Podcasts
The Science Write Now (SWN) Podcast is a podcast for people who love science and the arts. If you’re interested in learning more about great books, plays, and films; writing, research or editing; the lives of scientists; and creative insights into contemporary science; then you’ve come to the right place!
Episodes
Episode 1
Women in Science in Fiction with Laura Elvery
In this episode, Jess chats with Laura Elvery about her new collection of short stories, 'Ordinary Matter,' which is inspired by the twenty women who have won the Nobel Prize for science. You can purchase it here. Laura Elvery is one of Australia’s most…
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Episode 2
Writing De/Extinction with James Bradley, Donna Mazza & Chris Flynn
In this episode, Jessica White chats with James Bradley, Donna Mazza, and Chris Flynn about the inspiration for and writing of their recent novels Ghost Species, Fauna and Mammoth—all of which consider the implications of de/extinction and, in one case,…
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Episode 3
Science in Poetry with Tricia Dearborn and Benjamin Dodds
In this episode, Jessica White chats with Tricia Dearborn and Benjamin Dodd about the inspiration for and writing of their recent poetry collections Autobiochemistry and Airplane Baby Banana Blanket. Tricia Dearborn is a Sydney poet, writer and editor.…
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Episode 4
Writing Ecological Emergency with Rebecca Giggs
In this episode, Jessica White chats with Rebecca Giggs about her beautiful nonfiction book Fathoms: The World in the Whale and how she translates abstracted aspects of the ecological emergency—like its unfathomable scale—into a visceral narrative that is…
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Episode 5
The Future of Sex with Rob Brooks
In this episode, Amanda Niehaus chats with University of New South Wales evolutionary biologist and author Rob Brooks about the future of sex, his new book Artificial Intimacy, and the science and politics of human relationships. Rob Brooks is an…
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Episode 6
Eco-fiction for Every Reader with Andrea Baldwin
In this episode, Amanda Niehaus chats with writer and psychologist Andrea Baldwin about writing eco-fiction and crafting stories about the environment for different audiences and age groups. Andrea Baldwin is a psychologist and author who works at the…
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Episode 7
Animal Characters and Authentic Environments with Renée Treml
In this episode, Amanda Niehaus chats with Renée Treml about graphic novels and picture books, science for kids, designing museums (and specimens!) for books, and changing careers from science to art. Renée Treml was inspired by Australia’s wildlife and…
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Episode 8
Writing and Painting Nature with Inda Ahmad Zahri
In this episode, Amanda Niehaus chats with Inda Ahmad Zahri about writing stories embedded in nature and creating across forms. Inda Ahmad Zahri believes in a world of wonder. She lives in Brisbane where she illustrates and writes for children and adults.…
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Episode 9
Texture and Mood with Kathleen Jennings
In this episode, Amanda Niehaus chats with award-winning writer and illustrator Kathleen Jennings about stitching together her observations into stories and worlds, writing with texture and creating narratives using mood. Kathleen Jennings is an…
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Episode 10
Re-imagining Charles Darwin for the Stage with David Morton
In this episode, Amanda Niehaus chats with David Morton, Creative Director of Dead Puppet Society, about taking young Darwin from the page — and the Galapagos — to the stage, in The Wider Earth. David Morton is a writer, director and designer, and the…
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Episode 11
Writing, Re-writing, and the Scales of change with Matt Bell
In this episode, Amanda Niehaus chats with speculative fiction writer and Associate Professor of Fiction (Arizona State University) Matt Bell about his new craft book Refuse to be Done, the iterative craft of writing and rewriting, and conceptualising the…
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Episode 12
Time, Memory and the Stories of our Lives with Sven Birkerts
In this episode, Amanda Niehaus chats with writer & AGNI co-editor Sven Birkerts about time, memory, and the patterns that shape our writing. Sven Birkerts is the author of eleven books of essays and memoirs, most recently 'Speak, Memory', a personal…
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Episode 13
Science in Virtual Realities with Michael Angilletta
In this episode, Amanda Niehaus chats with biologist Michael Angilletta about his collaborative work building virtual reality science labs with Hollywood-born Dreamscape Immersive, student engagement through story, and the power of immersion— as well as…
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Episode 14
The Nature of Trees and Rivers with Ashley Hay and Simon Cleary
In this episode, Jessica White speaks Ashley Hay and Simon Cleary about thinking—and writing—through rivers and trees, and how they connect people, places, histories, ecologies, landscapes and myths. Ashley Hay is the author of three novels and four books…
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Episode 15
Lost Lives Found in Fiction and Ecobiography with Melissa Ashley and Jessica White
In this episode, Amanda talks with novelist Melissa Ashley and our own Jessica White about writing the lives of 19th-century female natural historians in fiction and ecobiography—and the importance of bringing untold stories to the light. Jessica White is…
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Episode 16
Writing Beyond the Human with Chris Flynn
In this episode, Amanda speaks with Chris Flynn about writing beyond the human, stories led by imagination, and thinking through place beyond setting. Chris Flynn is the author of Mammoth, The Glass Kingdom and A Tiger in Eden. He is Editor-in-Residence…
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Episode 17
Keeping Secrets and Finding Science with Danielle Clode
In this episode, Jess talks to Danielle Clode about how, from the 18th to the 20th centuries, women have employed great ingenuity to discover new knowledge. Danielle Clode is an award-winning author of Australian non-fiction books. Her writing includes…
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Episode 18
The Stories of Seeds with Fiona McMillan-Webster
Why do some seeds live for thousands of years, while others only a few? What made Nikolai Vavilov the Indiana Jones of the ‘seed world’? And how do you write a book about something in which you’re not already an expert? In this episode, Amanda talks to…
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Episode 19
The Absurdist Truths of Climate Change
In this episode, Amanda speaks with Australian playwrights Oliver Gough and Stephen Carleton about performing climate change on the stage—and the role of absurdity in communicating dire issues. Oliver Gough is an emerging playwright and MPhil Candidate in…
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Episode 20
All Things Comedy with Anne Libera (The Second City)
In this episode, Amanda chats with Professor Anne Libera—Director of Comedy Studies at the prestigious comedy club The Second City in Chicago—about how comedy works and why we need it. Anne Libera is an Associate Professor and Director of Comedy Studies…
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Episode 21
Bursting with Science and Story
In this episode, Jess talks to Claire Bowen and Kevin Vinsen about Storyburst, a writing project that they established in 2020. They invited Australian writers of all ages to collaborate with researchers to write science-inspired monologues. The…
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Episode 22
Cells, Ears, Impairments and Memoir, with Amanda Tink, Lauren Poole and Heather Taylor Johnson
In this episode, Jessica White chats with Amanda Tink, Lauren Poole and Heather-Taylor Johnson about the ways that impairments, and historical responses to impairments, shape our bodies and writing. About Amanda Tink: Amanda Tink is a blind and…
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Episode 23
Curiosity, Kindness and Storytelling with Jodi Rodgers
In this episode, Krystle speaks with Jodi Rodgers about her new book Unique: What autism can teach us about difference, connection and belonging – which Jodi describes as ‘a love letter to autism’. In her book, Jodi reflects on her experiences with…
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Episode 24
Comfort in the Cosmic with Alicia Sometimes
In this episode, Krystle speaks with Alicia Sometimes about her new poetry book Stellar Atmospheres, a collection that interweaves the scientific, the literary, and the personal. Sometimes’s lyrical yet accessible poems give musicality to cosmic ideas…
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Episode 25
Exploring Big Questions and Big Feelings through Speculative Fiction with Grace Chan
In this episode, Krystle chats with Grace Chan about her novel Every Version of You, the story of which Grace tongue-in-cheekly describes as being about ‘staying in love after mind-uploading into virtual reality’. Spoiler: it’s loaded with meaning and big…
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Episode 26
Spinal Tap... but make it Joycean with G. S. Dickson
In this episode, Krystle chats with G. S. Dickson about his debut novel A Minor Fifth, a satire about the death of fictional Australian rock icon, Billy Ordain, recounted, albeit unreliably, by five people who knew him. Krystle and Gareth wax lyrical (and…
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Episode 27
Storytelling to Save the Reef with Dr Paul E Hardisty
In this episode, Jessica talks to writer and former CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Paul Hardisty, about his new nonfiction book, In Hot Water, which charts historical and contemporary efforts to save the Great Barrier Reef, and about…
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Episode 28
Imprinting Empathy: Art, AI and Fungi with Bianca Tainsh
This week we chat with open-disciplinary artist Bianca Tainsh about all things Art, AI and fungi, and go behind-the-scenes to explore Bianca’s current work-in-progress, Imprinting Empathy, which asks: How might art and technology manifest an intimate…
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Episode 29
Michael Brissenden on (writing) crime, corruption, and climate-fuelled wildfires
What secrets lie in the ashes…? This week on the podcast we chatted to author and two-time Walkley Award-winning journalist, Michael Brissenden about his latest crime-fiction novel, Smoke. Michael worked as a political editor and foreign correspondent…
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