Stories Behind The Story: Ash Williams on Almost Killing It in Hollywood
What happens when an Australian comedian heads to Hollywood with big dreams and no idea what’s coming? Ash Williams shares the wild, hilario...
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Stories Behind the Story with Better Reading
Cheryl Akle discusses the world with her favourite authors. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Episodes
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Stories Behind the Story: Tess Woods on The Cairo Bridal Shop and Finding Her Way Back to Writing
Three sisters disappear from a bridal shop at the foot of the pyramids. That’s where Tess Woods’ new novel, The Cairo Bridal Shop , begins....
Stories Behind The Story: Yumna Kassab on Parramatta, Belonging and the Stories That Shape Us
Yumna Kassab joins Cheryl Akle to talk about the stories, memories and sense of place behind her new book. Yumna shares how growing up Leban...
Everyone Has a Story: The woman who carried 15 children and gained 2 more in death
In the first episode of Everyone Has a Story , Sivine Tabbouch tells Cheryl the extraordinary story of her mother, Amina, who raised 15 chil...
REWIND: Stories Behind the Story: Karen Brooks on brewing, her writing journey and bringing history to life through fiction
From the archives: Karen Brooks talks to Cheryl about her family-run brewery in Hobart, the influence of feminism on her writing, how she ap...
REWIND: Stories Behind The Story: Blanche d’Alpuget on the Life and Legacy of Bob Hawke
In this replay of Stories Behind The Story , we remember acclaimed Australian author Blanche d’Alpuget, who joined Cheryl Akle in 2019 to ta...
Stories Behind The Story: Nadine Browne on finding her voice and trying to belong in the literary world
Nadine Browne talks to Cheryl Akle about her debut novel Gone Guru , a funny and chaotic literary mystery inspired by her own experiences as...
Stories Behind The Story: Kbora and Razia Ali on identity, belonging and resilience
Sisters Kabora and Razia Ali talk to Cheryl Akle, sharing their family’s journey from Afghanistan to Australia. Exploring identity, belongin...
Stories Behind The Story: Hannah Richell on The Unexpected Ways Life Can Transform After Loss
Hannah Richell joins Cheryl Akle to talk about grief, love, writing and the unexpected ways life can transform after loss. Hannah shares how...
Stories Behind The Story: Hannah Richell & Michelle Prak on Their Favourite Phases When Writing
Hannah Richell (The Search Party, The River Home) and Michelle Prak (The Rush) have a laugh and talk about their books One Dark Night and Th...
Stories Behind The Story: Holden Sheppard & Peter Polites on Their Unique, Diverse Backgrounds
Holden Sheppard (Invisible Boys, The Brink) and Peter Polites (Down The Hume, God Forgets About the Poor) chat about the adaptation of Holde...
Libby Trainor Parker on Finding Healing Through Advocacy
Libby Trainor Parker talks to Cheryl about endometriosis, chronic pain, infertility, pregnancy loss, grief, and finding healing through advo...
Stories Behind The Story: Sarah Trad on Hospitality and Building Her Dream House
Sarah Trad talks to Cheryl Akle about Lebanon and the culture’s deep connection to hospitality, her travels around the world, renovating and...
Stories Behind The Story: Joan Sauers on Film and Mysteries
Joan Sauers talks to Cheryl Akle about her love of mystery series, the writing skills she learned from her father, Hollywood, and the differ...
Stories Behind The Story: Victoria Purman on Journalism, Publishing and Vintage Books
Victoria Purman talks to Cheryl Akle about her former career in journalism, her path into publishing, her writing routines, and her love of...
Stories Behind The Story: What Are You Reading? The App with Caroline Overington
Cheryl talks to Caroline about Better Reading’s new project, What Are You Reading? The App , an Australian, community-focused book tracker t...
Stories Behind The Story: Francesca Albanese on War and Power
Francesca Albanese talks to Cheryl about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the impact of technology on modern warfare, and her career in aca...
Stories Behind The Story: Dervla McTiernan on Ruthless Editing and Finding Home in Australia
Dervla McTiernan talks to Cheryl about her brain tumour diagnosis, her writing routine, the brutality of editing, and how living in Australi...
Stories Behind The Story: Antoinette Lattouf on Books, Battles and Breaking Barriers
Antoinette Lattouf talks to Cheryl about her childhood, her love of reading and writing, her legal dispute with the ABC, and the lessons she...
Stories Behind The Story: Ann Mossop on the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival
Cheryl talks to Ann Mossop, Artistic Director of the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival, for a special episode of Stories Behind the Story . Toge...