
The Garret: Writing & Publishing
The Garret: Writers and Publishing is a podcast for lovers of books and storytelling, hosted by Astrid Edwards.
Listen to Australia’s greatest writers and storytellers speak about their craft, including Tony Birch, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Trent Dalton, Michelle de Kretser, Richard Fidler, Richard Flanagan, Jane Harper, Anita Heiss, Ben Law, John Marsden, Dervla McTiernan, Scott Pape, Leigh Sales, Christos Tsolkas, Tara June Winch, Charlotte Wood, Alexis Wright, as well as many more.
Founded in 2017, it was dedicated to Australian writers and their craft. In 2023, it expanded focus to interview industry figures about what gets published (and why).
The podcast surpassed 610,000 downloads, and every interview is archived in AusLit, the definitive resource for Australian literary, print, and narrative cultures.
The Garret is on hold as Astrid completes her PhD investigating the environmental responsibility of the Australian book publishing industry.
You can follow our host Astrid Edwards at astridedwards.com.
Latest episodes

Oct 27, 2021 • 27min
Ep 198: At home with Jennifer Down
Jennifer Down is a highly awarded writer, named a Sydney Morning Herald Young Novelist of the Year consecutively in 2017 and 2018. Her third long form work is 2021's Bodies of Light. Our Magic Hour, her debut novel, was shortlisted for the 2014 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript. Her second book, Pulse Points, was the winner of the 2018 Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction and the 2018 Steele Rudd Award for a Short Story Collection in the Queensland Literary Awards, and was shortlisted for a 2018 NSW Premier’s Literary Award. About The Garret Follow The Garret: Writing and Publishing and our host Astrid Edwards on Instagram. Explore our back catalogue (and transcripts) at thegarretpodcast.com.Support the show: https://linktr.ee/garretpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 13, 2021 • 28min
Ep 197: At home with Emily Bitto
Emily Bitto is a Melbourne-based writer of fiction, poetry and non-fiction. Her debut novel, 'The Strays', was the winner of the 2015 Stella Prize, and in 2021 she released her second novel, 'Wild Abandon'. Her fiction, poetry and non-fiction has appeared in various publications, including Meanjin, The Age, the Monthly, the Saturday Paper, The Big Issue, and The Sydney Morning Herald. She is also the co-owner of Carlton wine bar Heartattack and Vine. About The Garret Follow The Garret: Writing and Publishing and our host Astrid Edwards on Instagram. Explore our back catalogue (and transcripts) at thegarretpodcast.com.Support the show: https://linktr.ee/garretpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 6, 2021 • 28min
Ep 196: At home with Andy Jackson
Andy Jackson is a poet of compassion and intellect. His 2021 collection, 'Human Looking', explores the voices of the disabled and ill with tenderness and love. Andy's first collection, 'Among the Regulars', was shortlisted for the 2011 Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, and his 2020 collection 'Music Our Bodies Can’t Hold' was shortlisted for the John Bray Poetry Award. Andy has featured at literary events and arts festivals in Ireland, India, the USA and across Australia, and has co-edited disability-themed issues of the literary journals Southerly and Australian Poetry Journal. He works as a creative writing teacher and tutor for community organisations and universities. About The Garret Follow The Garret: Writing and Publishing and our host Astrid Edwards on Instagram. Explore our back catalogue (and transcripts) at thegarretpodcast.com.Support the show: https://linktr.ee/garretpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 29, 2021 • 30min
Ep 195: At home with Charlotte Wood
Charlotte Wood is the award-winning and acclaimed author of six novels, a collection of interviews and a book about cooking. She has won the Stella Prize, the Prime Minister's Literary Award, the Indie Book of the Year, and most recently the ABIA for Literary Fiction. This interview explores her 2021 work of non-fiction, The Luminous Solution: Creativity, Resilience and the Inner Life. Charlotte has appeared on The Garret before, once exploring her most famous work, The Natural Way of Things, and again discussing her novel, The Weekend. About The Garret Follow The Garret: Writing and Publishing and our host Astrid Edwards on Instagram. Explore our back catalogue (and transcripts) at thegarretpodcast.com.Support the show: https://linktr.ee/garretpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 22, 2021 • 26min
Ep 194: Bookselling with Louise Ryan
Louise Ryan has been working in the Melbourne Publishing industry for 32 years, ten years at Readings and 22 in publishing houses Allen & Unwin and Penguin Random House. A recent recipient of the George Robertson Award for distinguished service in the publishing industry, she is now the manager of Readings flagship Carlton store. She serves on the Board of Melbourne Writers Festival, and is the co-author of Twins: A Practical and Emotional Guide to Parenting Twins. About The Garret Follow The Garret: Writing and Publishing and our host Astrid Edwards on Instagram. Explore our back catalogue (and transcripts) at thegarretpodcast.com.Support the show: https://linktr.ee/garretpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 19, 2021 • 26min
Ep 193: At home with Winnie Dunn
Winnie Dunn is a writer of Tongan descent from Mount Druitt. She is the general manager of Sweatshop Literacy Movement and the editor of several critically acclaimed anthologies, including Sweatshop Women, which is Australia’s first and only publication produced entirely by women of colour. Her work has been published in the Sydney Review of Books, The Saturday Paper, Griffith Review, Meanjin, SBS Voices, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Southerly and Cordite. About The Garret Follow The Garret: Writing and Publishing and our host Astrid Edwards on Instagram. Explore our back catalogue (and transcripts) at thegarretpodcast.com.Support the show: https://linktr.ee/garretpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 14, 2021 • 35min
Ep 192: At home with Jay Kristoff
Jay Kristoff has such a devoted audience his readers tattoo his characters on their own bodies. Jay writes fantasy, science fiction and YA, and his work repeatedly makes it to the New York Times bestseller list. Jay's latest book is 'Empire of the Vampire', the first in a trilogy that our host Astrid has been waiting for since she was 13 and read Anne Rice's 'Interview with the Vampire'. Jay has appeared on The Garret before to discuss 'The Nevernight Chronicles', and also at a live event with Amie Kaufman, his regular YA writing partner. About The Garret Follow The Garret: Writing and Publishing and our host Astrid Edwards on Instagram. Explore our back catalogue (and transcripts) at thegarretpodcast.com.Support the show: https://linktr.ee/garretpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 10, 2021 • 23min
Ep 191: On the road with Claire G. Coleman
Claire G. Coleman is a Noongar woman whose family have belonged to the south coast of Western Australia since long before history started being recorded. She writes fiction, essays, poetry and art writing while either living in Naarm (Melbourne) or on the road. In 2021 she released her first work of non-fiction, Lies, Damned Lies: A personal exploration of the impact of colonisation. During an extended circuit of the continent she wrote a novel, Terra Nullius: A Novel, which won the black&write! Indigenous Writing Fellowship and was listed for eight awards including a shortlisting for The Stella Prize. Her second novel was The Old Lie, and her third, Enclave, will hopefully be released in 2022. Claire has appeared on The Garret twice before - talking about Terra Nullius: A Novel, and at a live event at the 2019 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Indonesia. NOTE: Claire was on the road due to the pandemic when we recorded this interview, and the sound quality is not at our usual standard. We recommend reading the transcript whilst listening to the interview. About The Garret Follow The Garret: Writing and Publishing and our host Astrid Edwards on Instagram. Explore our back catalogue (and transcripts) at thegarretpodcast.com.Support the show: https://linktr.ee/garretpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 3, 2021 • 31min
Ep 190: At home with Lucia Osborne-Crowley
Lucia Osborne-Crowley is a journalist, essayist, writer, and legal researcher. Her debut was the 2020 memoir 'I Choose Elena', a work she has followed up in 2021 with 'My Body Keeps Your Secrets'. Her news reporting has appeared in ABC News, Guardian, Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Women's Agenda. Her long-form writing has appeared in The Lifted Brow and Meanjin. About The Garret Follow The Garret: Writing and Publishing and our host Astrid Edwards on Instagram. Explore our back catalogue (and transcripts) at thegarretpodcast.com.Support the show: https://linktr.ee/garretpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 1, 2021 • 29min
Ep 189: At home with Yves Rees
Dr Yves Rees is a Lecturer in History at La Trobe University and co-host of Archive Fever. Rees was awarded the 2020 Calibre Essay Prize for their essay 'Reading the Mess Backwards' and 'All About Yves' is their memoir and debut. Rees has a regular history segment on ABC Radio Melbourne and their writing has featured in the Sydney Review of Books, The Age, Archer magazine, Guardian Australia, Overland, Meanjin, Junkee, Australian Book Review and The Conversation. Rees is trans and uses they/them pronouns. They are the co-founder of the Spilling the T transgender writing collective and volunteer with Transgender Victoria. About The Garret Follow The Garret: Writing and Publishing and our host Astrid Edwards on Instagram. Explore our back catalogue (and transcripts) at thegarretpodcast.com.Support the show: https://linktr.ee/garretpodcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.