As part of The Wheeler Centre's 2024 Spring Fling program and in partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, listen to an exclusive podcast interview with celebrated writer Olivia Laing, interviewed by Sophie Cunningham. 

Olivia discusses her new book, The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise, which moves between real and imagined gardens, exploring how new modes of living can and have been attempted amidst the flower beds. The result is a beautiful and exacting account of the abundant pleasures and possibilities of gardens: not as a place to hide from the world but as a site of encounter and discovery, bee-loud and pollen-laden.

Listen as you take a walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens, and experience first-hand the joy of wandering in nature. 

Presented in partnership with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. 

This conversation was recorded on Monday 22 July 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is 'Spacemoons' by Justnormal.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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From ‘manfluencer’ culture and the rising popularity of Andrew Tate, to lists ranking teenage girls on their appearance, there’s an urgent need to address the widespread sexism and misogyny in our schools and wider society. Left unchecked, these harmful attitudes and behaviours will see rates of male violence against women continue to rise.

In this panel discussion, three experts consider where these attitudes begin, and the importance of positive male role modelling in addressing them. The problem is evident – now it’s time to identify the steps that will lead to systemic, meaningful change.

Join award-winning journalist and consent educator Jane Gilmore, activist and co-founder of Not One More Niki, Tarang Chawla, and founder of The Equality Institute Emma Fulu, for a hopeful and practical conversation about how we can all take action to create positive generational change for young men.

This episode is for parents, carers, educators and anyone interested in discussions about healthy modelling of masculinity for the current and future generations of boys and young men.

Content Note: This conversation includes discussion of pornography, violence and abuse. 

This event was recorded on Thursday 25 July 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Steve Albini was a legendary audio engineer and musician. The frontman of Big Black and Shellac, Albini saw the machinations of the industry up close and from multiple vantage points, working with huge international acts including PJ Harvey, Nirvana and Pixies. Despite recording with some of the biggest names in the business Albini continued, throughout his career, to collaborate with countless experimental bands. He passed away last week, aged 61.

On the eve of Meredith Music Festival in December 2015 – where he played with his band, Shellac – Albini joined host Woody McDonald at The Wheeler Centre to reflect on his storied career, his thoughts on the current state of music and predictions for the future.

This event was recorded on Thursday 15 December 2015 at The Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is 'Riding Bikes' by Shellac.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Paul Auster was a true giant of American literature. Acclaimed for his best-selling works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, including The New York Trilogy, Invisible, and The Brooklyn Follies, Auster wrote complex and daring tales of humans experiencing, anticipating or searching for something lost, something they are struggling to comprehend. 

In his 2021 book, Burning Boy, he turned his eye to the 19th-century bad boy of American literature, Stephen Crane. Crane is known for popularising American naturalism, a literary movement that has influenced generations of writers (including Auster himself). But he was as daring off the page as he was on it. 

Throughout his short life, Crane cavorted from one high-stakes situation to the next: from engaging in political journalism that disrupted the course of the 1892 presidential campaign, to entering a common-law marriage with the proprietress of Jacksonville’s most elegant bawdyhouse, to surviving a shipwreck that nearly drowned him, and eventually relocating to England, where Joseph Conrad became his closest friend and Henry James wept over his tragic, early death. 

In November 2021, Auster joined host Corrie Perkin for a conversation about Burning Boy and the nature of creative legacy. What are the questions one master chooses to ask of another? And what is there to learn from a life lived so bright it burned?

This conversation was originally released as a digital event as part of The Wheeler Centre’s 'Postcard’s From Abroad' series on Wednesday 3 November 2021.

The official bookseller was Hill of Content bookshop.

Featured music is 'Traveling again' by Sarah the illstrumentalist.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Fern Brady, one of the UK’s most exciting stand-ups, visited The Wheeler Centre to discuss her bestselling book Strong Female Character as part of the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Hosted by Australian stand-up comedian and writer Laura Davis, Brady discussed her writing process, Catholic upbringing and late diagnosis of autism.

This event was recorded on Wednesday 3 April 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

It was presented in partnership with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

The official bookseller was Mary Martin Bookshop.

Featured music is ‘Lucy’s Trail’ by Sarah the illstumentalist.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Chanel Contos has led a powerful movement to include consent education in the national curriculum, and was recently appointed by Julia Gillard to chair the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership’s Youth Advisory Committee.

Her debut book, Consent Laid Bare: Sex, Entitlement & the Distortion of Desire, is a battle cry from a generation no longer prepared to stay silent. In it, Contos explores the political, legislative and cultural changes required to combat Australia’s culture of misogyny and normalisation of sexual violence, and outlines steps to achieve true gender equality. Consent Laid Bare advocates for intimacy, consent and enjoyment to be centred in all sexual relationships.

At this exclusive Melbourne event hosted by Madison Griffiths, Contos discussed the vital role of consent amidst a culture influenced by porn, the patriarchy and male entitlement.

The event recorded on Tuesday 5th March 2024 at The Wheeler Centre. It was presented in partnership with the Victorian Women's Trust. The official bookseller was Readings.

Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.

Content note:
This event includes references to sexual abuse and assault. If you need support relating to these topics, you can learn more and seek advice via the below resources.

Lifeline: 13 11 14
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36
Headspace: 1800 650 890
Sexual Assault Crisis Line: 1800 806 292

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Origin of You by Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 and Sui Zhen is a highly personal musical exploration of lived experiences of migration, motherhood, grief and reconnecting with identity.  

The album uses three central motifs: 空 (Kōng), or Emptiness; 疼 (Téng), or Pain; 气 (Chi), sometimes known as ‘Energy’ to explore these stories.  

Live at The Wheeler Centre, Wang and Zhen came together with host Eugenia Lim to talk about their craft, the origins of their collaboration and the importance of storytelling.

This event was recorded on Tuesday 26 March 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

Origin of You is out now via Music in Exile: https://musicinexile.bandcamp.com/

Featured music is ‘Watch My Mum Dance’ by Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 and Sui Zhen  (Recorded live at The Wheeler Centre)

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Richard Flanagan’s masterful new novel Question 7 is his most personal book yet: a tribute to his parents and to his island home of Tasmania, and a hypnotic melding of dream, history, place and memory.

Beginning with Flanagan’s father’s imprisonment near Hiroshima when the atom bomb was dropped, Question 7 traces a chain reaction of events, from the turbulent romance between literary giants H.G. Wells and Rebecca West, to the intricate world of 1930s and 40s nuclear physics, to a young Flanagan trapped on a perilous Tasmanian river rapid.

One of Australia’s most revered novelists, Flanagan was awarded the Man Booker Prize for The Narrow Road to the Deep North and the Commonwealth Prize for Gould’s Book of Fish.

He joins host Astrid Edwards to discuss Question 7’s unique blend of history, fiction and autofiction, and its examination of the stories we construct about ourselves and others.

This event was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.

It was recorded on Thursday 9 November 2023 at The Capitol. The official bookseller was Readings.

Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Join co-hosts and co-creators Maria Birch-Morunga and Kate Robinson for a special live recording of their hit podcast Being Biracial, coinciding with International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Along with special guests, comedian Aurelia St Clair and AFLW champion Darcy Vescio, they discuss navigating the world as a mixed-race person and the dualities of living across multiple cultures. St Clair also shares a very special stand-up set.

The event was presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre, The Round and Being Biracial.

It was recorded on Thursday 21 March 2024 at The Round.

Featured music is ‘Take It Slow’ by Green Twins.

Listen to more episodes of Being Biracial here: https://beingbiracialpodcast.com/listen-now

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Known for literary masterpieces like The Sisters Brothers and French Exit, Canadian writer Patrick deWitt has been delighting readers for more than a decade.

In his latest work, The Librarianist, deWitt’s distinctive verve and humour come to the fore. His exploration of the life of retired Oregon-based librarian Bob Comet masterfully blends melancholy and comedy.

With host Marieke Hardy, deWitt delves into his expansive career and the compassion for the outcast that animates his latest novel, celebrating the extraordinary in so-called ordinary life.

This event was recorded on Thursday 29 February 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

The official bookseller was Hill of Content Bookshop.

Featured music is ‘No One There’ by Ava Low.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Jane Harrison’s work has captivated audiences globally, earning her international acclaim for plays including Stolen and Rainbow’s End. With an impressive body of work and a deep commitment to promoting and developing First Nations perspectives – including as the Director of the Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival – Harrison has established herself as an essential voice in the Australian cultural landscape.

In this episode, Harrison discusses the work of reimagining the past in her first novel for adult readers, The Visitors – a radical retelling of the events of 26 January 1788 from a First Nations perspective. Based on her play of the same name, which first wowed audiences at Sydney Festival in 2020, The Visitors is now a multi-artform phenomenon, appearing as a novel, a production and an opera.

In this wide-ranging and frank conversation with host Tony Birch for Melbourne City Reads, Harrison discusses the story’s journey across artforms and shed new light on this critical moment from Australia’s past.

This event was part of the Melbourne City Reads series.

It was recorded on Monday 9 October 2023 at The Wheeler Centre as part of the Spring Fling series.

Featured music is ‘Traveling Again’ by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.

Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund. Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Ford is a true literary luminary. The author of eight novels and four short story collections, Ford’s illustrious career spans nearly five decades and numerous accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Independence Day.

At this special Melbourne event hosted by journalist Jonathan Green, Ford discusses his exceptional career and examines his most famous protagonist: the enigmatic Frank Bascombe, who has been hailed as one of the most unforgettable characters in American literature.

This event was recorded on Tuesday 27 February 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

The official bookseller was Mary Martin Bookshop.

Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers have been sharing stories on this continent for millennia. From best-selling and award-winning poetry, memoir and fiction to powerful works that defy categorisation, Blak writing depicts, challenges and honours culture, community and Country. Much-loved books by First Nations writers stand strong on shelves in homes, libraries, bookshops and classrooms – but there are always more books and writers to be discovered and rediscovered.

In 2023, University of Queensland Press (UQP) introduced its First Nations Classics series to amplify Blak voices in the literary canon. This NAIDOC Week, we celebrated the second instalment of First Nations Classics with some of the remarkable authors and contributors involved in the series.

Hear a special performance by proud Bundjalung and Lama Lama artist Tamala Shelton honouring the 2024 NAIDOC Week theme, ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’ and the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations cultures.   

The event was recorded on Thursday 11 July 2024.

It was presented in partnership with Blak & Bright. The official bookseller was Amplify Bookstore.

Featured music is DRMNGNOW ‘Get Back To The Land’ edit (recorded live at The Wheeler Centre)

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Author Jane Smiley has been hailed as one of the Great American Novelists of the 20th century. Her remarkable career spans more than 30 books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece A Thousand Acres and The Last Hundred Years trilogy.

At this exclusive in-conversation event with host David Francis, Smiley looks back on her incredible life and career and gives audience members an exciting preview of her upcoming novel, Lucky: a novel about music, womanhood and finding yourself.

This event was recorded on Wednesday 28 February 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

The offical bookseller was The Paperback Bookshop.

Featured music is 'Traveling Again' by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Taylor Swift’s concerts have shifted the economic climate of entire cities; she has prompted US Senate hearings about major ticketing reforms and industry-defining conversations about copyright and ownership; and her public and private life have driven tabloid fodder for decades (Kimye drama, anyone?). The pop icon’s genre-bending career and reputation have made waves across the globe, and her cultural influence will be felt for generations.

Earlier this week at The Wheeler Centre, Rolling Stone journalist Brittany Spanos and host Brodie Lancaster delved into the mythology and influence of Taylor Swift. At this exclusive Melbourne event, Spanos analysed Swift’s meteoric ascent to become one of the most celebrated and prolific musical artists of all time, and her ongoing impact on fandom, popular culture and the music industry.

Brittany Spanos’s visit to Melbourne was part of the University of Melbourne’s Swiftposium conference. This was her only public event.

This event was recorded on Tuesday 13 February 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is ‘Love Story’ by Taylor Swift.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Kurdish-Iranian journalist Behrouz Boochani was imprisoned on Manus Island for over six years, and during that time he became acutely aware that oppression takes root when people look away. He was determined to use his sharpest weapon – his words – to survive, and to expose Australia’s inhumane treatment of asylum seekers.

Now, in 2023, not only is Boochani free, he’s also a multi-award-winning author, documentary maker, humanitarian and scholar. His words, and those of other writers and activists, have changed lives, his own included. And they’ve helped keep us accountable.

A scholar of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, Kylie Moore-Gilbert also spent years unjustly imprisoned in unimaginable conditions. Invited on a study tour of Iran in 2018, Moore-Gilbert was falsely accused of espionage and imprisoned for more than 800 days, including seven months in solitary confinement – before her ultimate release through an Australian-brokered prisoner exchange.

Boochani and Moore-Gilbert come together for this special event, presented by PEN Melbourne and the Wheeler Centre to mark the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. With host Karen Percy, these remarkable survivors share their powerful stories, and reflect on the role of writing to shine a light in the darkest places.

This event was presented in partnership with PEN Melbourne.

It was recorded on Tuesday 14 November 2023 at The Wheeler Centre.

The official bookseller was the Sun Bookshop.

Featured music is ‘Living in a Fantasy’ by Pulsed.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Before he found runaway success with his debut novel, Boy Swallows Universe, and follow-up All Our Shimmering Skies, Trent Dalton spent decades as a journalist investigating the real-life social inequities that underpin his third novel, Lola in the Mirror: poverty, violence, homelessness – and the power of hope.

The result is a moving, darkly funny story about life and death that is by turns heart-breaking and eye-opening. In conversation with musician and writer Clare Bowditch at Melbourne Town Hall, Dalton discusses Lola in the Mirror and the passion for social justice that inspired him to write it.

This event was recorded on Thursday 12 October 2023 at Melbourne Town Hall as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling series.

Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund.

Special thanks to event partner and official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.

Featured music is ‘I See You Out There’ by Tellsonic.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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For the Wheeler Centre’s 2023 end-of-year showcase, a host of the brightest names in Australian stand-up comedy – including Janty Blair, Scout Boxall, Nat Harris, Zoë Coombs Marr, Vidya Rajan, Dane Simpson and Alex Ward – came together to gaze into the Wheeler Centre’s crystal ball and answer some burning questions about what lies ahead.

What will 2024 bring for pop culture, fashion and politics? Our stellar line-up of comics shared playful, insightful and at times deranged predictions.

Forget the ambiguous notifications from Co-Star – the comedy crystal ball will tell you everything you need to know about 2024 (no guarantees).

The following recording is an excerpt from the event featuring our fabulous host for the evening, Karen From Finance and comedian and 3RRR Breakfaster, Nat Harris.

It was recorded on Tuesday 5 December 2023 at The Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is ‘Br1ghter’ (Instrumental Version) by Tape Machines.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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When acclaimed songwriter and performer Jen Cloher (Ngāti Kahu, Ngāpuhi) started to learn about their Māori heritage their whole outlook on life changed. In the new podcast series, Everybody’s Trying To Find Their Way Home, Cloher speaks with icons like Dr. Lou Bennett about Sovereign Language Rematriation and Emma Donovan about the lasting legacy of Aunty Ruby Hunter.

At the heart of the podcast is a gentle provocation to us all. What does it feel like when we make the journey towards our own ancestral languages and traditions? How does that journey help to make our occupation on these lands more conscious and embodied? What joy can be found in knowing the stories of strength that come through our own bloodlines?

For Spring Fling, Cloher took to the stage with a panel of Māori and First Nations songwriters including Uncle Kutcha Edwards, Allara and Breanne Peters. Together they recorded a special live episode of Everybody’s Trying To Find Their Way Home, complete with an array of joyful musical performances.

This event was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.

It was recorded on Saturday 14 October 2023 at The Capitol.

Featured music: ‘Mother Tongue’ performed by Kutcha Edwards, Allara, Jen Cloher and Breanne Peters and ‘He Toka-Tū-Moana ’ performed by Jen Cloher and Breanne Peters.

Podcast Producer: Simon Winkler. Sound Recordist: Simon Maisch. Sound Post-Production: Simon Cotter. Production Assistant: Joshua Suhaven.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Acclaimed actor, activist and 2023 Sydney Peace Prize-winner Nazanin Boniadi shares her dream of a 'a free, prosperous and secular democratic Iran'.

Iranian-born actress Nazanin Boniadi has had an impressive onscreen career, including leading roles in the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of  Power and Homeland.

But it’s her major role as a human rights advocate that has led to her most recent recognition. Over more than two decades, Boniadi has worked tirelessly to elevate the voices and struggles of Iranian citizens and activists, fighting for the country’s democracy and freedom – particularly for women and children. She has advocated at the highest levels, including at the UN Security Council, the US Senate Human Rights Caucus, and in the British Parliament.

Boniadi was selected as the recipient of the 2023 Sydney Peace Prize for ‘lending a powerful voice to support Iranian women and girls and their #WomanLifeFreedom movement, and for using a high-profile platform to promote freedom and justice in Iran’.

At an unmissable event at The Capitol in Melbourne, Boniadi delivered a stirring keynote lecture on democracy and women’s rights, followed by a Q&A hosted by Mahsa Hajjari.

This event was recorded on Tuesday 31 October 2023.

It was presented by the Sydney Peace Foundation and RMIT Culture. Supported by the Wheeler Centre, Amnesty International, Future Women and the Victorian Women’s Trust.

Featured music is ‘Fuzzy Feeling’ by Timothy Infinite.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Leigh Sales is one of Australia’s most beloved journalists. A veteran anchor of the ABC’s flagship current affairs program 7.30, the new presenter of Australian Story, co-host of hugely popular podcast Chat 10 Looks 3 with Annabel Crabb, and a bestselling author, Sales has been recognised with three Walkley Awards over the course of a career that has seen her interview countless political leaders, innovators and artists.

In her new book, Storytellers: Questions, Answers and the Craft of Journalism, Sales turns her talents on her remarkable peers – including Waleed Aly, Richard Fidler, Niki Savva and Stan Grant – revealing candid insights into the craft of journalism and the power of storytelling.

Over an intimate dinner at award-winning winery Montalto, Sales was joined by her close friend Lisa Millar, co-host of ABC News Breakfast, as they shared insights from their careers in the media and offer a peek behind the curtain of this vital but often misunderstood profession.

This event was recorded on Friday 6 October 2023 AT Montalto as part of Spring Fling.

Presented in partnership with Montalto.

The bookseller for this event was Antipodes Bookshop and Gallery.

Featured music is ‘Mirror’ by Simon Winkler.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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The author of The Great Believers and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Rebecca Makkai is back with an explosive new work. Described by the New York Times as ‘spellbinding’,
I Have Some Questions for You is part campus novel, part true-crime podcast investigation, all told through the lens of the #MeToo era.

Join Makkai and host Rachael Brown as they reckon with the past and interrogate just how deep our obsession with true crime runs.

This event was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.

It was recorded on Saturday 14 October 2023 at The Capitol as part of Spring Fling.

Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund. Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, acclaimed science journalist Ed Yong takes us beyond the limits of human perception to uncover the world through the eyes of animals.

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us explores the boundless sensory environments animals occupy, offering a reminder of the intricacies of nature and how little we truly know about the planet we inhabit. In this remarkable book, Yong brings to bear the same clear-eyed insight that earned him a Pulitzer Prize for his COVID-19 coverage for The Atlantic.

As part of Spring Fling, Yong joined Guardian Australia nature columnist Helen Sullivan live at The Capitol for a revelatory conversation.

This event was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.

It was recorded on Saturday 14 October 2023 at The Capitol as part of Spring Fling. 

Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund. Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Olympic Games have always been a site of soft diplomacy for participating nations. This has never been truer than in 2024, as athletes and countries prepare to compete from 26 July to 11 August at the Paris Olympic Games.

Olympic champions Patrick Johnson and Kieren Perkins join award-winning sports reporter Tracey Holmes to discuss the future of the games and examine how Olympic competition is shaped by the tensions of geopolitical affairs.

Together, they deep-dive into Australian representation at the Games and discuss international divisions and points of connection. They also look ahead to a major event in Australia’s calendar: the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

This event was recorded on Tuesday 9 July 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is ‘Traveling Again’ by Sarah the Illstrumentalist.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Caroline O’Donoghue, bestselling author and host of the award-winning podcast Sentimental Garbage discusses her new novel The Rachel Incident.

Set in Ireland against the backdrop of the post-economic crash of 2009, The Rachel Incident delves into the realm of youthful yearnings, early adulthood, and the bittersweet transition from carefree student to responsible professional.

O’Donoghue joined Abigail Ulman live at the Wheeler Centre for Spring Fling to discuss the danger and delight of youthful dalliances, and the great love story of enduring friendship.

This event was recorded on Thursday 12 October 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling. 

Featured music ‘Golden Hour’ by Sarah the Illstrumentalist.

Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund. Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pop culture aficionados Kate Jinx and Brodie Lancaster join us for a special live recording of their hit podcast See Also.

Each week on their pod, Brodie and Kate skip across the pop culture spectrum and dissect the TV shows, films and books everyone is talking about, forgotten cult classics they’ve been revisiting, and everything in between. Bookending each episode with recommendations for restaurants, gigs, skincare, fashion and even life admin, they share everything you need to know to plug in to the zeitgeist.

Since its launch in 2022, See Also has amassed a loyal following of listeners – and for Spring Fling, Kate and Brodie recorded the podcast’s first ever live episode!

Joining them on stage at the Wheeler Centre were special guests, actor and writer María Angelico and live music from Harvey Sutherland.

This event was recorded on Tuesday 10 October 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling. 

Featured music is 'Let's go find the SUN' by Sarah the Illstrumentalist.
See Also theme music performed by Harvey Sutherland and Meg Christensen (live at the Wheeler Centre)

More from See Also

Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund. Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In her most ambitious work to date, acclaimed Goorie author and Miles Franklin Literary Award winner Melissa Lucashenko turns her hand to historical fiction. Edenglassie is a blazing epic set in colonial Queensland, spanning five generations to tell a story of legacy, love and resistance.

At this exclusive Spring Fling event, Lucashenko discusses the hidden histories that shaped her extraordinary new work, which takes a torch to colonial myths and grapples with the ongoing realities of resistance.

Lucashenko and host Evelyn Araluen consider how confronting the ugly truths of the past offers us a way to reimagine the future. 

This event was recorded on Friday 6th of October 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling. 

Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.

Spring Fling was proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund.

Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.

The following is an audio recording from award winning writer, speaker and appearance activist, Carly Findlay, reading her original essay for the project.

This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.

Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.

Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com

Featured music is ‘And Lucy Dreams’ by Lotus.

This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.

The following is an audio recording from award winning writer Alice Pung, reading her original essay for the project.

This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.

Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.

Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com

Featured music is ‘Handwriting’ by Frank Jonsson.

This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To open the Wheeler Centre’s 2023 Spring Fling series, six Australian cultural icons took to the stage at Melbourne Town Hall for an intimate evening of storytelling, reflecting on the moments that shaped them and called upon them to–go above and beyond in their careers, personal lives and creative endeavours.

Hosted by Patricia Karvelas, the line-up of special guests included writer and disability activist Hannah Diviney, tennis champion Jelena Dokic, award-winning author Melissa Lucashenko, prominent campaigner for the Voice to Parliament Thomas Mayo, and Zimbabwean-Australian singer, actor and writer Rufaro Zimbudzi, followed by a very special musical performance by celebrated singer-songwriter Emma Donovan.

The following reflection on the theme Above and Beyond was shared on Opening Night by proud Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man, Thomas Mayo. Thomas is the National Indigenous Officer of the MUA. He is a signatory of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and has been a leading advocate since its inception in May 2017. He is the Chairperson of the Northern Territory Indigenous Labor Network, advises the Diversity Council of Australia and the From the Heart campaign, and is an executive member of the Northern Territory Trades and Labour Council. Thomas has previously written five books published by Hardie Grant, and has articles and essays published in The Guardian, Griffith Review and Sydney Morning Herald.

This event was recorded on Wednesday 4 October 2023 at Melbourne Town Hall.

Featured music is Different Days by Chill Cole.

Spring Fling is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, and is supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund.

Special thanks to official bookseller Readings and accommodation partner The Sofitel.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.

The following is an audio recording from proud Noongar woman and award-winning author Claire G. Coleman, reading her original essay for the project.

This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.

Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.

Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com

Featured music is ‘Watching Galaxies from Afar’ by Ave Air.

This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.

The following is an audio recording from Miles Franklin Literary Award winning novelist, Jennifer Down, reading her original essay for the project.

This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.

Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.

Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com

Featured music is ‘Now We Gather’ by Joseph Beg.

This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.

The following is an audio recording from storyteller and educator on transgender liberation, Nevo Zisin, reading their original essay for the project.

This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.

Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.

Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com

Featured music is 'Heart Beam' by ELFL.

This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To celebrate the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, we asked six beloved Victorian writers to reflect on the theme Above and Beyond: considering what it means to look further, delve deeper, and ask big questions of ourselves and the world around us.

The following is an audio recording from Yuin, Bunurong and Tasmanian man and best-selling author, Bruce Pascoe, reading his original essay for the project.

This work was commissioned by the Metro Tunnel Creative Program in partnership with the Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling, presented at venues across Melbourne from 2 to 14 October 2023.

Visual artist ENOKi has created a series of vibrant, visually arresting illustrations in response to the written pieces. This collaborative project is available to view in person at City Square on Swanston from the end of September 2023.

Read the essays in full and discover more audio recordings from the project at wheeler centre.com

Featured music is 'Arriving' by Hanna Lindgren.

This work was delivered in partnership with the Metro Tunnel Creative Program.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meredith Whittaker is not afraid to take on tech giants. In 2018, she led the famous mass staff walkout at Google over the company’s laissez faire attitude towards sexual harassment allegations and the moral and ethical implications of its business practices.

Now, as President of Signal, the not-for-profit encrypted and secure messaging app, Whittaker is one of the world’s most respected experts on data surveillance and the future of big tech. She has advised the White House, the US Federal Trade Commission and many government and civil organisations on privacy, internet security and policy. 

At this special Melbourne-exclusive event, Whittaker is joined by host Vanessa Toholka as they discuss data privacy, artificial intelligence, and technology’s impact on democracy in this contentious and pivotal US election year. Hear from a leading global expert on a subject that has far-reaching implications for all of our futures.

This event was presented in partnership with Igniting Change.

It was recorded on Wednesday 26 June 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is ‘No One There’ by Ava Low.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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Kevin Jared Hosein is fast becoming known as one of global literature’s most exciting new talents. His new novel, Hungry Ghosts, explores violence, religion, family and class against the backdrop of 1940s colonial central Trinidad. This extraordinary work has received praise from literary icons such as Bernardine Evaristo and the late, great Hilary Mantel, who called the work ‘deeply impressive’.

Recorded exclusively for the Wheeler Centre podcast, hear from Hosein on his highly anticipated debut tour of Australia. Kevin appears in conversation with screenwriter and author Cath Moore, discussing his latest work of fiction, exploring Trinidad’s colonial past, and promoting an appreciation of Caribbean literature to a global audience.

The event was recorded on Wednesday 16 August 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is Ultra Chill by IMPRISMED.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling returns for 2023 and this year we’re going Above and Beyond. From October 2 to 14 we’re celebrating the big ideas and the small moments that make us human, and the creative thinking that drives us to be better versions of ourselves.

Across 24 captivating events we’re looking further, delving deeper, and asking bigger questions with outstanding thinkers who are reshaping our world and envisioning extraordinary futures.

To celebrate the return of Spring Fling, in this episode we revisit 2022's inaugural Opening Night gala event at Melbourne Town Hall, where a star-studded lineup of writers shared a personal ‘lightbulb moment’, reflecting on a defining shift that changed their mind, sparked a big idea or helped them blossom.

Enjoy this highlight from disability advocate and Heartbreak High star Chloe Hayden.

Tickets to Spring Fling 2023 are on sale now. Explore the full program at wheelercentre.com including details of this year’s Opening Night: Above and Beyond at Melbourne Town Hall on Wednesday 4th of October featuring Jelena Dokic, Thomas Mayo, Melissa Lucashenko, Hannah Diviney, Rufaro Zimbudzi, musical guest Emma Donovan. Hosted by Patricia Karvelas.

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This event was recorded at Melbourne Town Hall on Wednesday 2 November 2022 as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling Opening Night: Lightbulb Moments.

Featured music is Kwick Baby by Youth Community.

Spring Fling is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and is supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund – a $200 million partnership of the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In her latest book The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule, award-winning science journalist Angela Saini explores the science and history of male dominance, arguing that patriarchy is neither natural nor inevitable, but rather a fragile system that is constantly remade and reasserted.

Saini joined Karen Pickering for a bold conversation interrogating why, how and where patriarchy manifests and persists. She discussed the ways patriarchies are established and evolve over time, explored matrilineal systems that have been subverted by colonialism, and looked beyond old narratives to understand why the patriarchy persists today.

This event was presented in partnership with the Victorian Women’s Trust.

It was recorded on Tuesday 15 August 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.

The bookseller for this event was Readings.

Featured music was Different Days by Chill Cole.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling returns for 2023 and this year we’re going Above and Beyond. From October 2 to 14 we’re celebrating the big ideas and the small moments that make us human, and the creative thinking that drives us to be better versions of ourselves.

Across 24 captivating events we’re looking further, delving deeper, and asking bigger questions with outstanding thinkers who are reshaping our world and envisioning extraordinary futures.

To celebrate the return of Spring Fling, in this episode we revisit 2022's inaugural Opening Night gala event at Melbourne Town Hall, where a star-studded lineup of writers shared a personal ‘lightbulb moment’, reflecting on a defining shift that changed their mind, sparked a big idea or helped them blossom.

Enjoy this highlight from multi-award winning writer Maxine Beneba Clarke.

Tickets to Spring Fling 2023 are on sale now. Explore the full program at wheelercentre.com including details of this year’s Opening Night: Above and Beyond at Melbourne Town Hall on Wednesday 4th of October featuring Jelena Dokic, Thomas Mayo, Melissa Lucashenko, Hannah Diviney, Rufaro Zimbudzi, musical guest Emma Donovan. Hosted by Patricia Karvelas.

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This event was recorded at Melbourne Town Hall on Wednesday 2 November 2022 as part of the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling Opening Night: Lightbulb Moments.

Featured music is Kwick Baby by Youth Community.

Spring Fling is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and is supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund – a $200 million partnership of the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hear from our Head of Programming, Veronica Sullivan, as she reflects on last year’s successful Spring Fling, and shares what’s in store for audiences this year.

In 2023 the Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling is going Above and Beyond: looking further, delving deeper, and asking bigger questions with outstanding thinkers who are reshaping our world and envisioning extraordinary futures.

Across 24 captivating events from 2 to 14 October, hear from international guests Hernan Diaz (Trust), musician and artist Lonnie Holley, Rebecca Makkai (I Have Some Questions for You), Caroline O’Donoghue (The Rachel Project and host of the hit podcast Sentimental Garbage) and Ed Yong (An Immense World), alongside local luminaries including Leigh Sales, Trent Dalton, Melissa Lucashenko, Thomas Mayo, Pia Miranda and Andrew Quilty.

Tickets to Spring Fling are on sale now at wheelercentre.com.
Buy three or more eligible Spring Fling events and get 15% off your purchase.

The Wheeler Centre is incredibly thankful for the generous support of its patrons Maureen Wheeler AO and Tony Wheeler AO; series partners The Moat and Readings; and event partners the E.W. Cole Foundation, Montalto, Museums Victoria and RMIT Culture. Special thanks to accommodation partner The Sofitel.

Featured music is Kwick Baby by Young Community.

Spring Fling is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and is supported through the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund – a $200 million partnership of the Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of only four writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice, Colson Whitehead is the multi-award-winning and bestselling author of works including The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad, which was also adapted for the small screen, produced and directed by Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins.

Whitehead begun his new Harlem Trilogy with Harlem Shuffle, a genre-hopping family saga that acts as a crime novel, a morality play, a social novel about race and power, and a love letter to Harlem. Its sequel, Crook Manifesto, was published in July 2023.

For the Wheeler Centre’s World of Words, hear from Whitehead live in conversation with journalist and filmmaker Santilla Chingaipe as he shares his creative process bringing bygone eras to life for the modern reader, discusses the challenges and rewards of writing a sequel for the first time, and immerses Melbourne audiences in the world of Harlem Shuffle.

Presented in partnership with RMIT Culture.

This event was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.

It was recorded on Wednesday 24 May 2023 at The Capitol as part of the Wheeler Centre’s World of Words series.

Featured music is ‘Natural Habitat’ by Ealot.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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The 2023 Women’s World Cup is being held Australia, and with more than two billion viewers expected to tune into this year’s tournament, it’s a landmark moment in Australian sporting history. 

To celebrate, the Wheeler Centre invited players, media and passionate fans to come together for a special event exploring the significance of the Women’s World Cup in Australian sporting history and in the landscape of women’s sport.

Activist and CBC Sports journalist Shireen Ahmed, Football Australia Legacy ‘23 Ambassador Azmeena Hussain, current National League player Emma Checker and inaugural Matildas captain Julie Dolan AM joined host Fiona Crawford to discuss personal and collective triumphs of women’s soccer, explore equality in all facets of the game, and reflect on this historic moment for Australia and for women in sport.

This event was recorded on Saturday 29 July 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is 'Traveling Again' by Sarah the Illstrumentalist.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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As the owner of Darjeeling Express, British restaurateur Asma Khan astounds diners with sumptuous Indian cuisine and inspires as an advocate for social change. The Darjeeling Express kitchen is proudly run by an all-women team, and has been recognised as one of London’s best restaurants by the Evening Standard. Khan herself has starred in Netflix’s award-winning series Chef’s Table and is the UN World Food Programme’s Chef Advocate for the United Kingdom.

Visiting Victoria for the Wheeler Centre’s international writers series, World of Words, Khan sat down for a long lunch at award-winning winery and restaurant Montalto. With writer and editor Bhakthi Puvanenthiran, she recounts the twists and turns of her culinary career, discusses her new cookbook Ammu, and shares her philosophy of food as a conversation about our universal similarities, connecting and uniting us across the globe.

Presented in partnership with Montalto.

The bookseller for this event was Antipodes Bookshop and Gallery.

The event was recorded on Thursday 25 May 2023 at Montalto.

Featured music is ‘They Dream By Day’ by Krotos.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In her latest work of non-fiction, renowned journalist and author Kate Legge turns her attention to the oft-taboo topic of infidelity. Drawing from her own experiences, Legge’s Infidelity and Other Affairs critically examines the concept of lifelong monogamy and explores whether the urge to be unfaithful can be considered a hereditary trait.

In June, Legge joined radio producer and presenter Elizabeth McCarthy for an intimate lunch and thought-provoking conversation at Red Hill’s acclaimed winery Montalto. Together they unpacked Legge’s latest work, reflecting on the process of bringing personal experiences to the page, and the complexities of modern relationships and inherited histories.

Presented in partnership with Montalto.

The event was recorded on Friday 16 June 2023 at Montalto.

Featured music is Violet Sky (Instrumental Version) by PHELLO.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dame Graça Machel is one of the world’s leading humanitarians and political activists. She was the first Education Minister of Mozambique, the co-founder and deputy Chair of The Elders, and has spent decades fighting for the rights of marginalised communities, earning international recognition and accolades.

In 2010 she established the Graça Machel Trust as a Pan-African advocacy organisation focused on child health and nutrition, education, women’s economic and financial empowerment, leadership and good governance. She is also the only woman in modern history to have served as the First Lady of two countries, alongside Samora Machel and Nelson Mandela.

At this exclusive World of Words event, Machel was in conversation with Dr Kudzai Kanhutu. Together they reflect on Machel’s remarkable life and work, and her lifelong devotion to advocating for women’s and children’s rights.

Donations to Dame Graça Machel’s work Empowering and Educating African Women can be made via Rotary Australia here.

This event was presented in partnership with Igniting Change and supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.

It was recorded on Tuesday 6 June 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of World of Words.

Featured music is Living in a Fantasy by Pulsed.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this Wheeler Centre podcast exclusive, hear former Next Chapter recipient Khin Myint in conversation with Anna Krien as they discuss Myint's Fragile Creatures.

Khin Myint is an Australian-Burmese writer from Perth. His debut memoir, Fragile Creatures, is about how his family tackled his sister’s wish to die as she fought a non-terminal illness. Fragile Creatures, is a family story told with humour, wonderment and complete honesty. This is a book about what happens when realities clash – it’s about care, truth and the hardest choices.

This conversation was recorded on Monday 17 June 2024 at The Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is ‘Traveling Again’ by Sarah the illstrumentalist.

Crisis support can be found at Lifeline: (13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467 and suicidecallbackservice.org.au) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636 and beyondblue.org.au)

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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“Where are the people who are the other in this room? Because actually they have the skills, the capacity, the resilience, the understanding, and also they know where your blind spots are in terms of the way our social structures are set. We need them. They’re actually our experts” - Manisha Amin

As part of Melbourne Design Week 2023, a panel of design experts examine the crucial role of design in breaking down barriers to social inclusion.

Hear from Dr Manisha Amin, CEO of the Centre for Inclusive Design, which advocates for audiences that are often overlooked in the design process; and Simona Castricum, a multi-disciplinary creative and academic whose work explores queer and trans intersections in architecture, music, the public realm and civic life.

And, joining halfway through the conversation, Honeycomb Access and Design architect Jenna Cohen shares her knowledge on designing accessible spaces and providing accessibility guidance to the building sector.

Together with host Jess Lilley, Triple R broadcaster and co-founder of ethical advertising agency The Open Arms, they discuss the principles of inclusive design and why it is essential to an equitable society, looking beyond the practical and into the broader cultural and socio-political implications of design in our public spaces.

This event was part of Melbourne Design Week 2023, an initiative of the Victorian Government in collaboration with the NGV.

It was recorded on Wednesday 24 May 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.

Featured music is Traveling Again by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Coal, oil and gas shouldn’t be vilified. They’ve brought us the civilisation we have – but with side effects. The big one is carbon dioxide leading to global warming, and we have to do something about it” – Alan Finkel.

The clean energy transition is one of the world’s largest economic and environmental challenges, with the potential to usher in a new age of electricity and transform the planet.

In a recent edition of the Fifth Estate, host Sally Warhaft met with Alan Finkel, author and former Australian chief scientist, to discuss the science and politics behind clean energy.

In his new book, Powering Up: Unleashing the Clean Energy Supply Chain, Alan Finkel outlines his ideas for transforming our energy landscape, which have drawn both praise and criticism around the world.

Warhaft sat down with Finkel to learn about the possibilities and challenges of a clean energy future, explore how Australia could lead the way in the global transition, and provide guidance on the road ahead for Australian industries and consumers.

This event was recorded on Tuesday 30 May 2023 at the Wheeler Centre.

The bookseller was The Paperback Bookshop.

Featured music is Different Days by Chill Cole.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Real people are weirder than characters in any story” - Bora Chung. 

With its unique blend of horror, speculative fiction and folklore, Bora Chung’s Cursed Bunny explores the cruelties and violence of patriarchy and capitalism in modern society. The chilling short story collection garnered international acclaim, was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize and won the PEN/HEIM Translation Grant, marking Chung as a global star of contemporary South Korean literature. 

Appearing in Melbourne for the first time, Chung joined Paige Clark in conversation to share the process of creating Cursed Bunny, the intricacies of translation, and the use of horror and speculative fiction to expose the weirdness of societal forces and the power they exert. 

This event was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.  

It was recorded on Wednesday 17 May 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of World of Words. 

The bookseller was Amplify Bookstore. 

Featured music is No One There by Ava Low. 

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

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“Being able to pay a certain type of attention requires time, and it’s obviously helped by having more control over your time or how time feels, but then at the same time, paying a certain type of attention makes time feel different” – Jenny Odell.

In this episode, Jenny Odell, the author of How to Do Nothing, explores the cultural forces that shape our understanding of time, challenges the notion that ‘time is money’, and offers new possibilities for experiencing time beyond the world of work and profit.

Shaking up the conversation about time in her latest book Saving Time, Odell deep dives into the intricate connection between time and power, revealing how a clock designed for profit is linked to ongoing social inequalities, the climate crisis and our growing sense of existential dread.

In conversation with host Fiona Wright, one of the most exciting voices in contemporary culture shares her subversive and inspiring vision for how we can save time – and how time might save us.

This event was supported by the Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund, a Victorian Government and City of Melbourne partnership.

The event was recorded on Monday 22 May 2023 at the Wheeler Centre as part of World of Words.

Featured music is Living in a Fantasy by Pulsed.

Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.