We wrap up our year in podcasting, talk about our highlights and get excited about the fact that we do indeed have SEASON 4 coming to you in 2021! Our incredible Agony Aunt, Charlotte Wood counsels a listener who wants to know if it’s too late for them to ’emerge’ and she recommends a couple of useful resources:
A Vapour Trail Across the Sun by Vicki Leavau Harvie
The Live Sentence with Charlotte Wood and Tegan Bennett Daylight
Then Kate speaks with long time wishlist guest Maxine Beneba Clarke.
Maxine Beneba Clarke is a widely published Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent. Maxine’s short fiction, non-fiction and poetry have been published in Overland, The Age, Meanjin, The Saturday Paper and The Big Issue. Her critically acclaimed short fiction collection Foreign Soil won the ABIA for Literary Fiction Book of the Year 2015 and the 2015 Indie Book Award for Debut Fiction, and was shortlisted for numerous awards. Maxine has published three poetry collections including the prize winning Carrying the World and her memoir The Hate Race was also critically acclaimed. The Patchwork Bike, Maxine’s first picture book with Van T. Rudd was a CBCA Honour Book for 2017. Her latest picture book is When We Say Black Lives Matter, out now in Australia and in the UK and US in 2021.
Their conversation covers:
- slam poetry
- being the Poet Laureate for The Saturday Paper
- making boundaries around work
- creative routines
- the inspiration behind When We Say Black Lives Matter
- how the creative process of illustration differs from writing
- Twitter and why she stays (and thank heavens she does)
Maxine’s advice:
While her instinct is to say ‘Just keep going, keep pushing on’, Maxine shares an anecdote about why sometimes, your work isn’t ready.
‘Don’t be precious about time to write.’
‘Don’t be overwhelmed by the task.’
Maxine recommends:
Karen Wyld’s Where The Fruit Falls (and you can hear our conversation with Karen Wyld in this episode)
Follow Maxine Beneba Clarke on Twitter and make sure you add her latest book When We Say Black Lives Matter to your Christmas book wishlist.
The First Time podcast 