Books, Books, Books

Nicole Abadee talks to Professor Gerry Simpson about his book "The Sentimental Life of International Law: Literature, Language and Longing in world politics.

In this episode of the Books, Books, Books Law School Series, Associate Professor Krayem talks with Nicole about her latest book "Understanding Sharia Processes: Women's Experiences of Family Disputes." SHOW NOTES: Nicole Abadee Website: https://www.nicoleabadee.com.au Facebook: @booksbooksbookspodcast OR @nicole.abadee Twitter: @NicoleAbadee Instagram: @booksbooksbookspodcast OR @nicoleabadee University of Sydney Law School Website: https://www.sydney.edu.au/law/ Facebook: @sydneylawschool Twitter: @SydneyLawSchool Instagram: @sydneylawschool YouTube: @SydneyLawSchool Soundcloud: @sydneylawschool LinkedIn: The University of Sydney Law School

This episode is a special presentation of the In Conversation Nicole Abadee did with award winning playwright and human rights lawyer, Suzie Miller, for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, about the importance and role of storytelling in social justice.

In this episode of the Books, Books, Books Law School Series, Professor Svetiev provides an up-to-date account of the evolution of competition law enforcement in the European Union, arguing that recent developments may be explained by a model of experimentalist governance based on learning from difference and learning from experience. He considers the extent to which an experimentalist governance model is either feasible or desirable, with detailed reference to recent cases and developments.

Nicole talks to the new editor of Griffith Review, Dr Carody Culver about Griffith Review 78, A Matter of Taste, which provides a feast of essays, memoir, reportage and fiction about what we eat and why. They discuss brilliant pieces by food writer Kate Gibbs (grand-daughter of Margaret Fulton) on the joys and future of cookbooks, historian Yves Rees on the milk wars and their origin, writer Laura Elvery on what happens when a food name is no longer appropriate and the backlash a name change can provoke (think Coon cheese) and the passion of Nornie Bero, First Nations owner of renowned Melbourne Mabu Mabu restaurant , for native produce and how it can connect us to our land.

In this achingly tender, funny, clever debut novel set in the 1950s, talented Elizabeth Zott confronts misogyny and worse as she battles to create a place for herself in the male-dominated world of research chemistry. Things get worse when she falls in love with brilliant fellow scientist Calvin. Here Garmus dsicusses how Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” inspired her and the joys of creating such an unconventional, empowered protagonist.

In this week’s episode of the law school series, Nicole speaks with Dr Stacie Strong, Associate Professor, about her recent book, Legal Reasoning Across Commercial Disputes – Comparing Judicial and Arbitral Analyses¸ in which she considers the following three issues: Is legal reasoning in the judicial setting different from legal reasoning in the setting of commercial arbitration? Is legal reasoning in the context of international commercial arbitration different from that used in domestic commercial arbitration? Does legal reasoning in the commercial context differ between countries with a common law system and those with a civil law system? Dr Strong conducted an extensive survey of judges and arbitrators, as well as interviews and an analysis of judicial decisions and arbitral awards, and arrived at some interesting and at times surprising results. SHOW NOTES: Nicole Abadee Website: https://www.nicoleabadee.com.au Facebook: @booksbooksbookspodcast OR @nicole.abadee Twitter: @NicoleAbadee Instagram:…

In this edition of Griffith Review, which is produced in partnership with the Australian Antarctic Division, Ashley and Nicole discuss all things Antarctic –Australia’s role there, the fascinating million-year ice core project, the terrifying impact of climate change on the fragile Antarctic eco-systems and the melting of the ice sheets.

Feminist, activist and writer Wendy McCarthy reveals in her new memoir, “Don’t Be Too Polite, Girls” how to be a strong feminist, a good mother and a good wife - all at the same time. Here she discusses how choosing the right life partner, her beloved Gordon McCarthy, enabled her to live a stimulating, purposeful life, with a brilliant career spanning the public, private, corporate and not-for-profit sectors. Her advice to women offered key roles? “Say yes and work it out later,” – just as a man would do. Gold.

“I am first and foremost a First Nations woman. I am that before I am a lawyer”. In this wide-ranging conversation with Teela Reid, Sydney Law School’s first First Nations Lawyer in Residence, she discusses her remarkable career as lawyer, activist and storyteller – the life-changing decision to move from teaching to law, her determination to make life better for the next generation of First Nations kids, her involvement in the Regional Dialogues which led to the Uluru Statement From the Heart and her tireless advocacy for the First Nations Voice to Parliament, which she sees as the beginning of a crucial reckoning between Black and white Australia. She also talks about the need for non-Indigenous Australians to show up and to do the work. A fascinating insight into one of the thought leaders of her generation, who is determined to use her role at the Law School to “make sure we continue to create space for other First Nations students and lawyers”.

When popular broadcaster Indira Naidoo lost her youngest sister to suicide she was plunged into a darkness like no other. Heartbroken and wracked with grief and guilt, her immediate response upon hearing the news was to flee to Sydney’s Botanic Gardens and seek solace between a towering Moreton Bay tree that she came to think of as her own. “The Space Between the Stars” is her achingly beautiful account of how that tree and a rediscovery of many other aspects of nature – from birds to weeds to stars to puddles - enabled her draw on her reserves of resilience, to heal and to find joy once again.

In her sixteenth novel, Violeta, Isabel Allende has created an unforgettable heroine much like herself – fiercely independent, funny, passionate, devoted to her children and a powerful advocate for women’s rights and feminism. Like her other books, Violeta is a brilliant blend of the personal with the political – Violeta’s almost-one hundred years of life are book-ended by two pandemics – the Spanish Flu and Covid – and her life is shaped by the tumultuous events of the twentieth century – especially World War Two and the huge political upheaval in Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. In this rich conversation Isabel discusses love, passion, growing old and politics – in particular, how feminists in America can retain hope and keep up the fight in the face of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

In her latest book, “Self, Others and the State – Relations of Criminal Responsibility”, Professor Loughnan reassesses the rise to prominence of criminal responsibility within the Australian criminal law in the twentieth century and reconsiders its significance within the criminal law. In this episode Nicole and Professor Loughnan discuss the central thesis of her book – that criminal responsibility is significant because of the unique role it plays in organising key sets of relations – between individuals, other and the state – as relations of responsibility. To illustrate her argument, they talk about “the gendered self”, focusing on women’s responsibility for crime, the offence of consorting and government responses to allegations of institutional child abuse.

What might a reckoning between Black and white Australia look like? Many of the brilliant contributors to Griffith Review 76, “Acts of Reckoning”, such as Professor Megan Davis, leading scholar Teela Reid and Senator Patrick Dodson, argue that it starts with all of us embracing the generous invitation from Indigenous people in the Uluru Statement From the Heart to walk together towards a better future, one that begins with a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament, then moves towards Treaty and Truth-telling. Others write powerfully about the need for fundamental changes to the criminal justice system which incarcerates so many young Indigenous people, and the importance of owning our violent past. In this conversation Ashley Hay speaks with power and conviction of what we can all do to make change happen.

Nicole Abadee talks to Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Jennifer Egan, about her exciting new book "The Candy House."

Emily and Nicole discuss how non-binding instruments or ‘soft law’ have been received in international humanitarian law by looking at specific examples, such as the ICRC Study into Customary International Humanitarian Law. Have they been adopted in state practice? Are they referred to by international and national courts and tribunals? They consider potential benefits, such as their potential to contribute in a positive way to the development and clarification of the law, but also the possible pitfalls – lack of accountability and transparency and bias. And what legal status, if any, do they have?

Nicole speaks to Kate Grenville about forming the "Writers for Climate Action" group, where she brings writers passionate about acting against climate change, together in a single space to fight the biggest challenge of our time and threat to our future. "we've joined forces to act as a group because we believe that climate change is a threat to the future of our world. Individually we write about that world in our books. Now we want to use our collective voice to push back against the threat to it." If you are a writer who would like to join Writers for Climate Action go to https://www.writersforclimateaction.com.

Books, Books, Books is proud to present "Comrade in Words" a session from Adelaide Writer's Week where Nicole facilitated a conversation between Charlotte Wood and Christos Tsiolkas about their latest works, friendship, how they function as artists, and the challenges of living a creative life.

“When women speak of war they say nothing or almost nothing of what we are used to reading and hearing about”. These words, by Nobel-Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich inspired acclaimed writer and cultural historian Maria Tumarkin to create an extraordinary multi-disciplinary event called “When Women Speak of War: Artists reckon With Wars Declared and Hidden”, which will have its world premiere on Thursday 28 April at the National Theatre in Melbourne. The performance will feature Ukrainian-born writers, musicians and performers alongside a diverse line-up of brilliant artists. The aim, Maria says, is “To stir up, honour, cliché-bust and transport.” Conceived before the war in Ukraine as part of the Festival of Jewish Art and Music (FOJAM) to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, the performance takes on particular resonance in light of the war in Maria’s beloved homeland. Part of the proceeds of ticket sales will go to the Ukrainian Humanitarian Relief Fund.

Nicole talks to Griffith Review Editor, Ashley Hay, about the incredible writers and works in Griffith Review issue #75 - Learning Curves, all about education. "From preschool to postgrad, from private to public, and from sandstone to the school of life, what do the parameters of our educational experiences add up to? What does a good education look like in a country with an increasingly segregated school system, public funding for private institutions, and a tertiary sector that’s facing an uncertain financial and philosophical future?" Featuring new work by Raewyn Connell, Bri Lee, Andrew Leigh, Melanie Myers, Pasi Sahlberg, Gabbie Stroudand Miriam Sved, among many others.

Award winning author and Poet Laureate, Maxine Beneba Clarke joins Nicole to talk about her courageous poetry collection "How Decent Folk Behave," for the final episode of the Books, Books, Books Summer Series. A thoughtful and compassionate conversation about works that reflect exactly where we are right now with honesty and hope. "These poems speak of the world that is, and sing for a world that may one day be."

Hannah Kent talks to Nicole about her amazing new novel "Devotion" for the BBB Summer Series. A novel steeped in both history and fantasy, unpacking the complicated layers of belief, identity and love. A book to devour and savour.

Nicole talks to the luminous Michelle de Kretser about her novel "Scary Monsters," which explores the impact of migration in two very different and individual stories, read from different ends of the book. They discuss themes of racism, misogyny and agesim as well as Michelle's choice to play with the novel's physical form, as a way of recreating the same sense of displacement and disorientation in the reader, as experienced by those migrating to a new land.

Delia Falconer discusses her extraordinary new book, “Signs and Wonders” which features 13 deeply personal essays in which she grapples with the tension between awe at the beauty of the world and despair at the prospect of its imminent demise.

Ashley Hay talks to Nicole about the incredible fiction and non-fiction pieces contained within Griffith Review Issue #74 "Escape Routes"

Much-loved writer Anita Heiss’s latest novel Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray, meaning “River of Dreams”, tells the story of Wagadhanny, a young Indigenous woman in the mid-eighteenth century, whose life is controlled by the Bradleys, the white family she works for. They force her to leave behind her beloved family in Gundagai and move with them to Wagga Wagga. A rich, powerful story of her struggle to assert herself and of the importance to her and her people of kinship and of respect for and connection to the land. Heiss uses the Wiradjuri language throughout the book and in the book’s title as a reminder to readers that there is a first language in this country – and it is not English.

The Summer Series continues with Nicole talking to Bernadette Brennan about her book "Leaping into Waterfalls", which explores the rich, tumultuous life of Gillian Mears, one of Australia's most significant writers of the last forty years.

n this 2nd episode of the Books, Books, Books Summer Series, iconic Australian writer Helen Garner talks to Nicole about the third volume of her diaries "How to End a Story" published by Text Publishing. A harrowing portrait of the messy, painful, dark side of love lost and the sheer force of a woman’s anger.

Books, Books, Books rings in 2022 with the launch of very a special Summer Series where 8 of Australia's most respected female authors, discuss their books, wisdom and writing processes. in the first episode of the series, Stellar Award winner and acclaimed thinker, Charlotte Wood, talks to Nicole about the mediations and insights gleaned from decades of being an award winning writer, in her new book "The Luminous Solution."

Nicole talks to Diana Reid about her sharp new fiction book "Love and Virtue," which intersects consent, class, privilege and feminism, with university culture and a contemporary eye.

Jennie Orchard talks to Nicole about curating the gorgeous book "The Gifts of Reading" a collection of essays by well known authors from around the globe, all about the special and precious gifts reading has given them. With all proceeds from the sale of this book going to Room to Read, to help kids in underdeveloped countries receive an education, this truly is the perfect gift to give this Christmas.

Megan Davis and George Williams on their important new book, “Everything You Need to Know About the Uluru Statement From the Heart”.

In collaboration with the Byron Writers Festival, Nicole speaks with Kavita Bedford about her perceptive debut novel "Friends and Dark Shapes," exploring millennial life, in contemporary Australia.

Lawrie Pomare, published as L.P McMahon, discusses his beautiful and touching debut novel "As Swallows Fly."

Nicole speaks with trailblazers, Meredith Burgmann and Nadia Wheatley about their book "Radicals: Remembering the Sixties." A collection of reflections from some of Australia's great changemakers.

Hannah Bent discusses her tender, heart-breaking debut novel, “When Things Are Alive They Hum”.

Stephanie Smee discusses her translation of Pascal Janovak’s prize-winning “the Rome Zoo”.

Multi- award winning crime writer Michael Robotham on his latest thriller, “When You Are Mine”.

Pip Williams on her fascinating novel, “ A Dictionary of Lost Words”

Griffith Review Episode 2: Ashley Hay on Griffith Review 73: Hey, Utopia!

Sarah Sentilles on her heart-wrenching memoir, “Stranger Care”.

Sarah Garnett, founder and managing director of Australian not-for-profit The Footpath Library talks about what it does.

Kate Ellis on her timely new book “Sex, Lies and Question Time”

Hugh Mackay on his wise, beautiful new book, “The Kindness Revolution”.

Kathryn Heyman on her brave, harrowing memoir, “Fury”. ***Trigger Warning*** This episode contains reference to rape, sexual assault and domestic violence. If you are triggered in any way please contact Lifeline or 1800 Respect.

Jacqueline Maley on her thought-provoking first novel, “The Truth About Her”.

Nikki Gemmell on her confronting new novel, “The Ripping Tree”, ten years in the making

Episode 50: John Bell on his fascinating book, “Some Achieve Greatness – Lessons on leadership from Shakespeare and one of his greatest admirers”

Fiona Mozley on her thoughtful new novel, “Hot Stew”.

Ashley Hay discusses edition 72 of the Griffith Review, States of Mind. Ashley Hay’s aim with States of Mind was to give people different ways to have their own conversations about states of mind, stimulated by brilliant, thought-provoking essays, memoir and fiction. Edition 72 tackles subjects including the chronic neglect of mental healthcare in Australia, from the perspectives of both practitioners and patients, incorporating Indigenous learning into mainstream Australian psychology, the intersection between race and mental illness and the human rights of the mentally ill. This edition will enrich and confront, and provoke some important conversations around mental health in Australia.