Compulsive Reader talks

Multi-talented, multimedia Canberra-based lecturer, visual artist, philosopher and writer Sarah Rice joins us to read from and talk about her newest book Alight on all things precious. We talk about how the book came together, about the way it brings together seemingly disparate things - disciplines like art, music and words, life and death, light and darkness, and even things like breath and dust, and threads - together, the different types of art int he book and the way for example, a necklace or painting can be an appeal, on wordplay, irony and grief, the humour in her work, and much more. Find a copy of the book here: https://liquidamberpress.com.au/product/alight-on-all-things-precious/

Judith Nangala Crispín reads from and talks about her stunning new book The Dingo's Noctuary. Purchase a copy of the book here: https://puncherandwattmann.com/product/the-dingos-noctuary/Find out more about Judith here: https://judithcrispin.com/Find out more about the book’s publisher, David Musgrave, who Judith mentions in the conversation: https://davidmusgrave.com/Read my review of The Dingo's Noctuary here: https://compulsivereader.com/2025/11/18/a-review-of-the-dingos-noctuary-by-judith-nangala-crispin/

Angela Costi joins us to read from and talk about her latest poetry book The Heart of the Advocate. We talk about many things including how the book came together, the hybrid nature of the book, the nexus between poetry and law, her use of language, point and counterpoint or strophe and antistrophe, layers of ekphrasis - including the book The Art of the Advocate by Richard Du Cann, her use of Greek Mythology, Philoxena or the love of strangers, and much more. Purchase the book here: https://liquidamberpress.com.au/product/the-heart-of-the-advocate/Find out more about Angela here: https://www.instagram.com/angelacostipoetics/A few of Angela's references:Jordie Albiston: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordie_AlbistonAlison Whittaker's Blak Work: https://www.magabala.com/products/blakworkMartin Espada: http://www.martinespada.net/Yiannis Ritsos: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yiannis_Ritsos

Katia Ariel reads from and talks about her new book Ferryman: The Life and Deathwork of Ephraim Finch. We talk about her unique way of engaging with her subject, about creating biographies that are respectful, open, and true, about Ephraim's role in the community and the way in which Ariel universalises it, about ancestry and inheritance, grief, death and love, and lots more. Find out more about Katia Ariel and her books at: http://arielediting.com.au/Ferryman book page at the publisher's site: https://www.wilddingopress.com.au/shop/p/9781925893861

In this episode, Phillis Levin, the author of six poetry collections, offers an in-depth look at her newest book, An Anthology of Rain, published by Barrow Street Press. A “poet’s poet,” Levin discusses her career, including her previous works such as Mr. Memory & Other Poems (Penguin) and her accolades, which include the Poetry Society of America’s Norma Farber First Book Award, a Fulbright Scholar Award, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Phillis shares her creative process, her inspirations drawn from her childhood, and her experiences traveling around the world, including her time spent in Slovenia and Japan. She also reflects on the significance of poetry in different cultures and offers insights on the importance of “cleaning the palate” in her writing routine. The episode concludes with Phillis’s reading of the title poem, “An Anthology of Rain,” providing a glimpse into her intricate and profound poetic voice.About Phillis LevinPhillis Levin is the author of An Anthology of Rain (Barrow Street Press, 2025), her sixth collection, available in paperback and e-book. Phillis Levin is a singular poet known for her lyricism. Her fifth collection, Mr. Memory & Other Poems (Penguin), was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and received a starred review from Library Journal, which also named the book one of its Top Picks of the Year in Poetry. Phillis is also the editor of The Penguin Book of the Sonnet and the recipient of several prizes, including the Poetry Society of America's Norma Farber First Book Award for Temples and Fields (University of Georgia Press). A Guggenheim Fellow, Phillis has also received a Fulbright Scholar Award and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.Website: https://phillislevin.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/phillis-levin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phillislevinpoet/ Amazon: https://a.co/d/2GDrKkv About Christi CassidyChristi Cassidy is the host of Moving Along (https://movingalongpodcast.com), a podcast about travel, relocation and life transitions. She has worked in book publishing as a publicist, licensing director and freelance editor (https://editmaven.com) for 35+ years. She has an M.F.A. in poetry from Columbia University. She lives in the Hudson Valley just north of New York City.

Damen O'Brien reads from and talks about his latest poetry book Walking the Boundary. We talk about such things as the way the book came together as a collection, the joy (and horror) of wriggling creatures, inheritance, apocalypse, humour, and lots more. Find out more about Damen at his website: https://www.dameno.org/ Buy a copy of Walking the Boundary at: https://pittstreetpoetry.com/book/walking-the-boundary/

John Kinsella reads from and talks about his new short story collection Beam of Light. We talk about the use of furniture in this book, the connective themes, its malevolent undercurrent, the importance and beauty of a sentient landscape, his characters and their struggles against the colonial mindset, what poetry and fiction can do and why he might choose one form or another, and lots more. For more on John and his extensive body of work, visit: ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kinsella_(poet)⁠ For more on Beam of Light visit: ⁠https://transitlounge.com.au/shop/beam-of-light-stories/

Omar Musa joins us to perform from and talk about his new album The Fullness. We talk about collaboration and his amazing collaborators, pushing into liminal spaces of multiple identities, leaning into grief and joy ("our lives given shape by shadows"), ego deflation, how some of the songs on The Fullness were created, the percussiveness of rap and its conjunction with poetry, the alchemical process of art, the dissolving of borders between artforms and nationalities, the resonance of the mother tongue, poetry as a language of feeling, the value of working on multiple projects at once, and lots more. Listen to The Fullness: https://open.spotify.com/album/4KTsmsM6AlcoZbno4rlpax?si=91db8a8708684c52 Omar's website: https://www.omarmusa.com.au/

The author of Kin: Family in the 21st Century reads from and talks about her new book, about the many permeations of family both nuclear and otherwise, about the book's origins, some of her key themes and challenges including such things as donor privacy versus the rights of a child to know their origins, helping people start families vs the commodification of reproduction, future tech and the risk of Eugenics, and lots more. Find out more about Marina and Kin at: Marina Kamenev Marina's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kamenevwrites

Beatriz Copello, author of No Salami Fairy Bread drops by to read from and talk about her newest poetry book. We talk about such things as the linguistic quality of the book, its structure, overall themes including migration, memoir, feminism, coming-of-age, the use of humour, why she chose verse, her new fantasy work-in-progress, and lots more. The book can be purchased here: https://www.ginninderrapress.com.au/store.php?product/page/2905/Beatriz+Copello+%2F+No+Salami+Fairy+Bread

Ashley Kalagian Blunt joins us to read from and talk about her new thriller Dark Mode. We talk about such things as her research, the Dark Web, her protagonist Reagan Carson, her fabulous plant store setting Voodoo Lily and dark flowers, what she's reading now, her work-in-progress (hint it's another thriller), and lots more. Ashley's website: ⁠https://www.ashleykalagianblunt.com/⁠ Click here for more information on Dark Mode, the free book club pack, or to take Ashley up on her offer to come talk to your club: ⁠https://www.ashleykalagianblunt.com/dark-mode⁠ James and Ashley Stay at Home podcast: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/james-and-ashley-stay-at-home/id1514919350⁠

Meera Atkinson reads from her book Traumata and talks about her work, the ongoing relevance of Traumata, the difficulty and the necessity of the hybrid form,  on language, blood, the patriarchy, beauty and its commodification, the power of engagement with the past - personally and collectively, literature, poetry and much more. Find out more about Meera and her work at her website: https://www.meeraatkinson.com Two recent publications of Meera's: http://cordite.org.au/scholarly/writing-threat-and-trauma/?fbclid=IwAR0_Jw8QBcYTnoamuqiNNUt5_E2XTb58_Ontnasx4kGspZasq81mAF4ZR6w https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-reclaiming-artist-musician-anita-lane-from-the-despised-label-of-muse-188815

Bastian Fox Phelan reads from and talks about their new memoir How to Be Between. We talk about such things as speaking about the self with all of its multitudes, finding a voice, gender norms, facial hair, their nature writing, motherhood, what's next and much more.  Find out more at Bastian's website: https://www.bastianfoxphelan.com/#