6 of the best Australian literary podcasts
- Written by Caitlin Macdonald, Researcher, School of Art, Communication and English, University of Sydney
The events where Australian readers have long gathered to hear writers speak about their work are often annual (like festivals) and mostly in the big cities. As podcasts have become a way Australians consume culture, literary conversation has migrated to a more accessible space: the commute, the dog walk, the kitchen bench.
Literary podcasts do something print reviews and festival sessions rarely can. They make space for extended, unhurried thought. Writers speak openly about their process and scholars give cultural and historical context that helps readers approach unfamiliar texts. For many, these podcasts function as a year-round version of a writers’ festival – without the ticket price or travel.
Listening to six Australian podcasts, I was struck by how differently the form can approach “the literary” – and why audio has become such an important medium for contemporary reading.
1. The Secret Life of Books
Story Saloon
Story Saloon takes a simple premise – a short story read aloud – and treats it as a fully staged literary event. It’s hosted by author, editor and creative writing professor Jane Messer, recorded live at The Vanguard in Sydney.
Each episode features a contemporary Australian short story, performed by a professional actor – sometimes the story’s author, more often a trained performer. Then, it moves into the show’s signature “saloon”, a discussion with the author and reader. The archive ranges from established writers like Christos Tsiolkas (whose story is read by Alex Dimitriades, who played the lead in the film of Tsiolkas’ debut novel, Loaded) and Margo Lanagan (read by Paul Capsis), to emerging voices such as Michelle Hamadache and Jake Dean.
The performance element is the heart of the podcast. Hearing the stories performed aloud brings out rhythm, tension and humour in ways that silent reading can’t always capture. The subsequent conversation is intimate and craft-focused.
Rather than commentary or criticism, Story Saloon provides a rare hybrid of theatre, craft talk and community building.
4. Secrets from the Green Room
Apple
Hosted by writers Irma Gold and Karen Viggers, this podcast focuses on the working realities of Australian writers. Episodes often begin with the hosts’ industry observations – on topics ranging from copyright reforms to the impact of artificial intelligence – before moving into extended conversations.
The strength of the show is its candour: guests speak openly about drafting, rejection, festival culture and the challenge of sustaining a writing life in a small market.
Episodes in the last year have included Pip Williams, Markus Zusak and Sophie Cunningham. Conversations range from coping with sudden international attention to the ethics of memoir and the economics of small presses. What emerges is an unsentimental account of the labour behind the literary world – a perspective rarely visible to readers.
Conversations often assume industry familiarity and this podcast is especially valuable for emerging writers seeking practical insight. But for general listeners, it usefully illuminates how books travel from draft to publication.
5. The ABR Podcast
Apple
The ABR Podcast (an extension of Australian Book Review) is incredibly varied: critics reading essays, biographers discussing new work, political analysts unpacking foreign policy books, poets presenting shortlisted poems. And of course, reviewers on books they’ve reviewed.
The Peter Porter Poetry Prize episode demonstrates what audio adds to criticism. Hearing the shortlisted poets read their own work brings a materiality and rhythm print cannot supply. Other episodes, such as Stephen Long’s review of Marian Wilkinson’s Woodside vs the Planet and Laleh Khalili’s Extractive Capitalism, connect literary analysis to climate policy, economics and national politics.
The show is dense, but that’s part of its value. Episodes often assume familiarity with political, historical or theoretical contexts – but they also reward attentive listening.
6. The Book Show
ABC
ABC Radio National’s The Book Show is one of Australia’s most reliable literary programs. Each week, host Claire Nichols interviews major international and Australian writers, in the polished, approachable style of public broadcasting. Recent episodes have featured Philip Pullman, Trent Dalton, Liane Moriarty and Arundhati Roy.
Nichols is a generous, well-prepared interviewer. Her interest in writing craft and her steady questioning creates room for reflection: writers speak about their early influences, the origins of their latest books and the pressures of adaptation or literary success. The program also has occasional festival recordings and recurring series – including Dear Jane, a four-part exploration of Jane Austen at 250.
The Book Show rarely ventures far from mainstream literary conversations, but that is precisely its value. It connects large audiences with new books, provides a consistent platform for prominent authors and keeps literature visible in our national media. Its sister show, The Bookshelf, which reviews new fiction, performs a similar purpose.
Authors: Caitlin Macdonald, Researcher, School of Art, Communication and English, University of Sydney
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