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Interviews With 10 Australian Authors, Ch 1: Yasou! from Nadia Wheatley

Yasou! Five Times Dizzy is the story of a young girl who tries to bring happiness back into her Yaya's life by giving her a goat. Author Nadia Wheatley speaks with Tom Tilley about her memories of a Greek Australian family living in Newtown and of the years she lived in Crete as being the inspiration behind the story.

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Jennifer Byrne Presents: Just big kids? Why adults are reading YA fiction

The Young Adult, or YA, publishing market might be huge, but not all readers of YA books are teenagers. Perhaps surprisingly, increasing numbers of adults are choosing to read books written for the YA market. Join in this panel discussion as four YA authors discuss the reasons why their books are being picked up by adult readers.

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First Tuesday Book Club: Lots to love about 'Cloudstreet'

Judging literature is highly personal. What one person loves about a book can drive someone else crazy. Some books, though, just seem to appeal to everyone! Well, almost everyone. Find out whether this is the case with Tim Winton's novel 'Cloudstreet'.

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George Orwell’s '1984'

1984 is a novel by British author George Orwell, published in 1949. How has that period - the late 1940s - shaped the novel? What world event and its consequences led to Orwell writing such a dystopian novel? Professor Bowen claims the Senate House, formerly Ministry of Information, is the basis for the novel's Ministry ...

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Interviews With 10 Australian Authors, Ch 7: Playing with Hannie Rayson

It was while Hannie Rayson was at acting school that she realised she wanted to be a playwright. In this interview led by Tom Tilley she talks about how she began writing plays, why she became interested in the notion of Anglo Australian art and culture, and how all her characters are in some way an embodiment of herself.

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Radio National: Tragic love triangle in 'The Great Gatsby'

Who will Daisy Buchanan choose when she finds herself torn between the love of two men in F Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 classic novel, 'The Great Gatsby'? Draw on the discussion in this audio clip to improve your skills in developing character in creative writing. The clip from 'Books and arts daily' on Radio National is one ...

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Andy Griffiths' tips for starting your story

Get some tips from Andy Griffiths on what to think about when you start to write a story. What does he say about plot? Why not take Andy's advice and start a story by thinking about something that has happened to you and then exaggerate it somehow. Concentrate on writing a short, dramatic moment by using lots of detail ...

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Sculpting ideas into stories with Andy Griffiths

Watch this clip to learn how Andy Griffiths turns his ideas into stories. In particular, listen to the way Andy describes how his collaboration with illustrator Terry Denton works. Now team up with a friend or family member and take on the roles of author and illustrator. What ideas can you come up with by working together? ...

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Heywire: Country towns: all drop bears and skate rats?

Why might you use humour when presenting your local community to a national audience? In this Heywire clip, an 'ex-bushranger and survival expert' (in reality Hayden Laube) introduces us to the wilds of Port Pirie. After several adventures including fighting off ferocious wildlife, he reflects on the value of life in a ...

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Growing an organic edible garden

Find out about the roles that earthworms and other animals play in a sustainable organic garden. View this clip called 'Great pizzas', created by young reporters from Willunga Primary School, South Australia. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making the news!' project, which featured local sustainability ...

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First Tuesday Book Club: The Great Gatsby

How do authors develop their characters? In 'The Great Gatsby', F Scott Fitzgerald creates characters through others' impressions of them rather than by creating an inner, or 'interior', world of thoughts for them. We never really get to know Gatsby except by how others see him. Find out what the First Tuesday Book Club ...

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Dangers of wood smoke

Find out about some of the issues surrounding wood smoke and how to reduce its impact on the environment and our health. View this clip called 'Where there's fire, there's smoke', created by young reporters from Presbyterian Ladies College in Armidale, New South Wales. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live ...

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From sewage to reclaimed water

Discover the benefits of recycling sewage, or waste water, to create 'reclaimed water'. View this clip called 'Reuse your pooh!', created by young reporters from Willunga Primary School, South Australia. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making the news!' project, which featured local sustainability ...

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First Tuesday Book Club: Moby Dick

What was Herman Melville aiming for when he wrote his masterpiece? Listen to Jennifer Byrne, David Malouf, Marieke Hardy, Jason Steger and Johanna Featherstone discuss their reactions to 'Moby Dick'. Is the novel just a detailed treatise (commentary) on whales and whaling, or is it an allegory (fable) teaching us about ...

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First Tuesday Book Club: Ruth Park's wicked, sweet, funny masterpiece

When Ruth Park wrote 'The Harp in the South', little did she know the storm of controversy it would cause. But why did it cause such outrage? And how did it go on to become one of Australia's best-loved novels? To find out, we need to go back in time � or just watch this clip!

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Reading with Rebecca Lim

Watch this clip to find out what author Rebecca Lim liked to read when she was younger. How have these early interests influenced her writing as an adult? Do you get creative inspiration from books you read? What advice does Rebecca give to people who want to be writers?

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What words and illustrations convey

Have you ever read a book where the words tell you one thing but the pictures tell you something different? For example, characters in a scary situation might say aloud that they're not scared, but the illustration could show characters who are huddled in a corner. See if you can come up with a short story and an illustration ...

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Interviews With 10 Australian Authors, Ch 8: Experience colonial Australia with Tom Keneally

Thomas Keneally likes to put himself in the shoes of figures from history, whether it's as a member of the SS or an Indigenous man treated unjustly, and ask ‘What would I have done?' In this interview he discusses why he was drawn to the Jimmie Governor story and the significance of the looming Federation of Australia.

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Interviews With Australian 10 Authors, Ch 3: Michael Gow's Australian classic

According to Gow, his play Away became an Australian classic ‘accidentally'. In this interview, he talks about the way he overlays the context of the Vietnam War and the rise of materialism with the themes of coming of age and accepting the death of a child to create a play that is powerful and complex.

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Books shaping identity

Do you identify with a book's protagonists when you read? Shamini Flint says she started writing her Sasha series of books about a girl growing up in Asia because she couldn't find books like these for her daughter. She thought it was important for her to be exposed to characters who were like her - someone who looked like ...