Past Programs
Activism and Lobbying - 2007
Fictional ecology: environmental politics and fiction
18/12/2007
In November 2007, state governments in Victoria and New South Wales decided to lift their moratorium on genetically modified canola.
The issue divides opinion like few others -- critics see GM crops as Frankenstein food with dangerous and unforseeable consequences. Supporters say genetically modified organisms will save the world, feed the starving and help us grow survive in a warming world with unreliable rainfall.
How might fiction deal with the debate over the pros and cons of GM crops -- and similar environmental issues for that matter?
The landscape is often cast in a major role in Australian novels, but what about the politics of our environment, could they feature more prominently -- as they have in the US and Britain?
Or is that kind of fiction too laboured, too close to polemic? Are topics like GM canola and climate change better left to non-fiction?
Australian literature in schools
15/08/2007
Are young people today reading Australian fiction? Last week the Australia Council hosted a round table in Canberra at which authors, publishers, teachers and academics discussed ways to reinvigorate Australian literature in education.
Nick Jose was one of the participants at the round table and he joined The Book Show from our Adelaide studios.
David Batstone and modern-day slavery
09/04/2007
While the world celebrates the bi-centenary of the abolition of the slave trade in England, in his new book Not for Sale: The return of the global slave trade and how we can fight it, ethicist David Batstone writes about a new generation of abolitionists.
David Batstone is Professor of Ethics at the University of San Francisco, and as a journalist and businessman, he promotes ethical buiness practice and corporate culture. Recently, he has been touring Australia with World Vision's 'Stop the Traffic' campaign.
For the Book Show, Sarah L'Estrange spoke to David Batstone in Melbourne about his book Not For Sale.
