A Podcast of One's Own with Julia Gillard

In this special episode recorded live at the 2026 Hay Festival in Wales, Julia Gillard sits down with Thangam Debbonaire to discuss their roles as judges for this year’s Women Prize.Julia is chairing the judging panel for the Women's Prize for Fiction, while Thangam is the chair of judges for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.In this entertaining conversation the pair take listeners behind the scenes of judging one of the world’s most prestigious literary prizes. The prizes are awarded annually to a female author of any nationality for the best novel and non-fiction book of the year written in English and published in the UK.Julia and Thangam talk about the rigours of reading dozens of books in a short time frame, heated debates amongst judges and the exceptional books on each shortlist. The winners will be announced in London on June 11.Show notes: To learn more about the Women’s Prize and the books on the long and shortlists visit https://womensprize.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this live event recording Julia sits down with the UK's Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson. In a wide-ranging conversation, they reflect on her journey from a working-class upbringing in Sunderland and running a domestic abuse refuge, to becoming a Cabinet Minister in the first Labour government for 14 years.The pair discuss the state of gender equality today, tackling misogyny and violence against women and girls, and emerging divisions between young men and women on gender roles and women's rights.They are later joined by Kelly Beaver, Chief Executive of Ipsos UK and Ireland, to discuss the latest findings from a global study of attitudes towards gender equality, carried out jointly by Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women's Leadership.Show notes:To learn more about the latest research by IPSOS and GIWL head to https://www.ipsos.com/en/international-womens-day-2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cheng Lei was riding high in a successful career as a news anchor in China when her life changed in an instant. Lei is a Chinese born Australian citizen and mother of two, who spent more than three years detained in a Beijing prison after being wrongly accused of illegally supplying state secrets. In this emotional and candid conversation, Julia and Lei delve into her early life in China and then Melbourne, her exciting journalism career around Asia and the ordeal that changed her and her family’s lives forever. Show notesCheng Lei’s book A Memoir of Freedom is published by Harper Collins and is available at all good bookstores.Her documentary Cheng Lei: My Story is available via Sky News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Julia's Book Club, Julia and co-host Sarah Holland-Batt delve into Theory & Practice by Australian author, Michelle de Kretser.Short-listed for the Stella Prize, the seventh novel from the Miles Franklin winner tells the story of a first generation immigrant from Sri Lanka living in Melbourne in the 1980s.The young academic is writing a thesis on Virginia Woolf, who this podcast is named in honour of, when she begins a love affair with a man who is in a "deconstructed relationship".Part fiction, part essay, Julia and Sarah explore the themes of feminism, class, jealousy, maternal relationships and how to cope when the failings of those we most admire come to light.Theory & Practice is published in Australia by Text Publishing.https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/theory-practice Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our April Book Club episode, Julia and Kathy unpack Butter, the cult Japanese bestseller by Asako Yuzuki.Inspired by the real-life case of the “Konkatsu Killer” and translated into English, the book follows journalist Rika Machida as she tries to get inside the mind of convicted serial murderer Manako Kajii.Kajii, a gourmet cook, is serving time behind bars for the murders of lonely businessmen who she seduced with her delicious home cooking.What follows is an intimate and unsettling relationship between Rika and Kajii, as Rika recreates Kajii’s recipes and finds her obsession with the inmate beginning to cloud her judgment on the case and impact her relationships with those around her.Julia and Kathy explore the central themes of feminism, body image and obsession, and how food ties them all together.Butter is published in Australia by HarperCollins and available at most book stores.https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780008511692/butter/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our first Book Club episode of 2025, Julia and co-host Sarah Holland-Batt explore the newly-released Wild Dark Shore by Australian author, Charlotte McConaghy.Out this month, the mystery novel is set on a tiny, remote island near Antarctica, where Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers.The island is home to the world’s largest seed bank. But with sea levels rising, the family needs to move the precious cargo to safer land before it’s lost to the ocean.As each character is grappling with personal trauma, a woman mysteriously washes ashore during a storm. The family nurses her back to health and she begins to earn their trust and affection. But why is she there? What are her true motives?Julia and Sarah explore the central themes of loss and grief, isolation, climate change, parenthood and explain why this book has something for everyone.Wild Dark Shore is published by Penguin Australia and available in most book stores.https://www.penguin.com.au/books/wild-dark-shore-9781761620003 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of 2024 Julia sits down with her good friend Josephine Linden to discuss their favourite books of the year, and look ahead to the new releases they can’t wait to read in 2025.Thank you to all our listeners for joining us again this season, the whole A Podcast of One’s Own team hopes you’ve enjoyed the interviews and book club episodes as much as we have!Show notes:Books discussed by Julia and Josephine during this episode include: The Enigma of Room 662 by Joel DickerThe Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel DickerThe Precipice by Robert Harris The Good War of Consul Reeves by Peter RoseA Memoir of My Former Self by Hilary MantelOld Filth Trilogy by Jane GardamA Place of Safety by Hilary MantelThe six books on the Booker Prize Shortlist can be found here: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/2024Wifedom by Anna FunderThe Fraud by Zadie SmithOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate SilverWhen We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin LabatutNaku Dharuk The Bark Petitions: How the People of Yirrkala Changed the Course of Australian Democracy by Clare Wright Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.