The Book Shelf

It’s high time I said a little something about the radio show I host.

Last November, my colleague and I decided the time was well past for TasWriters to have its own conversations style radio show. I was already regularly interviewing authors, and it just made sense to have the conversations on air rather than having to transcribe them for the website.

So far, it’s been a great success and has become one of the highlights of my week. To my delight, the The Book Shelf was recently nominated for a CBAA Community Radio award. For a writer and book nerd, there are few greater joys than being able to pick the brains of fellow authors and share them with the writing community.

The Book Shelf is a radio program dedicated to showcasing all things books and writing in Tasmania, but also bring ideas and insight about the industry from the wider literary community, both nationally and internationally, to Tasmanians. I interview people from all backgrounds – authors, teachers, students, librarians, journalists and more, for their unique perspectives on everything from the craft of writing, including different processes and techniques, to inspiration and the nitty gritty of the publishing world, the aim being to lift the veil on an industry that can be seen as mysterious and hard to crack. The show airs for one hour weekly, with new guests each episode. Guests are encouraged to read excerpts from any recent publications, and I tailor the show to their expertise and areas of interest, as well as asking some of the same questions each week to get unique perspectives on commonly asked writing questions. 

A recent highlight was having the opportunity to interview Aussie film legend Sigrid Thornton. It was a total thrill and pleasure to chat with her, and

As the majority of guests on The Book Shelf are Tasmanian and delving into what it’s like to be a writer in Tasmania, the show enhances the choices available to the public by providing listeners with a unique perspective on the Tasmanian literary scene, along with how Tasmanian authors and creatives are performing within the wider Australian and international book community. It also lets Tasmanians know what local authors are being printed and by which publishers, and informs them about upcoming opportunities. The show is also a space where I can talk about the services that are available through TasWriters.

You can listen live and to past conversations here

And if you’d like to get involved, please send me a message!