Kirsten Krauth

I tend to remember books in terms of the mood of the book rather than the plot or, you know, the narrative.

It's really sort of about atmosphere and style for me.

Also, The Virgin Suicides.

I absolutely love Geoffrey Eugenides' book that also became a great movie.

I love the way, again, it's got an outsider voice and there's a coolness to it.

Like he's able to kind of step back and sort of languid and dreamy.

And I think it's very hard to bring that off as a writer.

And I absolutely love that book.

Yes, well, I received a fellowship from the University of Canberra to continue the work that I've done on Almost a Mirror, and it's called the Donald Horne Creative and Cultural Fellowship.

And it's for a podcast to look at some of the songs that are in the book.

So we've decided to focus on 12 Australian songs and they include Nick the Stripper, Alone With You,

Send Me an Angel.

So it's a real range.

And I'm working with a number of musicians who are doing new versions of the songs, including Peter Fenton from Crow, Michelangelo, aka Michael Simic, and Richard Andrew, who's from the Underground Lovers.

Yeah, well, those musicians, they're actually playing the songs again.

They're doing new versions of the songs.

And I'll be doing readings from the book that are mingled through.

So I'll be creating a new work in that sense.

But also the podcast will look at the history of that particular song and how it fits into 80s music.

History and culture.