Fully Lit

What remains after loss? How do we carry the people, places and versions of ourselves that are gone? And can art help us make sense of what endures?In this episode of Fully Lit, writer and broadcaster Sarah Runcie is joined by poet Vaughn Upward Garcia, musician Helen Franzmann, and writer and artist Judith Nangala Crispin for a wide-ranging conversation about grief, creativity and survival.Garcia reflects on recovery, reinvention and the journey behind his debut collection Poems from the Afterlife. Franzmann discusses the making of Jay Marie, Comfort Me, an album shaped by the death of her sister and the search for comfort in grief. And Crispin explores death, Country, memory and belonging through her remarkable verse novel Dingo’s Noctuary.Together, they consider what remains after loss, how art helps us navigate absence, and why love and grief are often inseparable. Along the way, they discuss sobriety, family, music, landscape, First Nations knowledge, and the stories we carry from one life into the next.At its heart, this is a conversation about transformation, and the ways creativity can help us make meaning from what endures.This episode was recorded live at the Addi Road Writers’ Festival.VoicesSarah Runcie is a writer, broadcaster and arts journalist whose work spans literature, music, theatre and cultural commentary.Judith Nangala Crispin is an award-winning poet, visual artist and conservationist, and the author of the verse novel Dingo’s Noctuary.Helen Franzmann is a singer-songwriter, musician and member of Mess Esque, whose work blends intimate lyricism with dreamlike, atmospheric soundscapes.Vaughn Upward Garcia is a Queanbeyan-based poet and performer whose debut collection, Poems from the Afterlife, explores class, recovery, mortality and belonging.CreditsThis episode of Fully Lit was recorded at the Addi Road Writers’ Festival on Gadigal land in Sydney.Fully Lit is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program, and is produced by Regina Botros.Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang.Recorded and mixed by Daniel WigginsFurther ReadingPoems from the Afterlife by Vaughn Upward GarciaDingo’s Noctuary by Judith Nangala CrispinJay Marie, Comfort Me by Mess EsqueFor more conversations on poetry, storytelling and contemporary Australian literature, explore the Fully Lit back catalogue.

In this episode of Fully Lit, we bring you a live recording from the Sydney Writers’ Festival in Parramatta.Hosted by James Jiang, editor of the Sydney Review of Books, the panel brings together Maxine Beneba Clarke, Yumna Kassab and Eda Gunaydin for a wide-ranging conversation on what makes a writer.From early reading habits and first attempts at writing, to questions of craft, the discussion moves across the genres of fiction, memoir and poetry — exploring how writers navigate the realities of sustaining a writing life on and off the page. Fittingly, given its setting, the conversation also centres Western Sydney as both place and influence. Thoughtful, candid and often funny, this is a rich discussion about storytelling and the impulses behind writing itself.VoicesMaxine Beneba Clark is an award-winning writer, poet and artist whose work explores race, identity, family and belonging.Yumna Kassab is a writer whose fiction explores memory, migration, identity and the complexities of human connection.Eda Gunaydin is a writer, critic and researcher whose sharp, insightful work examining class, culture, migration and identity in contemporary Australia.James Jiang is a writer, editor and critic, and the editor of the Sydney Review of BooksCreditsThis episode of Fully Lit was made on Gadigal land in Sydney.Fully Lit podcast is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program, and is produced by Regina Botros.Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang.Recorded by the City of Parramatta

In December 2023, the Sydney Review of Books  and Western Sydney University's Writing and Society Research Centre were delighted to announce renowned fiction writer, Yumna Kassab, as the inaugural Parramatta Laureate in Literature, a program delivered in partnership with the City of Parramatta. The program, now in its second iteration, recognises the unique and vital work of writers as contributors to narratives of place – through storying, remembering histories, and shaping a creative vision for our shared future.As the inaugural Laureate, Kassab has composed Parramatta: A Dictionary of Place and Memory. She writes in the introduction to her work: 'It was my idea that a dictionary could tell the story of a person (me) in connection with a place (Parramatta) with enough flexibility to take in detours, digressions, musings, and general quirkiness. I knew at the outset that the entries would be placed under titles and it would be fragmentary in spirit.' Extracts from the Parramatta Dictionary are free to read on the Sydney Review of Books website.Author note:Yumna Kassab is a Parramatta-based novelist and short fiction writer, a high school teacher, and a staunch supporter of the Western Sydney Wanderers. The Lovers (2023) was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction, and the Victorian Premier’s Award for Fiction. She has also authored The House of Youssef  (2019), Australiana (2022), Politica (2024), and Theory of Everything (2025).GuestsHost: Kate Fagan - Director of the Writing and Society Research Centre Western Sydney UniversityInterviewer: James Jiang - Editor at The Sydney Review of BooksCreditsRecording engineer Sevan Dermelkonian recorded this episode on the 30th October, 2025 at PHIVE, Active Wellness Studios, Parramatta.Fully Lit is a collaboration between Impact Studios, UTS, and the Sydney Review of Books. Its producer is Regina Botros, and its executive producers are Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang.

In this special live episode of Fully Lit, we head to Parramatta for The Poets Speak, an evening of powerful readings and conversation presented by Giramondo Publishing.Recorded as part of Parramatta’s Lit Festival and the Sydney Fringe Festival, the event features acclaimed poets Eunice Andrada (Kontra), Kate Fagan (Song in the Grass), Hasib Hourani (rock flight), Šime Knežević (In Your Dreams), and Suneeta Peres da Costa (The Prodigal). With host Giramondo Publisher Ivor Indyk, the poets share their work and reflect on its origins, themes, and provocations.Eunice Andrada's first poetry collection, Flood Damages, won the Anne Elder Award and was a finalist for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and the Dame Mary Gilmore Award. Her second collection, TAKE CARE, was a finalist for the Judith Wright Calanthe Award, Stella Prize, Australian Literature Society Gold Medal, and two NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Her third volume, KONTRA, will be published in October 2025. Kate Fagan is a writer, musician and scholar. Her book First Light was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and Age Book of the Year Award. Kate is an internationally esteemed songwriter, and is currently Director of the WSU Writing and Society Research Centre. Her most recent book is Song in the Grass. Hasib Hourani is a Lebanese-Palestinian writer, editor, arts worker and educator. His work has been published in Meanjin, Overland, Australian Poetry and Cordite, among others. He is a 2020 recipient of The Wheeler Centre’s Next Chapter Scheme. His debut book is rock flight. Šime Knežević is a poet and playwright from Sydney with Croatian heritage. His poems have been published widely in Australian and international literary journals. His first book-length poetry collection is In Your Dreams.Suneeta Peres da Costa was born in Sydney and is of Goan heritage. She writes fiction, non-fiction, plays and poetry. Her novella Saudade was shortlisted for the 2019 Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. Her first book of poetry, The Prodigal, was published in 2024. Presented by Giramondo Publishing.This event was recorded live on September 25, 2025.Fully Lit is an Impact Studios podcast.

In this spirited discussion, three critics—Max Easton, Eda Gunaydin, and Lucy Van—join Sydney Review of Books editor, James Jiang, to explore the evolving role of the critic. Together, they delve into how they each came to criticism, the influences that shaped their voices, the ethics and implications of writing negative reviews, and whether we are truly living in a post-literate culture.This episode was recorded live as part of the Parramatta Lit Festival, held within the Sydney Fringe Festival on 6 September 2025 at Western Sydney University – Parramatta City Campus.Host: James Jiang — Editor, Sydney Review of BooksPanelists: Max Easton, Eda Gunaydin, Lucy VanRecording Engineer: Sevan Dermelkonian