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Articles by Angela Grant
Program: Richard Fidler: The lie that toppled a regime
A well-placed lie can bring down a whole government. Hard to believe, but in Prague in 1989 that’s exactly what happened. In amongst a heaving student protest, a body was carried away. That body became a flashpoint for Czechoslovakians to say enough is enough, and call for the end of the communist regime. But who was that dead person, really?
Program: History’s favourite sex toys
*CONTENT WARNING* This episode explores mature themes such as sex and masturbation. When the wooden object was unearthed, the archaeologists were stumped. What was this thing? It looked like a club and was found among bits of cloth so they thought it was a darning tool. But it was another kind of tool. One that would raise eyebrows and cause some people to blush.
Program: Stop blaming rats for the plague
If you were asked where the plague came from you’d probably say rats. Or fleas. And you’d say it swept across Europe killing up to half of the population. But where exactly did it start and how did it get to Europe in the first place? Medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega sits down with Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) and debunks the biggest myths about the black death and tells the real story behind one of the worst pandemics the world has ever seen.
Program: Beware gifts from Soviet spies
After the Second World War, relations between America, Britain and the Soviets were frosty and as the Cold War rivalry intensified, they were watching each other with intense side-eye. And it turns out, listening as well. Matt Bevan (If You’re Listening) tells Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) the story of how a gift from the Soviets to the Americans was used as a trojan horse to listen in on conversations, and it was made by a man whose name is now famous but for a very different reason.
Program: Ancient Greek built a steam engine for dinner parties
Long before steam trains, before factories, before the Industrial Revolution, someone figured out how to turn steam into motion. And he did it almost two thousand years ago in Ancient Alexandria, and the device he built wasn’t meant to power anything. It was a toy. A party trick. Dr Tatiana Bur, Lecturer in Classics at the Australian National University, tells Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) the story of how one man’s spinning little gadget went on to power the modern world.
The colony that broke Scotland (and made Great Britain)
It was meant to be Scotland’s saving grace - a bold plan to build a colony and dominate global trade. But disease, starvation, and frankly just bad planning was their undoing... and the failed outpost paved the way for a union with their biggest rival.
The ballet that caused a riot and changed music
When you combine Russian ballet, French aristocracy, and a little bit of Walt Disney you get a recipe for a riot and one of the most important musical moments in history. Host of Radio National’s The Music Show, Andrew Ford, sits down at the piano and tells Marc Fennell (Stuff the British Stole) about why Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was so confronting that it caused a riot in 1913 and how it went on to change music forever.
The Nativity Scene You Know—And The One You Don’t - ABC listen
You see it on Christmas cards, in shop windows and at your local church. The nativity scene is everywhere at this time of year. But the scene you know of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus in the manger, with some animals around is actually thanks to some mistranslations and a popular saint in the Middle Ages who wanted to imprint the story of the birth of Christ into people’s memory.
An 1843 Lifehack Became a Christmas Tradition
There’s one man you can thank - or curse - for your hand cramp after writing all your Christmas cards. Sir Henry Cole was a ‘dumpy’ Englishman who had too many jobs and not enough time to write back to his friends and family so he created the first Christmas card in 1843. It caused quite the stir, and not exactly in the way he expected.
Poison to Beauty: The Story of Botox
It started as a deadly toxin and became a billion-dollar beauty secret. So how exactly did a poison become the world’s most popular cosmetic fix? It’s all to do with one man who took a plunge and used it to treat eye spasms, and another who saw its potential in the pursuit of perfection.
William Dalrymple: China’s Game of Thrones
She entered the royal palace as a concubine and became the first and only female emperor of China. She was power hungry, a total operator and if you asked her enemies, a blood thirsty murderer. And her secret weapon to legitimise her rule wasn't just an unwavering belief in herself, but in Buddha.
The Secret Photos That Shamed America
There’s that phrase a picture says a thousand words... but what does a picture of child labour say? Curator, educator, and photo-historian Beth Saunders (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) sits down with Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) to tell the story of photographer Lewis Hine and his photographs of children working in places like factories, coal mines and cotton mills in the early 1900s. His powerful photos had a lasting legacy but not in the way he expected.
Sami Tamimi's Palestinian garden
A home garden typically conjures a sense of comfort and of self-sufficiency, but what if that garden were in Palestine? The celebrated Palestinian-British chef and author Sami Tamimi has written a new book, Boustany, inspired by the food of home. It champions the food of all our homes — the food we can grow in a garden or forage nearby — but also the food of his homeland, which is becoming disconnected from its rich culinary culture under the shadow of war.
Hairspray, Cigarettes and the Wild History of the Asthma Puffer
It’s small enough to fit in your pocket and it’s saved countless lives. The asthma puffer has had a long journey, stretching back thousands of years to various treatments including asthma cigarettes. But the asthma puffer as we know it today is all thanks to a young girl’s throwaway comment over breakfast in the 1950s. Dr Daniel Duke from Monash University tells Marc Fennell (Stuff The British Stole) about how the asthma puffer came into existence and how he fits into its long history as well.
Nine's victory in Al Muderis defamation case; Legal fight over 'Never Get Busted' director credit
The Nine Network's Federal Court victory over high-profile surgeon Munjed Al Muderis marks the first time a media organisation has successfully defended a defamation action on public interest grounds. The Law Report takes an in-depth look at the case and what the ruling means for public interest journalism. And who can claim to be a film's director?
Oats, salt and water — The miracle of porridge - ABC listen
While some might rely on a sachet of quick oats for their daily porridge fix, there are oat aficionados who will happily steam, roll, cut or grind their own. There's a world of flavour and texture to explore, and for the most accomplished out there, Scotland hosts an annual World Porridge Making Championship — The Golden Spurtle.
What are the legal conditions for Palestinian statehood? And electronic wills after Covid
Australia has signalled that it could join countries like Canada, France and Britain in formally recognising a Palestinian state. The shift among major western democracies coincides with an escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Law Report examines the legal status of Palestine at the United Nations and what impact full recognition could have. Also in the program -- everything is going digital, and the COVID pandemic dramatically accelerated that trend.
The Lingerie Makers who put Neil Armstrong on the Moon
You can probably picture that iconic moment, when Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon. But what if his ‘one small step for man’ was actually thanks to a group of unlikely women? In the 1960’s when President JFK accelerated the space race, NASA needed someone to design a spacesuit capable of putting man on the moon.
Leningrad: The siege, scientists, and the world's rarest seeds
Try to stop famine, or save your own life? This was the impossible choice facing the Russian scientists behind the world's first seed bank during World War 2, when the Soviet city of Leningrad came under siege by the Nazis. Food was so scarce at the time that throughout the city people were forced to eat wallpaper, boiled leather, even their own pets, to stay alive.
Naked Truth about X-Rays
Before selfies, before CT scans, before social media filters and front-facing cameras… there was the x-ray. Discovered by accident in a 19th-century lab, it didn’t just revolutionise medicine, it ignited a cultural obsession with seeing inside ourselves and remains a powerful example of what can happen when knowledge is shared freely. Guest: Dr. Suzie Sheehy - Accelerator Physicist, Author, and Science Communicator. Author of The Matter of Everything: Twelve Experiments that Changed our World
Absinthe was Framed for Murder
The ‘Green Fairy’ was the party drink of the Belle Époque, featuring in artworks, poetry and literature. But then it was framed for a heinous crime... Guest: Evan Rail - food and drink writer; author of The Absinthe Forger. Got a story for us? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at noonesawitcoming@abc.net.au
How well do you know your onions?
Onions and their flavourful relatives feature prominently in cuisines across the globe, with a history of cultivation that goes back thousands of years. Onion recipes have even been found on the cuneiform tablets of Ancient Babylonia. So, what is happening under the skin of this many-layered bulb to make it such a versatile and essential ingredient?
'You say tomato, I say...' — A tasteful guide to flavour - ABC listen
You say tomato, I say… bleurgh. How is it that we can have such different experiences of the same foods? Taste and flavour: What are they and how do they work? We meet some of the top flavour scientists working today, including the researcher who discovered that there are 'supertasters' among us.
What the fork? A cook's tour of cutlery
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Is there anything you take more for granted in your kitchen than the cutlery drawer? We hardly give a second thought to the humble tools that carry food from plate to mouth. But maybe we should. There's history here, and stories of changing preferences and assumptions within cultures. Fork or fingers? Cut or tear? They say you are what you eat, but it turns out how you eat matters, too.
By Jonathan Green Verified, Zoe Ferguson Verified, Zoë Ferguson Verified, Kim Jirik, Cathy Pryor, Angela Grant, Rhiannon Brown
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Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
Verified
SOS Democracy with Nikki Savva — can politicians and journalists can do better? - ABC listen
From social media algorithms to authoritarian despots, is our democracy under threat? In our SOS DEMOCRACY series, meet big thinkers on a rescue mission to resuscitate democracy. In this first episode, one of Australia's most seasoned political journalists Nikki Savva has seen the fractures up closer than most. Hear her timely advice for journalists, politicians and citizens. This was recorded at Parliament House in Canberra on 9 September 2024.
Grande Dames Pat Barker and Kate Atkinson
Former Booker Prize winner Pat Barker grapples with the lot of Cassandra in her latest Ancient Greek novel, The Voyage Home and Life After Life author, Kate Atkinson, returns to her famous character Jackson Brodie in Death at the Sign of The Rook. Plus debut novelist Raeden Richardson on the importance of Melbourne's iconic Degraves Street in The Degenerates. Pat Barker won the Booker Prize for The Ghost Road, the final book in her acclaimed World War One Regeneration trilogy.
Onyi Nwabineli, Ella Baxter and Melanie Cheng on Mumflencers, stalkers and rabbits
British author Onyi Nwabineli explores the scars of a child influencer in Allow Me to Introduce Myself, Ella Baxter writes back to her stalker in Woo Woo, and Melanie Cheng's The Burrow, a gentle novel about grief and a rabbit. Onyi Nwabineli is a British novelist who tackles the minefield of mumfluencers and social media child stars in her second novel, Allow Me to Introduce Myself.
Writing with an agenda — Laura Jean McKay, Laurie Stead and Chemutai Glasheen - ABC listen
Today we take to you to two writers festivals: In Perth, Laura Jean McKay, Laurie Steed and Chemutai Glasheen reflect on what it means to bring their convictions to the page, and by the seaside in Sorrento, Victoria, poet, essayist and short story writer Nam Le retraces his roots as a storyteller. At the Perth Festival Writers Weekend, Claire Nichols spoke to three authors whose recent short story collections unapologetically focus on their respective passions.
Rumaan Alam - why we don't talk about money - ABC listen
Bestselling author of Leave the World Behind, Rumaan Alam explores money obsession in his novel Entitlement, plus Jock Serong gets magical in Cherrywood and writer-doctor Jumaana Abdu's debut novel, Translations. American author, Rumaan Alam's bestselling last book, Leave the World Behind, was adapted to the screen starring Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke.
Ramesh Nithiyendran's inner sanctum and Jack Wilkie-Jans on If Not Critical
Over the past decade, Ramesh Nithiyendran has become one of the most visible artists of his generation and one of the most hardworking with his signature emoji-like, wildly coloured and often multiple-limbed sculptures making their presence felt across the globe. Daniel drops in on Ramesh as he prepares to unveil his next big solo exhibition - including his magnum opus, a self-deity in bronze. And the first in an occasional series If Not Critical, we meet art critic (and artist) Jack Wilkie-Jans.
Should the Attorney-General have power to block prosecutions of war crimes and crimes against humanity?
Allegations of atrocity crimes cannot be prosecuted in Australian courts without consent from the Government's top legal officer, who also has the power to block prosecutions. A Senate bill seeks to remove that power on the grounds that it represents political interference in the judicial process. And will new 'right to disconnect' laws make a difference for Australian workers? Guests: Prof.
Joyful ceramics, the NATSIAAs and a glimpse of Renaissance Europe
Ceramicist Vipoo Srivilasa’s work is beautiful, playful and highly technical…and he’s having a moment, featuring in several exhibitions this year including the MAKE Award, Generation Clay and re/JOY. His work is a beacon of light and happiness in dark times. We swing by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) in Darwin, where artist Noli Rictor, a Pitjantjatjara man from Tjuntjuntjara in Western Australia, won the overall award for his work on canvas, Kamanti.
The "master of time" Hiroshi Sugimoto + the much prized lutruwita landscape
Hiroshi Sugimoto's sublime black and white photographs capture subjects as diverse as polar bears and landscapes, to portraits of Princess Diana – but they're not what they seem. Called 'master of time', Sugimoto is also an architect, designing galleries and art installations around the world. Daniel speaks with him at his big exhibition at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art. In lutruwita / Tasmania, three young artists share a city studio and depict the local landscape in very different styles.
Black Modernism with Huey Copeland + cartoonist Mandy Ord
Art historian Huey Copeland is hard at work on what he says will be “the first gender-balanced and racially integrated history of Western modernism”. Daniel speaks with Huey about the racist underpinnings behind common interpretations of a couple of famous paintings, and what the future of art history holds. Australian cartoonist and illustrator Mandy Ord makes the mundane profound, with trademark wit and touching humour. She speaks with Rosa about her latest book Bulk Nuts.
Is Australia fit for the Olympics in 2032?
It's only eight years until the torch will be passed on to Brisbane. The countdown is on: Are we prepared? What are the challenges? What is the politics involved? And how important is children participating in sport to ensure that the games have a future? Presented at the Bond Business Leaders Forum, Bond University.
BONUS: The Céline Dion scene that will shock the world
I am: Céline Dion captures a scene so confronting even its filmmaker didn't know whether Celine would be happy including it in the documentary. BW sits down with director Irene Taylor to discuss the journey with Céline in making this intimate and raw documentary, and what it was like to witness the superstar experiencing Stiff Person Syndrome firsthand.
Kevin Kwan wrote a book about weddings, just don't invite him to one
Weddings of the ultra-rich get the Kevin Kwan treatment in his novel Lies and Weddings, Siang Lu's ambitious and complicated novel Ghost Cities and West Australian author Annie de Monchaux's surprising link to Hollywood. Kevin Kwan is the author behind the juggernaut trilogy that began with Crazy Rich Asians which explored the lives of the ultra-ultra rich. His new book is called Lies and Weddings and it's travel-in-a-book as you follow the ultra rich to weddings around the world.
Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch and his fear of mediocrity
Two authors at the top of their game: Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch reveals how his award winning novel Prophet Song came into being and Booker longlisted author Karen Jennings' complicated love letter to South Africa. The Irish writer Paul Lynch is the reigning Booker winner and won the prize for his beautiful, brutal fifth novel Prophet Song. It's about a civil war in modern-day Ireland that has echoes with other conflicts around the world.
Jeanette Winterson and Kate Grenville on the gift of writing
Jeanette Winterson asks how AI will give new meaning to ghost stories and Kate Grenville reflects on a lifetime of writing and how accepting failure has been key to her success. Jeanette Winterson is best known for her novels Oranges are Not the Only Fruit, The Stone Gods and Frankissstein.
Shankari Chandran, Stuart Turton and Julie Janson on refuge, failure and outlaws
Shankari Chandran's follow up to her Miles Franklin award winning book, British author Stuart Turton's complicated murder mystery and Julie Janson's ironically named novel Compassion. Shankari Chandran won the 2023 Miles Franklin for her novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens.
The influence of Japanese ukiyo-e on Cressida Campbell & Margaret Preston
Cressida Campbell and Margaret Preston (1875-1963): two beloved printmakers inspired by Ukiyo-e, the Japanese woodcut genre whose influence swept through western art. Rosa speaks to Cressida and Geelong Gallery senior curator Lisa Sullivan about Ukiyo-e and Preston, for a new exhibition connecting all three printmaking styles. Art History professor Roger Benjamin joins us to talk about the Gina Rinehart portrait drama.
Colm Tóibín's Brooklyn sequel
One of Colm Toibin's most beloved books is Brooklyn and now he's written a sequel. In Long Island, the characters are 20 years older but they haven't let go of their secrets. One of the Irish writer Colm Tóibín's best loved books is Brooklyn. Published in 2009, it's about Eilis, a young woman who leaves Ireland for America in the 1950s. She falls in love, gets married, and when tragedy calls her home to Ireland, she doesn't tell anyone about the wedding.
Téa Obreht and Emily O'Grady on Balkan fairytales, nepo babies and wild creatures
Author of The Tiger's Wife Téa Obreht returns with Morningside, a dystopian fairy tale, and Stella Prize-shortlisted author Emily O'Grady on the rotten characters in her novel Feast. Téa Obreht won The Women's Prize for Fiction — then called the Orange Prize — for her debut novel, The Tiger's Wife and at the time she was the youngest ever winner of the award. It was a family saga, about doctors, death and the Balkan wars. She followed it up with a Western called Inland.
André Aciman and Anjali Joseph on the joy of doing nothing
Known for his sumptuous novel Call Me By My Name, André Aciman's latest book also explores love and beauty in Italy. Plus, Indian author Anjali Joseph on the allure of Assam, India, which is known for its unique cultural heritage. André Aciman's new book The Gentleman from Peru is about a graceful, mysterious older man and a group of American friends who meet in a hotel restaurant. It explores the connection that forms between this man, Raul, and the bristly American, Margo.
Melissa Lucashenko on writing through flood, fire and pestilence
At Adelaide Writers' Week, Melissa Lucashenko explains how understanding that "all history is fiction" allowed her to write her historic novel Edenglassie. Melissa Lucashenko is known for creating unforgettable, feisty modern women in her fiction. There's Kerry Salter from her Miles Franklin winning novel Too Much Lip and Jo Breen, from her earlier acclaimed novel, Mullumbimby. But with her new book, Melissa has stepped into a new world.
The Oscars and Kate Middleton's epic Photoshop fail
It's the Oscars episode and Stop Everything! alum Benjamin Law is back to debrief on everything from John Cena's modesty shield to Oppenheimer's Best Picture win. And Catherine, Princess of Wales, aka Kate Middleton, has had to apologise after a doctored family photo was retracted by news agencies around the world. We're digging into the Royal Photoshop fail.
The education gap between rural and metropolitan Australia is costing us billions
Valuing regional education The biggest boost to regional economies won't come from investing in infrastructure projects or from higher grain prices – it will come from closing the education gap between rural and regional schools compared to schools in the big cities. If you're living in regional Australia, changes are you get a poorer education, won't go on to further studies and earn less money. This gap in the quality of education is costing the Australian economy over 55 billion dollars.
Solving the mysteries of the universe − with philosophy
From dark energy to the nature of time, some of the most baffling mysteries in cosmology point to a surprisingly complex answer: The idea that alternate layers of reality might exist beyond the reach of our current physics, and perhaps even outside the Universe itself. Philosophy can help navigate the many enigmas of physics. In fact, there is a long history of the entanglement of the two.
Corruption at the crossroads in Australia
From pork barrelling to jobs for mates, Australia’s National Anti-Corruption Commission was a long time coming. Will it work? A Transparency International index has just ranked Australia 14th out of 180 countries on perceived levels of public sector corruption, down from seventh place in 2012. Is Australia at a crossroads on corruption? This event was recorded at the launch of Transparency International Australia’s annual Corruption Perceptions Indexon February 15, 2024.
Spending time with Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson invites you contemplate the wonders of time. Time is one of the most impermanent forms of measurement that humans have invented to help manage life. We couldn't function without it. Do you feel like you're running out of time? Which way is time going? Are you able to stop time? What is the role of time and duration for ethics and how you experience trauma? Laurie Anderson and Tom McCarthy find answers in arts and literature. Presented by the Rubin Museum of Art.
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