Stories Behind The Story With Better Reading

Author of the debut thriller The Bluffs, Kyle Perry talks to Cheryl Akle about mental health, the dangers of social media, and how it affects the youth of today. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cheryl Akle chats to Robyn Harding about moving between genres, living in a small town, and the how we rely on the reading community. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In episode 1, Bestselling author and academic, Dr Randa Abdel Fattah talks to Cheryl Akle about being Muslim in post 9/11 Australia, the lack of diversity in Australia's school curriculum, and how it's time for Muslim authors to be given a voice. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In episode 2, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Cheryl Akle discuss growing up as a POC in Australia, what happens when a child is underrepresented in what they read, and how the publishing industry needs to diversify their content. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In episode 3, Will Kostakis talks to Cheryl Akle about LGBTQ+ representation in schools, how diversity is constantly changing, and why we must get beyond 'the struggle story' when creating diverse stories for kids. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In episode 4, Laura Bloom is the mother of an autistic son who has an intellectual disability. Here Laura talks to Cheryl Akle about the importance of disabled characters in books, and how both her and her son are active in the Every Australian Counts movement for People With Disability.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In episode 5, Deborah Abela talks to Cheryl Akle about the benefits of diversifying children's literature, and her work with young people in Sydney's west with organisations such as WestWords. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In episode 6, Rachel Bin Salleh from Magabala Books talks to Cheryl Akle about her journey to becoming a publisher, the importance of giving diverse authors a voice, and what the publishing industry can do to support those authors. This is the final episode in the series, A Conversation about Diversity in Children's Books, produced with a grant from The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tara June Winch has won the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Award for The Yield. Here we revisit our podcast with Tara, where she talks to Cheryl Akle about her extensive travels, living in France, her connection to the land as a Wiradjuri woman, and her journey to writing The Yield. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard speaks to Cheryl Akle about the influence of gender on women’s access to positions of leadership, extraordinary female leaders, and her inspiring new book, co-authored with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Women and Leadership.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Author of The Silence, Susan Allott talks to Cheryl about life in the UK, how our favourite authors impact us, and how our environment ultimately shapes our writing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

South African urban academic, Hayley Katzen talks to Cheryl Akle about her journey to finding 'home' on a cattle property in Northern NSW, and her beautifully written memoir about it, Untethered. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Best selling kids author, Jacqueline Harvey talks to Cheryl about why reading is important for kids, and how to make it fun for them at home. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mammoth author, Chris Flynn talks to Cheryl Akle about nature during quarantine, the climate, and the future of cloning.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dugald Bruce-Lockhart talks to Cheryl Akle about his journey to becoming an author, and the very interesting childhood he had as the son of a spy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lisa Ireland talks to Cheryl Akle about her life, her journey to becoming an author, and creating older characters, without the stereotypes.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Award winning author, Melina Marchetta talks to Cheryl Akle about reading the way she writes – across many genres, and how it was more difficult that she expected writing her new series for a younger audience.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Two-time Booker Prize winner and three times Miles Franklin Literary Award winner, Peter Carey talks to Cheryl Akle about life in New York, writing about Australia, and everything in-between. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Award-winning author, Patrick Ness digs in deep with Cheryl as they talk about his life, fiction, YA versus adult fiction, and how he believes that complacency is creative death. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Foodie, Cheryl Akle has her dream guests on today - Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley talk about food, the Ottolenghi empire, and their bestselling cookbook collaborations. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.