Good Weekend Talks

On the cusp of 65, Bonnie Garmus published her debut novel Lessons in Chemistry. It was a global sensation and the copywriter, who had a previous manuscript rejected by publishers 98 times, sold almost 10 million copies and enjoyed being co-executive producer when it was made into an eight-part streaming hit starring Brie Larson.
Today, Garmus talks about her new novel Peck & Peck, which explores – through a delightfully-named young man Batter Gray – the themes of art in a time of pragmatism, and empathy in a world driven by technology intended “to make money, not make what is worthwhile”.
The US-born, now UK-based Garmus also opens up about the importance of poetry, explaining why she reads a new poem every day and how that ritual has changed her. Plus: her 5am starts, the work of writing and rewriting – and beginning anew when everyone believes your time is done.
Today’s conversation is hosted by National Books Editor at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Melanie Kembrey.
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It's not too much of an overstatement to say that for over 30 years, Michael Pollan's books have helped reshape conversations about industrial food systems, animal consciousness and our obligations to other living things.
His new book, A World Appears, is about plant sentience – an immersive exploration of how plants exhibit thinking and memory-like behaviours, respond to physical threats, favour their own species and supply nutrients to struggling neighbouring plants.
In this episode, Pollan discusses compelling new research that argues humans are far from the only living entities exhibiting sentience and indeed, "exquisite" awareness of their environment.
Today’s conversation is hosted by Good Weekend senior writer Greg Callaghan.
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Melbourne-born Suzie Miller's background as a lawyer has influenced the 40-odd plays she has written, many of which feature strong social-justice themes. Best known among those works are the award-winning Prima Facie, which has been staged in Sydney, Melbourne and London, and Inter Alia, which premiered in London last year and opens on Broadway in November.
In Miller's new play, Strong is the New Pretty, she tells the story of the birth of the women's Australian Football League, the AFLW, as it moves from pipe dream to sensation.
In this episode, Miller talks to deputy opinion editor Margot Saville about sport, feminism and the manosphere.
Further reading:
‘Do we want a world that reflects a kind of tech-bro zone? I don’t think so’: Suzie Miller on raising sons
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Australians know Judith Lucy as the comedian with a sardonic wit and no-fear attitude to mining her personal life, from her unconventional upbringing and numerous disastrous relationships, to drinking too much and the indignities of ageing.
For over three decades, life was work for Lucy – until it wasn't. In 2023, she had a burnout, and she's turned her discoveries from that experience into a book about deep exhaustion.
In today's episode, Judith Lucy opens up about what fulfilment means for her, and the special guilt associated with burning out when you are middle-class and middle-aged.
She talks to Good Weekend senior writer Gay Alcorn about everything from ayahuasca ceremonies and faecal transplants to finally asking herself, in her 50s, what she wants her life to look like.
And just a heads-up, this episode contains some strong language.
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At just 19, Alexa Leary was a champion triathlete when she suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in an horrific cycling accident. She wasn't expected to survive the crash, but she beat the odds, learning to walk, talk and live again – even jumping back in the pool with renewed purpose, winning two gold medals and one silver at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. In this episode of Good Weekend Talks, Leary talks to Konrad Marshall about living with traumatic brain injury and dealing with acute memory loss, and also reflects on her life before the accident. Now 25, Leary has released a song, Closer, and a biography – Sink or Swim: Defying the Odds.
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