Irma and Karen chat about the changing shape of the Australian publishing industry as small publishers are bought up by larger publishing houses. Then Karen talks to short-story maestro Cate Kennedy about how she came to be a writer and then a teacher of writing, how writing (and reading) a short story is like plunging deep into a diving pool, how her career took off after having a story published in a 9/11 commemorative edition of the New Yorker, how she wrote a novel because of an offer she couldn’t refuse, what makes a character interesting, how judging prizes has changed her writing, how to overcome procrastination and slumps in confidence, and how a mystery person served her a cup of tea in a green room.

About Cate

Cate Kennedy is an award-winning short-story writer of two collections, Dark Roots, and also Like a House on Fire, which was shortlisted for the inaugural Stella Prize. Cate has also written poetry, a travel memoir Sing and Don’t Cry, and a novel, The World Beneath, which won the People’s Choice Award in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Cate is an incredible teacher of creative writing. She also works as a writing teacher and advisor on the faculty of Pacific University’s MFA in Creative Writing Program in Portland, Oregon. She lives in Castlemaine, Victoria.