In this spirited discussion, three critics—Max Easton, Eda Gunaydin, and Lucy Van—join Sydney Review of Books editor, James Jiang, to explore the evolving role of the critic. Together, they delve into how they each came to criticism, the influences that shaped their voices, the ethics and implications of writing negative reviews, and whether we are truly living in a post-literate culture.This episode was recorded live as part of the Parramatta Lit Festival, held within the Sydney Fringe Festival on 6 September 2025 at Western Sydney University – Parramatta City Campus.Host: James Jiang — Editor, Sydney Review of BooksPanelists: Max Easton, Eda Gunaydin, Lucy VanRecording Engineer: Sevan Dermelkonian
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13. Surveying the scene: poet tasting, poet eating and poetry criticism today
Poetry month has been and gone, but we have plenty more to say about poetry and poetry criticism!So we're bringing you a 2024 episode of 'Poetry Says,' wherein host Alice Allan reflects on Ben Etherington's 2015 essay 'The Poet Tasters' - a forensic and statistical critique of Australian poetry that brought Alice's career as a poetry reviewer to an abrupt stop. What kind of critical culture do you get when most critics are also poets? And how can the reviewer not break out into a cold sweat when appraising the work of friends and colleagues?FeaturingAlice Allan is a Melbourne writer and editor who brought her show, 'Poetry Says' to a close earlier this year, with its 300th episode. Further reading and listeningRead 'The Poet Tasters', Ben Etherington's 2015 essay in the Sydney Review of Books, Then read 'The Poet Eaters' - Alice Allan and James Jiang on poetry reviewing ten years after ‘The Poet Tasters.’'Poetry Says' was published from 2016 to early 2025.CreditsRegina Botros - producerSarah Gilbert and James Jiang - executive producersFully Lit is brought to you by UTS Impact Studios and the Sydney Review of Books.
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12. Fully Lit Live: The Poet in the Public Arena
Hear what poet and critic Sarah Holland-Batt has to say about Australia's as-yet-uncrowned Poet Laureate. She takes a close look at the tradition and explores poetry's relationship to power, highlighting the potential pitfalls and possible benefits of such a figure. Can a poet laureate bring poetry back in Australia, where it's long been an afterthought for cultural policymakers? How might such a person engage our politics? And can we (shall we?) build the infrastructure to support poetic careers—not just poetic moments? And, most urgently, how long will it take before someone dubs the be-laureled bard Australia's Poet Lorikeet?Further readingFor the written version of this address, see The Poet in the Public Arena by Sarah Holland-Batt, published in Sydney Review of Books. To learn more about her work, visit Sarah Holland-Batt. CREDITSFully Lit is brought to you by UTS Impact Studios, the Sydney Review of Books and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program. Executive producers, Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang. Producer Regina Botros.
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11. Fully Lit live: sound and fury as we talk podcasting in the pub
This special edition of Fully Lit Live was recorded at the Abercrombie Hotel in Sydney, on beautiful Gadigal land. It was a night of celebration, conversation, and creative sparks, as we launched the podcast with a vibrant discussion on the power of audio as a medium for literary criticism - one where the critique is embodied, voiced and felt, and built in conversation with one another and with you, our listeners, in mind. Sophie Gee of the Secret Life of Books was there to host a conversation with Lynda Ng and Ben Etherington, then Delia Falconer, of the UTS Writing and Publishing Program, introduced our friendly crowd to Eda Gunaydin, the 2025 UTS-Copyright Agency writer in residence. Then we ate cake!Further readingEda Gunaydin is the author of Root and Branch (2022, New South), a collection of essays. You can read many of her published essays via her website. You can find Eileen Chong's poem, 'We Speak of Flowers,' about launching a book here, thanks to Kill Your Darlings. CreditsThis live event was recorded by Simon Branthwaite, who also did sound design on this episode. Fully Lit is an Impact Studios podcast, made in collaboration with the Sydney Review of Books. Its producer is Regina Botros. Executive producers are Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang.
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10. Blackfella Book Club on Firefront
On this episode Teela Reid and Merinda Dutton, the co-founders of Blackfulla Bookclub, talk about the online community they’ve built around First Nations storytelling and discuss their experiences of reading Fire Front, an anthology of poetry and essays curated by Alison Whittaker. It’s about seeing, and hearing, and reading the world through powerful First Nations perspectives. Listen up. We are republishing this episode from the Sydney Review of Books' very first podcast season, to mark this month's NAIDOC week celebrations. * Please note that this episode contains names and references to deceased persons* You can find Blackfulla Bookclub on Instagram @blackfulla_bookclub Merinda Dutton is on Twitter and Instagram @min_dutton Teela Reid is on Twitter and Instagram @teelareid Fire Front: First Nations poetry And Power Today was curated by Alison Whittaker and published by UQP. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we work, the Burramattagal people of the Darug nation and the Gadigal people of the Eora nation We pay our respects to elders past, present, and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded, and the struggles for justice are ongoing. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands this digital platform reaches.Fully Lit is brought to you by UTS Impact Studios, the Sydney Review of Books and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program.
What is Australian literature today? How does it connect to its roots in our recent and ancient pasts? And where is it headed?
Welcome, or welcome back, to the Sydney Review of Books podcast - now known as Fully Lit: a podcast about Australian writing, presented by Anna Funder.
Over eight episodes, you'll hear from John Kinsella, Nicholas Jose, Jeanine Leane, Anita Heiss and other luminaries of Australian letters as they dissect the work of Alexis Wright, Peter Carey, Patrick White, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Christina Stead and many more.
Fully Lit is brought to you by the Sydney Review of Books, Impact Studios, and the UTS Writing and Publishing program.
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