Conversations

Zoe Terakes is a writer and actor with deep family connections to the island of Crete, where their great-grandparents migrated to Australia from.
This island is the site of Europe’s first ancient civilisation.
Bronze Age Crete had palaces, temples, art, written language and mythology long before the Roman Empire existed, and centuries before the Parthenon was built.
When Zoe started reading the mythology of Crete they were astounded by how many of the tales involve mutability, metamorphosis, the transformation of this into that; from human to bird to lion and to human again – and from male to female and from female to male.
Zoe has retold some of these wild stories of blood, sex, love, divinity, humanity and magical transformations in their first book.
But the trans actor, who underwent their own transformation a few years ago, did not want to sanitise any of these ancient stories to make them more palatable for the contemporary audience.
Because, for Zoe, the power and enduring relevance of these epics is found in their tragedy, violence and mess.
Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers is published by Hachette.
This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores myth, storytelling, poetry, art, transgender, non-binary, gender identity, sexual identity, young Australians, Australian literature, Australian writers, acting, television, Marvel Universe, Sydney, Kings Cross, Greece, Crete, Talk To Me, film, Australian film, growing up in Sydney, growing up Queer.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Anthony talks about his turbulent childhood in the Adelaide suburb of Beefacres, escaping to a cocaine-fuelled New York in the 1980s to begin life as an actor, and how writing his memoir helped him forgive his parents.
Anthony grew up in the suburbs of Adelaide, in a house full of rage, disappointment and violence.He spent as much time as he could alone, reading books, watching classic Hollywood movies, and dreaming of another life.For a while he thought soccer might be his ticket to escape Adelaide, but it turned out to be acting when he moved to New York in the 1980s.
Anthony has won a Golden Globe for his work in the crime drama Without a Trace, an Emmy for the comedy Frasier and multiple Australian awards for his roles in films including Lantana and Looking for Alibrandi 
He was also the first Australian to win a Tony award for his performance in a Broadway revival of the Arthur Miller play, A View from a Bridge.
Anthony’s memoir is The Life We ChooseFurther Information
The Life We Choose is published by HarperCollins 
This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores acting, family, Italian migration, Adelaide, selling shoes, soccer, theatre, New York, Hollywood, memoir, therapy, violence, aggression, YouTube, 1980s, divorce, cocaine, Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, movies.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Fashion designer Jenny Kee co-created a whole new era in Australian fashion in the 1970s. But nothing could have prepared her for her own next chapter.
Jenny was born in Bondi in the 1950s, and left Australia for London when she was young.
She began selling vintage clothes at the Chelsea markets, where she attracted attention for her stall and her brilliant style.
When she returned to Australia in the early 70s Jenny met a gifted couturier named Linda Jackson.
Together they embarked on a passionate creative partnership which began a unique and utterly Australian art and fashion movement.
Their clothes were made in wild colours and beautiful fabric, often festooned with images of native flowers and plants.
In the 1980s they took their designs to the world and were feted by Italian Vogue's Anna Piaggi and Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld.
In addition to all her achievements in fashion, Jenny's life has also been crowded with dramatic moments.
Her life story is even more incandescent than her wardrobe.
Further information
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When Edith Wright discovered the turbulent history of her great-grandfathers, who were some of the founders of the pearling industry in the waters off Broome, she knew she had to write down the storyEdith is a Bardi Jawi woman from the saltwater country of Western Australia’s Dampier Peninsula.
When she was a little girl growing up in the Kimberley, her dad would tell her stories about his two European grandfathers.
Both men were pioneers in W.A's pearling industry, which required the skill - and forced labour - of Aboriginal people.
After many years spent researching her dad's stories, Edith has come to a new understanding of her family's complicated legacy.
Further information
 The Burden and the Blessing is published by Magabala Books
Read more about the history of the W.A pearling industry
This episode of Conversations was produced by Elizabeth Kulas and the executive producer is Nicola Harrison.

Dasha Ross tells the story of her bizarre brush with memory loss and what happened when she and her husband decided to takeover a rundown beachside hotel in Sri Lanka.
Dasha has lived a life full of adventures, from nude modelling in Sydney and making films in Brazil, to renovating a nightclub in Harlem with a baby on her hip.
But Dasha's most epic escapades were with her beloved husband John Pinder, including the time the two of them took up a surprising offer to revamp and manage a beachside hotel in Sri Lanka.
Things did not go as planned as they battled typhoons, demanding guests and a meddling, possibly murderous, manager.
First broadcast in 2024
Further information
Dasha Ross' memoir, Big Trouble Coming is published by Valentine Press
This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, the executive producer is Nicola Harrison.