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Zeynab Gamieldien on 'Learned Behaviours'
In the final episode of Booksmart for the year, Soaliha Iqbal sits down with acclaimed writer Zeynab Gamieldien to unpack her powerful new novel, Learned Behaviours. A gripping literary mystery set between western Sydney and the sharply stratified world of the legal profession, the novel follows Zaid Saban: a young man on the cusp of becoming a barrister, whose carefully curated life is disrupted when the past resurfaces in the form of his former best friend’s diary.As Zaid and Amira, the sister of his childhood friend Hass, attempt to unravel what really happened the year Hass was arrested for murder, Learned Behaviours becomes a deeply moving exploration of guilt, innocence, privilege, belonging and the quiet violences we carry long after we’ve left home.In this chat, Soaliha and Zeynab dive into the novel’s big questions: What does it mean to grow up between worlds? How does class shape the stories we tell about ourselves? And how can crime fiction be a tool for exposing injustice rather than reinforcing stereotypes? They discuss Zeynab’s process for writing place with nuance, the emotional weight of returning to western Sydney on the page, and why this story resonates so profoundly with readers who have walked similar paths.With praise from critics calling the novel “a warm-hearted analysis of human nature,” “compelling and pacy,” and “a clear-eyed exploration of injustice and belonging,” this is a conversation that goes beyond the page: into craft, community, and the inherited narratives that shape who we become. We say this about every ep...but it's one not to be missed!!
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In conversation with award-winning author Dylin Hardcastle
In this week’s episode of Booksmart, host Soaliha Iqbal sits down with award-winning author, artist, and screenwriter Dylin Hardcastle - the creative force behind Below Deck, Breathing Underwater, Running Like China, and the critically acclaimed A Language of Limbs, winner of the 2023 Kathleen Mitchell Award and longlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize (casually). Together, they dive deep into the making of A Language of Limbs - a sweeping, dual-perspective novel set across three decades, following two unnamed protagonists whose lives almost touch, collide, and diverge. Dylin shares how the novel’s distinctive structure emerged, why they played with form (from fragmented vignettes to poetic passages and the absence of quotation marks), and the ways their own queer and trans embodiment shaped the book’s language, texture, and emotional core.Soaliha and Dylin also unpack the novel’s central focus: chosen family; the intimacy of sex as character development; the dance between pleasure and pain; and the intergenerational grief, rage, resilience, and joy of queer communities from the 1970s through the AIDS crisis to now. Dylin reflects on the responsibility of writing towards history with tenderness and accuracy, the surprising generational differences in how readers respond to depictions of violence and trauma, and why joy had to sit alongside devastation.They also explore the fascinating evolution of the book’s cover (including the story behind the now-iconic photograph), how A Language of Limbs was optioned for television before publication (!!!), and how the adaptation expands the book's universe. ALSO - be sure to listen to the whole ep as Dylin offers an early glimpse into their next novel!
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Mona Awad on her (iconic) 'Bunny' series
In this episode of Booksmart, Soaliha sits down with internationally acclaimed author Mona Awad to dive into the world of her cult classic Bunny and its highly anticipated sequel, We Love You, Bunny, that has just been released (get your copy STAT!)ICYMI: first published in 2019, Bunny became an instant literary sensation -named a Best Book of the Year by TIME, Vogue, and the New York Public Library - and was hailed by the one-and-only Margaret Atwood as “very funny, kind of horrifying and quite far outside the lines.” A darkly satirical blend of gothic fairy tale, campus horror, and metafiction, the novel follows Samantha Mackey, a scholarship student at a prestigious New England MFA program who falls under the thrall of a hyperfeminine clique known as “the Bunnies.” Behind their pastel sweetness lies a nightmarish secret: occult “drafting parties” that blur the lines between art, desire, and monstrosity.Now, six years later, Awad has returned with We Love You, Bunny: a book that is both sequel and prequel, expanding the Bunnyverse to reveal the origin story of the Bunnies and their terrifying creature, Aerius, while following Samantha in the aftermath of her initiation. Longlisted for the Giller Prize and already optioned for screen adaptation (can't wait for the movie!), the novel doubles down on the surreal, self-referential humour and horror that made the OG Bunny novel a phenomenon.This episode is a must-listen - let us know what you think!
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Randa Abdel-Fattah on 'Discipline'
In this episode of Booksmart, Randa Abdel-Fattah sits down with Soaliha for a powerful conversation that spans her brand-new novel Discipline, the controversies rocking Australia’s literary scene, and the realities of racism and resistance today across the country and beyond. Together, they unpack Randa’s decision to speak out against the Bendigo Writers Festival - where more than 50 writers and hosts withdrew in solidarity after a restrictive code of conduct was sent just days before the event, that authors said silenced people from speaking out and criticising Israel. Randa and Soaliha also discuss the so-called “March for Australia” rally and what it reveals about race, identity, and public discourse in this country.At the heart of the conversation is Randa’s new book Discipline. Set in Sydney during May 2021, it follows Ashraf, an academic in freefall, and Hannah, a young journalist grappling with racism in the newsroom and the demands of new motherhood. As Israel’s bombardment of Gaza intensifies during Ramadan, both are forced to reckon with their choices, values, and silences. With its sharp focus on academia and the media, Discipline asks what we’re willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of justice.Randa is also an ARC Future Fellow at Macquarie University, a lawyer, and the award-winning author of twelve books for children and young adults, translated into more than thirteen languages. Her writing and research centre Islamophobia, race, Palestine, youth identities and activism, and her work has been recognised by awards including the Stella Prize, the NSW and Victorian Premiers’ Literary Awards, and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award.We hope this Booksmart episode will leave you thinking differently about literature, politics, and the responsibility of those with a platform to speak (and go and grab a copy of the book while you're at it!).
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Natalia Figueroa Barroso on 'Hailstones Fell Without Rain'
In this week's episode of Booksmart, Soaliha Iqbal sits down with writer Natalia Figueroa Barroso to talk about her extraordinary debut novel Hailstones Fell without Rain.Of Uruguayan descent with Charrúa, Yoruba and Iberian origins, Natalia was born on Dharug Ngura and raised between her birthland and her homeland. A member of Sweatshop Literacy Movement (who we are huge fans of too!), her essays, poems and short stories have been widely published across Meanjin, Overland, Red Room Poetry, Griffith Review and more.Hailstones Fell without Rain is a semi-autobiographical, multi-generational work of fiction that’s pacy, funny, wise and deeply moving. For fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Angie Cruz, it’s a novel that explores heritage, family, belonging and identity through sharply drawn, unforgettable characters.Natalia unpacks the intersections of culture, storytelling and self-discovery, and what it means to write a debut that’s both deeply personal and powerfully universal. Now run, don't walk, and grab your copy!
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