publishing process, industry twitter drama, queerness in fiction and much more. Those Who Burn the Brightest is available for purchase now. What are you waiting for? Hosted by Harvey Weir. Edited by Andrew Nathan Roberts. Original music by Andrew Nathan Roberts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. 12/01/2024

    T. R. Napper Interview - 36 Streets, The Escher Man, and the publishing industry

    In this very special episode of Roundtable, Harvey is joined by Arden Baker to interview Australian cyberpunk aficionado, T. R. Napper. Tim Napper is an acclaimed speculative fiction author known for his deeply immersive and thought-provoking science fiction. His writing is infused with a rich understanding of human complexity and global perspectives. We talked to him about his Aurealis-winning novel 36 Streets, his newly-released passion project The Escher Man, and the ins and outs of the industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. 11/14/2024

    Piranesi - Susanna Clarke

    Harvey is joined by Matt to discuss Susanna Clarke's 2021 novel, Piranesi. We analyse and argue over the text's compelling narrative voice, its sense of mystery, and its exploration of the nature of consciousness and memory. Hosted by Harvey Weir. Edited by Andrew Nathan Roberts. Original music by Andrew Nathan Roberts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. 10/07/2024

    Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie

    Guest host Arden Baker is joined by Kaz / A. M. Bueman and Ciar to discuss Ann Leckie's 2013 award-winning novel Ancillary Justice, the first in a trilogy of high-concept space opera novels that explore colonialism, gender and consciousness. Listen as we disagree on the book's thematic implications of colonisation, gender and linguistics. Edited by Andrew Nathan Roberts. Original music by Andrew Nathan Roberts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. 09/03/2024

    The Sierra and The Transmogrification of Ordinary Things

    Harvey is joined by fellow Meridian Australis members Cat and Jason, to discuss their stories The Sierra and The Transmogrification of Ordinary Things, which are featured in the AUSTRAL Anthology. AUSTRAL is the self-published passion project of Meridian Australis, a collection of speculative fiction stories written by young and up-and-coming Melbourne writers. This episode is the second in a series designed to explore the inner workings of Meridian Australis' authors. It is intended to be listened to after you've read the authors' stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. 09/03/2024

    Canang Sari and Synecdoche - AUSTRAL Anthology Special

    Harvey is joined by fellow Meridian Australis members Arden and Will, to discuss their stories Canang Sari and Synecdoche, which are featured in the AUSTRAL Anthology. AUSTRAL is the self-published passion project of Meridian Australis, a collection of speculative fiction stories written by young and up-and-coming Melbourne writers. This episode is the first in a series designed to explore the inner workings of Meridian Australis' authors. It is intended to be listened to after you've read the authors' stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. 08/27/2024

    Lanny - Max Porter

    Harvey is joined by returning guest Eddy to wax poetic on Max Porter's Lanny, a beautiful novel that experiments with structure, form and point of view. We explore the use of magical realism, the melding of modernity and folklore, and the touching empathy present between the pages of this phenomenal text. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  9. 06/16/2024

    The Traitor Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson

    This episode, guest host Arden is joined by Dom and Kaz to discuss Seth Dickinson’s debut novel The Traitor Baru Cormorant. The three authors wax lyrical about what makes Cormorant a special favourite among Meridian Australis members. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  10. 05/26/2024

    This Is How You Lose the Time War - Max Gladstone & Amal El-Mohtar

    This episode, Harvey is joined by Kaz Beuman and Jason Schembri to discuss This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar. We go back and forth expressing our unfiltered adoration for this Nebula-and-Hugo-winning 2019 novella, exploring the power of melodrama and intentional world-building in modern sci-fi. As always, a supplementary essay breaking down the book's key techniques is available at meridianaustralis.au/roundtable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  11. 03/10/2024

    Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes

    Harvey is joined by Edward Hodge and Matt Tynan to discuss Daniel Keyes' 1966 science fiction novel Flowers for Algernon. We talked about the book's almost timelessly-cutting representation of disability, mental health and social hierarchies, and delved into what makes it so emotionally affecting. A supplementary essay dissecting these themes on a deeper level is available on our website, meridianaustralis.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  12. 01/23/2024

    Hyperion - Dan Simmons

    Harvey sat down with fellow authors William Rotor, Andrew Nathan Roberts, Arden Baker and Ishan Morris-Gray to discuss Dan Simmons' 1989 space opera Hyperion. With a book written in six stories from different narrators in a style directly referential to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, we took the opportunity to discuss the key features and themes of each tale, the novel as a whole, and some of our favourite (and least favourite) parts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • 12 Episodes

About

A Melbourne-based show dedicated to uplifting Australian speculative fiction. Featuring author interviews, novel deep-dives, and occasional reporting on the industry. Created by Monte Weir as part of Meridian Australis. Hosted by Monte Weir. Edited by Monte Weir and Andrew Renganathan Roberts. Original music by Andrew Renganathan Roberts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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