Benjamin Law

Costa Georgiades gives his recommendations.

John Howard? Benjamin Law.

Yeah, delve into the socials.

Have a look for Top 100 Australian Books as an initiative by Radio National and vote.

Executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

I'm Benjamin Law.

Thanks for listening.

[outro music] You've been listening to a podcast of Conversations.

And very sad I didn't have is Facebook, because if I had Facebook, I would have had an immediate audience.

I would have written, oh, you know, my sister peed her nappy three times again, angry face, and I would have got some likes because I had friends.

You know,

maybe if the timing had been different, you would have become a famous blogger or...

But then I edited Growing Up Asian in Australia and that – brought out all these wonderful Asian Australian authors and entertainers and songwriters, you know, a whole spectrum of people that other people could ask.

And so, you know, that gave me a lot of solidarity.

And I'm friends with many of the authors.

Still, but it also relieved the pressure on me to be the only Asian Australian author writing books at that time.

And her new play, Strong Is The New Pretty, about the birth of the AFL Women's League, will premiere in Brisbane from next week before traveling to Canberra, Sydney, and Geelong, which I'm getting along to that one for.

They're joined in conversation by someone else who's worked across multiple mediums, broadcaster, writer for screen, stage, and print, Benjamin Law.

Now, the session today is called Great Adaptations.

[laughs]

So I suppose that was the first of the moments when I thought, "Actually, something is, is happening."

And happen it did, as Mick Herron went on to become a best-selling author with a critically acclaimed hit TV show, Slow Horses.

Today on Big Ideas, he joins playwright, screenwriter, and novelist Suzie Miller and Benjamin Law.

[upbeat music] Natasha Mitchell coming to you across the nation on ABC Radio National and ABC Listen or wherever you hear your podcasts.