The Wheeler Centre

Legendary tech journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher opens up about a lifetime of reporting on Silicon Valley with host Sophie Black.   In a world where tech billionaires operate beyond the reach of government regulation and press scrutiny, Kara Swisher has devoted her career to holding them to account.   Her new memoir Burn Book offers an insider’s history of some of Silicon Valley’s most influential companies, laying bare the utopian ideals and troubling compromises of the people who created them. Here, she discusses her wide-ranging experiences of reporting on the tech industry from boom and bust to global domination and offers a clear-eyed view on how big tech has shaped our lives.   Hear this witty, scathing and frank account from a journalist who has seen the dark inner workings of the industry – and yet remains optimistic about tech's potential to deliver a better and fairer world. Originally presented on Thursday 6 March 2025 by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with RMIT Culture. The official bookseller was Readings. Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trailblazing journalist and proud Gamilaroi woman Brooke Boney opens up like never before in All of It, her powerful debut essay collection. Like many millennial women, Brooke Boney is navigating a society that expects her to chase it all – career, success and personal fulfillment – while doing so under an unforgiving public gaze. In her highly anticipated essay collection, All of It, she reflects on the pressures of life in the spotlight as the first Indigenous host of Australian commercial breakfast television and now as an ambitious scholar striving to inspire others. With honesty and insight, she explores the competing expectations placed on young women today. In conversation with Jacinta Parsons, the charismatic and thought-provoking Boney delves into what drives her sense of purpose and meaning while grappling with the generational impacts of colonisation, love, friendship, fertility and ambition. This event was recorded on Friday 4 April 2025 at The Wheeler Centre.The official bookseller was Readings. Featured music is ‘Golden Hour’ by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the past 20 years, Pankaj Mishra has written incisive studies of a world marked by inequalities and the effects of globalisation. He has traced global histories of fascism, the impacts of rising nationalism and applied an astute lens to the fragility of our democratic institutions.    Now, he sets his expert mind to the war in Gaza.   Garnering praise from the likes of Rashid Khalidi, Naomi Klein and Hisham Matar, Mishra’s latest work, The World After Gaza, reckons with the latest devastating conflict in the Middle East and how the world’s balance of power is shifting. He joins host Antony Loewenstein as they explore the moral and geopolitical ramifications at stake during this polarising historical moment. This event was recorded on Wednesday 26 February 2025 at The Wheeler Centre.The official bookseller was Paperback Bookshop. Featured music is ‘Living in a Fantasy’ by Pulsed.Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this panel discussion journalist Emma Do, A Plus Market founder Sam van Zweden and writer and podcast host Maggie Zhou examine the barriers within the industry and discuss the evolving vision of an inclusive fashion future. Moderated by cultural commentator Sabina McKenna, these fashion experts and enthusiasts explore the most pressing issues in fashion, from size inclusivity and high price points to ethical production and sustainable consumption.  Unboxing the realities of mainstream fashion, they look at who is excluded from the influential industry and why. They challenge norms and seek to reimagine how the industry can better serve everyone. Whether you’re an influencer, trendsetter, social change advocate, or simply a fashion lover, this conversation will be your opportunity to join the dialogue on the future of fashion.  This event was recorded on Saturday 1 March 2025 at The Wheeler Centre. It was  presented as part of the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Independent Programme.Featured music is ‘No One There’ by Ava Low.   About The Wheeler Centre: The Wheeler Centre is where writers, storytellers, thinkers and readers connect through live events, insightful conversations and compelling stories in Melbourne. Subscribe to our platforms or explore our library of talks, podcasts and live events at wheelercentre.com Follow The Wheeler Centre for More: Instagram: /wheelercentre Facebook: /wheelercentre LinkedIn: /the-wheeler-centre Bluesky: /wheelercentre.bsky.socialSupport the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After spending their early years together in conflict zones as foreign correspondents, Geraldine Brooks and partner Tony Horwitz relocated from Australia to the idyllic Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, USA, to raise their children.  The life they built there was one of meaningful work, good humour and tenderness. But all this ended abruptly when, during the spring of 2019, Brooks received a phone call with the news that Horwitz – just 60 years old and, to her knowledge, vigorous and healthy – had collapsed and died on a street in Washington, DC. In the aftermath of this devastating loss, Brooks composed the spare and heartfelt Memorial Days – a portrait of a timeless love between souls that captures the joy, agony and mystery of life. Hear this Pulitzer Prize-winning author in conversation with Jason Steger in the first edition of our Books and Ideas at Montalto series for 2025. Content warning: This conversation contains themes of grief and loss.  This event was presented in partnership with Montalto.It was recorded on Friday 28 February 2025 at Montalto Winery. The official bookseller was Antipodes. Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachel Kushner’s new novel Creation Lake tells the story of Sadie Smith, an American spy-for-hire working in the secretive world of privately contracted surveillance. Tasked with infiltrating a commune of anarchists in rural France, she becomes entranced by a mysterious cult-leader-like figure named Bruno Lacombe who believes that freedom from the pain of the modern condition can only be achieved through a return to the ancient past.  Creation Lake is both a canny homage to French noir and an incisive critique of spy-novel clichés – more than that, it is stylish, witty and audaciously cerebral. Here, the two-time National Book Award finalist and Booker Prize-shortlisted author sits down to discuss this dazzling work of double-crossing, dark humour and dangerous games, with moderator Rebecca Harkins-Cross. This event was recorded on Tuesday March 4th 2025 at The Wheeler Centre. It was supported by RMIT Culture. The official bookseller was Hill of Content. Featured music is ‘Traveling Again’ by Sarah the Illstrumentalist.Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ben Shewry knows obsession well. It’s what has propelled his innovative Melbourne restaurant, Attica, to national and global acclaim. His new memoir-meets-manifesto, Uses for Obsession: A (Chef’s) Memoir, is a reflection on leadership, hospitality and humanity, and an unforgettable look inside the sometimes-brutal world of cheffing.  Shewry joins host Marieke Hardy for this special live episode of Hardy’s podcast, Marieke Hardy is Going to Die. They plan Shewry’s dream funeral and reflect on navigating life’s ebbs and flows: from creative freedom and culinary sustainability to the cult of the chef and cooking as muse. Hear from a restaurateur and a raconteur as they contemplate one of the only certainties in life – that we’re all going to die. Someday.This episode was recorded on Tuesday 15 October 2024 at The Wheeler Centre as part of Spring Fling. The official bookseller was Readings. Produced by Darren Scarce with music by Lord Fascinator. Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die is a podcast made by Marieke Hardy (IG @marieke_hardy). You can follow at IG @GoingToDiePod Whilst acknowledging the privilege that comes with having the space to discuss death and mortality, we want to also recognise that discussing these topics can raise some  wounds. Should you wish to seek extra support, please consider the following resources: https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/online-grief-support-groups https://www.grief.org.au/ga/ga/Support/Support_Groups.aspx https://www.headspace.com/meditation/grief https://www.mindful.org/a-10-minute-guided-meditation-for-working-with-grief/ https://griefline.org.au/get-help/  Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content warning: This episode includes occasional course language. From her childhood in the Australian outback to the heights of her chart-topping international success as a singer-songwriter, country music icon Kasey Chambers has trusted her gut, stuck to her values and learned some hard truths, always while trying to live by the best advice she’s ever received: just don’t be a d**khead.  At this special event at Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, Chambers discusses her new book Just Don’t Be A D**khead (and other profound things I’ve learnt). In this conversation, she shares heartfelt, honest tales, musical experiences and the behind-the-scenes insights she has learned along the way. Kasey also treats the audience to a few live songs during the session. Hosted by Triple R broadcaster Denise Hylands. The event was recorded on Wednesday 9 October 2024 at Geelong Library & Heritage Centre as part of The Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling series. It was presented in partnership with Geelong Regional Libraries.  The official bookseller was Cook & Young.Featured music:“Backbone”, “Not Pretty Enough” and “Ain’t No Little Girl” All tracks by performed by Kasey Chambers and Brandon Dodd, recorded live at Geelong Library & Heritage Centre.Opening track ‘Golden Hour’ by Sarah, the Illstrumentalist.  Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Roxane Gay, the esteemed writer and cultural commentator, as she dives deep into the complexities of public discourse and personal safety. She shares her candid reflections on navigating opinions amid online harassment and societal issues. From evolving perspectives on social injustices to the intricacies of celebrity gossip, Gay's insights challenge norms and advocate for representation. Humor infuses the conversation, making her powerful voice resonate even more as she emphasizes the importance of empathy and the human experience.

National treasure Noni Hazlehurst details her life on stage and screen and takes us behind-the-scenes of a brilliant career.  Noni Hazlehurst’s versatility as a performer knows no bounds. A household name and a beloved actor, she's graced Australian screens and theatre stages for over forty years. From Playschool and Better Homes and Gardens, to Monkey Grip and her acclaimed theatrical career – Hazlehurst has earned her place as an Australian icon.  At this Melbourne-exclusive event, Hazlehurst joins host Elizabeth McCarthy to discuss her long-awaited memoir, Dropping the Mask, which celebrates a life and career that are both ordinary and extraordinary – and all class.  This event was recorded on Thursday 10 October 2024 at The Capitol as part of The Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling series. It was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture. The official bookseller was Readings. Featured music is ‘Different Days’ by Chill Cole.  Support the Wheeler Centre: https://www.wheelercentre.com/support-us/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.