Bad Diaries Podcast
Diving into the world of diaries – the good, the bad and everything in between.
Writers Jenny Ackland and Tracy Farr are fascinated by diaries: their own and other people’s. They’ve curated more than 20 Bad Diaries Salons across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand since 2017, and now have a podcast to keep the discussion going. Join them as they chat with each other and with some of the nearly 80 authors who have read at Bad Diaries Salons.
Bad Diaries Podcast
S2E6: Claire Mabey
In this episode of Bad Diaries Podcast, Tracy talks with arts festival founder and director, arts events maven, book reviewer, books editor, essayist and novelist Claire Mabey about a life in the arts, the wisdom of teachers, and the transportive power of reading.
Claire’s debut novel, The Raven’s Eye Runaways, was published only two months ago, and is already making its mark, flying out across the book world. Hera Lindsay Bird called it “powerfully atmospheric” and “immersive”; Elizabeth Knox says it’s “sparky and spooky, humorous and luminous”. We dive inside the book, to talk about its origins, its inspirations, the process of writing it.
Claire Mabey co-founded Verb Readers and Writers Festival (initially as LitCrawl), Lōemis festival, and event organising and production outfit Pirate & Queen. More recently, Claire’s taken on the role of Books Editor for The Spinoff. In the podcast, we talk about what it is, what it means, and what it takes to make a life in the arts.
Claire reflects on her diarymaking practice – kickstarted by teacher Lyn Fothergill who encouraged 10-year-old Claire to start keeping a journal; “I started being a writer in her class” – and different ways (increasingly digitised) of diarising a life.
As literary director of Verb festival, Claire first took a chance and booked Bad Diaries Salon for LitCrawl back in 2018, establishing what’s become our longest running festival collaboration – we’ve held Bad Diaries Salon at Meow bar for LitCrawl 6 years in a row, so far, and counting. We’re delighted to embed Claire’s connection with Bad Diaries, by welcoming her to the podcast.
Find full show notes for this episode on the Bad Diaries Salon website baddiariessalon.com, or get in touch via Instagram or Facebook – we're @baddiariessalon everywhere.
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Bad Diaries Podcast is recorded and produced in Naarm Melbourne, Australia, on the lands of the Kulin Nation; and in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, on the iwi lands of Taranaki Whānui, and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. We pay our respects to Mana Whenua, and to Elders past, present and emerging, of these lands.
