Program: Conversations

Presented by

A man sitting on a stool with hands on thighs looking at the camera

A woman in a black dress stands, smiling in front of a teal background.

Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may, or may not, have heard about — someone who has seen and done amazing things.

Airs on ABC Local Radio, Monday to Friday at 11am and on ABC Radio National, Monday to Friday at 3pm (repeated at 3am)

ABC listen app

SUGGEST A GUEST

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Conversations draws you deeper into the life story of someone you may, or may not, have heard about — someone who has seen and done amazing things.

Airs on ABC Local Radio, Monday to Friday at 11am and on ABC Radio National, Monday to Friday at 3pm (repeated at 3am)

Episodes

Sorted by latest

Encore: The poker-playing cardiologist

As a child, before she escaped communist Hungary, Bo Remenyi had no ambitions. But when she got to Australia all of that changed.

Published: 9h agoFri 11 Apr 2025 at 1:00amwith Richard Fidler

Duration: 52 minutes 30 seconds

Miles Franklin's secret life as a 'boy sober' undercover maid

Journalist Kerrie Davies with the story of how novelist Miles Franklin went undercover as a maid for a year, in Sydney and Melbourne's wealthy houses, well before gonzo journalists became household names.

Published: YesterdayThu 10 Apr 2025 at 1:00amwith Sarah Kanowski

A black and white portrait of Kerrie Davies, who looks at the camera with her head in her hand.

Duration: 48 minutes 30 seconds

The life-changing power of a choir

Song propelled Morris Stuart from his early life shepherding sheep in British Guyana to an unlikely love story in London.

Published: WedWed 9 Apr 2025 at 1:00amwith Richard Fidler

An older man with glasses and grey, curly hair grins. He is pictured against the Central Australian bush.

Duration: 51 minutes 6 seconds

The wisdom of an ancient Pencil Pine

Nature writer Andrew Darby on what he learned from his rambles through the wilds of Tasmania, communing with the world’s oldest surviving trees. In particular, his ‘buttock clenching’ ascent up a 60-metre-tall eucalyptus known as The Vibe Tower.

Published: TueTue 8 Apr 2025 at 1:00amwith Richard Fidler

Environmental commentator and author, Andrew Darby wearing a blue striped beanie and glasses.

Duration: 52 minutes 12 seconds

From South Africa to Perth — the epic journey of Sisonke Msimang, freedom's child

Sisonke Msimang was born in exile, the daughter of a freedom fighter who had fled South Africa during apartheid. Sisonke fought hard to make a home for herself and her family (R)

Published: MonMon 7 Apr 2025 at 1:00amwith Sarah Kanowski

Sisonke Msimang wears a white head wrap and looks intensly at the camera. Her right arm is crossed over her chest, holding her

Duration: 51 minutes 48 seconds

Encore: A daring escape from Vietnam to the halls of prestigious American universities

Anh Nguyen Austen's family fled Vietnam by sea in 1982, on a wooden boat bound for the Philippines. When a once-in-a-century storm struck in the South China Sea, they thought all hope was lost (R)

Published: 4 Apr 2025Fri 4 Apr 2025 at 12:00amwith Richard Fidler

A Vietnamese woman with long, dark hair, wearing a denim jacket smiles broadly. She is sitting in front of a green hedge.

Duration: 50 minutes 48 seconds

How Vincent Fantauzzo's life was saved by love and painting

When artist Vincent Fantauzzo was a boy he was a street-fighting petty criminal with dyslexia and a blazing talent for drawing. He escaped jail time, and grew up to become one of Australia's most well-known portrait artists.

Published: 3 Apr 2025Thu 3 Apr 2025 at 3:00amwith Sarah Kanowski

Artist Vincent Fantauzzo, with bleached cropped hair, stands in front of large paintings.

Duration: 52 minutes

'Mistakes were made' — a live storytelling experience

Rebecca Huntley, Rick Morton, Julia Zemiro and Sarah Kanowski bring you stories of human failure, misadventure and outright fiasco in a live storytelling event recorded at Adelaide Writers Week.

Published: 2 Apr 2025Wed 2 Apr 2025 at 12:00amwith Richard Fidler

A spotlight shines on a microphone attached to a stand.

Duration: 52 minutes 22 seconds

Two sisters, Dod and Brattle - the lesbian poet and the evangelical Christian

Josie McSkimming on growing up with her bohemian sister, the poet Dorothy Porter, and how their lives took off on wildly diverging paths as they grew up.

Published: 1 Apr 2025Tue 1 Apr 2025 at 12:00amwith Sarah Kanowski

Josie McSkimming wears a deep teal button-up shirt and smiles wide at the camera.

Duration: 54 minutes 18 seconds

The Book and Babushka Lena

A few years ago, Anna Kharzeeva began an ambitious project in her home city of Moscow. She decided to cook her way through a Soviet-era food bible commissioned by Josef Stalin (R)

Published: 31 Mar 2025Mon 31 Mar 2025 at 12:00amwith Sarah Kanowski

A woman with short brown hair, pale skin and blue eyes takes a smiling selfie.

Duration: 53 minutes 48 seconds

Highlights

Road Trip Playlist

The road may be long, so here is a series of interviews about adventures and passions, some with a focus on the natural world. This playlist is designed to keep the spirits high as you drive off into your holiday period.

Published: 16 Dec 2024Mon 16 Dec 2024 at 12:31am

Conversations from the Pacific

From the dramatic forests of Fiji, to the striking rivers of Papua New guinea, Conversations takes you into the Pacific to hear remarkable stories from our closest neighbours

The bow of a boat can be seen travelling toward an island in Fiji.

Published: 30 Jun 2023Fri 30 Jun 2023 at 3:36am

The Artist's Way

It's a tough road to success through the arts. What drives our artists and musicians to explore their vulnerabilities so publicly?

Stage light shines on a microphone, blurred and darkened background.

Published: 18 Jan 2023Wed 18 Jan 2023 at 3:20am

Amazing Science

From the depths of the ocean to far-away planets and into the human brain, let these scientific explorers astound you

A satellite in space with Earth in the background.

Published: 18 Jan 2023Wed 18 Jan 2023 at 3:21am

Frequently asked questions

Conversations FAQs

Find out the answers to many questions we are asked regularly.

Published: 3 Apr 2023Mon 3 Apr 2023 at 2:28am

Discover more podcasts

Download the ABC listen app to hear more of your favourite podcasts