Gretel Killeen

Gretel Killeen

Author: Sydney Opera House May 15, 2017 Duration: 41:03
Some words to describe the woman who sits before you; creative - you've seen her on TV and in theatre. Prolific - she's written more than 20 books. Overachieving maybe as well - she wrote many of them while raising two children, and controversial, but we might save that until a little bit later.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Behind every significant idea, there is a rich and often winding narrative waiting to be told. It's a Long Story is where those narratives unfold, brought to life by the Sydney Opera House as a key part of its Talks and Ideas program. Host Edwina Throsby guides these explorations, sitting down for deep conversations with a fascinating array of global thinkers, artists, and culture creators. Each episode delves beyond the headlines and finished works, uncovering the personal journeys, creative struggles, and pivotal moments that shape groundbreaking contributions to the arts, commentary, and current affairs. This podcast offers a rare, intimate space to hear the nuanced stories behind the public personas, providing listeners with a deeper understanding of the forces that drive innovation and cultural dialogue. Tune in for thoughtful, extended dialogues that remind us that the most compelling concepts are rarely born in an instant, but are instead the product of a long, considered, and human process.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 62

It's a Long Story
Podcast Episodes
Bonus Episode  - Introducing our new podcast 'Up Next' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:48
As it nears its 50th birthday, the Sydney Opera House is looking to the future with a 'Up Next' - a new podcast which talks to the artists who'll define the next 50 years of arts and culture in Australia. Join host Court…
Denise Ho [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:57
Denise Ho was always going to be an activist. The canto-pop superstar had built a massively successful music career and could’ve continued on her path of major-label success. But, in 2012, she became the first mainstream…
Kimberly Motley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:57
Not a lot of women get to practice law in Afghanistan, but attorney Kimberly Motley is one of the very few. Raised in a poor, majority black neighbourhood in Milwaukee in America’s midwest, Kimberly has made a career def…
Zadie Smith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:43
When 24 Year old Zadie Smith published her debut novel, White Teeth, in 2000, she became an instant literary superstar. Two decades and several more novels, short story and essay collections later, her voice remains ever…
Soraya Chemaly [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:17
Feminists get a bad rap for being angry. But what would it be like if women were allowed to embrace their anger? American writer Soraya Chemaly has been calling for this shift for years. A prolific voice on the role of g…
Sohaila Abdulali [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:52
Sohaila Abdulali did not want to write a book about her experience of being raped. It was a long time ago and she’d very much moved on with her life. But, after some articles she’d written about it went viral, she did wr…
Carolin Emcke [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:24
How we define ourselves comes from a place of difference. At least that's what Carolin Emcke writes about in her book, How We Desire, which investigates gender and identity. But her own identity? Now that’s more complica…
Sarah Smarsh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:07
Sarah Smarsh is the daughter of a teenaged mother, who was the daughter of a teenaged mother, who was the daughter of a teenaged mother. Born into a dirt-poor family in rural Kansas, Smarsh realised young that if she cou…
Joan Morgan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:31
Joan Morgan grew up in the Bronx alongside a growing hip hop movement in the 1980s. Coming of age in the 90s, as hip hop became an international cultural phenomenon, Joan Morgan became one of the first women to write abo…
Tina Tchen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:19
Tina Tchen doesn't remember the first time she met the Obamas. But what she does remember is the ground-breaking policies that she worked on with both Barack and Michelle during their time in the White House. The daughte…