Amy & Book Club

Auscast Network

Amy & Book Club is a bookish podcast with benefits. Amy Matthews is joined by series regulars Justina Ashman, Abby Guy, Millie Heffernan, Payton Hogan and Harry Stewart and by a cast of guesties, both special and specialer. Featuring genre deep dives, author Q&As, and a live book club with a signature cocktail/mocktail, we’re your new favourite interactive book club with an accessibly academic flair. Listen to the pod, embrace the community on socials, and tune in to the livestream for the monthly book club – whether you’re a new book lover or a seasoned bibliophile, we can’t wait to meet you!

  1. 6d ago

    Comics are Really Cool: Interview with Georgina Chadderton (George Rex Comics)

    This week Amy, Millie and Justina are joined by local Adelaide artist, zine-maker, community organiser and author of the graphic memoir Oh Brother, Georgina Chadderton – aka George Rex Comics. Join us as we chat all about making comics, shifting between zine-making and traditional publishing, interdisciplinary creativity, building grassroots arts community, revelling in niche Australian comedy and how to explain Vegemite to Canadians.  🫵 Our BOTM is ZINES by YOU! We'll all be making our own zines this month – join us and craft along at home!    MENTIONS   💥 COMICS: Oh Brother by Georgina Chadderton; The Adventures of Tin Tin by Hergé; Asterix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo; Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson; Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez; Too Much Coffee Man by Shannon Wheeler; Milk and Cheese by Evan Dorkin; Pat Grant (Blue, The Grot); Mandy Ord (When One Person Dies the Whole World is Over, Bulk Nuts); Alison Bechdel (Fun Home; Are You My Mother?); Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley; The Adventure Zone by Clint McElroy, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy and Carey Pietsch; Aśka (The Friendship Paradox)   📖 BOOKS: 45 and 47 Stella Street by Elizabeth Honey   🎬 FILMS: The Muppets (2011); The Rage in Placid Lake (2003); Strictly Ballroom (1992)   📺 TV: Invader Zim (2001–2006); Flight of the Conchords (2007–2009); The Mighty Boosh (2004–2007); Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun (2020)   🦦 OTHER: Zina Warrior Print Fest; Papercuts Comics Festival; Greenlight Comics; Emerging Writers Festival; Format Festival; Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival; Adelaide Writers’ Week; Pull Pop Push: Revealing the Magic of Pop Up Books at State Library SA;  Studio Ruby Chew; Perth Comic Arts Festival; Melbourne Rare Book Week   LINKS: Follow Georgina on IG: @georgerexcomics Visit Georgina’s website and check out their comics reading list Read Georgina’s graphic memoir Oh Brother  Watch the full episode on YouTube: @AmyAndBookclub Follow the Amy & Podcast on IG: @amyandbookclub  Follow the Amy & Podcast on TikTok: @amyandbookclub Join the Amy & Book Club: Amy & Bookclub  Follow Amy Matthews on IG: @amymatthewsauthor  Follow Amy Barry on IG: @amybarryauthor Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single "Same Old" here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  2. Jul 8

    But it is that serious: From Zines to Metamorphoses

    Welcome to week two of Zine Month! Today Amy, Justina, and Payton are joined by friends of the pod Gemma Neall and Shona Edwards. These wonderful guests are zine experts AND classicists — just about the coolest cross-section of interests a person could possibly have. So in this episode we make a journey from ancient poetry to Shakespeare and then all the way to Ronald Reagan, Spockanalia, and Riot Grrrls. But mainly we will find out how zine-making can cut through imposter syndrome, strengthen communities, and challenge the calcified practices of academia. Just don’t forget rule #1: Always make the zine. This month, in lieu of setting a ‘book club pick’ we’ll be making zines, and we want you to create along with us! We hope these episodes inspire you to get crafty — please do send us your zines over on Instagram (@amyandbookclub) and follow along to see whatever unhinged ones we come up with (we’ll be sharing ours in our ‘book club’ episode on July 23). MENTIONS Poetry/booksAeneid by VirgilHeroides by OvidIliad by Homer, translated by Emily WilsonMetamorphoses by Ovid, translated by Stephanie McCarterNox by Anne CarsonOdyssey by Homer, translated by Emily WilsonPygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (play)Pygmalion by OvidSong of Achilles by Madeleine Miller FilmMy Fair LadyPretty Woman Authors/poetsGallusHoraceNatalie HarkinOvidPropertius Sources:Barthes, Roland. ‘The Death of the Author.’ In: Newton, K.M. (eds) Twentieth-Century Literary Theory. Palgrave, London. 1997. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-25934-2_25Halberstam, Jack. The Queer Art of Failure. Duke University Press, Durham and London. 2011. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822394358Haraway, Donna. ‘Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective.’ Feminist Studies, vol. 14, no. 3, 1988, pp. 575-99. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3178066Harkin, Natalie. Archival-Poetics. (Archival-Poetics; No. 1 Colonial archive), (Archival-Poetics; No. 2 Haunting), (Archival-Poetics; No. 3 Blood memory). Sydney, Vagabond Press. 2019.Harkin, Natalie. ‘Weaving Blankets of Story and Hearts of Gold: An Archival-poetics Praxis.’ Cordite Poetry Review. 2021. https://cordite.org.au/essays/weaving-blankets-hearts-of-gold/2/ Zine resources:Mental health: madzines.orgRiot Grrrls: riotgrrrlarchive.commons.gc.cuny.edu/zines/Spockanalia: archive.org/details/SpockanaliaV1404 Media Zine about ICE Surveillance: www.404media.co/icezine/International Ronald Reagan Fan Club: https://yaf.org/news/reagan-ranch-center-unveils-new-exhibits-featuring-reagan-letters-photographs-and-memorabilia/ https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/from-ronnie-to-a-fan-more-than-100-reagan-letters-for-sale/ https://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/blogs/memorabilia/ronald-reagan-document-archive-to-sell-at-profiles-in-history?srsltid=AfmBOorlAUDuM-y6ioA1GeIhFvWNc_ADvhjys-nA25KiMF-E3tAt0aew LINKS 📓 Where to find our guests: Gemma Neall Shona Edwards For information on how to join the Australasian Ovidian Society, follow this link 🎵 Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single SAME OLD here: https://linktr.ee/masswisteria#465207993 🌸 Our Socials: IG: https://www.instagram.com/amyandbookclub TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@amyandbookclub YT: https://www.youtube.com/@AmyandBookClub 💛 Where to find Amy: Amy Matthews on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amymatthewsauthor/ Amy Barry on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amybarryauthor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAmyTMatthewsauthor Website: https://amymatthewsauthor.com/ Thank you so much for listening!💞 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. Jul 2

    An Anti-Capitalist Fun Time: Intro to Zines

    New month, new us! This July we’ll be drawing, writing, cutting, pasting, photocopying, folding and talking all things zines and zine-making. To kick off the month, we dove into Justina’s personal zine collection to find the answers to all our burning zine questions. What is a zine? Where do you find them and how do you make them? How do you archive something so varied and ephemeral? And, most importantly, is it pronounced ‘zeen’ or ‘zyne’?   MENTIONS   🫵 Our BOTM is ZINES by YOU! We'll all be making our own zines this month – join us and craft along at home!   ✂️ ZINES: How to Make a Zine by Bec Sheedy (becsheedydraws); Fortune Favours the Frog by Gemma Neall (gememberthat); ‘the idea of a rectangle’ by Damien Warman (dmnwrmn); Round Zodiac by Adil Soh Lim (infinitesimal_speck); Frogery House by Gemma Neall; A Selection of Some of Our Favourite Guys from Star Wars by Lizzi Morris and Hope Lumsden-Barry (Picolitre Press); This Was Grandpa’s Paper by Declan Brown (tid.bit); I have too many dice by Theo (exitpursuedbytheo); Renaicore: 16th Century inspired outfits for a modern age by Jez Gleeson (jezmezzewz); Speakeasy zines by the Flinders Speakeasy Team; Freshly Baked Cats by Justina Ashman (javerstina); Bird Watch by Unknown; How to Sound Like a Birdwatcher by Kelly (pidgy_art); The 4 stages of vet visits by Katie Gray (katiegrayart); ‘Nosferatu’: Shadow Puppet Zine by Bria McCarthy (bomburia); Charming Medieval English Names for Girls by Kelly; Instead of Preparing for the Zine Fair I Played 30 Hours of Baldur’s Gate 3 by Justina Ashman; Instead of Preparing for the Zine Fair I Had a Dental Emergency by Justina Ashman; Magic and Mishaps by Jake Holmes (jaketoothandnail); Escape from Incel Island by Margaret Killjoy; Gay Plants – Issue One: Monsters; Queer Workerism Against Work: Strategising Transgender Labourers, Social Reproduction & Class Freedom by Kate Doyle Griffiths; The Fast and the Furious and the Gender Abridged by Justina Ashman;    🎮 VIDEO GAMES: Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023); Mario Kart (1996); Baldur’s Gate (1998)   🎬 FILMS: Nosferatu (1922)    🎭 THEATRE: The Importance of Being Earnest (National Theatre, 2024)   🦦 OTHER: Amon Carter Museum of American Art; The Sticky Institute; Festival of the Photocopier; Zina Warrior Print Fest; National Young Writers Festival; Hallozeen; Greenlight Comics   LINKS: Watch the full episode on YouTube: @AmyAndBookclub Follow the Amy & Podcast on IG: @amyandbookclub  Follow the Amy & Podcast on TikTok: @amyandbookclub Join the Amy & Bookclub: Amy & Bookclub  Follow Amy Matthews on IG: @amymatthewsauthor  Follow Amy Barry on IG: @amybarryauthor Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single "Same Old" here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. Jun 24

    BOOK CLUB: Ida by Alison Evans

    As we wrap up queer sci-fi month (😔🫶🏼) we get together to chat about our incredible book club pick, IDA by Alison Evans. This book follows Ida, who believes that she can time travel and uses her ability to amend errors in her life. From avoiding car crashes to rewinding conversational hiccups, who wouldn't want to travel through time? But when Ida's doppelganger sits down beside her at the train station, and her grasp on time becomes slippery, she realizes that she has been shifting between parallel universes. Every decision she changes creates a new version of herself. What happens to those versions of Ida, who have to live with the consequences she's avoiding? What happens when those doppelgangers get mad? Join us as we get philosophical and ask questions such as; what does sci-fi look like at a domestic level? What kind of lives are the alternative versions of yourself living? Do you think it's harder to make mistakes and be imperfect today, in the age of social media, than it used to be? How does IDA disrupt the notion of a single, constant identity? And where do YOU begin and end?   LINKS 🎵 Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single SAME OLD here: https://linktr.ee/masswisteria#465207993 🌸 Our Socials: IG: https://www.instagram.com/amyandbookclub TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@amyandbookclub YT: https://www.youtube.com/@AmyandBookClub 💛 Where to find Amy: Amy Matthews on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amymatthewsauthor/ Amy Barry on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amybarryauthor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAmyTMatthewsauthor Website: https://amymatthewsauthor.com/ Thank you so much for listening!💞 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  5. Jun 18

    The Gay Audacity of Actively Choosing Hope: Interview with Alison Evans

    This episode Amy, Justina & Abby are joined by Alison Evans, author of our June BOTM Ida, as well as a whole host of other queer YA and middle grade speculative fiction, sci-fi and fantasy. Join us as we discuss all things reading and writing queer spec fic, imagining hopeful futures in YA, zine making for horse girls (gender neutral) – plus some (mostly) spoiler-free Ida chats ahead of next week’s book club. MENTIONS   🌌 Our BOTM is Ida by Alison Evans   📚 BOOKS: Garth Nix; Isobel Carmody; Paul Collins; Michael Pryor; Obernewtyn by Isobel Carmody; The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells; Jorge Luis Borges; Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut; This is How You Lose the Time War by by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone; Highway Bodies by Alison Evans; This is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield; Kindred: 12 #LoveOzYA Stories ed. Michael Earp   ✍️ SHORT STORIES: “Tomorrow, Dawn” by Sascha Stronach   📺 TV SHOWS: Star Trek (1966–1969); Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)   ✂️ ZINES: Long Trek; Pony with a Secret; 2 Pony 2 Zine; Ponies in Space   LINKS: Watch the full episode on YouTube: @AmyAndBookclub Follow the Amy & Podcast on IG: @amyandbookclub  Follow the Amy & Podcast on TikTok: @amyandbookclub Join the Amy & Bookclub: Amy & Bookclub  Follow Amy Matthews on IG: @amymatthewsauthor  Follow Amy Barry on IG: @amybarryauthor Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single "Same Old" here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  6. Jun 10

    Soul Horny for Queer Sci-Fi: Fanfiction, AI, and Human Creativity

    For the second week of Pride Month we're tackling fanfiction, all the way back to the Kirk/Spock community that started it all. There's something for everyone this episode: the history and fundamentals of fanfic, the community and passion of the craft, the social implactions of ladies reading slash, and even how AI could effect the way we approach fanfic (clue: we don't like it!). Harry tells us about some strange and thought-provoking LOTR fics he's read, Payton gives us a lesson in cognitive poetics, and Millie gets passionate about sapphic media, all while Amy tangents us and keeps us on track in equal measure. This month we're reading Ida by Alison Evans. Grab your copy and read along with us ahead of book club on June 25!   MENTIONS Books Heated Rivalry by Rachel ReidCognitive Poetics by Peter Stockwell Film/TV Star Trek TOS (1966-1969)Star Trek TNG (1987-1994)Star Trek reboot movies (2009, 2013, 2016)Into the Woods (2014)Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)Starsky & Hutch (1975-1979)Buffy (1997-2003)Lord of the Rings franchiseXena (1995-2001)Twilight franchiseHacks (2021-2026) LINKS 🎵 Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single SAME OLD here: https://linktr.ee/masswisteria#465207993 🌸 Our Socials: IG: https://www.instagram.com/amyandbookclub TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@amyandbookclub YT: https://www.youtube.com/@AmyandBookClub 💛 Where to find Amy: Amy Matthews on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amymatthewsauthor/ Amy Barry on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amybarryauthor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAmyTMatthewsauthor Website: https://amymatthewsauthor.com/ Thank you so much for listening!💞 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  7. Jun 3

    Jurassic Park Dinosaurs Are Gay: Welcome to Queer Sci-Fi

    Hi Gay, Happy Pride Month! Today we're kicking off the month of June with a festive introduction to Queer Sci-Fi. There are some big Sci-Fi heads in Amy &, so get ready for a journey through all of our favourite books, authors, and films in the beloved genre. We consider if and why Sci-Fi is on the rise lately (it's existential doom again, isn't it?) and discuss the inclusion and exclusion of queerness (or sex/sexuality in general) from the genre throughout history. Expect to hear about the women who pioneered Science Fiction, the LGBTQIA+ writers making it even more radical, and why it is time to subvert all the false binaries plaguing the category. Have a listen and please take a shot every time Abby has not engaged with a major film/TV franchise. This month we're reading Ida by Alison Evans. Grab your copy and read along with us ahead of book club on June 25!   MENTIONS Books Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie Dune by Frank Herbert Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (as discussed in the ep, Amy & hosts do not condone this author's views or recommend that listeners read his books) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Hail Mary by Andy Weir Hex by Rhiannon Lassiter Highway Bodies by Alison Evans Ida by Alison Evans Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton Monk and Robot by Becky Chambers Neuromancer by William Gibson Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin The Long Way To a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers The Martian by Andy Weir The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells The Reindeer Hunters by Lars Mytting The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers   Authors Carl Sagan Isaac Asimov Jules Verne N. K. Jemisin Octavia E. Butler   Film/TV Alien franchise Andromeda Babylon 5 Battlestar Galactica Black Mirror Close Encounters of the Third Kind DC and Marvel superheroes Doctor Who franchise E.T. Lord of the Rings Matrix Signs Star Trek franchise Star Wars franchise   LINKS 🎵 Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single SAME OLD here: https://linktr.ee/masswisteria#465207993 🌸 Our Socials: IG: https://www.instagram.com/amyandbookclub TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@amyandbookclub YT: https://www.youtube.com/@AmyandBookClub 💛 Where to find Amy: Amy Matthews on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amymatthewsauthor/ Amy Barry on IG: https://www.instagram.com/amybarryauthor/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrAmyTMatthewsauthor Website: https://amymatthewsauthor.com/ Thank you so much for listening!💞 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  8. May 27

    BOOK CLUB: To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

    We’re sad to say goodbye to dragon month, but happy to send it off with a book club chat about Moniquill Blackgoose’s incredible first installment of the Nampeshiweisit series, To Shape a Dragon's Breath. This book follows the journey of Anequs, who bonds with a dragon hatchling and becomes the first Nampeshiweisit of her people in generations. However, the laws of the Anglish colonisers require her to receive formal training in dragon riding, or face the death of her dragon or even herself. Anequs leaves her home to enrol in a dragon academy. However, it’s far from smooth flying and she faces condescension, suspicion, and outright hostility from the Anglish there.   Join us as we chat all about magic dragon schools, the importance of oral storytelling and indigenous knowledges, and the ways that fantasy holds up a mirror to the devastating past and present of living in a settler colony.   Be warned: This is a book club episode, so we will be getting into spoilers! MENTIONS   🐉 Our BOTM is To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose.   📚 BOOKS: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers; To Ride a Rising Storm by Moniquill Blackgoose; Ida by Alison Evans   🎬 MOVIES: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)   🖼️GALLERY: Flinders University Museum of Art  LINKS: Watch the full episode on YouTube: @AmyAndBookclub Follow the Amy & Podcast on IG: @amyandbookclub  Follow the Amy & Podcast on TikTok: @amyandbookclub Join the Amy & Book Club: Amy & Bookclub  Follow Amy Matthews on IG: @amymatthewsauthor  Follow Amy Barry on IG: @amybarryauthor Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single "Same Old" here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About

Amy & Book Club is a bookish podcast with benefits. Amy Matthews is joined by series regulars Justina Ashman, Abby Guy, Millie Heffernan, Payton Hogan and Harry Stewart and by a cast of guesties, both special and specialer. Featuring genre deep dives, author Q&As, and a live book club with a signature cocktail/mocktail, we’re your new favourite interactive book club with an accessibly academic flair. Listen to the pod, embrace the community on socials, and tune in to the livestream for the monthly book club – whether you’re a new book lover or a seasoned bibliophile, we can’t wait to meet you!

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