In the SALOON with Luke Johnson and Michelle Hamadache

In our latest 'In the SALOON with…', host Jane Messer talks with writers Luke Johnson and Michelle Hamadache. We delve into their two short stories, their creative processes, challenges and the pleasures of writing, and what literary journals do for Australian writers and culture.

Listen to both short stories in Eps 22 and 23 at StorySALOON.

Luke Johnson is the author of the short-story collection Ferocious Animals (Recent Works Press) which takes its title from today’s short story, and an acclaimed poetry collection titled Kangaroo Unbound (Puncher & Wattman). He has won or been listed for numerous national prizes over his writing life, including the Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. Johnson is incoming fiction editor at Southerly journal.

Michelle Hamadache is a writer of short stories, essays and reviews, with publications in Australian, British and US journals. She’s had short stories long listed for the Elizabeth Jolley and short-listed for the Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize. Michelle is also a lecturer in creative writing at Macquarie University and has been a fiction editor with the journals Southerly and Mascara Literary Review.

The two journals mentioned in this episode are Southerly literary magazine and Mascara Literary Review. The Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize is administered by Australian Book Review, and the Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize is managed in association with Overland literary journal.

StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠ www.storysaloon.com.au
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StorySALOON acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first storytellers of this land. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, as we create, perform and listen on unceded Gadigal land.