From the Lighthouse
158 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 months ago - ★★★★ - 6 ratingsFrom the Lighthouse is a literary podcast published out of the Department of English at Macquarie University. Your hosts Dr Stephanie Russo and Dr Michelle Hamadache love to talk about anything to do with books, from the latest bestsellers and prize-winners, film and television adaptations of books to bookish news. Join us as we chat all things literary. For more information visit the MQ English Department webpage at www.engl.mq.edu.au
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Episodes
Friendship as Contest: Interview with Dr Neil Durrant on Nietzsche and Friendship
October 31, 2023 22:00 - 47 minutes - 108 MBThis week, Stephanie, Michelle and Jimmy are joined by Faculty Executive Director, Dr Neil Durrant to discuss his new book, Nietzsche's Renewal of Ancient Ethics, which explores the importance of contest in friendships.
MQ PACE: Michelle Council interviews Clémence Michallon about The Quiet Tenant
October 17, 2023 22:00 - 45 minutes - 51.9 MBAs part of this year's MQ PACE project, Michelle Council interviews journalist and best-selling author, Clémence Michallon, about her novel, The Quiet Tenant.
Interview with Dr Adrian Renzo and Dr Liz Guiffre on the Princess of Pop - Kylie Minogue
October 03, 2023 22:00 - 50 minutes - 115 MBThis week, Stephanie is joined by Dr Adrian Renzo of Macquarie University and Dr Liz Guiffre of UTS to discuss their new book Kylie, on Kylie Minogue's self-titled debut album, which was recently released by Bloomsbury's 33 and 1/3 series.
Cast Mates: Interview with Sam Twyford-Moore
August 01, 2023 23:00 - 29 minutes - 68.1 MBIn this episode of From the Lighthouse, Michelle talks with Sam Twyford-Moore about his latest book, Cast Mates that delves into Australian cinema and the actors who made it at home and in Hollywood.
MQ PACE Indigenous Australian Fiction: Kate Milne on Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms & Song of the Crocodile
December 06, 2022 22:00 - 1 hour - 39.3 MBAs part of this year's MQ PACE project on Indigenous Australian Fiction, Kate Milne discusses Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms by Anita Heiss (pronounced "Hice") and Nardi Simpson's Song of the Crocodile.
MQ PACE Indigenous Australian Fiction: Jasmine Oke on Enclave
November 22, 2022 22:00 - 36 minutes - 17.8 MBAs part of this year's MQ PACE project on Indigenous Australian Fiction, Jasmine Oke discusses Claire G. Coleman's Enclave with Indigenous artist and Macquarie University alumnus, Dylan Barnes.
MQ PACE Indigenous Australian Fiction: Annie Paterson on The Old Lie
November 08, 2022 22:00 - 32 minutes - 75.5 MBAs part of this year's MQ PACE project on Indigenous Australian Fiction, Annie Paterson discusses Claire G. Coleman's The Old Lie as an example of Indigenous Speculative Fiction genre.
Interview with Clint Caward on Love Machine
November 01, 2022 22:00 - 50 minutes - 116 MBJoin Michelle as she interviews Clint Caward as he discusses his award-winning novel Love Machine. Clint Caward is a novelist and freelance writer who has written for Overland, Meanjin, Southerly and reviews books for national publications. He has been awarded multiple domestic and international residences, been shortlisted for The Walter Stone Life Writing Award and won The Jim Hamilton Unpublished Manuscript Award. His novel Love Machine is published by Penguin. He currently teaches no...
175th Anniversary of Jane Eyre
October 18, 2022 22:00 - 45 minutes - 105 MBThis week we celebrate the 175th Anniversary of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre! In this episode, Gothic Literature specialist Kirstin Mills is joined by Master of Research candidate Rachel Baldacchino to explore what makes this Victorian novel and its many adaptations so enduringly popular.
Interview with Bruna Gomes on Poetry
October 04, 2022 22:00 - 30 minutes - 69.2 MBBruna Gomes, Australian-Brazilian poet, talks to Michelle about how to write poems and find inspiration, even during difficult times. Bruna Gomes is an Australian-Brazilian novelist and poet. Her writing plants cultural and emotional history with new seeds. She is the author of How to Disappear (Encircle, 2021) and Triple Citizenship (Encircle, 2022). Her work is featured in various online journals, such as the Cordite Review, Dodging the Rain, The Pangolin Review, Paper Crane Journal, C...
Interview with Kim Kelly on The Rat Catcher
September 20, 2022 23:00 - 33 minutes - 77.3 MBThis week, Michelle talks with Kim Kelly about her latest book, The Rat-Catcher—long-listed for the Australian Historical Fiction Prize. Kim Kelly is the author of twelve books, including the acclaimed novella Wild Chicory and bestselling novels The Blue Mile and Her Last Words. She is a book editor and reviewer as well, because too much narrative action is never enough. Her latest novella, The Rat Catcher: A Love Story, was shortlisted for Viva La Novella 2021, and longlisted for the 2...
Ned Bukarica interviews Emma Batchelor
May 24, 2022 23:00 - 30 minutes - 17 MBNed Bukarica interviews Emma Batchelor on her first novel Now That I See You.
Interview with Tessa Lunney on Writing Historical Fiction
May 03, 2022 23:00 - 56 minutes - 42.4 MBTessa Lunney, author of the Kiki Button historical espionage series, talks with Michelle Hamadache about Paris, plotting and how the present can galvanise the past when writing historical fiction.
Queer Readers Read Queer YA Romances
April 19, 2022 23:00 - 58 minutes - 39.9 MBJoin Professor Hsu-Ming Teo as she explores the student perspective on reading Queer YA Romances, with special guests, Teyah Miller and Courtney Boulais.
MQ Student Writers‘ Festival: Interview with Stuart Everly-Wilson on Low Expectations
November 15, 2021 22:00 - 30 minutes - 65.6 MBAs part of this year's MQ Student Writers’ Festival, Kobra Sayyadi and Matilda Harrisson interview Stuart Everly-Wilson on his first novel, Low Expectations.
MQ Student Writers‘ Festival: Queer YA Fiction (Henry Hamlet’s Heart and Perfect On Paper)
November 15, 2021 22:00 - 34 minutes - 75.5 MBAs part of this year's MQ Student Writers’ Festival, Teyah Miller, Courtney Boulais and Courtney Howell discuss Rhiannon Wilde's Henry Hamlet’s Heart and Sophie Gonzales' Perfect On Paper as examples of contemporary Queer YA Fiction.
MQ Student Writers‘ Festival: Indigenous Futurism (Terra Nullius and The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf)
November 15, 2021 22:00 - 34 minutes - 74 MBAs part of this year's MQ Student Writers’ Festival, Jasmine Van Vliet talks to Jimmy about the genre of Indigenous Futurism as seen in Claire G. Coleman's Terra Nullius and Ambelin Kwaymullina's The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf.
MQ Student Writers‘ Festival: The #MeToo Movement in Fiction (The Nowhere Girls and Queenie)
November 15, 2021 22:00 - 30 minutes - 66 MBAs part of this year's MQ Student Writers’ Festival, Lili Watkins-Murphy and Ahrya Reddy discuss Amy Reed's The Nowhere Girls and Candice Carty-Williams' Queenie as examples of the impact of the #MeToo movement in fiction.
MQ Student Writers‘ Festival: Interview with Alice Pung on One Hundred Days
November 15, 2021 22:00 - 25 minutes - 54.1 MBAs part of this year's MQ Student Writers’ Festival, Kobra Sayyadi and Matilda Harrisson interview Alice Pung on her new novel, One Hundred Days.
MQ Student Writers‘ Festival: The Dystopian Bush (When We Are Invisible and Tomorrow When the War Began)
November 15, 2021 22:00 - 23 minutes - 51 MBAs part of this year's MQ Student Writers’ Festival, Jason Chen and Jessica Jarrett discuss Claire Zorn's When We Are Invisible and John Marsden's Tomorrow When the War Began as examples of the Dystopian Bush genre.
The Power of Little Worlds: Interview with Michelle Cahill
October 12, 2021 22:00 - 46 minutes - 100 MBIn this week's episode of From the Lighthouse, Michelle talks to award-winning short story writer, Michelle Cahill, about 'A Wall of Water' from the short story collection Letter to Pessoa. The two Michelles talk about the power of little worlds and just what a short story can do.
Observing Loneliness: Kazuo Ishiguro‘s Klara and the Sun
September 28, 2021 23:00 - 56 minutes - 123 MBThis week, Stephanie, Michelle and Jimmy Zoomed up to discuss Kazuo Ishiguro's latest novel, Klara and the Sun. Is it a brilliant but messy work, a difficult but rewarding experience, or an emotional but somewhat flawed masterpiece? Join them as they discuss this highly divisive novel.
Japanese Boys Love, Thai Boys Love, and K-Pop: An Interview with Dr Thomas Baudinette
September 14, 2021 23:00 - 45 minutes - 98.3 MBDr Thomas Baudinette is a Lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature, and is an anthropoligst who specialises in Asian queer cultures. He joins Dr Stephanie Russo to discuss his research into Japanese Boys Love, Thai Boys Love, and K-Pop. To find out more about Dr Thomas Baudinette, visit his PURE profile https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/tom-baudinette and personal webpage https://thomasbaudinette.wordpress.com/.
To Gaze or not to Gaze: Portrait of a Lady on Fire
August 31, 2021 23:00 - 49 minutes - 107 MBJoin Dr Stephanie Russo, Dr Michelle Hamadache and Dr Jimmy Van for a discussion on the French film Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2018).
HSC Enrichment Session: John Keats & Bright Star with Dr Geoffrey Payne
August 17, 2021 23:00 - 29 minutes - 63 MBA HSC Enrichment session with Dr Geoffrey Payne on the poetry of John Keats and the film Bright Star (Advanced English Module: Textual Conversations)
HSC Enrichment Session: The Truman Show with Dr Ryan Twomey
August 17, 2021 23:00 - 17 minutes - 37.6 MBA HSC Enrichment Session with Dr Ryan Twomey on the film The Truman Show (Standard English Module: Close Study of Texts)
HSC Enrichment Session: The Tempest and Hag-Seed with Professor Louise d'Arcens
August 17, 2021 23:00 - 23 minutes - 50.1 MBA HSC Enrichment Session with Professor Louise d'Arcens on The Tempest and the novel Hag-Seed (Advanced English Module: Texts and Conversations)
HSC Enrichment Session: The Crucible with Assoc. Prof. Paul Sheehan
August 17, 2021 23:00 - 26 minutes - 56.9 MBA HSC Enrichment Session with Associate Professor Paul Sheehan on the play The Crucible (Common English Module: Texts and Human Experiences)
HSC Enrichment Session: Jane Austen's Emma with Dr Stephanie Russo
August 17, 2021 23:00 - 25 minutes - 55.4 MBA HSC Enrichment Session with Dr Stephanie Russo on the novel Emma (Advanced English Module: Critical Study of Literature)
Creative Writing Mastercl: Conversation with Felicity Castagna hosted by Assoc. Prof. Hsu-Ming Teo
August 17, 2021 23:00 - 50 minutes - 110 MBA conversation and Creative Writing masterclass with Felicity Castagna, hosted by Associate Professor Hsu-Ming Teo
HSC Enrichment Session: The Poetry of Kenneth Slessor with Professor Louise d'Arcens
August 17, 2021 23:00 - 26 minutes - 57.9 MBA HSC Enrichment Session with Professor Louise d'Arcens on the poetry of Kenneth Slessor (Common English Module: Texts and Human Experiences)
HSC Enrichment Session: Richard III & Looking for Richard with Dr Stephanie Russo
August 17, 2021 23:00 - 26 minutes - 57.6 MBA HSC Enrichment Session with Dr Stephanie Russo on Richard III and the film Looking for Richard (Advanced English Module: Textual Conversations)
HSC Enrichment Session: The Poetry of T.S Eliot with Assoc. Prof. Paul Sheehan
August 17, 2021 23:00 - 23 minutes - 51.2 MBA HSC Enrichment Session with Associate Professor Paul Sheehan on the poetry of T.S. Eliot (Advanced English Module: Critical Study of Literature)
The Wandering: An Interview with Intan Paramaditha
May 18, 2021 23:00 - 37 minutes - 80.3 MBJoin Michelle as she talks with prize-winning author, Intan Paramaditha, to discuss her novel, The Wandering. Intan Paramaditha was nominated for the Stella Prize in Australia and awarded the Tempo Best Literary Fiction in Indonesia, English PEN Translates Award, and PEN/ Heim Translation Fund Grant from PEN America. She is the author of the short story collection Apple and Knife and the editor of Deviant Disciples: Indonesian Women Poets, part of the Translating Feminisms series of Tilted A...
Does My Head Look Big in This? Interview with Randa Abdel-Fattah
May 04, 2021 23:00 - 47 minutes - 103 MBJoin Michelle Hamadache as she talks to Randa Abdel-Fattah, award winning writer and activist, about her very first novel, Does My Head Look Big in This? Randa will be appearing at this year's Sydney Writer's Festival: https://www.swf.org.au/writers/randa-abdel-fattah/
Kaneto Shindo's Kuroneko: A Tale of Fire and Ice
November 03, 2020 23:00 - 58 minutes - 126 MBThis week Michelle is joined by Jimmy and special guest, Khoa Tran, to discuss Kaneto Shindo's Kuroneko. Join us as we discuss revenge, class, mythology, identity and whether or not Khoa can make his hair swish like a cat's tail.
The Bored and the Beautiful - Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Avventura
October 20, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 133 MBThis week Michelle is joined by Jimmy and special guest, Khoa Tran, to discuss Antonioni's L'Avventura. Join us as we discuss gender, class, boredom, weird sex scenes, and fight over whether this is a subversive masterpiece, or a tedious exploration of ennui.
Page Richards on the changing states and stakes of literary fiction in contemporary times
October 06, 2020 22:00 - 52 minutes - 113 MBIn this week's episode of From the Lighthouse, join Michelle as she talks with Page Richards, director of Hong Kong University's MFA program and prize-winning poet and vaudeville artist. They discuss the changing states and stakes of literary fiction in contemporary times.
Before Shackleton there was Ursula K. Le Guin's "Sur"
September 01, 2020 22:00 - 32 minutes - 68.1 MBJoin Associate Professor Jane Messer and Michelle as they discuss Ursula K. Le Guin's speculative short story "Sur" about the group of women explorers who arrived at the Antarctic's South Pole, well before Shackleton.
Graham Greene's 'A Little Place Off the Edgware Road' and Paddy OReilly's 'Baggage Claim'
August 18, 2020 22:00 - 54 minutes - 114 MBAssociate Professor Jane Messer joins Michelle to discuss a short horror story by Graham Greene, 'A Little Place Off the Edgware Road' and another short story by Australian writer, Paddy O'Reilly, 'Baggage Claim'. If you'd like to read O'Reilly's short story before listening, her story was published in Overland and the link is provided below. https://overland.org.au/previous-issues/issue-231/fiction-paddy-oreilly/
"The mother's injuries are to be handed down to the daughter": Love and Destruction in Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata
August 04, 2020 22:00 - 57 minutes - 125 MBMichelle and Jimmy are joined in this episode by Media Arts teacher and film fanatic, Khoa Tran, to discuss, Autumn Sonata, Ingmar Bergman's late masterpiece about the difficult and, at times, destructive relationship between mothers and daughters.
The Relentlessness of Memory in Michael Haneke's Caché
July 21, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 130 MBIn this episode of From the Lighthouse, Jimmy and Michelle talk about Michael Haneke's 2005 intriguing and enigmatic film Caché. The film, starring Juliet Binoche and Daniel Auteil, explores the absence of remorse and the relentlessness of memory in the life of French intellectual Georges, charting Georges response as the family start receiving anonymous video cassettes and crayon drawings reminding Georges of his childhood transgression against a young Algerian boy, Majid. The film explore...
Classic Teendaptation #6: Get Over It
July 07, 2020 22:00 - 30 minutes - 66.1 MBGet Over It is a 2001 teen adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. This week, Stephanie and Kirstin discuss Kirsten Dunst, teen romance, and overexcited dogs.
Classic Teendaptation #5: She's All That
June 23, 2020 22:00 - 54 minutes - 118 MBThe 1999 film She's All That is an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion...or is it? This week, Stephanie, Kirstin and Jimmy discuss glasses, the class system, and disappointment.
Classic Teendaptation #4: Easy A
June 09, 2020 22:00 - 51 minutes - 111 MBEasy A (2001) is a loose adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. This week, Stephanie, Kirstin and Jimmy discuss sexual double-standards, intertextual references, and the world's coolest parents. Check out Kirstin's cool new blog on this series: http://www.kirstinmills.com/blog/teen-movie-adaptations-classic-literature-podcast/
Classic Teendaptation #3: Clueless ... As if!!!
May 26, 2020 22:00 - 56 minutes - 123 MBClueless brings Jane Austen's Emma into the world of a privileged LA teen, and it works perfectly. This week, Stephanie, Kirstin and Jimmy discuss Austen, Heckerling, and routine liposuction.
Classic Teendaptation #2: She's the Man
May 14, 2020 23:56 - 36 minutes - 78 MBShe's The Man transforms Shakespeare's Twelfth Night into a teen drama about soccer and debutante balls. This week, Stephanie, Jimmy and Kirstin discuss the film, gender, and why they don't necessarily think it all works...
Classic Teendaptation #1: 10 Things I Hate About You
April 28, 2020 22:00 - 52 minutes - 113 MBWe love old books when they're teen movies. This week, Stephanie, Jimmy and Kirstin kick off a new mini-series of podcasts on teen movie adaptations of classic texts with Ten Things I Hate About You.
Macbeth: The Enduring Appeal of Shakespeare's Scottish Play
April 14, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 152 MBShakespeare's Macbeth is so good that we can't stop thinking about it, or talking about it. This week, Stephanie, Jimmy and Kirstin discuss the appeal of the Scottish play, as well as the best and worst adaptations.
Comfort Texts for a Brave New World
March 31, 2020 22:00 - 41 minutes - 88.9 MBThe world is in a very strange place right now, and we're in need of serious distraction. Jimmy, Kirstin and Stephanie take you through their favourite comfort books, television shows, movies and podcasts.