Past Programs
Books - 2008
Crossing by Rosie Barter
30/11/2008
An innocent outing becomes a frightening ordeal.
Rosie Barter was born in Adelaide but moved to Perth with her family when she was six. For 24 years she taught graphic design at Curtin University and she's certainly a very visual writer. Crossing is Rosie's first published story.
Taken from Indigo, volume 2.
The reader is Ksenja Logos.
Switchback by Ronald Frame
30/11/2008
A man's return to Eastern Europe brings back unsettling memories of both relationships and politics.
Ronald Frame was born in Glasgow in 1953 and educated there and at Oxford University. He has had 13 books of fiction published including Winter Journey and The Lantern Bearers. He is also a highly regarded writer for TV and radio.
Taken from Best Short Stories of 1993, edited by Giles Gordon and David Hughes and published by Clays Limited.
The reader is Peter Webb.
1954: Days of the Roomers by Christina Stead
23/11/2008
Life in a London student boarding house.
Born in Sydney in 1902, Christina Stead, whose work went unrecognised for a large part of her life, is considered by many critics to be one of the most gifted writers of the 20th century. She worked as a teacher until 1924, then resigned in order to take office employment to finance a trip to Europe. She then spent her time overseas until 1969, when she visited Australia for the first time since her departure in 1928. In 1974, she returned to her homeland where she remained until her death in 1983.
Christina Stead was the first recipient of the Patrick White Award and was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times. Her novel The Man Who Loved Children is generally regarded as her masterpiece, although both a critical and popular failure when first published in 1940.
The reader is Kathryn Fisher.
The Easy Way Out by Patrick Cullen
23/11/2008
The next door neighbours' complicated lives bring on a realisation of their own good fortune for a middle-aged couple.
Patrick Cullen is writing a collection of stories as part of his PhD at the University of Newcastle. These stories have been published in the Best Australian Stories for the last three collections and in The Sleepers'Almanac for 2006 and 2007.
The reader is Richard Aspel.
First published in The Sleepers Almanac in 2007.
Fracture by Anne Marie Drosso
16/11/2008
While a woman's broken leg slowly heals, she develops an unexpected closeness to her young doctor.
Anne Marie Drosso was born in Cairo in 1951 and her collection of short stories is set in Egypt. After studying and then teaching economics, she completed a law degree in British Columbia. She currently lives in London and is working on a novel.
The reader is Jen Cronin.
The story was taken from Cairo Stories, published by Telegram Books in 2007.
Gravity by Tim Winton
16/11/2008
Jerra Nilsam faces up to his responsibilities and finds that life is not so fearsome after all.
Tim Winton started writing at university and is now one of Australia's most popular and respected writers. His novels not only win prizes, they become bestsellers, and all his novels are still in print. His latest novel, Breath, has been nominated for almost all of Australia's major literary awards this year.
The reader is Stuart Halusz.
Her Red Scarf by Chandani Lokuge
09/11/2008
A woman struggles to make sense of a new life and newfound freedom in Australia.
Dr Chandani Lokuge is a lecturer in English at Monash University. Her short stories are widely anthologised and her novel If the Moon Smiled was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Prize. Chandani Lokuge's writing often explores the migrant experience and the tensions of spanning two cultures. She has edited, for Oxford University Press, a series of Indian women's autobiographies and fiction.
Taken from Heatwave: Penguin Australian Summer Stories 5th Edition.
The reader is Sophia Hall.
The Arrest of Lieutenant Golightly by Rudyard Kipling
09/11/2008
When a man who prided himself as 'an officer and a gentleman' travels without an umbrella it leads to humiliation. An amusing insight into Britain's colonial empire.
Kipling was one of the most popular writers in English, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel prize in literature, the first writer in English to receive it.
The reader is James Saunders.
Today on Dr Phil by Tom Cho
02/11/2008
A story full of black humour where the do-it-yourself psychiatry of Dr Phil leads to a sure-fire hit episode with lots of wham-bam impact.
Tom Cho is writing a short fiction collection where he explores the themes of identity and popular culture that are obvious in this story. He is writing this as part of his PhD in professional writing at Deakin University. His fiction has been published widely, most recently in The Age and HEAT.
Taken from The Best Australian Stories 2006, published by Black Inc.
The reader is Brett Cousins.
The Tai-Chi Man by Jan Hutchinson
02/11/2008
Watching the daily ritual of a man's tai-chi routine brings home to an unhappy woman the realisation of what is missing from her life.
The Tai-Chi Man was written by Jan Hutchinson, who began writing fiction in 1985. During 1990 she was the writer in residence at the Literature Board of the Australia Council's Writer's Studio in Venice.
She has been influential in many aspects of the teaching of creative writing. While on the staff of Macquarie University in 1996 she established, with Graham Williams, the conference which launched the Association of University Writing Programs.
As a lecturer in the Department of Writing, Journalism and Social Inquiry at the University of Technology, Sydney, she assisted in setting up the DeCaux Street Words program, displaying excerpts from the works of Australian poets on bus stops, phone booths and other sites around inner Sydney.
Her work has been widely published in magazines and literary journals.
The reader is Andrea Moor.
Story 2 by Christopher Cyrill
26/10/2008
On a man's return from India, the insights he has gained stay with him.
Christopher Cyrill is a writer and poet who was born to Indian parents in Melbourne in 1970. His first novel, The Ganges and Its Tributaries, was published in 1993, and has since been dramatised for ABC radio. His second novel, Hymns for the Drowning, was published in 1999.
Taken from Blur: Stories by Young Australian Writers, published by Random House.
The reader is David Tredinnick.
Proof of Innocence by Tom Petsinis
26/10/2008
An innocent man is imprisoned and eventually sentenced to death. During this time, he starts to lose his conviction that he did not commit the crime.
Tom Petsinis was born in Greece and immigrated to Australia as a child. After graduating from the University of Melbourne, he taught at a number of high schools and presently teaches mathematics at Victoria University. Tom has been published in the UK, US, Italy and Germany, and his novel The French Mathematician (Penguin) was short-listed for the New South Wales Premier's Literary Award. Tom has also written and directed a number of plays, including the award-winning The Drought.
Taken from Space: New Writing Issue No. 1, published by Whitmore Press.
The reader is Matthew O'Sullivan.
The Ferry of Unfulfilment by O. Henry
19/10/2008
Differing experiences mean that it's difficult for a young man and woman to make a connection when they meet in New York City.
The Ferry of Unfulfilment was written by O. Henry whose name lives on in the internationally recognized O. Henry Prize for writers of short fiction.
O. Henry was, in fact, a pen name used by William Sydney Porter. His wit, characterization and plot twists were adored by his readers, but often panned by the critics. Yet, he went on to gain international recognition and is regarded as one of America's best writers of short stories.
The reader is Roger Newcombe.
Nana's Dance by Michelle Heinemann
19/10/2008
A tale of sex, art, dance, seduction and betrayal.
The reader is Lizzy Falkland.
Taken from Best Short Stories 1993 published by William Heinemann.
The Story about the Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God by Etgar Keret
12/10/2008
A quirky tale about the day the bus driver had a change of heart.
Etgar Keret is 35 years old and is one of Israel's most popular young writers. All his books have been bestsellers and cult favourites in Israel, and his works have been translated into several languages. He is also an acclaimed filmmaker, and is currently Lecturer in Film at Tel Aviv University.
Taken from The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God and Other Stories, published by Picador.
The reader is Stephen Phillips.
Bean Paddock Blues by Barry Cooper
12/10/2008
A young man returns home on holidays from university to find that nothing has changed. An insight into the realities of Aboriginal lives.
Barry Cooper is an Indigenous Australian and a descendant of the Yuin tribe from the far south-east coast of New South Wales. He studies Aboriginal Art and Cultural Design at Reid CIT and has been writing for four years.
Taken from The Best Australian Stories, 2006, published by Black Inc.
The reader is James Saunders.
There is no short story in Airplay this week.
05/10/2008
The Bathe - A Grotesque by Henry Handel Richardson
05/10/2008
When two women decide to ignore convention at a lonely beach, a small girl has her first sight of naked adults and is not impressed.
Henry Handel Richardson was the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson. She was born in Melbourne in 1870, the daughter of immigrant parents. Her trilogy, The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney is one of the best known works of Australian fiction. Richardson lived overseas for most of her life and died in London in 1946.
The reader is Sarah Aubrey.
Taken from The Illustrated Treasury of Australian Stories, published by Nelson.
There is no short story in Airplay this week.
28/09/2008
The Pink Ribbon by Andrea McMahon
28/09/2008
The gift of a pet mouse from her cousin, Evelyn, leads to Grace's life-long love of the small creatures.
Andrea McMahon writes fiction and poetry. She lives in Hobart with her three children and for the past eighteen years has worked for the State Library of Tasmania.
The reader is Jen Cronin.
Taken from Island 111, published in the Summer 2007 edition.
There is no short story in Airplay on 21st September, 2008.
21/09/2008
Ten Buck Testament by Jane Ormond
21/09/2008
When an abandoned boy is picked up by an itinerant bible-seller, is it rescue or is it kidnapping?
Jane Ormond is an English-born, Melbourne-raised writer whose short stories have been published by Cardigan Press, Sleepers, Going Down Swinging and others. She is currently working on a novel.
Taken from Sleepers Almanac 2007.
The reader is Lucia Mastrantone.
A Game of Chance by Julie Lewis
14/09/2008
When a man goes away from home he starts to become obsessed with irrational worries.
Julie Lewis began writing in Perth in 1964, mainly for radio, broadcasting over the ABC Women's Session and Scope programmes. She has had stories published in journals and anthologies, and has also written articles and reviews for numerous publications and for radio. Her previous publications for Fremantle Arts Centre Press include Memories of Childhood and The Story of Catherine King and The Women's Session.
From Double Exposure published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press.
The reader is Stuart Halusz.
To Be Congruous with the Sea by Finola Moorhead
14/09/2008
The lonely life of an artist.
Born in 1947 and raised in Mornington, Victoria, Finola Moorhead became a full-time writer in 1973 and has written poetry and short stories as well as four novels, which include feminist crime fiction. Her work has received Victorian Premier's Literary awards and in 1991 she was given the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction for "Still Murder".
Taken from Personal Best, edited by Garry Disher, published by Angus and Robertson.
The reader is Paul Blackwell.
Midnight, Confessions of an Only Child by Rosalind Dixon
07/09/2008
A young girl's desperate desire to have a sister leads to an escape from reality.
Rosalind Dixon was born in Cape Town and spent fifteen years living in Perth. Her short stories and poems have been published in Brillig, The West Australian and Tomorrow: an anthology of short stories by young writers, and have won several prizes including the West Australian Young Writer of the Year Award and the Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Award for Poetry.
The reader is Jessica Turner.
Taken from Sibling Stories, published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 1997.
Houston, We Don't Have a Problem by Tom Potter
07/09/2008
A surprise offer for his girlfriend to study overseas puts strong pressure on a young man's fear of commitment.
Tom Potter was born in Melbourne in 1970 and educated by the Dominican Sisters and the Christian Brothers. He still lives in Melbourne. By day he works as a salaryman in the legal sector in file and document management. When not working, watching TV, attending Sleepers Salons or pondering the plight of the Melbourne Football Club he occasionally writes. Houston, We Don't Have A Problem is his first story to be published.
The reader is Richard Aspel.
Taken from The Sleepers' Almanac 2007, published by Sleepers Publishing.
Curing a Cold by Mark Twain
31/08/2008
Suffering from a simple cold, the writer is given an almost endless variety of possible cures but does anything improve his discomfort?
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910), better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. During his lifetime, Twain became a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists and European royalty.
Twain enjoyed immense public popularity, and his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. American author William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature."
The reader is Roger Newcombe.
Madness by Mardi May
31/08/2008
Does madness mean mental illness or is it just used as term of disapproval for the eccentric?
Mardi May is a Perth writer who has had three books published, and her poetry and short stories have appeared in literary and arts magazines.
From Sibling Stories published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press 1997.
The reader is Jessica Turner.
Classical Score by Chi Vu
24/08/2008
A young woman's body becomes an instrument.
After studying Creative Writing at The University of Melbourne, Chi Vu worked as a theatre facilitator, writer and Program Manager at Young People's Performance Projects and SCRAYP - Youth Arts with an Edge. In 2000 Chi was awarded an Asialink writer's residency to Vietnam. Her short stories have been published in Meanjin, The Age, Picador New Writing 4, and Blur.
The reader is Virginia Gay.
Taken from Picador New Writing, Volume 4, published by Pan McMillan.
Patterns by Gillian Bouras
24/08/2008
When Justine and her husband go back his home in Greece, she finds it hard to prove her worth to her mother-in-law.
Gillian Bouras is an Australian who has lived in Greece for nearly thirty years. Her journalism has been published in five countries and she has written seven books, mainly on cross-cultural issues.
The reader is Maria Theodorakis.
Taken from Best Australian Stories 2006, published by Black Inc.
A Bad Joke by Ha Jin
18/08/2008
It pays not to be too disrespectful of those in authority for two ignorant peasants in China.
Ha Jin was born in Liaoning, China. His father was a military officer, and Jin joined the People's Liberation Army in 1969 during the Cultural Revolution. In 1981 he graduated from University with a B.A. in English studies, and three years later obtained his Masters in Anglo-American literature.
Ha Jin was on scholarship at Brandeis University when the 1989 Tiananmen incident happened. The Chinese government's forcible put-down hastened his decision to emigrate to the U.S.A. He sets many of his stories and novels in China, in the fictional Muji City. He has won a number of awards for his writing, including the National Book Award and PEN/Faulkner Award for his novel, Waiting (1999). Many of his short stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories anthologies as well as smaller, independent journals. His collection Under The Red Flag (1997) won the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, while Ocean of Words (1996) has been awarded the PEN/Hemingway Award. The novel War Trash (2004), set during the Korean War, won the PEN/Faulkner Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Ha Jin currently teaches at Boston University.
The reader is Patrick Dickson.
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
17/08/2008
"No story is so unseemly as to prevent anyone from telling it, provided it is told in seemly language." Giovanni Boccaccio.
In 1348 the Black Plague raged over most of Europe. The following year the young Giovanni Boccaccio, whose reputation as a writer and friend of Petrarch was growing, began his most famous work, The Decameron. It told the story of ten young aristocrats from Florence who, to escape the plague in the city, took refuge in a villa on an estate in the Florentine countryside. To while away the time the three men and seven women each told a story a day. There were 100 stories in all.
The reader is Michael Loney.
There is no short story in Airplay on 10th August, 2008
10/08/2008
Tactics by Karen Hitchcock
10/08/2008
A young woman experiences the excitement of new found knowledge and friendship at University but is also capable of seeing the pitfalls.
Karen Hitchcock is a doctor and writer. She is lecturer in Medicine at the University of Newcastle where she is also completing a PhD in English/Creative Arts. Her fiction has appeared in Meanjin, Griffith Review and Sleepers Almanac.
The reader is Julie Nihill.
Taken from Best Australian Stories 2006, published by Black Inc.
Longing by Outhine Bounyavong
03/08/2008
Outhine Bounyavong is a well-known author of contemporary Lao fiction. Coming of age during the turbulent period of the sixties and seventies in Laos, Bounyavong wrote his earliest stories as a form of social commentary and criticism. His recent stories can be interpreted as a commentary on the changing state of Laos, environmental concerns, and the wisdom of villagers and the value of their traditional customs. Together, they provide valuable insights into the changing state of Lao society.
Taken from "Mother's Beloved", published by University of Washington Press.
The reader is Sophia Hall.
Cupboard Love by Stephanie Thomson
03/08/2008
A chilling picture of the lasting consequences of childhood assault.
Stephanie Thomson migrated to South Australia as a six year old in the 1960s, settling in Elizabeth. She worked as a secondary school English teacher but gave this up for 'travel and full time parenthood'.
Taken from The Body: an anthology, published by Wakefield Press.
The reader is Tracy Mann.
The Music Masters by Glenda Adams
27/07/2008
Influences from Knuckles O'Toole to Don McClean go to prove the importance of music in our lives.
Glenda Adams was born in Sydney and has published short story collections and novels, winning the Miles Franklin, NSW Premier's, Age Book of the Year and National Book Council Banjo Awards. She has also written for the screen.
The reader is Sally Sander.
The Two O'Clock by Laura Jean McKay
27/07/2008
When the family notices the noise of the dance going on through the wall in the kitchen, they decide to investigate but Grandpa decides to stay.
Laura Jean McKay's writing has been published in Hecate, Sleepers, Etchings, Big Issue, Small Packages and Lonely Planet. She is developing a cabaret show.
Taken from The Sleepers' Almanac 2007, published by Sleepers Publishing.
The reader is Jen Cronin.
I Recognised You by Tina Tither Landeros
20/07/2008
Despite her unwillingness to face up to her failings, a writer is forced to confront her dependence on alcohol.
Tina Tither Landeros moved to Australia from New Zealand in 1995. She has a BA from Griffith University and an MA in Creative Writing from Macquarie University. She currently lives on the Gold Coast and tutors in the creative writing program at Griffith University.
Taken from Best Stories under the Sun, published by Central Queensland University Press.
The reader is Jody Buzza.
Solid Objects by Virginia Woolf
13/07/2008
Collecting becomes an obsession for a man who once had ambitions to a political career.
English writer Virginia Woolf was born in 1882 and is considered one of the most innovative and influential literary figures of the twentieth century as a prolific author of essays, journals, letters, and long and short fiction. Some of her best-known novels are Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and A Room of One's Own.
The reader is Victoria Moore.
Paradise by Jennifer Robertson
06/07/2008
A young girl's relationship with her new step-brother is what drives her life.
Jennifer Robertson's fiction has appeared in Griffith Review, Meanjin and UTS Writers' Anthology.
Taken from Best Australian Stories 2006, published by Black Inc.
The reader is Melanie Beddie.
Unfinished Business by Susan Coleridge
29/06/2008
When a woman recognises a taxi-driver as a former student, it brings to mind their earlier relationship.
Susan Coleridge won the short story section of the 2002 Southen Cross Literary Competition with her story Unfinished Business. Her junior fiction novel, Gold Fever which is set on the Ballarat goldfields was published by Lothian Books in 2006.
Reader: Laura Black
Production: Christine Kinsella
The Tramp
22/06/2008
Her husband is fifteen miles away shearing, when a passing tramp threatens the safety of a woman and child.
Barbara Baynton was born in Scone in New South Wales in 1862. Her literary reputation rests on six short stories, which were published as Bush Stories in 1902.
The reader is Michelle Doake.
The Tramp by Barbara Baynton
22/06/2008
Her husband is fifteen miles away shearing, when a passing tramp threatens the safety of a woman and child.
Barbara Baynton was born in Scone in New South Wales in 1862. Her literary reputation rests on six short stories, which were published as Bush Stories in 1902.
Reader: Michelle Doake
Production: Anne Wynter
Buddhas by Brooke Dunnell
15/06/2008
While he packs up and gets ready to leave, a woman reflects on the finished relationship. But the packing releases unexpected emotions for both of them.
Brooke Dunnell is a young writer who has been published in The West Australian, the University of Canberra Monitor and voiceworks magazine.
Taken from Allnighter, published by Cardigan Press in 2006.
Reader: Jen Cronin
Production: Libby Douglas
A Diagnosis of Death by Saki (H.H. Munro)
08/06/2008
When a doctor who claimed to be able to forecast death appears - three years after he himself had died - the person who recognised him seeks his own doctor's advice.
H. H. Munro, known as Saki, was born in Burma in 1870. He was brought up in England and his stories frequently satirised the English social scene. He worked in the Burma police and as a journalist in England. He enlisted in the ranks in 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War, although he was well over the age-limit, and was killed in action in 1916.
Reader: Humphrey Bower
Production: Anne McInerney
The Lion by Evgeny Zamyatin
01/06/2008
Evgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin was born on February 1884 in central Russia. His first book, Alone, was published in 1908, followed by District Tales which brought him literary success. His anti-military tale, At the End of the World, had him arrested and shipped off to the north, then finally acquitted. His major work, the anti-Utopian novel My ("We"), raised much controversy, and from 1929 he was no longer published in the Soviet Union. In 1931 he left for Paris and, although he was readmitted to the Writers Union in 1936, he never returned to his homeland. He died in Paris on l0 March 1937.
Reader: Paul Blackwell
Production: Mike Ladd
Invitations by Carol Shields
25/05/2008
The never-ending development of the etiquette of invitations.
Carol Shields was born and brought up in Chicago but lived in Canada from 1957 until her death in 2003. She was a novelist, winner of both the Orange and Pulitzer prizes, short-listed for the Booker Prize. She was a poet, playwright and critic as well as the author of over 50 short stories. Her work combines an exquisite eye for detail and an eagerness to explore the most fundamental of relationships and the wildest of coincidences. She illuminates the absurdities and miracles that grace all of our lives.
From The Collected Stories of Carol Shields, published by Fourth Estate.
The reader is Zoe Ellerton-Ashley.
And by Patrick Cullen
25/05/2008
Problems with conceiving a child put extra pressure on Paul and Carol and it seems they don't know as much about each other as they think...
Patrick Cullen lives on a property in the Hunter Valley. His writing has received a number of prizes, including The Age Short Story awards in 2003 and 2004. His work has been published in Best Australian Stories and Sleepers' Almanac.
Taken from Best Australian Stories 2005, published by Black Inc.
The reader is Stuart Halusz.
Old Country Advice to the American Traveller by William Saroyan
18/05/2008
Is the cautious advice given from an uncle to a nephew about to undertake a long train journey meant to be followed or designed to be ignored?
William Saroyan was born in 1908 in Fresno, California, the son of an Armenian immigrant. Many of his stories were based on his childhood experiences among the Armenian-American fruit growers of the San Joaquin Valley. Today's story 'Old Country Advice to the American Traveller' is taken from the collection My Name is Aram, published in 1940 to become become an international bestseller. The stories were about a young boy, Aram Garoghlanian, and the colourful characters of his immigrant family.
The reader is Lucky Oceans.
Fisher's Ghost by John Lang
18/05/2008
A ghost story from the mid 19th century set in Australia.
John Lang was born in 1816 in Sydney. He studied at Sydney College before going to Trinity College, Cambridge. He was 'sent down' from there for publishing a 'quaint litany' which was considered blasphemous, after which he studied law at Middle Temple. He returned to New South Wales in 1841 and was admitted as a barrister to the Supreme Court. He wrote nine novels in all, some of which he serialised in the newspaper he published after his move to India.
Bank Holiday by Katherine Mansfield
11/05/2008
A series of snapshots of the goings-on in town on the occasion of a holiday.
Katherine Mansfield revolutionised the 20th century English short story. Her best work shakes itself free of plots and endings and gives the story, for the first time, the expansiveness of the interior life, the poetry of feeling, the blurred edges of personality. She is taught worldwide because of her historical importance but also because her prose offers lessons in entering ordinary lives that are still vivid and strong.
The reader is Victoria Moore.
A House Designed by Le Corbusier by John Berger
11/05/2008
A Russian man is preparing to leave the residence where he has lived for many years.
John Berger was born in London in 1926. His many books, innovative in form and far-reaching in their historical and political insight, include the Booker Prize-winning novel G, To the Wedding and King. Among his outstanding studies of art and photography are Another Way of Telling, The Success and Failure of Picasso, Titian: Nymph and Shepherd (with Katya Berger) and the internationally acclaimed Ways of Seeing.
Taken from Photocopies published by Bloomsbury Press.
The reader is John Gaden.
For copyright reasons, this story is not available as audio-on-demand.
Birthday Blues by Darren Williams
04/05/2008
A young woman's birthday brings both the aftermath of a party and the horror of a broken relationship.
Darren Williams is an Australian writer whose novel, Swimming in Silk, won The Australian/Vogel Award in 1994.
Taken from Blur, published by Random House Australia.
The reader is Sophia Hall.
For copyright reasons this story is not available as audio-on-demand.
Jaws by Donald Barthelme
04/05/2008
Stress causes a couple to take to biting to make their points. Their behaviour makes their adviser wonder how he can help.
Born in Philadephia, Donald Barthelme was known as a regular contributor to The New Yorker magazine until his death in 1989. He published over a dozen book-length collections of fiction, winning many major honors, including the American National Book Award, and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Described in the New York Times Book Review as 'the thinking man's—and woman's—minimalist', his work often communicates a sense of life as absurd, and bizarre incidents abound.
The reader is Humphrey Bower.
For copyright reasons, this story is not available as audio-on-demand.
After the Race by James Joyce
27/04/2008
When the excitement of the car race has finished, Jimmy and his fellow competitors drink and gamble through the night.
James Joyce, the Irish novelist and poet, was born in 1882. Raised in the Roman Catholic faith he left the church whilst in college. His psychological perceptions and innovative literary techniques, as demonstrated in his epic novel Ulysses, make him one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century.
Taken from Dubliners, Joyce's collection of stories, published by Penguin.
The reader is Maeliosa Stafford.
Class of '73 by Kathryn Lomer
27/04/2008
Preparing to attend the class reunion prompts memories of schooldays.
Novelist and poet Kathryn Lomer was born in Tasmania in 1958 and now lives in Hobart. She has taught English as a Second Language for many years, including two years in Japan. Her first novel, The God in the Ink, was published by the University of Queensland Press in 2001, and her first poetry collection Extraction of Arrows appeared in September 2003 (UQP)
Kathryn has won the 2003/2004 Anne Elder award, the 2003 Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize, Melbourne Poets' Union Prize, Josephine Ulrick and ANUTECH poetry prizes.
Taken from The Best Australian Stories 2004, edited by Frank Moorhouse. Published by Black Inc.
The reader is Jody Buzza.
The Club by Caroline Lee
20/04/2008
A young woman's first experience of drugs ranges from exciting to frightening.
Caroline Lee has completed a Bachelor of Arts with Honours at Melbourne University, and is currently enrolled part time in the Professional Writing and Editing course at RMIT. She has had a number of short stories published, received first prize for a short story in the 2004 Fellowship of Australian Writers writing competition, and recently won the Marion Eldridge Award for emerging woman writers. Her first novel, Stripped, is heading towards its second draft. She is an experienced and talented actress as well as a writer.
Taken from the Sleepers Almanac, 2005, published by Sleepers Publishing
The reader is Fiona Macleod.
The Women of Good Friday by Frank Russo
20/04/2008
A young girl learns the routines of religious observance in an Italian village.
Frank Russo is completing an MA in Writing at UTS and is currently taking the Professional Editing Class. The manuscript for his novel 'Thanatophobia' was short-listed for the Vogel/Australian Award in 2000.
Taken from In A Cool Blue Light anthology published by Halstead Press in association with The UTS Writers Group.
The reader is Hayley McElhinney.
Fishing the Sloe-Black River by Colum McCann
13/04/2008
As the population ages, the village women spend their time fishing while their men try to carry on the traditions of the football team.
Colum McCann was born in Dublin in 1965 and now lives in Dublin and New York. He is the holder of two Hennessy Awards (Best Newcomer and Best Overall categories 1990) and the winner of the 1994 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. His novel Dancer, based on the life of Rudolf Nureyev, was published in 2003 to universal acclaim.
Taken from Fishing the Sloe-Black River published by Phoenix House.
The reader is Mandy McElhinney.
For copyright reasons, this story is not available as audio-on-demand.
A Hanging by George Orwell
13/04/2008
Set in Burma in the days of the British Raj, Orwell's description of a hanging and its temporary effects on those who watch it, does little to support the view of the Empire as a civilising influence, especially on the British soldiers.
George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair. Noted as a novelist and critic as well as a political and cultural commentator, Orwell is among the most widely admired English language essayists of the 20th century. He is best known for two novels critical of totalitarianism in general, and Stalinism in particular: Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Both were written and published towards the end of his life.
The reader is Matthew O'Sullivan.
Seeing Mrs. Landers by Thea Astley
06/04/2008
Mrs. Landers' particular form of gentility makes it difficult for her to fit in to society.
Thea Astley was one of Australia's best known novelists. Born in Brisbane, Astley studied arts at the University of Queensland before becoming a teacher. After marrying, she moved to Sydney. In later life she tutored at Macquarie University. She died in Byron Bay in 2004. Her novels won four Miles Franklin Awards and in 1989 she won the Patrick White Award for services to Australian literature.
Taken from "The Australian Short Story", edited by Laurie Hergenhan.
The reader is Sheila Duncan.
Rara Avis by T. Coraghessan Boyle
06/04/2008
A young boy encounters a bird from another time.
Thomas Coraghessan Boyle is the author of nineteen books of fiction, including Water Music and World's End and, most recently, Tooth and Claw (2005), and Talk Talk (2006). He has been a member of the English Department at the University of Southern California since 1978. His stories have appeared in most of the major American magazines, including The New Yorker, Harper's, Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly and Playboy and he has been the recipient of a number of literary awards. He currently lives near Santa Barbara with his wife and three children.
"Rara Avis" is published in The Art of the Story: an International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories, edited by Daniel Halpern and published in 2000 by Penguin USA.
The reader is Stuart Halusz.
In the Shadow of War by Ben Okri
30/03/2008
Poet and novelist Ben Okri was born in 1959 in Minna, northern Nigeria. He grew up in London before returning to Nigeria with his family in 1968. Much of his early fiction explores the political violence that he witnessed at first hand during the civil war in Nigeria. This story brings home most powerfully how the horrors of war affect children.
Ben Okri is a Vice-President of the English Centre of International PEN and was awarded am OBE in 2001. He lives in London.
The reader is Humphrey Bower.
Heat by Anne-Marie Drosso
30/03/2008
A woman sets out to buy tomatoes but is distracted by a very public disagreement between a husband and wife on the streets of Cairo.
Anne-Marie Drosso was born in Cairo in 1951. She moved to British Columbia, Canada in 1974 where, after studying then teaching economics, she completed a law degree and worked for an administrative tribunal. She now lives in London and is working on a novel.
First published in The Middle East in London Volume 1, No. 4, July 2004. Also published in Cairo Stories by Anne-Marie Drosso, published by Telegram Books, 2007.
The reader is Maria Theodorakis.
The Pudden Olympics by Euan Mitchell
23/03/2008
An Australian visiting Ireland joins the annual work force of Molly's Traditional Home-Made Plum Puddens and finds himself entered in the novice section of the firm's "Pudden Olympics".
Euan Mitchell is an experienced pudding maker. He knows the secret recipe and would sell it on eBay if he weren't honour-bound by a dubious oath. His new novel is Making Noises.
This story was published in the Allnighter anthology, published by Cardigan Press.
The reader is Richard Aspel.
I Want Candy by Vivienne Wynter
23/03/2008
A young girl searches for love in many different relationships and ways.
Vivienne Wynter has worked as a journalist for the ABC and commercial radio in Queensland. She has published features in several metropolitan newspapers and a chapter in "Talking Up: Young Women's Take on Feminism".
Vivienne currently teaches journalism at Griffith University where she is researching an Honours thesis on Literary Journalism.
Taken from "Best Stories Under the Sun", edited by Michael Wilding and David Myers, published by Central Queensland University Press.
The reader is Jody Buzza.
You Meet Her at a Bar by Neil Boyack
16/03/2008
A phone call out of the blue leads to a meeting between mother and son. Some questions are answered but not all.
Melbourne writer Neil Boyack has released a spoken word CD "Verbals" and his collection of short stories "Transactions" is published by The Vulgar Press.
The reader is Neil Pigot.
First published in Overland.
After School by Nathan Besser
09/03/2008
Gordon's favourite spot is the wharf. One afternoon, he encounters Kathryn and learns to cope with disappointment in love.
Nathan Besser was born in 1981 and lives in Sydney. His stories have appeared in various journals and magazines, including two consecutive years in "The Best Australian Stories" collection, edited by Frank Moorhouse.
Nathan is currently working on his first novel.
The reader is Stuart Halusz.
An Angel's Tome by Olga Masters
02/03/2008
Jim and Barbara Angel both put all their hopes into their move to country and the book that Jim was to write.
Olga Masters was born in Pambula on the far south coast of New South Wales in 1919. Her first job at the age of 17 was as a journalist, an occupation she continued to pursue part time while her family of seven children was growing up. As a reporter she mainly wrote human interest features and her fiction also frequently revolves around the lives and relationships of ordinary country people, particularly women. In her fifties, she began writing seriously and had her first play broadcast by the ABC. Between 1977 and 1981 she won nine awards for her short stories. Her first collection, "The Home Girls" won a National Book Council Award in 1983. She published three novels and was working on her second collection of short stories when she died after a brief illness in 1986.
An Angel's Tome was originally published in The Rose Fancier published by University of Queensland Press.
The reader is Geoff Morell.
For copyright reasons, this story is not available as audio-on-demand.
Tuning by Lucy Lawson
24/02/2008
Andrew dreams of success - in the music industry and in love - but life isn't always in tune with the imagination.
Lucy Lawson grew up in the Western Districts. She spent several years at university before she learnt how to use the word 'mimesis' in a sentence. She then had to spend several years studying writing to learn to never ever do that.
Her short stories have been published in Verandah, Cardigan Press, Visible Ink and the Big Issue.
Taken from Allnighter published in 2006 by Cardigan Press.
The reader is Martin Coppping.
Hunting the Squonk by Lau Siew Mei
24/02/2008
An Asian woman's experience of marriage.
Lau Siew Mei was born in Singapore in 1968 and migrated to Australia in 1994. She graduated from the National University of Singapore and later Murdoch University, Western Australia.
Her short stories have been broadcast on the BBC World Service and published in major literary journals in Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Her first novel ' Playing Madame Mao' was published in 2000 and shortlisted for the inaugural Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Best Emerging Queensland author. Lau Siew Mei now lives in Brisbane with her family.
The reader is Nina Liu.
Taken from "Westerly", Spring 1995, Volume 40.
The Hedge by Julie Lewis
17/02/2008
The development of a relationship mirrors the growth of a newly -planted hedge.
Julie Lewis was born in Perth, and died there in 2003. She began writing in 1964, mainly for radio, and was a broadcaster for the ABC "Women's Session" and "Scope" programs. Her short stories have been anthologised, and published in periodicals, in addition to two collections. She taught and lectured in English and Creative Writing.
Taken from "Double Exposure", published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press.
The reader is Lizzy Falkland.
For copyright reasons, this story in not available as audio on demand.
Hollywood, written and read by Matthew O'Sullivan
17/02/2008
An ageing actor subjects himself to yet another audition but finds the standards required in the profession have slipped.
Matthew O'Sullivan has many years of experience as an actor, director and writer. Born in New Zealand, he has made a home on the Southern Highlands of NSW. He has had work published in Quadrant, and produced by the ABC and Radio NZ.
This story was first published in Quadrant in November 2007.
The Extraction by Jon Bauer
10/02/2008
The dentist and the dental surgery he operated in have to suffer one last extraction.
Jon Bauer stumbled across his passion for short fiction while working as an advertising copywriter -- secretly tapping away at stories during the lulls in his workload (and some of the busy times). Now a writer all of the time and a copywriter none of the time, he lives in Melbourne with his imaginary wife and kids.
This story was published in Litmusphere 2007.
The reader is Neil Pigot.
On My Own by Rosemary Van Den Berg
10/02/2008
An Aboriginal grandmother finds it difficult to cope with a trip away from her family.
Rosemary Van Den Berg is a writer and editor as well as a historian, a grandmother, and an Aboriginal Elder of the Nyoongar people of the south-west of Western Australia, where she has lived for most of her life.
A biography of her father, No Options, No Choice!, was published in 1994 by Magabala Books. She has published several articles and academic papers in journals, nationally and internationally, has co-edited an Anthology of Western Australian Aboriginal writers and poets (1998) and holds a PhD from Curtin University. Her most recent book Nyoongar People of Australia: Perspectives on Racism and Multiculturalism was published by Royal Brill Academic Publishers in Holland in 2002.
The reader is Kyas Sherriff.
Taken from Across Country: Stories from Aboriginal Australia. Published by ABC Books, 2001.
A Day at the Beach by Jean Bedford
03/02/2008
An encounter with her recently estranged husband at the beach forces a young mother to make a decision.
Jean Bedford was born in Cambridge, England, in 1946 and came to Australia in 1947. She has taught school, worked as a journalist and publisher and lectured in creative writing at several universities. As well, she has published ten books of fiction, including three detective novels, a thriller and the acclaimed Sister Kate, a re-telling of the Ned Kelly story from his sister's perspective. Her short stories have appeared in many literary magazines and have been widely anthologised.
The reader is Vanessa Downing.
Dogs by Julia Osborne
03/02/2008
The birth of a new litter for the property's bitch means difficult decisions have to be made.
Julia Osborne was born in Sydney but lived for many years in rural New South Wales, the years in the bush being the source for many stories published in literary journals such as Meanjin, Island, Antipodes (USA) and Panurge (UK) and diverse general national magazines such as The Australian Women's Weekly and Australian Penthouse.
In 2002 she published her novel Falling Glass, set in Glebe and Taree, with background of media reportage of the 1991 Gulf War. Since 1996 she has worked full-time at the University of Sydney.
This story waas first published in SCARP in 1990.
The reader is Caroline Mignone.
Caught by Skye Bouvier
27/01/2008
A story of emerging sexuality and the betrayal of innocent friendship.
Skye Bouvier has tutored in Cultural Studies, Writing and Textuality at UTS. 'Caught' is an extract from her novel which she started for her MA at the City University of New York. The manuscript has since been selected for the Australian Society of Authors and NSW Writers' Centre mentorship programs. In addition to editing the UTS anthology, Skye has also worked as an assistant editor for the New York based anthology, Fiction.
Taken from In a Cool Blue Light anthology published by Halstead Press in association with the UTS Writers Group.
The reader is Jody Buzza.
Boil Some Water - Lots of It by F. Scott Fitzgerald
27/01/2008
Pat Hobby, one-time highly regarded Hollywood scriptwriter, is searching for inspiration for a scene when events conspire to show how his career has taken a downturn.
F. Scott Fitzgerald is regarded as one of America's greatest modern writers and, although his novels This Side of Paradise and The Great Gatsby, are his best known works, his short stories were also hugely popular. In the Pat Hobby stories, he pokes fun at the film industry of the late 1930s.
Taken from The Pat Hobby Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published by Penguin.
The reader is Adrian Mulraney
Driven from Darackmore to Toonenbuck by Paul Mitchell
20/01/2008
A 'just married' couple come to the town mechanic looking for a place to stay. The advice he gives them will haunt him for a long time.
Paul Mitchell is an award-winning writer of fiction and poetry. He is also a journalist, teacher and copywriter and has a Master of Creative Arts from the University of Melbourne. In 2007 he received an Arts Council fellowship.
This story is taken from Paul's collection of stories, Dodging the Bull, which was published in 2007.
The reader is Melanie Beddie.
The Journal by Carol Shields
20/01/2008
When Harold and Sally travel, Sally keeps a journal in which she notes all the significant events of their trip -- although she does tend to embellish some things and treat others with great delicacy. An amusing story of of a middle-aged couple by prize-winning author Carol Shields.
Carol Shields was born and brought up in Chicago but lived in Canada from 1957 until her death in 2003. During her career, she won both the Pulitzer prize and the Orange prize for fiction as well as writing drama, poetry, criticism and a biography of Jane Austen. Her short stories were appreciated both popularly and critically.
Taken from Collected Stories by Carol Shields, published by Harper Collins in 2004.
For copyright reasons, this is not available as audio-on-demand.
The reader is Zoe Ellerton-Ahsley
Among My Souvenirs by Rae Luckie
13/01/2008
The souvenirs that decorate a couple's country retreat are a constant reminder of the events of their marriage.
Rae Luckie lives at Kiama on the south coast of New South Wales. For over a decade she has run memoir writing workshops in rural and metropolitan communities in NSW and Victoria. Now a freelance writing mentor and editor, Rae has completed a PhD specialising in women's autobiographical writing from the University of Western Sydney. Rae also teaches part-time at the University of Wollongong's Shoalhaven Campus. Her autobiographical stories have been published in Best Australian Stories 2004, More Stories from the Shed, No Thanks or Regrets and Second Degree Tampering.
Taken from Best Australian Stories 2004, published by Black Inc.
The reader is Laura Black.
The Wind Blows by Katherine Mansfield
13/01/2008
A teenage girl struggles with the emotional upheaval of growing up.
Katherine Mansfield is a provocative figure in early twentieth-century English literature in that she is credited with popularising then-experimental literary techniques, such as the use of interior monologue, and stream-of-consciousness writing.
Taken from "Katherine Mansfield: Collected Short Stories", published by Constable Press.
The reader is Vanessa Downing.
Without by Julia Osborne
06/01/2008
Set in the heath of the rural coastline, a mother struggles to accept the loss of her child.
Julia Osborne was born in Sydney but lived for many years in rural NSW., the years in the bush being the source for many stories published in literary journals such as Meanjin, Island, Antipodes (USA), and Panurge (UK) and diverse general national magazines such as the Australian Women's Weekly and Australian Penthouse.
In 2002, she published her novel Falling Glass set in Glebe and Taree, with background of media reportage of the 1991 Gulf War. Since 1996 she has worked full-time at the University of Sydney.
Taken from Island, Volume 48, 1991
The Lighthouse Keeper's Dream by David Brooks
06/01/2008
The calm and peaceful existence of the lighthouse keeper is only troubled by his dreams - of a man whose dreams are of a lighthouse keeper in a very different scenario.
David Brooks is the author of poetry, fiction and literary criticism. His short fiction and his novel 'The House of Balthus' have been translated into several languages. A new collection of his poetry 'Walking to Point Clear' appeared in 2004. He teaches at the University of Sydney and is an editor of Southerly.
Taken from 'Best Stories Under the Sun', edited by Michael Wilding and David Myers. Published by Central Queensland University Press (2004)
The reader is Stuart Halusz.
