27. The Long Game: Felicity Castagna and writing Western Sydney
About this episode
Felicity Castagna discusses her writing journey and the nuances of Western Sydney literature with Sheila Ngoc Pham.
In this episode of Fully Lit Live , Felicity Castagna joins writer and producer Sheila Ngoc Pham for a wide‑ranging conversation about writing, class, place, and longevity in the arts. The evening opens with poetry by Lebanese Australian multidisciplinary artist Charnel Rizk, whose work reflects on heritage, land, and survival. What follows is an expansive discussion tracing Felicity Castagna’s journey from early short story writing to award‑winning novels, teaching, and cross‑disciplinary creative work. Together, Felicity and Sheila reflect on Australian literature, the decline of literary study in universities, and the changing role of reading communities outside academia. They explore the idea of “Western Sydney literature” — who it serves, where it falls short, and how writers can resist being pigeonholed while still honouring place and specificity. The conversation also touches on class mobility, migrant identity, writing in dark political times, adaptation for stage and screen, and what it means to sustain a creative life over decades. Felicity shares insights into her upcoming novel Peaches , as well as her approach to teaching, collaboration, and staying creatively…
People in this episode
Hosts: Sheila Ngoc Pham, Yumna Kassab
Guest: Felicity Castagna
Topics covered
- writing
- Australian literature
- class mobility
- migrant identity
- creative life
- Western Sydney literature
Keywords
- Felicity Castagna
- Western Sydney
- Australian literature
- class
- migrant identity
- creative work
- Peaches
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Peaches
Places: Western Sydney
More episodes of Fully Lit
- 28. Isolation, Place and Truth: Verity Borthwick and Judi Morison in conversation with Claire Corbett
- 26. Historical present & multilingual musicality: remembering Antigone Kefala
- 25. Multilingual homes - from 'My Language, My Country'
- 24. Writing the Real: Fiction, Work and Witness with Gretchen Shirm and Andrew Pippos
- 23. The Critics’ Report: Freedom, Funding and ‘Social Cohesion’
- 22. How to Read a Poem
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