All Episodes
The First Time — 278 episodes
S6 Ep274: Children's Laureate Sally Rippin talks kid lit with Katherine & Kate
274: First Time Live at SWF with Melanie Saward, James Colley & Charlotte Wood
S6 Ep273: Interview: Nat Kringoudis (The Next Step)
S6 Ep272: Interview: Comedian Laurie Kilmartin (The Next Step)
S6 Ep271: Interview: Cookbook author and entrepreneur Sarah Pound
S6 Ep270: HOW TO GROW YOUR OWN BUSINESS (FROM SCRATCH) Interview: Luisa Zhou (The Next Step)
S6 Ep269: Interview: Author/writer Brigid Delaney (The Next Step)
S6 Ep268: Interview: (NBA, WNBA) basketball shooting coach BriAnna Garza
S6 Ep267: Interview: Comedian Jack Druce (The Next Step)
S6 Ep266: ADVICE GIVING: Jessica Weisberg (The Next Step)
S6 Ep265: Interview Mia Freedman (The Next Step)
S6 Ep264: MANIFESTATION with Jessica Gill (The Next Step)
S6 Ep263: Introducing THE NEXT STEP
S6 Ep262: Summer Series! (the last episode of) Brian Moylan
S6 Ep261: Summer Series! Garry Disher
S6 Ep260: Summer Series! Alison Bell
S6 Ep259: Summer Series! Cate Kennedy
S6 Ep258: Summer Series! Amie Kaufman
S6 Ep257: Summer Series! Tim Winton
S6 Ep256: Summer Series! Chloe Hooper
S6 Ep255: Summer Series! Jessie Stephens
S6 Ep254: Summer Series! Interview: Andy Griffiths
S6 Ep253: Summer Series! RA Spratt
S6 Ep252: Season 6 Finale!
S6 Ep251: Re-release: Masters Series Kevin Wilson
S6 Ep250: Follow a First Timer #8: Listener Questions
S6 Ep249: Masters Series: Richard Flanagan
S6 Ep248: Kate, Katherine & Anna Downes on retreat plus Featured Book ROSEGHETTO by Kirsty Jagger
S6 Ep247: Masters Series: Lucy Treloar
S6 Ep246: Kate + Katherine Catch Up + FEATURED BOOK The Ghost of Gracie Flynn by Joanna Morrison
S6 Ep245: Live at Write Around the Murray with Kathryn Heyman, Irma Gold, T.R Napper & Kate Mildenhall
S6 Ep244: Interview: Jessie Stephens
S6 Ep243: Kate and Katherine Catch Up PLUS Featured Book ONE WRONG TURN by Chenée Marropadi
S6 Ep242: Kate and Katherine Catch Up + Featured Book Salt River Road by Molly Schmidt
S6 Ep240: Spoiler Riddled Deep Dive #2 The Hummingbird Effect by Kate Mildenhall
S6 Ep239: Follow a First Timer #7: Megan Rogers Marketing, Publicity and Events
S6 Ep238: Kate and Katherine Catch up + Featured Book THE DISORGANISATION OF CELIA STONE by Emma Young
S6 Ep237: Kate & Katherine Catch Up Plus ONE DAY WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE by Elise Esther Hearst
S6 Ep236: Masters Series: Alison Bell
S6 Ep234: Follow a First Timer #6: Megan Rogers Three Months After Publication
S6 Ep235: Interview: Cecilia Rabess
S6 Ep233: Book Tour + Featured Book The Double Bind by Loraine Peck
S6 Ep232: BONUS EPISODE: Willy Lit Fest - Sad Girl Novel with Pip Finkemeyer
S6 Ep231: Deep Dive #1: The Hummingbird Effect
S6 Ep230: Catch Up with Charlotte Wood Plus Featured Book The Body Country by Susie Anderson.
S6 Ep229: Kate and Katherine Catch Up + Featured Book BLIND SPOT by Robyn Dennison
S6 Ep228: A Year of Fresh Voices: Penguin Books special feature with debut authors Erin Riley, Vidya Madabushi, Annette Higgs & Nick Bhasin
S6 Ep227: Bonus Episode: Brian Moylan
S6 Ep226: Masters Series: Ling Ma
S6 Ep225: Kate and Katherine Catch Up + Featured Book THE WITCHING TIDE by Margaret Meyer
S6 Ep224: Kate & Katherine catch up PLUS Featured Book UNTETHERED by Ayesha Inoon
S6 Ep223: Masters Series: RA Spratt
S6 Ep222: Awkward convo: Endorsements PLUS featured book SEARCH HISTORY by Amy Taylor
S6 Ep221: Follow a First Timer#5: Megan Rogers on Failure
S6 Ep220: Kate and Katherine Catch Up + Featured Book HOUSE OF LONGING by Tara Calaby
S6 Ep219: Katherine has news! PLUS Featured Book THE RUSH by Michelle Prak
S6 Ep218: Masters Series: Tim Winton
S6 Ep217: Masters Series: Amie Kaufman
S6 Ep216: Follow a First Timer#4: Megan Rogers on Publication Week Feels
S6 Ep215: Kate and Katherine Catch Up + Featured Book A Boy and His Bear by Gregory Ladner
S6 Ep214: Kate apologises for a recording fail PLUS Featured Book Grey Nomad by Alison Ferguson
S6 Ep213: Kate and Katherine: Festival catch up and Featured Book Thirst for Salt by Madelaine Lucas
S6 Ep212: Masters Series: Kevin Wilson
S6 Ep211: Follow a First Timer#3: Megan Rogers on Editing and Social Media
S6 Ep210: Kate & Katherine Catch Up (Headshots) + Featured Book Things She Would Have Said Herself by Catherine Therese
S6 Ep209: Kate and Katherine Recommend + Featured Book You'll Be a Wonderful Parent Jasper Peach
S6 Ep208: Kate & Katherine have NEWS plus Featured Book The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
S6 Ep207: Masters Series: Cate Kennedy
S6 Ep206: Follow a First Timer: Megan Rogers #2 Writing Process & Publication Story
S6 Ep205: Kate and Katherine Catch up (Money!) + Featured Book River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer
S6 Ep204: Follow a First Timer: Meet Megan Rogers
S6 Ep203: Welcome to S6! Plus Featured Book The House of Now and Then by Jo Dixon
S5 Ep202: Summer Series: Dervla McTiernan
S5 Ep202: Summer Series: Kim Scott
S5 Ep201: Summer Series: Liane Moriarty
S5 Ep201: Summer Series: Gabrielle Wang
S5 Ep201: Summer Series: Social Media Guru - Shay Gardner
S5 Ep201: Summer Series: Sarah Winman
S5 Ep199: Summer Series: Natasha Lester
S5 Ep200: Summer Series: Tony Birch
S5 Ep199: Summer Series: Helen Garner
S5 Ep199: Summer Series: Madeleine Dore
S5 Ep198: Summer Series: Benjamin Law
S5 Ep197: Summer Series: A beginning & Claire G Coleman
S5 Ep196: Masters Series: Behrouz Boochani with translators, Omid Tofighian & Moones Mansoubi
S5 Ep195: Season 5 Finale!
S5 Ep194: Masters Series: George Saunders
S5 Ep193: BONUS EPISODE: Allen C Jones
S5 Ep192: Masters Series: Inga Simpson LIVE at Readings
S5 Ep191: Kate and Katherine Catch up + FEATURED BOOK Out of Breath by Anna Snoekstra
S5 Ep190: Masters Series: Heather Rose
S5 Ep189: Kate and Katherine Catch up + FEATURED BOOK Gemini Falls by Sean Wilson
S5 Ep188: Masters Series: Dervla McTiernan
S5 Ep187: Kate and Katherine Catch Up Plus FEATURED BOOK My Sweet Guillotine by Jayne Tuttle
S5 Ep186: Master Series: Holly Ringland
S5 Ep185: The Debuts of 2022 (with Booktopia's 'Tell Me What to Read')
S5 Ep184: Kate and Katherine catch up + Featured Book Cautionary Tales for Excitable Girls by Anne Casey Hardy
S5 Ep183: Masters Series: Margo Lanagan
S5 Ep182: Kate and Katherine Catch Up + Featured Book Cut by Susan White
S5 Ep181: Masters Series: Sophie Cunningham
S5 Ep180: Kylie Maslen + Featured Book MARSHMALLOW by Victoria Hannan
S5 Ep179: Masters Series: Kim Scott
S5 Ep178: Kate and Katherine Catch Up + Featured Book DENIZEN by James Mckenzie Watson
S5 Ep177: Masters Series: Christos Tsiolkas Part 2
S5 Ep177: Master Series: Christos Tsiolkas Part 1
S5 Ep176: Kate and Katherine catch up + Featured Book Banjawarn by Josh Kemp
S5 Ep175: Masters Series: Chloe Hooper
S5 Ep174: Kate and Katherine Catch up + Featured book Something Blue by Alex Sarkis
S5 Ep173: Masters Series: Liane Moriarty
S5 Ep172: Masters Series: Michelle Law
S5 Ep171: Kate and Katherine Catch Up + Featured Book: Forty Nights by Pirooz Jafari
S5 Ep170: Masters Series: Hazel Edwards plus FEATURED BOOK The Golden Book by Kate Ryan
S5 Ep169: Masters series: Michael Christie plus FEATURED BOOK The Eulogy by Jackie Bailey
S5 Ep168: Masters Series: Natasha Lester
S5 Ep167: Masters Series: Gabrielle Wang
S5 Ep166: Kate and Katherine catch up + FEATURED BOOK Unknown by Akuch Kuol Anyieth
S5 Ep165: Masters Series: Michelle de Kretser
S5 Ep164: Kate and Katherine catch up + FEATURED BOOK Red (Felicity McLean)
S5 Ep163: Masters Series: Andy Griffiths on writing for children, collaboration and how much anarchy is the right amount of anarchy
S5 Ep162: Kate and Katherine catch up + FEATURED BOOK The Natural History of Love (Caroline Petit)
S5 Ep161: The Second Time - A Wheeler Centre Live Event
S5 Ep160: Masters Series: Bernadette Brennan
S5 Ep159: Katherine and Kate (covid) catch up + FEATURED BOOK: Meshi (Katherine Tamiko Arguile)
S5 Ep158: MASTERS SERIES: Benjamin Law
S5 Ep157: Kate and Katherine catch up + FEATURED BOOK: Found, Wanting (Natasha Sholl)
S5 Ep156: Masters Series: Sarah Winman
S5 Ep155: Kate and Katherine - book launch post mortem, plus recommendations
S5 Ep154: Masters Series: Tony Birch
S5 Ep153: Introducing the 'Masters Series' plus Kate and Katherine talk Adelaide Writers Festival
S5 Ep152: Kate and Katherine discuss perplexingly bad restaurants, reviews and when your three weeks is up
S5 Ep151: Jane Watkins on publicity, second books and (sadly, a lack of) outrageous demands
S5 Ep150: Shay Gardner on social media, algorithms and bringing salad to the dinner party
S5 Ep149: Excitement and excessive humidity
S5 Ep148: The Competition (last) mini ep #3: first time vs. second time
S5 Ep147: The Competition mini ep #2: writing process
S5 Ep146: The Competition mini ep #1: the weird world of competitive public speaking
S5 Ep145: 2022 Kick start with Madeleine Dore on productivity guilt, curiosity and labours of love
S4 Ep144: Finale! (for now)
S4 Ep143: Helen Garner on noticing, marriage & the sublime.
S4 Ep142: Hannah Kent on boundaries, historical fiction and Devotion
S4 Ep141: Kate and Katherine are out of lockdown (again)
S4 Ep140: Garry Disher on crime, perseverance and blue pens
S4 Ep139: Madeleine Ryan on intuition, labels and Tarot
S4 Ep138: Kate and Katherine are climbing the walls
S4 Ep137: Brendan Cowell on process, poetry & stirring the pot
S4 Ep136: Anne Buist on mental health, erotic fiction and co-writing
S4 Ep135: Kate and Katherine and Charlotte Wood talk creativity, resilience and the inner life
S4 Ep134: Claire Christian on pleasure, rom coms and writing good sex
S4 Ep133: Maggie Shipstead on awe, detail & leaps of faith
S4 Ep132: Kate and Katherine talk (again)
S4 Ep131: Pip Williams on words, gender and class
S4 Ep130: Kate and Katherine are joyful (ish)
S4 Ep129: Alice Pung on class, voice and why she writes
S4 Ep128: Kate and Katherine on great books, great listens and other inspiring things
S4 Ep127: Jane Riley on persistence, Kindle best sellers and asking yourself questions
S4 Ep126: Kate and Katherine are all cooped up
S4 Ep125: Iain Ryan on crime rules, choose your own adventure and The Taylor Swift Theory
S4 Ep124: Ailsa Wild on acrobatics, collaboration & caring
S4 Ep123: Kate and Katherine talk the big four-oh
S4 Ep122: Sarah Krasnostein on ghosts, awkwardness and ethics
S4 Ep121: YVWF: I Didn't Plan it That Way with Jessie Tu
S4 Ep120: YVWF: I Didn't Plan it That Way with Michael Veitch
S4 Ep119: YVWF: I Didn't Plan it That Way with Rick Morton
S4 Ep118: YVWF: I Didn't Plan it That Way with Sally Hepworth
S4 Ep117: YVWF: I Didn't Plan it That Way with Meg Mason
S4 Ep116: Kate and Katherine talk to Fiona Murphy
S4 Ep115: Stephanie Smee on the art of translation
S4 Ep114: Kate and Katherine don't mention the l word
S4 Ep113: Loraine Peck on crime, magic and vision boards
S4 Ep112: Kate and Katherine talk festival gossip
S4 Ep111: Michael Brissenden on journalism, good stories and (our favourite topic) rejection
S4 Ep110: Kate and Katherine talk editing
S4 Ep109: Victoria Hannan on the high and lows...
S4 Ep108: Kate and Katherine talk first drafts
S4 Ep107: Evelyn Araluen on Dropbear, community & dislodging language
S4 Ep106: OMG it's season 4
S3 Ep105: Season Three Wrap Up, AA on Emerging at Any Age & Maxine Beneba Clarke on Poetry, Picture Books & Twitter
S3 Ep104: Our Writing Year in review & Karen Wyld on the long road, diverse publishing & revenge
S3 Ep103: Darebin FUSE festival #5: McKinley Valentine
S3 Ep102: Post-Lockdown, AA on Envy & Nardi Simpson on Storytelling & Unknowing
S3 Ep101: Darebin FUSE festival #4: Leanne Hall
S3 Ep100: Kate Mildenhall and #TheMotherFault Deep Dive
S3 Ep99: Darebin FUSE festival #3: Clementine Ford
S3 Ep98: Housekeeping, headshots and Trent Dalton on second books & golden hearts
S3 Ep97: Darebin FUSE festival #2: Yves Rees
S3 Ep96: The rollercoaster & Sam Coley on perfectionism, road trips & the Richell Prize
S3 Ep95: Darebin FUSE festival #1: Kate McLennan (The Katering Show, Get Krack!n)
S3 Ep94: Publication week and Laura Elvery on short stories, setting and science
S3 Ep93: Conversations with Friends #22: Danielle Binks and Fiona Hardy
S3 Ep92: Conversations with Friends #21: Ashley Kalagian Blunt and Sheila Ngoc Pham
S3 Ep91: The art of the interview and Cass Moriarty who is the most generous author you will ever meet
S3 Ep90: Conversations with Friends #20: Rachel Mead and Katherine Tamiko Arguile
S3 Ep89: Conversations with Friends #19: Mark Smith and Jock Serong
S3 Ep88: Positivity and Agony Aunt Charlotte Wood
S3 Ep87: Conversations with Friends #18: Jack Heath and Sam McGregor
S3 Ep86: Conversations with Friends #17: Justine Sless and Noe Harsel
S3 Ep85: Our Pity Party & Zana Fraillon on young readers, leaving breadcrumbs & stardust
S3 Ep84: Conversations with Friends #16: Bronwyn Birdsall and Sheree Strange
S3 Ep83: Warm Winter Words #3: Michael Veitch
S3 Ep82: Warm Winter Words #2: Lucy Treloar
S3 Ep81: Warm Winter Words #1: Tony Birch
S3 Ep80: Conversations with Friends #15: Lauren Draper and Susan White
S3 Ep79: Lockdown 2.0 & Kate Grenville on rejection, generosity & rules for editing
S3 Ep78: Conversations with Friends #14: McKinley Valentine and Angus Hervey
S3 Ep77: Conversations with Friends #13: Gabriel Bergmoser and Damian Robb
S3 Ep76: Motherhood & Anna Downes on anxiety, agent-hunting & international auctions
S3 Ep75: Conversations with Friends #12: Alice Robinson and Meg Mundell
S3 Ep74: Listening recommendations and Laura McPhee Browne on short form fiction, covers and the power of the bio
S3 Ep73: Conversations with Friends #11: RWR McDonald and Katherine Kovacic
S3 Ep72: Conversations with Friends #10: Emily Gale, Nina Kenwood and Bronte Coates
S3 Ep71: #dothework & Chris Flynn on speaking with mammoths, criticism & famous friends
S3 Ep69: Conversations with Friends #9: Poppy Nwosu and Sonya Bates
S3 Ep68: Conversations with Friends #8: Sally Piper and Shady Cosgrove
S3 Ep67: Pitching essays & Krissy Kneen on literary mafia, online events & erotica
S3 Ep66: Conversations with Friends #7: Sean O'Beirne and Wayne Marshall
S3 Ep65: Corona catch up and Kay Kerr on #ownvoices, pandemics and the joys of waiting
S3 Ep64: Conversations with Friends #6: Sarah Schmidt and Favel Parrett
S3 Ep63: Engaging with readers & Anita Heiss on storytelling, schedules and social media
S3 Ep62: Conversations with Friends #5: Jane Harper and Karina Kilmore
S3 Ep61: Pitches and Nick Earls on crushing reviews, the universe and the importance of a good pillow
S3 Ep60: Conversations with Friends #4: Lauren Chater and Sarah-Jane Burton
S3 Ep59: Research & Mirandi Riwoe on plotting, outrage & writing historical fiction
S3 Ep58: Conversations with Friends#3: Imbi Neeme and Emilie Collyer
S3 Ep57: Non-book recommendations and Melissa Ferguson on science fiction and writing about the future
S3 Ep56: Conversations with Friends#2: Shivaun Plozza and Wai Chim
S3 Ep55: Authors online & Sarah Bailey on routines, fast drafts & plotting crimes
S3 Ep54: Conversations with Friends #1: Thuy On & Nick Gadd
S3 Ep53: How to write, now & Alice Robinson on writing the anthropocene, motherhood & finding joy
S3 Ep52: New Year, New Routines & Emily Clements on memoir, commas and riding the rollercoaster
S3 Ep51: The Virus and Robert Lukins on Adrian Mole, libraries and literary nemeses
S3 Ep50: Second Book V First Book & Mandy Beaumont on confidence & writing rage
S3 Ep49: We're back! And Christian White on tension, readers and no Plan B
S3 Ep48: Introducing Season 3 - The First Time
S2 Ep47: Reflections and the end of season two
S2 Ep46: Comfort zones and Sarah Hopkins on utopia, dystopia and real life as inspiration
S2 Ep45: Lazy Thursday nights and Gerii Pleitez on creativity, writing and Kara Sevda Press
S2 Ep44: Supporting other writers & Charlotte Wood on rejection, writing craft and bodies of work
S2 Ep43: Live Event: Cassie Hamer, Ashley Kalagian Blunt & John Purcell at Glee Books
S2 Ep42: Professionalism & John Purcell on pseudonyms, writing sex & what sells books
S2 Ep41: Tax and Will Kostakis on doing school visits and not doing school visits. Controversy!
S2 Ep40: Listener feedback & Jannali Jones on NanoWriMo, persistence & cultural identity
S2 Ep39: Confidence & Alice Bishop on reading, writing trauma & quietness
S2 Ep38: Travels & Ben Hobson on book tours, soundtracks & second books
S2 Ep37: Audiobooks & Angela Savage on switching genres, PhDs & writing community
S2 Ep36: Puff quotes and RWR McDonald on Faber Academy, trilogies and writing on public transport
S2 Ep35: A catch up and Nina Kenwood on prizes, babies and writing in secret
S2 Ep34: Writers Groups & Mark Smith on confidence, school visits & writing trilogies
S2 Ep33: International rights, a short hiatus and publicist Jane Watkins on... publicity
S2 Ep32: What's open on your computer and Lee Kofman on writers groups, writers block and writing communities
S2 Ep31: Listener Q's & Adut Wol Acek & Khalid Warsame on writing & Growing Up African in Australia.
S2 Ep30: Professional development and Rajith Savanadasa on documentary theatre, hot desks and manuscript development programs
S2 Ep29: Mentors & Kelly Gardiner on pirates, Twitter & getting the writing done
S2 Ep27: What to charge & James Bradley on climate change, criticism & fixing broken books.
S2 Ep26: The worst things to ask authors and Bram Presser on documentary fiction, hommus and Jewish punk rock
S2 Ep25: Waiting, worries & Davina Bell on writing for children
S2 Ep24: Hosting events & Sarah Mayberry on romance, euphemisms & independent publishing
S2 Ep23: Jealousy, FOMO & Carly Findlay on memoir, activism & love triumphing hate
S2 Ep22: Summer reads & J.P Pomare on pragmatism, self doubt & tattoos.
S1 Ep20: An ending & Jamie Marina Lau on creativity, honesty & representation.
S1 Ep19: Our super profitable side business & Irma Gold on putting your heart into the world.
S1 Ep18: Publicity & Alison Manning on what goes on in writers' heads
S1 Ep17: The launch & Mark Brandi on fate, crime & Reebok Pumps.
S1 Ep16: Making money and Emily Brewin on phone calls in cubicles, validation and holding your book in your hand.
S1 Ep15: Feelings & Annabel Smith & Jane Rawson on firsts, festivals and asking for help.
S1 Ep14: Money & Mandy Brett on editing, talent & tingly feelings.
S1 Ep13: How we write & Danielle Binks on fan fic, #LoveOzYA & transferrable skills.
S1 Ep12: Book covers & Karen Viggers on French audiences, re-writes and the human condition.
S1 Ep11: Book Launch Planning & Jack Heath on writing to impress girls, sequels and the best way to approach promotions.
S1 Ep10: Origin stories & Penni Russon on motherhood, optimism & the writing community.
S1 Ep9: Editing & Graeme Simsion on readers, romance and not picking favourites.
S1 Ep8: Social media & Toni Jordan on planes, publishers & getting out of the house.
S1 Ep7: Promotional YouTube videos & Jacinta di Mase on second chances, pitching, and what agents bring to the table
S1 Ep6: How to give an author talk & Melanie Cheng on short story, speeches & pressing send.
S1 Ep5: A short delay...
S1 Ep4: A beginning & Claire G. Coleman on story, prizes & luck.
S1 Ep2: All about Kate Mildenhall
S1 Ep3: All about Katherine Collette
S1 Ep1: Guess who's coming to The First Time?