Writer Ender Başkan was blown away and broken apart by Alice Springs. His novel “Portrait of Alice As a Young Man” was written as he navigated the enormity of impending parenthood whilst living in the centre of Australia. His practice has now shifted fully into the enormity of parenthood, and towards poetry (as a Dad, he now has less time).

He grew up being fed books, but “not in literary surroundings”. He read widely and found fascination in philosophy and theory.

When pressed for advice he’d give his younger self, instead of clear answers and directions, his younger self was tenderly told… nothing. “You just have to go through it to know it.” Ender’s current self wouldn’t step in to play with fate, “I was feeling what I needed to feel”.

One clear gem of advice we eventually pulled from him was “Don’t ask for permission. Just do it. Make your work in any way you can.”

The word that came up repeatedly throughout our chat was “collectivity”, which means everything to Ender. He comes from a collectivist culture and is striving to humbly create that -not only with and for his family, but his wider community. There is a myth in Turkey that “If there’s a writer in the family, it’s a bad thing - all the secrets will get out”. We aligned more with what his father’s Imam believes: “A poet is very important, because they write our world into being”.

Ender shared his recipe for Yayla Corbasi, a Turkish yogurt soup, once a childhood favourite of his, and now a favourite of his kids too.

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There’s something quite animalistic about Merpire’s music - the moniker of Naarm/Melbourne-based Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt - whose huge, gritty voice, whimsical turn-of-phrase and inimitable chord choices seem impossible to tame, were it not for a sobering honesty that could heal even the most stoic crowd. Merpire’s songs aren’t just effortless, catchy dark-pop anthems deserving of a home in the 90s Garbage or Caroline Polachek canon - soaring through every track is a subtext profound enough to stop you in your tracks, like the whistle only a dog can hear.

On this episode we spoke with Merpire just before the release of her album Milk Pool, about discovering new meanings in her songs as they were being released and her journey as a fully independent artist. We also spoke about how misinformed the stereotype of the lazy musicians is, when often they’re working multiple jobs as well as making music.

Merpire shared her recipe for Mangocado salad - sure to impress at any potluck dinner!

Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au

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Ella Mittas is a writer and cook who lives and works in Melbourne, catering events and private functions. Her Greek heritage and fascination with traditional foods and cooking styles led her to live and work in Turkey and Greece.

Her debut cookbook Ela! Ela! (meaning 'Come, come' in Greek) is a heartfelt journey of knowledge in food, culture and belonging. She's now working on a novel, and we discuss where her writing began and how it has developed over time. She explains being motivated by the necessity to try new things, how she has navigated burnout balancing both her cooking and writing careers, and why creative work can’t always be fun.

Ella shared her recipe for Fakes, a Greek lentil soup, which has become an instant What Artists Eat classic.

Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au

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