The Weekend Read

Jun 21 2024 51 ep. 112
The Weekend Read Podcast artwork

Listen to Australia's best writers and thinkers read out longform essays from The Monthly magazine, the country's leading publication on politics, current affairs and culture.

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Anna Stewart on being a captain of one of the biggest games of the year

Jun 21 2024 15 mins  
For 31 years, there has been a rivalry – drawing on a divide so inherent and base – that it pits mate against mate. We’re not talking about State of Origin, we’re talking about the Reclink Community Cup. The football contest began in Melbourne, but is now held in cities across the country – with the Rockdogs, a team of not-so-athletic musicians, taking on the Megahertz, a

Atticus Bastow on the mysteries of the universe at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft

Jun 07 2024 17 mins  
Over 90 years ago, a swiss astrophysicist theorised there was an unseen, unobservable force that sits behind the universe we know. He called it ‘dark matter’, and today we’re not much closer to understanding it than he was. But that could be about to change, as a group of Australian researchers are part of our most promising effort yet to uncover the nature of this unseen for

Martin McKenzie-Murray on the ugly side of football fandom ahead of Euro 2024

May 24 2024 20 mins  
The 2024 Euros are just weeks away – with some of the best footballers in the world competing in an event that draws in hundreds of millions of viewers. But the legacy of the last Euros is still an uncomfortable topic for many in England. Not only because they lost, but also the scenes of violence and hooliganism that led to a national debate and a new Netflix documentary. Today,

Elizabeth Farrelly on the city of the future

Apr 20 2024 21 mins  
Today, columnist Elizabeth Farrelly will read her piece about our modern cities and how they relate to the history of how humanity has imagined the perfect city. Farrelly is one of Australia’s foremost writers on urban development and the communities of our cities – having earned devoted readers at the Sydney Morning Herald and now at Schwartz Media, inThe Saturday Paper. Soci

Sophie Cunningham on remembering Georgia Blain

Apr 05 2024 15 mins  
Today, author and editor Sophie Cunningham reads her piece from a recent edition of The Saturday Paper. Australian author Georgia Blain chronicled her battle with cancer in a monthly column for The Saturday Paper, sadly passing away in 2016. Blain is remembered in this piece by her friend of over two decades, Sophie Cunningham – championing her legacy as a writer of rare talent,

Elmo Keep on the insane spectacle of U2 at the Las Vegas sphere

Mar 22 2024 28 mins  
On the Las Vegas strip, in a sea of casinos, sits an enormous dome that lights up the sky. It’s called The Sphere and it’s a performance venue where punters are dazzled by 54 thousand metres of LED screens capable of showing 256 million colours, in a display so overwhelming that some concertgoers faint. Writer Elmo Keep travelled to Vegas to see her favourite band U2 play at T

Ange Lavoipierre on how much sex is too much for one person

Mar 08 2024 18 mins  
Today on the show, journalist Ange Lavoipierre will be reading her piece from a recent edition of The Monthly. In the suburb of Newtown, in Sydney, two support groups almost diametrically opposed are asking essentially the same question: how much sex is too much for one person? In one group, the Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous meeting welcomes those who are ashamed about the size o

Jane Gleeson on why we need decay to save the planet

Feb 23 2024 17 mins  
Today on the show, writer Jane Gleeson-White, with her piece from a recent edition of The Monthly. In inner-city Sydney, the heart of the urban jungle, Jane meets environmental lawyer turned activist, Michael Mobbs. His ambition is to transform the concrete warren of terraces and narrow streets of Chippendale into a sustainable oasis. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter an

Konrad Muller on organic wine and whether it’s worth it

Feb 09 2024 15 mins  
Today, writer Konrad Muller reads his latest piece on the quest to learn whether making organic wine is worth the effort. It's called “Notes from a small vineyard” and in it he tries to discover the true effort and cost of going organic and interrogates what difference it makes. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Writer, Konrad Muller Background rea

Anthony Ham on what happens when a mine is meant to be rehabilitated

Jan 26 2024 26 mins  
Surrounded by what we know as the Kakadu National Park, the Northern Territory’s Ranger Uranium Mine finally ceased processing in 2021, after nearly 50 years of operation. With the mine now closed, Kakadu’s traditional owners are seeking that the government make good on the original promise of a national park in their care. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Insta