In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Professor Clare Wright OAM chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about Näku Dhäruk The Bark Petitions: How the People of Yirrkala Changed the Course of Australian Democracy. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Clare Wright’s deep 15-year cultural integration with the Yolŋu community in North-East Arnhem Land enabled her to write The Bark Petitions collaboratively and authentically from a First Nation’s perspective. The four Bark Petitions were created by Yolŋu Elders in 1963 as a form of diplomacy between two sovereign nations. The Yolŋu Elders were protesting bauxite mining on sacred lands without their consent. The Bark Petitions reframes the petitions as a manifestation of Yolŋu law and territorial rights, revealing a sophisticated legal system governing land, kinship and governance that predates and rivals European colonial systems. Wright positions The Bark Petitions as Australian political history with Indigenous perspectives restored. The Bark Petitions transcends a classic object biography. Instead, it’s a hybrid of cultural storytelling, sacred stories, oral history, narrative history, political activism and a powerful account of sovereignty and resistance. The Bark Petitions employs a kaleidoscopic, non-linear narrative structure. Wright deliberately gives the final voice to a contemporary Yolŋu woman, emphasising that Indigenous people are living storytellers shaping ongoing national conversations and positioning the Bark Petitions as an eternal flame of resistance and knowledge.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation’s special summer season, multi-award-winning broadcaster, composer and author Andrew Ford AOM chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his latest book, The Shortest History of Music. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Andrew Ford explains how he balanced brevity and intellectual depth while crafting a 200-page book spanning 4,000 years of musical history How he synthesised a multiplicity of musical traditions and cultures into a seamless narrative How he balanced historical accuracy with masterful storytelling Why he examined music from multiple angles: Its fundamental impulses; the impact of notation; music as a profession and commodity; the concept of modernism and the revolutionary effects of recording technology How he skilfully weaved history, culture and personal insight into a tapestry that celebrates music in all its forms.

In this first episode of Biographers in Conversation’s special summer season, the distinguished British biographer Oliver Soden chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting Jeoffry: The Poet’s Cat. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: How Virginia Woolf’s Flush: A Biography, the imaginative biography of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s cocker spaniel, influenced Oliver Soden’s choices while crafting The Poet’s Cat How Oliver cleverly used Jeoffry as a lens through which to explore Christopher Smart’s character, personality and often troubled life How Oliver retraced Jeoffry’s and Christopher Smart’s real and imagined footsteps in 18th-century London, discovering its vibrant cast of characters such as King George, the composer Handel and Samuel Johnson, one of the towering figures of British literature How Oliver balanced fact and fiction given his admission that ‘the dividing line between fact and fiction is necessarily wobbly’ in The Poet’s Cat, and ‘sometimes one is disguised as the other’ How Oliver accessed Jeoffry’s interior life and inner monologue, enabling him to write from the perspective of an 18th-century alley cat How Oliver shifted from the traditional, scholarly tone and narrative style of his biographies of the composer Michael Tippett and playwright Noël Coward to the whimsical, witty, affectionate and playful style of The Poet’s Cat How Oliver balanced the lightheartedness of Jeoffry’s antics with the book’s deeper philosophical themes.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, pychotherapist, university lecturer and author Josie McSkimming, chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about Gutsy Girls: Love, Poetry and Sisterhood. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Why Gutsy Girls began as a 180,000-word biography of the poet Dorothy Porter, though later transformed into a hybrid of memoir, biography and family history. Why Gutsy Girls is a pioneering work placing sibling relationships at the centre of the narrative. Why Josie waited until both her parents had died before publishing.  Why Josie shaped the 19 chapters of Gutsy Girls to mirror Dorothy Porter’s published and unpublished works chronologically, from her childhood creation ‘My Pocket Book of Prayer’ (spelled P-O-K-E-T), through to her acclaimed verse novels, including The Monkey’s Mask. Why Josie chose the title Gutsy Girls. How Josie found her own authentic voice beyond religious constraints, while honouring the strength of all three sisters who had to forge paths beyond childhood trauma and family expectations.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, biographer and veteran journalist, Helen Trinca, chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about Looking for Elizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth Harrower. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Helen Trinca’s quest was to discover why the author Elizabeth Harrower stopped writing at the height of her powers. How Elizabeth was rediscovered when Text Publishing republished her novels in 2012, bringing her far greater fame in her 80s than during her original writing career.​ How Harrower’s traumatic childhood profoundly shaped her novels. Elizabeth’s novels explore power dynamics, psychological abuse and relationships with spare, modern prose that resonates with contemporary readers.​ Elizabeth’s crafted spare, psychologically astute observations about how power operates within relationships, from the tiniest gestures to systematic control. These themes speak directly to contemporary concerns about authoritarianism both in personal relationships and in wider society. Why Trinca chose a conventional chronological structure, gradually revealing connections between Harrower's life and her intensely autobiographical novels. How Harrower’s legacy lies in her relentless search for life’s deeper meaning.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr Drusilla Modjeska chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about A Woman’s Eye, Her Art: Reframing the Narrative through Art and Life. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Why Drusilla Modjeska wrote this biography of six female European modernist artists from the early 20th century. Why the biography also includes contemporary artists, Chantal Joffe and Julie Rapp. The meaning of ‘a woman’s eye’. Why Drusilla chose to write a collective rather than an individual biography. Why Drusilla examined how these women reframed the male gaze through their art. Why Drusilla chose a non-linear structure and collage form in three parts.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Julie Summers chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about British Vogue: The Biography of an Icon Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Why Julie Summers decided to craft an object biography of British Vogue. What Julie discovered by reading every issue of British Vogue since its launch in 1916. Why Julie portrayed British Vogue as a living, evolving personality. How Julie brought a century of style, culture and power to life. How British Vogue has reflected and shaped women’s lives for over a century. The story behind the striking cover of British Vogue: The Biography of an Icon How British Vogue became a cultural barometer. British Vogue’s enduring ability to chronicle and shape British style, culture, and imagination.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Diana Parsell chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Diana Parsell reveals how a reprinted travelogue led her to the forgotten story of Eliza Scidmore, a pioneering woman behind Washington’s iconic cherry trees. Diana discusses Scidmore’s remarkable career as a travel writer, journalist, and early National Geographic board member. Parsell reflects on the narrative power of her prologue, “A Grave in Yokohama,” and the decisions behind her book’s compelling structure. She describes the challenges of researching a 19th-century woman whose archives were scattered, incomplete or inaccessible. How Eliza’s personality, passions and persistence drove the plot of her biography. How thematic timelines and scene-building created a vivid, cinematic portrayal of Scidmore’s global travels. The literary techniques and authorial choices that shaped the biography’s immersive style and emotional depth. Advice to first-time biographers about the balance between historical truth, narrative craft and ethical storytelling.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr Greg de Moore chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting Tom Wills: The Insubordinate Life of an Australian Sporting Legend. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: How Greg de Moore first stumbled upon Tom Wills’ forgotten story Why Greg felt compelled to rescue Tom Will’s legendary tale from obscurity. Wills’s remarkable life journey growing up among Aboriginal friends in the bush, captaining cricket at England’s elite Rugby School then returning to Australia to become a cricket star and co-inventor of Australian Rules. Greg’s narrative choices to bring Wills’ world alive. Why Greg framed Wills as ‘insubordinate’. How Greg portrayed Wills’s rebellious streak. How Greg approached writing about Wills’ dramatic downfall. Why sharing Tom Wills’s story still matters.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Ray Boomhower chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting The Ultimate Protest: Malcolm W. Browne, Thích Quảng Đức, and the News Photograph That Stunned the World. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: The powerful story behind Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức’s 1963 self-immolation protest in Saigon. How Malcolm Browne’s iconic photograph of this tragic act shocked the world, igniting global outrage that influenced the course of the Vietnam War. Why Boomhower chose The Ultimate Protest as the biography’s title. How Boomhower braided biography with war history.  Boomhower’s meticulous behind-the-scenes research, from scouring archives and news reports to retracing Malcolm Browne’s footsteps in Vietnam. How Boomhower captured Malcolm Browne’s voice and perspective despite never interviewing him.  How Boomhower depicted distressing and sacred moments with unflinching accuracy, empathy and cultural sensitivity. The ethical dilemmas Boomhower grappled with in sharing Browne’s story.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr Bron Bateman chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while editing Women of a Certain Courage. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: The drive behind Women of a Certain Courage, including why Bron set out to challenge traditional male-centric hero narratives and celebrate everyday women’s bravery. How Bron handpicked 18 diverse women writers—Indigenous activists, queer and trans voices and women with disabilities—to share first-person stories of courage from across Australia. A peek into Bron’s editing process: how her poet’s eye for imagery and rhythm helped shape the anthology’s powerful emotional journey. The common threads of resilience, healing and transformation that connect these diverse stories and how each woman emerges stronger after adversity. Bron’s fresh take on what courage really means, highlighting that heroism isn’t always loud. It can be found in small acts of persistence and speaking your truth in everyday life. Why sharing these stories creates a ripple effect of bravery, inspiring others to find their own courage. Why Bron believes every act of courage, no matter how small, matters.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr Stephen J. Campbell chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Why Stephen Campbell resists the urge to create a seamless narrative and instead embraces the mystery, silence and gaps in Leonardo da Vinci’s story. How the book’s structure reflects the fragmented reality of Leonardo’s life. The origin of the book’s title and how it challenges traditional biographical expectations by leaning into ambiguity. How Campbell uses philosophical chapter titles and historical nuance to explore mythmaking and modern interpretations of Leonardo da Vinci. Why Campbell avoids speculation and instead invites readers to sit with what we don’t know, treating uncertainty as revealing rather than inconvenient. The biographer’s role as a curator of questions rather than authority, a model of life writing that prioritises transparency over certainty. The myths the book gently dismantles, from the lonely genius trope to misconceptions about Leonardo’s inventions and personality. How An Untraceable Life encourages us to rethink what biography can be and to rediscover awe in the unresolvable aspects of a life.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, the musician and author Dr Jillian Graham chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting Inner Song. A Biography of Margaret Sutherland, the life story of the ‘Grand Old Lady of Classical Music.’ Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Margeret Sutherland was a child prodigy, composer, pianist and teacher. She composed more than 200 works and was an influential champion of both contemporary and Australian music Margaret Sutherland’s role in Australia’s cultural history and why she still matters, 40 years after her death How Jillian Graham narrowed the biographical scope given the avalanche of evidence she sourced during her painstaking research How Margaret’s character drove the plot of Inner Song How Jillian balanced Margaret’s voice and perspective and her voice as the narrator How Jillian balanced Margaret’s public persona and professional accomplishments with her human story How Jillian reconciled conflicting opinions about Margaret Sutherland Why it was so vital to bring Margaret Sutherland’s story to a new generation of readers and music lovers.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr David Veltman, Dr Daniel Meister and Professor Hans Renders chat with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about Biography Across the Digitized Globe: Essays in Honour of Hans Renders. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: David and Daniel edited this collection of essays to honour Hans’s pioneering role in the field of biography. Diverse perspectives on how digital sources and global connections are reshaping how we share life stories. Why biography remains a vital, evolving genre despite deliberate disinformation and an Orwellian subversion of truthfulness in politics and public conversation. Why is it vital to consider biographical traditions from around the world. Diverse perspectives on how digital sources and global connections are reshaping how we share life stories. The value of a biography lies not in its adherence to a single, monolithic ‘truth’, but in its ability to offer an authentic, authoritative and empathetic exploration of a human life. Biography’s future given the emergence of AI.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Shauna Bostock chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting Reaching Through Time: Finding My Family’s Stories. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: The shocking late-night phone Shauna Bostock received that ignited her determination to unearth her family’s true history. How Shauna traced over 200 years of her Indigenous family history amid scant and fragmented records. Shauna’s unique approach to storytelling: blending biography, history, memoir and oral storytelling. How Shauna balanced being a rigorous historian and a loving descendant. How Shauna alternated between close-up personal scenes and wide-angle historical context. Why Shauna Bostock sees her book as part of Australia’s broader truth-telling movement, an effort to openly acknowledge Indigenous history and the injustices of the past.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Sebastian Smee chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting Paris in Ruins: How Love, War and Art Gave Birth to Impressionism. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: How the chaos of war and revolution in 1870s Paris shaped the birth of Impressionism. Why the relationship between Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot was central to the book and the Impressionist Movement. How Impressionism’s quick brushwork and light fixation reflect trauma, urgency and impermanence. Why Smee gives Berthe Morisot equal prominence and reinterprets her legacy in a male-dominated art world. What it means to write empathetic, narrative-driven biography while honouring archival truth. Why art made in crisis can speak across generations and offer hope, resistance and resilience.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, multi-award-winning biographer Dr Heather Clark chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Why Heather Clark intentionally shifts the narrative away from Sylvia Plath’s tragic death to celebrate her vibrant life and literary achievements. Why Heather emphasises Sylvia Plath’s ambition, joy and creative courage as a young woman navigating the mid-20th-century’s literary culture. The challenge of navigating an avalanche of archival material to find the narrative thread in Plath’s life. How Heather balanced rigorous scholarship with the art of storytelling, giving Red Comet the propulsive narrative energy of a novel despite its scholarly depth. How Heather portrayed Plath’s inner life with empathy and honesty.   How Heather focuses on Plath’s literary significance, repositioning her among the most important writers of the 20th century. How by challenging one-dimensional stereotypes, Red Comet invites a new appreciation of Plath’s genius and legacy beyond the shadow of her death.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, award-winning political historian and biographer Dr Judith Brett chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting Fearless Beatrice Faust: Sex, Feminism and Body Politics. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: How Judith Brett discovered Beatrice Faust’s story. Why Judith was inspired to craft Fearless Beatrice Faust.  How Beatrice Faust captures a vivid chapter of Australia’s feminist history. How in 1972, Beatrice Faust founded the Women’s Electoral Lobby, empowering Australian women voters and challenging politicians to listen. The tension between Faust’s bold public crusades and the private struggles she concealed. Why Brett structured Fearless Beatrice Faust around themes instead of a timeline, complete with provocative chapter titles like ‘Becoming Notorious’ to highlight the recurring battles in Faust’s life. The psychological depth behind Faust’s fiery persona, from her rebellious intellect and fierce independence to the vulnerable moments that fuelled her passion. How Judith Brett balances her authorial voice with Beatrice’s unique voice to create a biography that’s both captivating and scholarly. Why Beatrice Faust’s fearless fight for women’s rights is as vital in 2025 as it was in 1972.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr Charlotte Jacobs chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting 90 Seconds to Midnight: A Hiroshima Survivor’s Nuclear Odyssey. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:  Charlotte Jacobs’s inspiration for crafting 90 Seconds to Midnight. How Charlotte gained insights into Setsuko’s inner world. How Charlotte balanced Setsuko’s unique voice and perspective with her voice as the narrator. How Charlotte balanced Setsuko’s public and professional life with her human story. The meaning of 90 Seconds to Midnight and why Charlotte chose it. Why Charlotte opens the biography with a vivid, haunting prologue amid the ruins of Hiroshima, a gripping scene that shaped Setsuko’s lifelong activism. How Charlotte emphasised the urgency of Setsuko’s anti-nuclear warning in today’s geo-political environment. How Charlotte crafted lyrical, eloquent narrative that was also gripping. Charlotte’s thoughts on the role of a biographer.

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, lawyer and author Sam Elkin chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting Detachable Penis: A Queer Legal Saga. Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode: Sam’s thought process behind structuring the memoir as a chronological legal saga intertwining his gender transition with pivotal moments in Australia’s LGBTQ+ rights movement. How he found a warm, conversational writing voice beyond his legal training, shedding formal jargon to connect with readers on a personal level. Why he infused dark humour into serious moments and how laughter helped him cope with pain while keeping the story human and relatable. The raw vulnerability he chose to share, from detailing gender-affirming surgeries to admitting moments of self-doubt. How Sam navigated tough ethical choices in sharing his story, balancing unvarnished honesty with respect for others’ privacy while weighing the risks of being so candid. Sam’s reflections on the double-edged sword of visibility as a trans man: how being seen can be empowering yet perilous and how he portrays that tension in Detachable Penis. How including stories from his community law work and marginalised queer folks broadened Detachable Penis into a portrait of activism, community struggles and hope. Insights into Sam’s writing journey: how he expanded short personal essays into a cohesive memoir. How Sam practised self-care during tough chapters and how the process deepened his self-understanding.