Fully Lit

Impact Studios and The Sydney Review of Books
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What is Australian literature today? How does it connect to its roots in our recent and ancient pasts? And where is it headed?  Welcome to Fully Lit: a podcast about Australian writing, where you'll hear a new conversation between authors, critics and readers each fortnight. Our original eight-part series, presented by Anna Funder, includes readings and conversations with John Kinsella, Nicholas Jose, Jeanine Leane, Anita Heiss and other luminaries of Australian letters as they dissect the work of Alexis Wright, Peter Carey, Patrick White, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Christina Stead and many more. Fully Lit is brought to you by the Sydney Review of Books, Impact Studios, and the UTS Writing and Publishing program. 

  1. 2d ago

    35. Looking Closely: Lisa Gorton and Bella Li

    In this episode of Fully Lit, we bring you a live recording from Melbourne with two poets in conversation, Lisa Gorton and Bella Li. Gorton reflects on nearly two decades of writing, moving between history, visual art and poetry. The discussion centres on the new sequence Caesars, where the Mona Lisa opens out into questions of looking, perception and meaning and how images continue to speak across time. It's a rich conversation about poetry, visual art, and the creative tension between history and invention. Voices Lisa Gorton is a poet, novelist and essayist whose work has won major Australian literary awards, including the Prime Minister’s Prize for Fiction and the Victorian Premier’s Prize for Poetry. Her recent poetry collection is Mirror Landscape (2024). Bella Li is the author of Argosy, Lost Lake and Theory of Colours. A winner of the Victorian and NSW Premier’s literary awards for poetry, her work has appeared in HEAT, The Saturday Paper and Australian Poetry Journal. Credits This episode of Fully Lit was made on Gadigal land in Sydney. Fully Lit podcast is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program, and is produced by Regina Botros. Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang. Recorded by Michelle Ransom-Hughes Further reading Mirror Landscape by Lisa Gorton (2024) Hotel Hyperion by Lisa Gorton Mirabilia by Lisa Gorton The Life of John Donne by Izaak Walton (discussed through Gorton's doctoral work on Donne) The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vasari Works by Emily Dickinson (discussed in relation to Gorton's use of the dash) Works by Salvador Dalí and the Surrealists (referenced in discussion of the Mona Lisa) The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

    35. Looking Closely: Lisa Gorton and Bella Li

  2. Jul 9

    34. Celebrating NAIDOC week

    This NAIDOC Week, Fully Lit revisits some of the standout conversations in our back catalogue with First Nations writers, critics and publishers. As a podcast about Australian literature, we believe First Nations storytelling sits at the heart of what is most vital, challenging and exciting about writing on this continent. Stories have been told here for tens of thousands of years, and First Nations writers continue to reshape how we read, write and think about literature. This special NAIDOC Week message is a reminder of just a few of the First Nations writers, critics and publishing leaders featured across the Fully Lit catalogue. We encourage you to revisit the original episodes to hear these ideas explored in depth, from cultural rigour and criticism, to genre and representation, and sovereignty in publishing. Together, these conversations challenge accepted narratives, expand our understanding of Australian literature, and remind us of the power of stories to shape the national conversation. Voices Graham Akhurst is a Kokomini writer and the author of Borderland (UWAP). Melanie Saward is a Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman, author, academic, and publishing all-rounder Anita Heiss is an internationally published, award-winning author of 25 books across genres. Credits This episode of Fully Lit was made on Gadigal land in Sydney. Fully Lit is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program, and is produced by Regina Botros. Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang. Produced by Regina Botros. Further Listening Episode 3: Cultural Rigour – First Nations Writing and Its Critics A conversation with Jeanine Leane and Graham Akhurst on First Nations literary criticism, reading practices and cultural authority. Episode 4: Cognitive Imperialism – Losing the Colonial Baggage Melanie Saward discusses genre fiction, representation and the freedom to tell stories beyond colonial expectations. Episode 7: Sovereign Stories – First Nations Publishing Anita Heiss explores sovereignty in publishing and the need for First Nations-led editing, publishing and storytelling. For more conversations with First Nations writers, critics and thinkers, explore the Fully Lit back catalogue.

  3. Jul 2

    33. Southern Connections: Live at Addi Road Writers Festival

    In this episode of Fully Lit, recorded live at the Addison Road Writers’ Festival, we explore the richness and diversity of contemporary Latin American literature. Writer Yumna Kassab joins Uruguayan author and translator Rosario Lázaro Igoa in conversation with literary translator Chris Andrews to discuss the writers, genres and ideas shaping Latin American literature today. Moving beyond the literary Boom of the 1960s and 70s, they reflect on the work of contemporary writers including Mariana Enríquez, Samanta Schweblin, Guadalupe Nettel and Nona Fernández, and consider the growing visibility of women writers in translation. The conversation ranges across horror, short fiction, essays and crónicas, while also exploring the enduring influence of writers such as Jorge Luis Borges, Clarice Lispector, Felisberto Hernández and Horacio Quiroga. Along the way, they discuss translation, experimentation, literary form and what makes Latin American literature so exciting for readers and writers alike. Voices Yumna Kassab is a writer whose fiction explores memory, migration, identity and the complexities of human connection. Rosario Lázaro Igoa is a Uruguayan, novelist, essayist, and literary translator. Chris Andrews is a translator, scholar and researcher in twentieth and twenty-first century Hispanic and francophone literatures. Credits This episode of Fully Lit was recorded at the Addi Road Writers’ Festival on Gadigal land in Sydney. Fully Lit is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program, and is produced by Regina Botros. Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang. Recorded & Mixed by Maksim Voloshin-Cleary. Further Reading The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández The Body Where I Was Born by Guadalupe Nettel 19 Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica Empty Words by Mario Levrero A Last Supper of Queer Apostles by Pedro Lemebel The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges and Margarita Guerrero

    33. Southern Connections: Live at Addi Road Writers Festival

  4. Jun 18

    32. Erin Vincent: Fragments, Grief and Memory

    In this episode of Fully Lit, Erin Vincent, in conversation with writer and academic Sarah Attfield, reflects on returning to a subject she once believed she had left behind in her verse novel, 14 Ways of Looking. Moving between memoir, research and constraint‑based writing, the book is a fragmentary work that reimagines how grief can be written, building a mosaic of memory around the the number fourteen — Vincent's age when she lost both her parents. Drawing on the playful constraints of the Oulipo movement, Vincent constructs the book through fragments, each linked by the repeated appearance of the number 14. The result is a work that is at once formally inventive and deeply personal, where meaning emerges through juxtaposition, white space, and the connections made by the reader. Together, they discuss the creative possibilities of constraint, the challenge of shaping fragments into a cohesive work, and the emotional and structural role of white space on the page. Vincent also reflects on the difference between writing in grief and writing about it — and how distance, precision and form can open up new ways of expressing loss. At the heart of this conversation is a question central to Fully Lit: how do we find new language for difficult experiences — and what happens when form becomes a way of thinking, feeling, and remembering? This episode was recorded live on Gadigal land at Sydney's Gleebooks. Voices Erin Vincent is the author of Fourteen Ways of Looking as well as Grief Girl, which was named a New York Public Library Best Book and an American Library Association Best Book Nominee. Her work has appeared in Meanjin, the Guardian, Electric Literature, and the Offing, among other publications. She holds a Master of Arts in creative writing from the University of Technology Sydney and is currently studying for a PhD in creative writing. Sarah Attfield teaches creative writing at UTS. Her academic work focuses on the representation of working-class life in literature, popular music, film, TV and art. She has published books on working-class cinema and Australian working-class literature and is currently working on a new book about working-class participation in popular music scenes. Sarah is also a poet, and her creative work is informed by her working-class background and continuing connection to her working-class family and friends. Credits This episode was recorded on Gadigal land at Sydney's Gleebooks - for more literary events like this one, see the Gleebooks events page. Fully Lit is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program, and is produced by Regina Botros. Edited and mixed by Regina Botros. Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang. Find more episodes of Fully Lit wherever you get your podcasts. Further reading 'Piecing Together in the Afterlife' - Rosalind Moran reviews Erin Vincent's Fourteen Ways of Looking for the Sydney Review of Books. You can buy Fourteen Ways of Looking at Gleebooks, in the bookshop and online.

    32. Erin Vincent: Fragments, Grief and Memory

  5. Jun 4

    31. Masculinity. Vulnerability. Growing up. Are the boys alright?

    In this episode of Fully Lit, we head to the Addi Road Writers’ Festival for a wide‑ranging conversation on masculinity, vulnerability, and the inner lives of men. Writer Luke Carman is joined by George Haddad, author of Losing Face, and debut novelist Jet Williams to explore what it means to write — and read — men today. From graffiti culture and underground urban exploration to questions of embodiment, intimacy and cultural expectation, the discussion moves between lived experience and literary form. Williams reflects on writing for readers who don’t usually pick up books, while Haddad speaks candidly about hospitality, identity and the complexities of masculinity within family and culture. Together, they consider why art can still feel “embarrassing” for young men, the pressures of conformity, and the value of writing that resists easy answers. Along the way, they ask what it means to represent masculinity beyond crisis — and whether literature can offer something more honest, more expansive. At its core, this is a conversation about connection: how we find language for difficult experiences, and how the most personal stories can resonate far beyond the self. Voices Luke Carman is a writer and author of An Elegant Young Man and Intimate Antipathies. George Haddad is the author of Losing Face and winner of the Kill Your Darlings Creative Nonfiction Essay Prize. Jet Williams is the author of Off the Rails, a debut novel exploring youth, subculture and identity. Credits This episode of Fully Lit was recorded at the Addi Road Writers’ Festival on Gadigal land in Sydney. Special thanks to Mark Mordue at the Addi Road Festival. Fully Lit is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program. Recorded my Maksim Voloshin-Cleary Produced and edited by Regina Botros Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang

    31. Masculinity. Vulnerability. Growing up. Are the boys alright?

  6. May 21

    30. Olivia Murphy on the politics of monster-f*****g

    Scholar, insomniac, and accidental romantasy expert Olivia Murphy joins us to talk about the wildly popular adults-only genre that blends Mills & Boon-style romance with Game of Thrones-style world-building, and explore its cultural significance. Olivia is an expert on the popular novel of the long 18th century. In this conversation she draws a direct line from the forgotten, formulaic, novels that formed the trashy foundations on which Jane Austen's masterpieces were built to the dragon-shifter billionaires and tiger-men with unusual appendages dominating today's bestseller lists — and makes a compelling argument for why we should take them seriously. Olivia Murphy is the author of Jane Austen, the Reader and is currently working on an edition of Pride and Prejudice for an American publisher. You can read her essay "Who Did This To You? Olivia Murphy on BookTok and the Politics of Monster F*****g" at the Sydney Review of Books. Voices Olivia Murphy is the author of Jane Austen, the Reader and is currently working on an edition of Pride and Prejudice for an American publisher. Sarah Gilbert is a writer and producer based in Sydney, and the author of Unconventional Women: the story of the last Blessed Sacrament Sisters in Australia. She is executive producer at UTS Impact Studios. Credits This episode of Fully Lit was made on Gadigal land in Sydney. Fully Lit podcast is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program, and is produced by Regina Botros. Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang. Recorded and mixed by Regina Botros. Further reading 'Who did this to you? Olivia Murphy on Booktok and the politics of monsterfucking', published by the Sydney Review of Books.

    30. Olivia Murphy on the politics of monster-f*****g

  7. May 7

    29. Vrasidas Karalis on Patrick White

    In this episode of Fully Lit, recorded live at Gleebooks in Sydney, we turn to one of the most formidable figures in Australian literature — Patrick White. Nobel Prize–winning, fiercely private, and allergic to sentimentality, White remains both towering and divisive. But what does it mean to read him now? Writer and translator Vrasidas Karalis joins journalist and biographer Helen Trinca for a searching conversation about White’s life, art and legacy. From the quiet, enduring presence of his lifelong partner Manoly Lascaris to White’s metaphysics, irony and suspicion of tidy plots, the discussion traces both the intimate and intellectual worlds that shaped his work. They revisit the war years, White’s complicated “salvation” in Australia, his artistic obsessions, and the enduring challenge of adapting his novels for the screen. Along the way, they reflect on why Voss, Riders in the Chariot and The Vivisector still feel urgent — and unsettling. Patrick White distrusted comfort. He rejected easy narratives. He believed the novel should disturb rather than console. So how do we read him in an age that prizes clarity, speed and reassurance? Voices Hosted by Giramondo publisher and friend of Antigone, Ivor Indyk, the event brought together: Professor Vrasidas Karalis is a writer, translator and Professor of Modern Greek Studies at the University of Sydney. A prolific scholar of modern Greek literature, culture and cinema, he has published extensively on migration, identity and modernism. Karalis is also a leading interpreter of Patrick White’s work. Helen Trinca is a journalist and literary biographer. She is the author of Madeleine: A Life of Madeleine St John and Looking for Elizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth Harrower. Credits The live event was presented by Giramondo Publishing. This episode was recorded on Gadigal land at Sydney's Gleebooks - for more literary events see the Gleebooks events page. Fully Lit is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program, and is produced by Regina Botros. Edited and mixed by Siobhan Moylan & Regina Botros. Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang. Find more episodes of Fully Lit wherever you get your podcasts. Further reading Karalis' On Patrick White's Dilemmas: A Personal Essay, is available at Gleebooks and other good booksellers. Commemorative editions of the Poetry and Prose: https://giramondopublishing.com/books/poetry-antigone-kefala/ https://giramondopublishing.com/books/fiction-antigone-kefala/

    29. Vrasidas Karalis on Patrick White

  8. Apr 22

    28. Isolation, Place and Truth: Verity Borthwick and Judi Morison in conversation with Claire Corbett

    In this episode of Fully Lit Live, UTS alumni Judi Morison and Verity Borthwick join writer and academic Dr Claire Corbett to discuss their debut novels at the 2025 UTS Writers’ Festival. Verity Borthwick’s Hollow Air is a psychological thriller set at a remote mining site in Far North Queensland, using isolation and an often-unseen industry to explore power, fear and uncertainty. Judi Morison’s Secrets is a family saga spanning six decades, centred on a matriarch facing the end of her life — and a truth she has carried for sixty years — illuminating histories of incarceration, racism and intergenerational trauma. The authors reflect on the importance of place in their storytelling, on isolation and truth-telling, and on the role UTS played in helping them develop their voices and navigate the path to publication. The episode also features readings from both novels. Voices Dr Claire Corbett is a writer, critic and lecturer in Creative Writing at UTS, where she teaches fiction and creative nonfiction. Her work spans literary criticism, essays and teaching, with a focus on contemporary literature, feminism and narrative form. Judi Morison is a writer and UTS alumna whose debut novel Secrets is published by Bundyi, Simon & Schuster’s First Nations imprint. Verity Borthwick is a writer and UTS alumna whose debut novel Hollow Air is published by Ultimo Press. Recorded at The UTS Writers' Festival held on November 7, 2025, to celebrate books by UTS Creative Writing staff, alumni, and students. Credits Fully Lit podcast is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program, and is produced by Regina Botros. Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang. Mixed by Siobhan Moylan & Regina Botros. Fully Lit is made on Gadigal land. Further reading Critical/Mineral - Roslyn Jolly on the Australian Mining novel, a review of Verity Borthwick's Hollow Air.

    28. Isolation, Place and Truth: Verity Borthwick and Judi Morison in conversation with Claire Corbett
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About

What is Australian literature today? How does it connect to its roots in our recent and ancient pasts? And where is it headed?  Welcome to Fully Lit: a podcast about Australian writing, where you'll hear a new conversation between authors, critics and readers each fortnight. Our original eight-part series, presented by Anna Funder, includes readings and conversations with John Kinsella, Nicholas Jose, Jeanine Leane, Anita Heiss and other luminaries of Australian letters as they dissect the work of Alexis Wright, Peter Carey, Patrick White, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Christina Stead and many more. Fully Lit is brought to you by the Sydney Review of Books, Impact Studios, and the UTS Writing and Publishing program. 

Information

  • Creator
    Impact Studios and The Sydney Review of Books
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Impact Studios and The Sydney Review of Books
  • Show Website
    Fully Lit

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