Wendy Harmer has spent decades shaping Australian comedy, journalism and media, from the newsroom floor to the stand-up stage, from comedy to breakfast radio and the ABC.

In this episode, Wendy talks about growing up in country Victoria, building resilience through childhood adversity, becoming one of the first female reporters at the Geelong Advertiser.

Wendy reflects on the golden age of Australian live comedy, the discipline of breakfast radio, and why words, writing and curiosity remain central to her happiness. Along the way, she shares sharp stories about newsrooms, hecklers, feminism, fish, fatherhood, and how hard beginning turn into a generous life.

As part of the ANU Meet the Author series, I interviewed Anna Goldsworthy on stage about her new Quarterly Essay, “The God We Made. The Threat and Promise of Artificial Intelligence”.

Martin McKenzie-Murray is The Saturday Paper's associate editor, staff writer for The Monthly, a two-time Walkley finalist and winner of the Melbourne Press Club's Quill Award for commentary.

He has worked as a teacher, speechwriter, columnist for The Age and adviser to the chief commissioner of Victoria Police. His first book, A Murder Without Motive, was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Awards for crime writing. His second, The Speechwriter, won the Russell Prize for Humour Writing.

In this episode, I chat with Martin about his latest book, Sirens: Inside the Shadow World of First Responders.