Roundtable - Meridian Australis

Monte is joined by Australian author and Kalkadoon man John Morrissey to discuss his debut novel Bird Deity. John is the winner of the 2020 Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship, and was runner up for the Nakata Brophy prize in 2018. His debut collection, Firelight, won an Aurealis Award and a Queensland Literary award, and in 2024 he was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's best young novelists. He joins me at the Roundtable to discuss the act of writing while everything feels hopeless, how parenthood changes your relationship to the world, and what it's like working as a First Nations author in a colonial society. We go deep into spoiler territory to discuss his novel's titular avian goddess, the challenges of writing a character who lacks direction, and what timeless hallmarks of classic sci-fi he chose to leave on the cutting room floor for the sake of narrative elegance. Hosted and edited by Monte Weir. Original music by Andrew Renganathan Roberts.

Roundtable returns! Host Monte Weir is joined by Australian author Rhett Davis to discuss his latest book, Arborescence. Rhett Davis hails from Geelong and writes fiction that sits somewhere between the real and unreal, often with an irreverent streak. He joins me at the Roundtable to answer questions about masculinity, his writing's space in the literary canon, his relationship to hope, and why his most compelling character is an ageless genderless concept named Voidstar. We dive into full-spoiler territory to uncover what makes Arborescence so beautiful and bittersweet, touching on climate anxiety, grief, and the spectacular joy that can be found in having a shit. Hosted and edited by Monte Weir. Original music by Andrew Renganathan Roberts.

Harvey is joined by Australian debut author Kayla Morton for a chat about Those Who Burn the Brightest, her first published novel. They discuss the ins and outs of the publishing process, industry twitter drama, queerness in fiction and much more. Those Who Burn the Brightest is available for purchase now. What are you waiting for?Hosted by Harvey Weir. Edited by Andrew Nathan Roberts. Original music by Andrew Nathan Roberts.

In this very special episode of Roundtable, Harvey is joined by Arden Baker to interview Australian cyberpunk aficionado, T. R. Napper. Tim Napper is an acclaimed speculative fiction author known for his deeply immersive and thought-provoking science fiction. His writing is infused with a rich understanding of human complexity and global perspectives. We talked to him about his Aurealis-winning novel 36 Streets, his newly-released passion project The Escher Man, and the ins and outs of the industry.

Guest host Arden Baker is joined by Kaz / A. M. Bueman and Ciar to discuss Ann Leckie's 2013 award-winning novel Ancillary Justice, the first in a trilogy of high-concept space opera novels that explore colonialism, gender and consciousness. Listen as we disagree on the book's thematic implications of colonisation, gender and linguistics.Edited by Andrew Nathan Roberts. Original music by Andrew Nathan Roberts.

Harvey is joined by fellow Meridian Australis members Cat and Jason, to discuss their stories The Sierra and The Transmogrification of Ordinary Things, which are featured in the AUSTRAL Anthology. AUSTRAL is the self-published passion project of Meridian Australis, a collection of speculative fiction stories written by young and up-and-coming Melbourne writers.This episode is the second in a series designed to explore the inner workings of Meridian Australis' authors. It is intended to be listened to after you've read the authors' stories.

Harvey is joined by fellow Meridian Australis members Arden and Will, to discuss their stories Canang Sari and Synecdoche, which are featured in the AUSTRAL Anthology. AUSTRAL is the self-published passion project of Meridian Australis, a collection of speculative fiction stories written by young and up-and-coming Melbourne writers. This episode is the first in a series designed to explore the inner workings of Meridian Australis' authors. It is intended to be listened to after you've read the authors' stories.

Harvey is joined by returning guest Eddy to wax poetic on Max Porter's Lanny, a beautiful novel that experiments with structure, form and point of view. We explore the use of magical realism, the melding of modernity and folklore, and the touching empathy present between the pages of this phenomenal text.