Conversations

Novelist Emma Pei Yin ran away from Hong Kong as a teenager to start fresh in Australia. But she found herself repeatedly drawn back home whenever she put pen to paper.
Emma grew up in England and Hong Kong. But her life in Hong Kong wasn’t so much about the neon skyscrapers as it was about her family’s ancestral village, tucked away in the New Territories.
Emma spent her school holidays there with her grandparents, learning how to take care of the family cemetery and joining in Chinese Festivals.
Sometimes her grandfather would share his memories of the Second World War, when the Japanese military invaded and occupied Hong Kong.
As Emma became into a teenager, her relationship with her parents deteriorated. She eventually decided to leave them and Hong Kong, coming to Australia to make a life for herself as a writer.
But whenever she wrote, Emma found herself drawn back to Hong Kong; to the hundreds of islands, the fishing villages on stilts, the mountains, woodlands and beaches – all the things that tourists who think of Hong Kong as a city of neon lights and free Wi-fi don’t know about.
Content warning: This episode of Conversations contains discussion about sexual assault.
Further information
When Sleeping Women Wake is published by Hachette.
Help and support is always available. You can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris and first broadcast in 2025, the executive producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores family dynamics, multiculturalism, China, Hong Kong, modern history, writing, books, literature, historical fiction, Japanese occupation, World War 2, assault, victim-blaming, abortion, filmmaking, black sheep, family honour, London, forgiveness.

Writer Cynthia Banham on discovering the shocking truth about her great-grandmother, reckoning with buried family secrets, and the criticisms mothers face from others and sometimes most harshly, from themselves.
Cynthia Banham grew up hearing the story of her great-grandmother, Natalina, who had supposedly been orphaned in Italy in the 19th century.
But when Cynthia became a mother herself she felt compelled to look for the real story of her maternal line, which suddenly stopped three generations back.
What she found shocked her -- a period of time when infant relinquishment was so common, the era became known as the 'century of foundlings', and her great-grandmother was one of them.
She had not been orphaned, as the family thought, but abandoned by a nameless mother.
Cynthia took off to Bologna, Italy with her own young family in tow to find the truth. Along the way she uncovered the stories of 'bastardini' (a home for bastards), literate midwives, epigenetics and possible incest.
Cynthia also stood in the house where Natalina was born, and came to terms with her own harsh judgement of herself as a mother.
Mother Shadow is published by Upswell.
Richard also spoke to Cynthia in 2023 about surviving the 2007 Garuda plane disaster in Indonesia.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores ancestry, epigenetics, anthropology, family history, writing, books, orphans, adoption, child abandonment, truth, journalism, parenting with a disability, mothers in wheelchairs, self confidence as a mother, self criticism as a mother, marriage, love, mothers and sons, school communities, Indonesia, Garuda Indonesia Flight 200, memoir, modern history, travel, family bonding, wild gardening.

Toxic people are around us in our workplaces, our families and our dating lives. Research psychologist Leanne ten Brinke is here to tell you how to spot them, and get rid of them from your orbit.
Leanne ten Brinke is a research psychologist whose special area of expertise is what she calls 'dark personality types'.
These are particularly cruel, malicious, manipulative people who lack empathy, people who are psychopaths, narcissists or sadists.
Psychologists estimate than one per cent of any population shows serious levels of psychopathy.
They walk among us in our workplaces and in our relationships, they could be an gaslighting partner, a narcissistic parent or a colleague who's a bully.
There are also more serious cases, like abusive husbands or murderous mothers.
Leanne also makes the point that any one of us is capable of losing our moral bearings or enabling malicious people by cheering them on, hiring them or voting them into office.
But there are ways to resist them, and make your own life the better for it.
Poisonous People: psychopathy, narcissism, manipulation, sadism: how to resist them and improve your life is published by Simon & Schuster Australia.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores toxic relationships, is my partner a narcissist, what to do about my narcissist mother, what to do about my toxic boss, how many psychopaths are there, sadism, serial killers, morality, amorality, Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, sociopath, Patric Gagne, anti-social personality disorders, thriller, scammers, dating world, escaping abuse, peaceful living, finding peace.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Born with a magnificent voice, Opera star Teddy Tahu Rhodes fought against his destiny for years until a letter he'd been avoiding reading changed everything (R)

Dr Nada Andric wants to improve the health of people who are marginalised in the community and their access to healthcare.
She works at the Reverend Bill Crews GP clinic, a place where people who might be completely off the database of society can get help.
Whether they're facing homelessness, dealing with mental health issues, addiction, or simply don't have a Medicare card or passport to their name. 
This year, the clinic in the Sydney suburb of Ashfield turns 40.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Alice Moldovan, the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores health care, addiction, homelessness, poverty, doctors, domestic violence, mental health, society, Reverend Bill Crews.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.