Booksmart
Episodes
The Anatomy of a Perfect (?) Rom-Com in B.K. Borison's 'And Now, Back to You'
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a good romance novel? What turns it from a read that that simply fills your time, into something occupying your mind, day and night, elicit...
Jennette McCurdy, Shock Value & Second Book Syndrome ('Half His Age' & 'I’m Glad My Mom Died')
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Does depicting taboo relationships automatically mean endorsing them? Does having an interesting personal story automatically make you a good storytel...
Sex, Trauma & ‘How To End A Love Story’: Book Club
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to our first book club episode, where we delve into the wonderful and traumatic world of Yulin Kuang and How to End a Love Story. Kuang is an ...
'People We Meet on Vacation' & What Book-To-Screen Adaptations Owe Readers?
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What do book-to-screen adaptations owe their readers? And further, what makes a good adaptation? Should the goal of any adaptation be to appease exist...
Zeynab Gamieldien on 'Learned Behaviours'
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of Booksmart for the year, Soaliha Iqbal sits down with acclaimed writer Zeynab Gamieldien to unpack her powerful new novel, Lear...
In conversation with award-winning author Dylin Hardcastle
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode of Booksmart, host Soaliha Iqbal sits down with award-winning author, artist, and screenwriter Dylin Hardcastle - the creativ...
Mona Awad on her (iconic) 'Bunny' series
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Booksmart, Soaliha sits down with internationally acclaimed author Mona Awad to dive into the world of her cult classic Bunny and i...
Randa Abdel-Fattah on 'Discipline'
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Booksmart, Randa Abdel-Fattah sits down with Soaliha for a powerful conversation that spans her brand-new novel Discipline, the con...
Natalia Figueroa Barroso on 'Hailstones Fell Without Rain'
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of Booksmart, Soaliha Iqbal sits down with writer Natalia Figueroa Barroso to talk about her extraordinary debut novel Hai...
Nicky Gonzalez on 'Mayra'
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of Booksmart, we’re joined by the wonderful Nicky Gonzalez, the author of one of this year’s most haunting debuts, May...
Reem Gaafar on 'A Mouth Full of Salt'
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Nile brought them life, but the Nile was not their friend.When a little boy drowns in the treacherous currents of the Nile, the search for his bod...
Candice Chung on 'Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You'
25 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Not to hype this week's book too much....but Soaliha has confirmed that Candice Chung's new memoir Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You...
Anne-Marie Te Whiu on 'Mettle'
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Anne-Marie Te Whiu (Te Rarawa): a poet, editor and cultural producer - who is making BIG waves in the literary world. It was an honour to have he...
Khadija Gbla on autism visibility, breaking generational trauma, and refusing to stay silent
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Khadija Gbla is an absolute force to be reckoned with - and we've been closely following her work for a long time.If she's not on your radar...
Fiona Wright on 'Someone like Me: An anthology of non-fiction by Autistic writers'
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It goes without saying that due to misrepresentations of Autism in media and popular culture, many Autistic people miss out on seeing themselves, thei...
Dr Vanessa Pirotta on 'Humpback Highway'
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Acclaimed wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta has been mugged by whales, touched by a baby whale and covered in whale snot (just casually - as you do)....
Samah Sabawai on 'Cactus Pear For My Beloved'
07 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hello, friends - we're back with a really special episode! Soaliha Iqbal got to sit down with Samah Sabawi to discuss Samah's book Cactus P...
Dr Kate Fitz-Gibbon on 'Our National Crisis'
20 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TW: Discussion of violence against womenWe are only 41 weeks into the year — which means we have surpassed the much-quoted statistic of one woman be...
SPECIAL: In conversation with Dr Jen Gunter
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing a **very** different episode this week, just to shake things up here at Booksmart. Because honestly, why not?This week, Tash sits down wit...
Alyssa Huynh on 'Safe Space'
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're excited to bring you a really special episode this week. Our Editorial & Partnerships Lead Alicia got to sit down with the wonderful Al...
Carly-Jay Metcalfe on 'Breath'
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“I had to relearn how to live after nearly dying. It felt like a rite of passage no-one else had ever experienced, a journey there was no map for, a...
Mykaela Saunders on 'Always Will Be'
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If Dr Mykaela Saunders isn't on your radar, then we are changing that today. Mykaela is a Koori/Goori and Lebanese writer, researcher, editor and...
Shankari Chandran on 'Safe Haven'
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Shankari Chandran was once told that her stories weren't 'Australian enough.' She later went on to win the prestigious Miles Franklin A...
Jeanine Leane on 'Gawimarra: Gathering'
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone. We know we say that every episode of Booksmart is special, but this one is PARTICULARLY so (we promise). And it's poetry too, so even b...
Lisa Taddeo on 'Three Women'
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Breaking our (small yet needed) hiatus from Booksmart and coming back with an absolute BANGER: the one and only Lisa Taddeo!Our EIC Hannah was lucky e...
Chanel Contos on 'Consent Laid Bare'
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CW: Discussion of sexual assaultIt's been described as the game-changing book about sex and consent that every woman - and man - should read.In 2...
Madeleine Gray on 'The Green Dot'
21 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is there a better way to kick off this year then chatting with the author of one of the most buzziest books of 2023?! Madeleine Gray is an arts writer...
Sara M Saleh on 'The Flirtation of Girls / Ghazal el-Banat'
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sara M Saleh is a writer, poet, human rights lawyer, and the daughter of Palestinian, Lebanese and Egyptian migrants. Her poetry is not only an inhe...
Hannah Ferguson on 'Bite Back'
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the (highly) unlikely chance that Hannah Ferguson isn't on your radar, then we want to change that ASAP.Hannah is the Co-Founder and CEO of ...
Elfy Scott on 'The One Thing We've Never Spoken About'
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Alicia Vrajlal from Missing Perspectives sits down with journalist Elfy Scott to discuss Elfy's book The One Thing We’ve Never Spoke...
Amani Haydar on 'The Mother Wound'
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We know we say this about every episode of Booksmart...but this is a really special episode.This week, social worker and former Wayside Aboriginal Cul...
Chloe Dalton on 'Girls Don't Play Sport'
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a very special episode of Booksmart! This week, we invited athlete and equal pay advocate Lucy Small to interview Chloe Dalton about her ne...
Shankari Chandran on 'Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens'
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For this week's Booksmart chat, Phoebe got to sit down with the brilliant Shankari Chandran to discuss her latest book Chai Time at Cinnamon Gard...
Hannah Diviney on 'I'll Let Myself In'
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing our first ever episode of Booksmart: a podcast for people who see books and storytelling as the keys to unlocking the world around us. It’...