GATHER with Minerva's Books & Ideas

Here we explore the theme of adapting across languages and senses, adapting to circumstance, adapting books into theatre and poetry into music. We also ask how this podcast itself can adapt to be more accessible and feature our first video interview in both English and Auslan (access here) with Deaf filmmaker Ramas McRae.

We hear a reading by Fiona Murphy from her wonderful book The Shape of Sound, talk theatrical adaptation with Ch...

In this episode we look at the by turns painful, joyous, creative, and generally angsty time of transition as we become our older selves (something that never really stops evolving, as Virginia Wolf wrote- “A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living” and we ask what role books and art play in our becoming us. 

Taking Maria Popover’s Brain Pickings (and associated books such as Figuring, and A Velocity of Being: Lette...

In Part 2 of this episode enjoy chats, tunes, and tales as we explore the Fairy Park, artworks and PhD projects that work with fairy tales, and our kids writing competition themed Change the Story, Change the World, remixing fairy tales. Wander themes of magic and transformation, women’s agency, self-understanding, greater diversity of representation and the rich world of storytelling. Featuring the music of Tom McGowan (Button Jar...

In this episode we look at how different kinds of sound and storytelling can transmit knowledge and emotions, and also how we can raise new voices, change narratives, and maybe even change the world. This episode is dedicated to all fighting for respect, peace and justice. 

We hear from Indigenous curator and author Margo Neale about Songlines (also known as dreaming tracks) via the exhibition and the book, and the concept of the th...

In this episode we explore the ways in which we can travel with books, music, and ideas when we might not be able to journey physically. We look at Hugh Kenner’s concept of the elsewhere community, ideas of sonic postcards and the sense of home. Amy discusses her thwarted travel plans of 2020 to Ireland and Greece and her Macedonian family heritage. Featured interview is with London based musician and sound artist Belle Chen, and t...

Here we check in with Readings Books in Melbourne and look to 20th and 21st century booksellers in Ballarat exploring Ewin’s Booksellers and the newest bookshop in town, Sothis Books and Sartorial for our regular indie book feature. We also enjoy our very first creative piece for the segment Things Found in Books from Ballarat storyteller extraordinaire Erin McCuskey. Our book seeds here are somewhat tangential but are the little t...

Here we explore the wonderful world of bookseller and storyteller E.W Cole, a man both ahead of his times, and of them, and his amazing Book Arcade- opened on Melbourne Cup Day in 1883. But we’ll also explore the books and creative works inspired by the arcade, its publications and its message of equality, literacy, and fun.

Podcast set up and first episode is proudly supported by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts ...

Gather round and get a taste of this new bookish wonderland from Amy Tsilemanis and Minerva's Books & Ideas, exploring the lives of books and the ideas they ignite and illuminate.
Dreamt up and produced in Ballarat, Australia on Wadawurrung Country

Each episode will be woven around a theme, using a particular book or books as the seed- we’ll roam through the world of booksellers, travel, fairytales, coming of ...