In this episode we hear 'Zucchini' written and read by Monikka Eliah. Eliah is a talented emerging writer and playwright from Fairfield, located Sydney's western suburbs.  'Zucchini' is a comedic and tender short story about young womanhood, bro' boys, and learning how to make stuffed zucchinis the Assyrian way. Monikka has published short stories, poetry and essays in Australian literary journals and sites including SBS Voices, Meanjin, Southerly, and Kill Your Darlings, and as an emerging playwright and fiction writer has received new work development awards and residencies from the Wheeler Centre and Creative Australia, National Theatre of Parramatta’s Page to Stage program, CuriousWorks Breakthrough Screen Writing Program, Netflix and Co-curious’ On The Brightside Screenwriting Program and STC’s Rough Draft. Much of her work reflects on her Assyrian heritage and contemporary life in Fairfield. The story needed an Assyrian performer, and so we asked Monikka to read her own story at StorySALOON’s November 7 show. You can read Monikka's short story 'Zucchini', online at Meanjin, Summer 2021:  <meanjin.com.au/fiction/zucchini/> StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au Subscribe to StorySALOON Podcast and follow us on socials.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.

In our latest 'In the SALOON with…', host Jane Messer talks with writer Ren Wyld and actor and playwright Katie Beckett. Together, we delve into Wyld's short story 'Clatter Tongue' which Katie Beckett read at StorySALOON Live on Oct 7, 2025. We explore the two artists' creative processes, challenges and pleasures of writing, what's current in  contemporary First Nations narrative and theatre, and much more. We recommend that you listen to Katie Beckett reading of 'Clatter Tongue' beforehand; it's episode 17 on StorySALOON Podcast. Ren Wyld is South Australian writer of Martu descent. Their story 'Clatter Tongue' won the won the Borderlands 2020 First Nations Writing Award and is published in This All Come Back Now: An Anthology of First Nations Speculative Fiction. Wyld has written and published multiple award-winning works about Indigenous experiences and history, both fiction for and nonfiction for younger readers and adults. Katie Beckett is a celebrated Murri actor, film writer and playwright. She is a winner of the Balnaves Award 2015 for her play Which Way Home which had a sellout season at Belvoir Theatre, and nominee for Green Room Award 2017. She has appeared on stage and in many tv series including Sunshine Super Girl, Milk, Which Way Home, Binary Stars and Best Lives, Lighten Up, Kill the Messenger, Coranderrk, Onwards and Upwards, This Fella, My Memory (Moogahlin Performing Arts), Redfern Now and Black Comedy. Beckett’s film credits include Slam, The Unlisted, Spread the Word, Diary of an Uber Driver, Smart Street, Rake, Harrow and much more. This episode's conversation references a number of books and organisations. We've gathered them here to assist StorySALOON listeners explore further: Katie Beckett, 'Which Way Home' <https://www.ilbijerri.com.au/event/which-way-home/> his All Come Back Now: An Anthology of First Nations Speculative Fiction, ed Mykaela Saunders, UQP 2022 <https://www.uqp.com.au/books/this-all-come-back-now> Southerly journal: <https://southerlylitmag.com.au> Sovereign Texts journal: <https://www.sovereigntextsjournal.com/> David Unaipon: Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines by David Unaipon, Kangaroo Press, ed by Stephen Muecke and Adam Shoemaker <https://shorturl.at/xXscc> Miranda Tapsell, ABC tv series, 'Top End Bub' <https://shorturl.at/ZUhat> 'Bran Neu Day' song, by Knuckles, National Film and Sound Archive collection  <https://shorturl.at/uqY3Q> 'Bran Neu Day' film, info at Australian Screen an NFSA website <https://aso.gov.au/titles/features/bran-nue-dae-2009/> Prof Natalie Harkin, Flinders University <https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/natalie.harkin> ILBIJERRI, a leading theatre company creating innovative works by First Peoples artists. <https://www.ilbijerri.com.au/about/> StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠<www.storysaloon.com.au> Subscribe to StorySALOON podcast, and follow us on socials. 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.

In this episode we’re going to hear ‘The Couples Therapist, by Abigail Ulman from our October 7 show.    Abigail Ulman is a talented short story writer whose first book Hot Little Hands received rave reviews. Her stories have appeared in Australian and international journals including The Monthly where this story was first published, and New England Review, Best Australian Stories, BBC Radio 4, Elle, Frankie, Literary Hub, and elsewhere.  Reading ‘The Couples Therapist' is Amber McMahon, star of stage and screen, and a Helpmann Award-winner twice. Recent stage work includes roles at Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Festival, Clubhouse Productions, Sydney Theatre Company and much more. McMahon's screen credits include Girl Asleep, the SBS mini series The Hunting and the show that has put food on the table for so many Australian actors, Home and Away. StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au Subscribe to StorySALOON Podcast and follow us on socials. 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.

In this episode we’re going to hear ‘Golden Hour’ by Claire Aman, from our October 7 show. Claire is the consummate short story writer, and ‘Golden Hour’ is just one of it’s just one of her many prize-winning stories.  The story was first published in the journal Overland, and she’s published an acclaimed collection of short stories, Bird Country. In this story we meet Faye and Dawn, two neighbours. ‘Golden Hour’ is a story about small towns, the small loan of money, mothering and childlessness, and a son that went missing decades ago. Reading ‘Golden Hour’ is Suzi Dougherty, an accomplished actor who has worked with many of Australia’s leading theatre companies including Bell Shakespeare and for film and tv, including The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Fake, The Kettering Incident, Fighting Season, The Unlisted, The Gloaming and a recurring role on Home & Away. StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au Subscribe to StorySALOON Podcast and follow us on socials. 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.

In this episode we’re going to hear ‘Clatter Tongue’, by K.A. Ren Wyld, from our October 7 show. Ren Wyld is a South Australian writer of Martu descent. This prize-winning short story combines realism with the fantastic. The young girl Treanna finds herself struggling to speak; instead of words other things come out and as the story unfolds we come to understand how her Aboriginal voice is profoundly linked to missing family and histories that can't be ignored. Wyld has written and published multiple works about Indigenous experiences and history – fiction including for children, and adults, and nonfiction. This prize-winning story is from the collection This All Come Back Now: An Anthology of First Nations Speculative Fiction. 'Clatter Tongue’ is read by Katie Beckett, a celebrated Murri actor and writer whose stage and screen work brings both artistry and cultural resonance to this prize-winning short story.  She is a winner of the Balnaves Award 2015 and nominee for Green Room Award 2017. She has appeared in many tv series including Redfern Now and Black Comedy. Katie’s film credits include Slam, The Unlisted, Spread the Word, Diary of an Uber Driver, Smart Street, Rake, Harrow and much more. StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au Subscribe to StorySALOON podcast, and follow us on socials. 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.  

In our latest 'In the SALOON with…', host Jane Messer talks with writer Jake Dean and actor and film writer Adam Dunn.   We take a deep dive into Jake Dean's short story ‘Apocalypse, then?’, performed by Adam Dunn at StorySALOON’s September 2025 live show.  Dean speaks about the writing of ‘Apocalypse, then?’, the unique aspects of the short story as a genre, while Dunn discusses acting and preparing for the role, along with what makes a story or line comedic and what it is that apocalypse themed stories have to offer creatively.     Jake Dean writes shorts stories and rides waves on Kaurna Country in South Australia. He’s been published widely in Australian journals including Griffith Review, Going Down Swinging, The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Overland, Kill Your Darlings, Crikey, and Surfing World. Listen to Adam Dunn's reading of ‘Apocalypse, then?’ in Episode 15 of StorySALOON Podcast.   Adam Dunn is an actor and filmmaker whose short films having been winning awards in the US and Europe. Dunn is widely known and acclaimed for his roles in Australian and American films and tv roles including The Rising, Play Dirty, The Fall Guy and Elvis.   Read ‘Apocalypse, then?’ in Griffith Review 83: Past Perfect, 2024. https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/apocalypse-then/   StorySALOON Podcast has been produced with funding from Copyright Agency, Create NSW and Creative Australia. Find out more about StorySALOON at https://www.storysaloon.com.au

In this week's episode we're going to hear 'Apocalypse, then?' by Jake Dean, read by Adam Dunn. Jake Dean writes shorts stories and rides waves on Kaurna Country in South Australia. His writing is razor sharp, and not surprisingly he’s been published widely in Australian journals including Griffith Review, Going Down Swinging, The Guardian, The Saturday Paper, Overland, Kill Your Darlings, Crikey, and Surfing World.   His story ‘Apocalypse, then?’ is a comedic satire of a writer’s lust for fame. An Adelaide teacher’s short story is accepted for publication by The New Yorker. But then the world ends. The story is read by Adam Dunn. Dunn is an actor and filmmaker whose short films having been winning awards in the US and Europe. You’ll have seen Dunn in any number of Australian and American films and TV roles including The Rising, Play Dirty, The Fall Guy, Elvis, and Colin from Accounts.  Griffith Review 83: Past Perfect, 2024.   StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au

In this week's episode we're going to hear 'Dance Hall Days' by Christos Tsiolkas, read by Alex Dimitriades. Tsiolkas is the Melbourne-born, Greek-Australian author, playwright, essayist, and screenwriter internationally known for his award winning novels, Dead Europe, Loaded, The Slap, and Barracuda.   In this story, we meet Dimitri and Marlene, former friends who haven’t seen each since the 1980s Melbourne’s party and music scene. The story is from the anthology Into Your Arms: Nick Cave’s Songs Reimagined. Twenty Australian writers were asked to write a short story in response to a Nick Cave song.  ‘Dance Hall Days’ is Tsiolkas’s riff on that Nick Cave challenge – a moving story about having been young, getting older, forgiving shitty parents and Melbourne’s 1980s music scene, back in the days when Nick Cave was just starting out.   ‘Dance Hall Days’ is read by Alex Dimitriades. There’s quite a history between these two creatives, with Dimitriades starring in the film Head On, adapted from Tsiolkas’s first novel,  Loaded. He’s also starred in the Slap, based on Tsiolkas’s hugely popular novel. Alex Dimitriades is known for many other film and television roles including Heartbreak High, The Slap, Total Control and The Tourist. He won the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actor for his role in Head On. Into your arms: Nick Cave's Songs Reimagined, Fremantle Press, 2023. StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au  

In this week's episode we're going to hear 'The Skit' by Roanna Gonsalves, read by Vinaya Elijala. Gonsalves’ short story ‘The Skit’ is from her collection titled The Permanent Resident, winner of the 2018 Multicultural NSW Award. Roanna is a writer of short stories, long fiction and radio essays, and has been published widely in Australian and international journals and anthologies. She is a lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of New South Wales. Her story ‘The Skit’ is a tough and comedic snapshot of Indian expat and student life in Sydney and is as relevant today as it was when first published.  ‘The Skit’ is read by Vinaya Elijala, an emerging actor and creative producer for whom performing arts has always been a passion, sparked at a young age by indulging in Hindi films, Bollywood dancing and acting in stage shows. Elijala's work includes the Indian Australian play Prem Patr for the NIDA Festival of Emerging Artists 2022, and other projects with the Sydney Fringe Festival and Belvoir Theatre’s 25A Program. StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠⁠www.storysaloon.com.au⁠.

In our latest 'In the SALOON with…', host Jane Messer talks with writer Margo Lanagan and performer, Paul Capsis.   We take a deep dive into Margo's short story ‘Singing My Sister Down’ which was performed by Paul at StorySALOON’s June live show. In this episode, Margo speaks about the original writing of 'Singing My Sister Down', and the unique aspects of the short story as a genre. Paul discusses his performance of the work, and his own life as a performer, and the impact of his family on his work and his reading of 'Singing My Sister Down'.  MARGO is one of Australia’s most admired writers of short stories and novels for adults and young adults. She is the author of over a dozen novels and short story collections, and has received four World Fantasy Awards, one of them being for 'Singing My Sister Down'.  PAUL CAPSIS is one of Australia’s most extraordinary and versatile performers. He has appeared in theatre, live concerts, cabaret, film, and television both in Australia and internationally. Most recently he’s had roles at Griffin Theatre,  and in the television series Wellmania and Deep Water. StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au This first seasons of StorySALOON Podcast has been produced with funding from Copyright Agency, Create NSW and Creative Australia.

In this week's episode we’re going to hear ‘In Disguise, Lying Low’ by Anne Casey-Hardy, read by Esha Jessy. The story is taken from Anne’s debut collection of short stories, wickedly titled Cautionary Tales for Excitable Girls (published by Scribner https://shorturl.at/Wk1To). Her acclaimed short stories are wonderfully sharp, irreverent tales of sisterhood, motherhood and friendships. In the words of one reviewer, her stories “crackle with energy and desire.” Reading ‘In Disguise, Lying Low’ tonight is the Esha Jessy — a recent graduate of NIDA, the National Institute of Dramatic Art. Esha’s been quick to get on the stage, most recently in the play Amber at the Old Fitz Theatre and in reading roles for ‘Fangirls’ and ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ with the Sydney Theatre Company. StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au  

In this episode we’re going to hear Margo Lanagan’s short story ‘Singing My Sister Down’, read by Paul Capsis. This is a story with a big heart that may well move you to tears. Margo Lanagan is one of Australia’s most outstanding writers of short stories and novels for adults and young adults. Her work has been published widely in Australia and internationally. For those amongst you who’re unused to the fantasy genre, what you’ll find in 'Singing My Sister Down' is that you recognise the community and characters, but there are little details that tell make it clear that this is not historical fiction, but fantasy set in a world like ours, back in time somewhere. The setting is a tar pit. Tar pits are real – they form when natural, hot bitumen rises from deep in the earth to form a sticky, black pool or lake.  The story is read by the legendary Paul Capsis. Paul is one of Australia’s most extraordinary and versatile performers, appearing in theatre, live concerts, cabaret, film, and television both here and internationally, and now here, for StorySALOON. In our next episode, 'In the SALOON with' Margo Lanagan and Paul Capsis, we meet with author and performer in the studio for an in-depth conversation about the story and its performance.  You can read 'Singing My Sister Down' in Lanagan's award-winning and internationally acclaimed collection by the same name, Singing My Sister Down, published by Allen & Unwin.  StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au Paul Capsis photo: Hellene Algie

In this episode we present three flash fictions by West Australian writer Gillian O'Shaughnessy, from our June live show. Gillian is an award-winning writer whose flash fictions and short stories have been published widely in Australian and international journals and anthologies.  The reading is by Monica Sayers, returning to StorySALOON a second time. Sayers is a proud Australian born Chinese actor, director, and voice artist. She has acted in many film and television roles, and with major theatre companies including the Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, and Hayes Theatre. Gillian O'Shaughnessy's stories have been published in online journals, and can be read by following the link to her website at https://gillianoshaughnessy.com/ StorySALOON is hosted by Jane Messer. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au

Welcome to 'In the Saloon With...', where StorySALOON host Jane Messer meets with an author and actor from the live show for a deep-dive into the writing of the short story and the actor's performance of it. In this episode we talk with Paddy O'Reilly, author of 'Baggage Claim' and Monica Sayers, who read the story live for StorySALOON's May 2025 show.  Paddy's novels and short stories have been published, anthologised and broadcast in Australia, Europe, China, the UK and the USA. Her most recent book, the novel Other Houses, was shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2023. Monica Sayers is a proud Australian born Chinese artist who works as an actor, director, and voiceover artist. Her many tv and stage roles have included The Messenger, Rake, Love My Way and roles with Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Theatre Co, Belvoir and Hayes Theatre. You can read 'Baggage Claim' online in the journal Overland, Issue 231, Winter 2018.⁠ Jane Messer is the host of StorySALOON Live and StorySALOON Podcast. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au.

Our final story from StorySALOON's live 6 May show is 'Baggage Claim' by Paddy O'Reilly. Paddy's novels and short stories have won and been shortlisted for a number of major awards, and been published, anthologised and broadcast in Australia, Europe, China, the UK and the USA.  'Baggage Claim' was read by Monica Sayers, a proud Australian born Chinese artist who works as an actor, director, and voiceover artist. Her tv and stage roles have included The Messenger, Rake, Love My Way and Romeo and Juliet (Bell Shakespeare) Chimerica and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui with Hugo Weaving (Sydney Theatre Co) and Hay Fever with Marina Prior (Melbourne Theatre Co). You can read 'Baggage Claim' online in the journal Overland, Issue 231, Winter 2018. Find out more about ⁠StorySALOON's⁠ live shows and podcasts at ⁠www.storysaloon.com.au⁠

This week's short story is 'GPS' by Cate Kennedy. It's a short story for lovers of twisted fairy tales and bushland suspense. Every girl should have a grandmother like this one in their lives. Cate Kennedy has been writing and publishing short stories, along with poetry, novels and essays for over three decades. Recent short stories have been published in The Saturday Paper, and the anthologies The Scarlet Stilleto: 30 Years of Mystery, Murder and Malice, and Into Your Arms : Nick Cave’s Songs Reimagined. When not in Castlemaine, Victoria, Cate can be found teaching on the faculty of the MFA in Creative Writing at Pacific University in Portland, Oregon. 'GPS' was performed live at StorySALOON on May 6 by Jules Billington. A NIDA graduate, Jules works as an actor, director, and performance and movement coach. Their film credits include Buckley's Chance and iconic queer Australian feature films Ellie & Abbie (and Ellie’s Dead Aunt) and All About E. On stage, they're known for their stunning performances at Belvoir, MTC and Bell Shakespeare. Jules is returning to the stage in June, in Corialanus, at Bell Shakespeare company's new theatre space, The Neilson Nutshell. 'GPS' by Cate Kennedy is from the anthology South of the Sun: Australian Fairy Tales for the 21st Century, published for the Australian Fairy Tale Society, by Serenity Press, 2021. Coming up in our next episode: 'Baggage Claim' by Paddy O'Reilly, read by Monica Sayers.

This week's short story is 'Aitu' by Oliver Coulter, was performed live by Chris Alosio for StorySALOON on May 6, 2025 at The Vanguard, Newtown. A young man of Samoan heritage is driving along a Northern Territory highway carrying special cargo. It's a road story that's both spiritual and darkly funny, and is about the importance of knowing your culture. In Polynesian languages the word 'aitu' refers to ghosts or spirits. Oliver Coulter is a Samoan-Australian writer raised in the Northern Territory. He has won a NT Literary Award and his work has also featured on ABC Radio National. Chris Alosio is a rising star in screen and television, acclaimed for his roles in the Netflix series, Surviving Summer, and feature films Talk to Me, Next Goal Wins and Fighting Season. 'Aitu' was first published in the online Australian journal Going Down Swinging, Nov 2022.

Welcome to the first of our in-depth conversations, 'In the Saloon With...', where StorySALOON host Jane Messer meets with an author and actor from the live show for a deep-dive into the writing of the short story and the actor's performance of it. In this episode we talk with Nic Low, author of 'Octopus' and Taofia Pelesasa, who read the story live for StorySALOON's April 2025 show.   Based in Melbourne and New Zealand, Nic Low's Ngāi Tahu Māori and European heritage shape the short story 'Octopus', which is set in Rotorua on New Zealand's South Island. Low is the author of three acclaimed books, his short story collection Arms Race, which includes the story 'Octopus'; Uprising, and Little Doomsdays.   'Octopus' is about a rowdy road gang and an octopus, a story in which myth and reality powerfully collide. It is read by Taofia Pelesasa, a Western Sydney creative of Tokelauan and Samoan heritage. Pelesasa has worked as an actor, writer and filmmaker in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Samoa. His short film, Humans of the Islands, (CoconetTV.com) explores the impacts of rising sea levels on Pasifika island futures, a topic which he discusses in this episode. Jane Messer is the host of StorySALOON Live and StorySALOON Podcast.

Build a mechanical brain to hold and remember First Nations stories. ’Protocols of Transference’s’ narrator is a First Nation person who is gathering and saving Indigenous stories.

This week’s short story is ’Octopus’ by Nic Low. Set in New Zealand’s South Island, it’s about a rowdy road gang and a giant octopus, as much real as it is myth.