Conversations: Archive: 2015-2017

Anthony Albanese: Camperdown son, Labor man

06 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The making of Anthony Albanese MP

The last eagle hunters of Mongolia through the lens of Palani Mohan

05 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Palani Mohan spent four years among the nomadic Kazakh eagle hunters of Mongolia.

Sex and death are at the centre of Krissy Kneen's recent writing

02 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Krissy is a writer of erotic fiction, memoir and poetry. 

Kate Forsyth reimagines centuries-old stories

01 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Forsyth crafts timeless stories of magic and fantasy for new readers

Stephen Dando Collins on 'hero-maker' Paul Brickhill, 'Dam Busters' and 'Great Escape' writer

31 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Former POW, Paul Brickhill created some of the most memorable war heros in film. Stephen Dando Collins tells his tempestuous life story.

Philippe Sands: facing the horror of the Holocaust

30 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A series of coincidences sets Philippe Sands on a path to uncover the truth about his family

Lois and Juris Greste on the 400 days of Peter's imprisonment

29 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The parents of journalist, Peter Greste, who was jailed in Egypt, take us behind the scenes to their family's campaign to have him released.

Joanna Rakoff's connection with reclusive author J.D. Salinger

26 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Joanna Rakoff worked at J.D. Salinger's literary agency, where she was responsible for fending off his obsessive fans.

Antonia Hayes: confronting shaken baby syndrome

25 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Antonia's life fractured in a single day and her son's life hung in the balance.

Alex Braczkowski and the leopards of Mumbai

24 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Alex has been looking at the co-existence of humans and big cats, as more communities encroach on wild habitats.

Great Australian homicide detective Ron Iddles

23 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Ron Iddles' success rate for solving murder cases is unequalled, and his integrity widely admired.

John Maclean's determination to walk again

22 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

John was left paraplegic after a near fatal accident in his early 20s.

Physicist Jim Al-Khalili unlocks science's trickiest conundrums

19 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Al-Khalili divides his time between practising and promoting science.

Battle of Long Tan Veterans Allen May and John Hesslewood

18 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Allen May and John Hesslewood were both 21 years old when they fought in Vietnam

The science behind Lisa Genova's fiction

17 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The bestselling author of 'Still Alice' investigates the shockwaves of Huntington's disease.

Live Stories Volume 10: Under the Microscope

16 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Conversations with Richard Fidler draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may, or may no

Matthew Thompson on Australia's most notorious criminal Christopher 'Badne$$' Binse

15 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Conversations with Richard Fidler draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may, or may no

Senator Barry O'Sullivan's surprising path to politics

12 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Senator Barry O'Sullivan has been the LNP's Queensland representative since February 2014.

Renee Gracie races V8 supercars

11 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Conversations with Richard Fidler draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may, or may no

Jeffery Renard Allen's American stories

10 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jeffery is a Chicago born and raised author and teacher.

Liz Tynan on the secret history of Maralinga

09 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Conversations with Richard Fidler draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may, or may no

Larry Writer with the story of Australia at the 1936 'Nazi' Olympics

08 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Conversations with Richard Fidler draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may, or may no

Allan Behm on the art of the political Chief of Staff

05 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Allan was Greg Combet's chief of staff in the Defence Materiel, Climate Change and Industry portfolios.

Maxine Beneba Clarke: growing up black in white Australia

04 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Conversations with Richard Fidler draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may, or may no

Tim Page's war: the photographer who made us see Vietnam

03 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Conversations with Richard Fidler draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may, or may no

Alana Valentine on Lindy's letters of blame, hate - and apology

02 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In August 1980 the Chamberlain family went camping at Uluru.

Mike Carlton on the survival of HMAS Australia II

01 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Mike is a well-known broadcaster and journalist who has held a lifelong passion for naval history.

Joe Geia: Aboriginal protest and the power of song

29 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Geia is a singer, songwriter and didgeridoo player.

How Bernie McKay helped Australia kick its smoking habit

28 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Bernie is the man behind several massively influential public health campaigns, including 'Quit for Life', and AIDS awareness.

Aleksander Hemon on love, loss and Sarajevo

27 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

While on a trip to the US in 1992, Aleksander's hometown came under siege.

Cinematographer Pieter de Vries: eyes of the world

26 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Sydney filmmaker Pieter de Vries is one of the leading documentary cinematographers in the world, travelling six months of the year to every imaginab...

Shannon Garner's surrogate pregnancy

25 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Shannon was happily married, with two children of her own, when she watched a TV program about surrogacy.

Norman Doidge believes our 'plastic' brains can heal themselves

22 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Norman is a Canadian psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, researcher and writer.

Gregory Smith's survival instinct

21 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

After years of homelessness, and extreme seclusion, Gregory walked himself into the wider world.

Warren Brown on the mystery of Lasseter's Reef

20 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Warren Brown is an author, cartoonist and historian.

Helen Macdonald: grief and a hawk

19 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Helen felt a deep affinity for birds of prey, even keeping a kestrel in her bedroom, and was determined to one day become a falconer.

Nick Richardson on football in wartime

18 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Richardson grew up listening to his grandfather's war stories.

Danielle Clode on a rare partnership between man and killer whale

15 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Danielle is a zoologist and science writer at Flinders University.

Alain de Botton questions what we think we know about love

14 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Do our learned romantic notions work against making great relationships?

The rise and rise of Donald Trump

13 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump is the Republican party's presumptive nominee for President of the United States.

Soa 'The Hulk' Palelei fights his way to a better life

12 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Soa grew up in Newcastle NSW, in a large Tongan family, where he lived in the shadow of a brutally violent uncle.

Julee-Anne Bell's vision is sound

11 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

At high school Julee-Anne she struggled with the daily terror of crossing the school grounds without a cane or assistance.

Jaky Troy: awakening Australia's sleeping languages

08 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jaky is a Ngarigu woman whose country is the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales.

Karen Menzies' hidden Aboriginal heritage

06 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The truth of Karen Menzies' heritage was a shock that took her more than a decade to fully comprehend

Bruce Pascoe on pre-colonial Aboriginal agriculture

05 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Bruce is a prolific writer and editor of fiction for adults and young people; and he also writes essays and history.

Lesley and Tammy Williams: reclaiming stolen Aboriginal wages

04 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Lesley Williams grew up on the Cherbourg Aboriginal settlement in Queensland.

Turia Pitt is a survivor

01 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Turia was a mining engineer, based in Kununurra, Western Australia, when in 2011, she was invited to compete in an ultramarathon race in the remote K...

Alan Duffy

30 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Alan is a research fellow at the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University of Technology.

Roger Rogerson: crimes and punishment

29 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jack the Insider is a true crime writer and TV producer who met with Rogerson on several occasions.

Cory Taylor on dying for beginners

28 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In the last phase of her terminal illness, Cory invited Richard to her home to record this interview

The great big life of Eoin Cameron

27 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Eoin was a wildly funny and profane man.

Christos Tsiolkas writes along fracture lines

24 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Christos found international success with his fourth book, The Slap, after almost twenty years as a writer.

Triple-threat Ursula Yovich: singer, actor, playwright

23 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Ursula grew up in Darwin, the daughter of a Serbian father and an Aboriginal mother.

Lynne Kelly: unlocking ancient memory storehouses

22 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Lynne is a science writer who was researching the methods used by ancient cultures to retain vast amounts of information about animals and plants.

James Brown and the decisions that lead to war

21 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

James commanded a cavalry troop in southern Iraq and is the author of ANZAC's Long Shadow.

Jill Lepore reveals Wonder Woman's secret history

20 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

While researching a story for The New Yorker, Jill stumbled on the origin of Wonder Woman, and the story of her remarkable creator, William Moulton M...

Republican Jane Caro's hero - Queen Elizabeth I

17 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jane is the author of two fictionalised books that tell the story of her hero, Queen Elizabeth I.

Elspeth Muir: our wasted youth

16 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Elspeth's younger brother, Alexander, died alone and with an extremely high blood-alcohol reading, after a night out with friends.

Philip Bacon and the beautiful business of art

15 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Philip Bacon used the first money he earned as a teenager to lay-by his first pictures; and gave up his law degree to work in an art gallery.

Bernard Wood's history of human evolution

14 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Bernard Wood's history of human evolution

Junot Diaz on love, infidelity and history's shadow

13 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The continuing story of a self-confessed 'Latino nerd' who was raised in New Jersey

Stephen and Sally Damiani: saving Massimo

10 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen and Sally's son Massimo became seriously ill when he was just a year old.

Annabelle Brayley honours the Australian nurses of the Vietnam War

09 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Annabelle is an author and former nurse who lives in Western Queensland.

Tony Atkinson: the palace, the prime minister and my patients

08 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When Tony was a medical student he held a number of unusual jobs.

Educator Jack Beetson on surpassing expectations

07 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jack was born into an Aboriginal family in western NSW.

Elisa Black: anxiety and me

06 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

One woman's path to managing an anxiety disorder she'd lived with since childhood

Jane Eales on the enduring mystery of her mother

03 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jane was raised in Zimbabwe by loving but reserved parents. At 19 she learned they'd adopted her in difficult circumstances.

Geoff Corbett is a drug and alcohol counsellor working with young people

02 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Geoff works in a detox centre attached to a major hospital, helping people deal with addiction.

Adam Spencer champions numbers

01 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As a school student, Adam's knack for solving maths problems was a kind of private obsession.

James Rebanks and the shepherd's life

31 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The Lake District is one of the most epic and beautiful landscapes in England.

Darryl Jones: birds and the city

30 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

How well do magpies, bush turkeys and people live alongside each other?

Ian Heads with the best story of his sports journalism career

27 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Ian says the story of the Western Division and the Amco Cup is the best football story he's come across in forty years of writing them.

Tim Elliott on his father - untangling love from hate

26 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Tim Elliott grew up in a seemingly happy household in 1970s Sydney, with a loving stay-at-home mother, his doctor father, and three siblin...

Comedian Jean Kittson is tackling the taboos of menopause

25 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jean became nationally famous as part of the ABC TV comedy series The Big Gig.

The race against Vietnam's human traffickers

24 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Brosowski and his organisation in Hanoi change the lives of Vietnam's trafficked and abandoned young people, one child at a time (R)

Lily Brett's portrait of New York

23 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Lily is a novelist, essayist, and poet. She moved from Melbourne to New York with her husband, and their children, when she was in her 40s.

Julian Baggini explores free will and responsibility

20 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

British philosopher Julian Baggini wants to challenge those who think free will is an illusion.

Peter Frankopan on re-mapping the world

19 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Historian Peter Frankopan says the story of human civilisation doesn't arise from Europe.

Jeanette Winterson: a storyteller's tale

18 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The making of bestselling author, Jeanette Winterson

Kumi Taguchi's life in two cultures

17 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As a talented classical violinist, Kumi won a scholarship to study music at university.

How ants create superorganisms

16 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Ecologist Kirsti Abbott on ants: 'tiny things that run the world'

Helen Castor tells Joan of Arc's story

13 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Helen's study of powerful historical women, She-Devils was adapted for TV by the BBC.

Dennis McIntosh's story: part two

12 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

After Dennis and his wife found their daughter having a fit, she was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy that doctors said would stop her from walking,...

Dennis McIntosh's story: part one

11 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Dennis began his working life as a shearer, loving the hard work and camaraderie of the shearing shed.

Luke Williams: to the edge of crystal meth addiction and back

10 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

As a part of his research Luke moved into a household in outer Melbourne with a couple of old friends, who were both users.

Cie Cie Nguyen's Saigon - before and after the fall

09 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Cie Cie Nguyen was 13 years old when a radio broadcast in her home city of Saigon announced the fall of the government.

Claire Dunn answered the call of the wild

06 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Living in the forest with five friends, Claire learned how to make fire, build a humpy, and find bush food.

Frank Bowden and his everyday battles with infectious diseases

05 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Frank is an expert on the bugs that invade our systems and make us feel terrible for a few days... or present us with a life-threatening illness.

Scientist Michael Stoddart examines the importance of smell and scent

04 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Stoddart explains the profound link between our sense of smell and human evolution.

Sarah Ferguson with the uncut version of The Killing Season

03 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Investigative journalist Sarah Ferguson co-created the ABC TV series The Killing Season.

The story of Australia's Greek cafes and milk bars

02 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When the first Milk Bar opened in Martin Place, Sydney, in 1932, people queued in their thousands for a taste of America.

Andrew Solomon: parenting exceptional children

29 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew talked to families of children who are different from their parents: children born deaf, or autistic, or transgender; and parents of child pro...

Yassmin Abdel-Magied's unapologetically big life

28 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Yassmin has worked as an engineer on oil rigs where she was the only Sudanese-born, Australian-raised, hijab-wearing, Muslim woman on deck.

Saga Land: Part 2

27 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this second and final part of Saga Land, more Viking stories of family, honour and revenge.

Saga Land: Part 1

26 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Fidler and writer Kari Gislason went to Iceland to record stories from the famous Sagas of Iceland: the tales of the first Viking families wh...

Les Carlyon: voices from the Great War

22 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Australian journalist and writer, Les Carlyon, is renowned for his detailed research and brilliant storytelling.

Midwife Lisa Peberdy and the business of everyday miracles

21 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

During Lisa Peberdy's first career as a nurse, she was physically repelled by the notion of childbirth.

Live Stories Volume 10: Under the Microscope

20 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists from around the world converged on Brisbane for the first World Science Festival to be held outside New York.

The helping urge of Red Cross worker Bob Handby

19 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Bob Handby was an environmental health officer with his local shire council in Victoria for many years.

Alone With You story collection

18 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Guests