Cath discovers the people in Damien Wilkins’ life who inspired his latest novel, “Delirious”. It’s an emotionally powerful novel about families, ageing and the surprising ways second chances come around.

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Annie visits Orchard Books in the Adelaide Arcade where she receives a masterclass in styling a warm, inviting and delightfully idiosyncratic second-hand bookshop.

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Our random reader XYZ recommends “Time of the Child” and “This is Happiness” by Niall Williams.

Guests

Damien Wilkins, New Zealand author of “Delirious”... and 14 other novels.

Nick Patrick and Kate Treloar, owners of Orchard Bookshop, Adelaide Arcade.

Other books that get a mention:

Cath recommends her holiday reads; “Molly Keen; A Life” by Sally Phipps and “Overtaken” by Alexei Sayle

Annie recommends “The Tenderness of Wolves” by Stef Penney

INSTAGRAM

@thwupbooks
@orchardbookshop

@damienwilkins103

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Amy & the podcast team sit down to discuss Aya de Léon's romantic suspense novel, Side Chick Nation, as part of our Climate Fiction month!

Aya de León is an acclaimed writer of poetry, prose, stage, and screen. She teaches creative writing at UC Berkeley and is the 'acquiring editor for a new climate justice fiction imprint Fighting Chance Books, which will publish stories of people taking collective action in the here and now to solve the climate crisis' (ayadeleon.com).

LINKS

• Find Aya de Léon here: ayadeleon.com
• Watch the Live Bookclub on YouTube: @AmyAndPodcast
• Follow the Amy & Podcast on IG: @amyandpodcast
• Join the Amy & Bookclub: Amy & Bookclub
• Follow Amy Matthews on IG: @amymatthewsauthor
• Follow Amy Barry on IG: @amybarryauthor
• Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single "Same Old" here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amy & Justina chat with Jennifer Mills, a celebrated writer of climate fiction and dystopian novels and author of The Airways (2021), Dyschronia (2018) and Gone (2011). Her latest book, Salvage, is out on May 27. Join us as we chat about ambiguous utopias, the ethics (or lack thereof) of space billionaires, and the responsibility we have to each other and the world in the face of climate emergency.

Pre-order Salvage here.

Find more of Jennifer's work here.

For a chance to win Side Chick Nation by Aya de León (our book of the month!) or Overstory by Richard Powers click here!

Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single "Same Old" here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amy & Payton talk with special guesties Dr Alex Cothren and Dr Rachel Hennessy about climate-fiction writing and scholarship – but we’re fun nerds, I promise. You can find Alex’s satirical short stories in basically any literary mag you could possibly think of, and by August 2025, his debut anthology Playing Nice Was Getting Me Nowhere will be published by Pink Shorts Press. Rachel Hennessy is an award-winning author of five novels and her most recent, City Knife, concluded her "cli-fi-ish" dystopian YA/Teen trilogy, The Burning Days. Take a deep breath and relax that heart-rate because we’re here to discuss how we might find hope and eschew defeatism in these trying times.

Pre-order Alex's anthology here.

Find Rachel's latest novel here.

Ready to read some cli-fi? For a chance to win Side Chick Nation by Aya de León or Overstory by Richard Powers click here!

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I do voices! The late great Robin Williams quote from his classic film Mrs. Doubtfire is "I do voices" and we do too. In this episode Rachel and Eddie recap season ones interview Voice Off challenges with a variety of wonderful guest highlights.

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Amy & season regulars, Payton and Millie, are joined by special guestie Melanie Ross to talk climate fiction. Listen in as we talk climate disasters, the subtlety of cli-fi, and the potential of a forest's imagination.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amy & the podcast team sit down for our very first live bookclub where we chat, with earl grey cocktails (and tea) in hand, about all things Pride and Prejudice.

From Mr. Darcy's exorbitant Pemberley and the reality of where this generational wealth comes from, the misjudgement of Lydia Bennet, and what Mr. Collins' hinge profile would look like, no topic of conversation is off limits.

LINKS

• Watch the Live Bookclub on YouTube: @AmyAndPodcast
• Follow the Amy & Podcast on IG: @amyandpodcast
• Join the Amy & Bookclub: Amy & Bookclub
• Follow Amy Matthews on IG: @amymatthewsauthor
• Follow Amy Barry on IG: @amybarryauthor

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Sarah is joined by Candice Fox who reflects how her “scrappy” upbringing in Bankstown and her Dad’s work in the local prison informed her crime writing. It still makes her a magnet for people willing to share their dark and strange story ideas.
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Annie takes you to the launch of “Splinter”, a new literary journal, to meet its editor, Farrin Foster. In the tradition of such journals Splinter will be a place for new writing of any kind to get a showing, and a welcoming forum for South Australia’s literary community.
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Sarah recommends “Australian Gospel: A Family Saga” by Lech Blaine
Our random reader recommends “Technofeudalism: What killed capitalism” by Yanis Varoufakis and “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy.

Guests
Candice Fox, author of “High Wire”
Farin Foster, editor of “Splinter”
You can find more information about “Splinter” here: https://splinterjournal.com/

INSTAGRAM
@candicefoxauthor
@penginrandomhouse
@splinterjournal

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