Story-telling lies at the heart of how we make a difference.
No matter who you are, all of us tell stories about our lives that shape our sense of who we are and what we can do. Story-telling is part of how we see our agency.
We also tell stories about public life and about power. A one-dimensional story of power as an overload can convince us we can’t do anything about the forces and pressures we face. In contrast, a two-dimensional story about power is different. It might still recognise that things are challenging, but in recognising that there are ways we can act in response – it tells a story where we can see ourselves as agents and actors that can have an impact on how the future unfolds.
Stories are a reminder of our ordinary extraordinariness, and award-winning New York Times bestselling author Anna Funder explores this theme in this podcast. She reflects on the profound lives and stories of many of the people she has written about. She also shares how her own life not only drew her to writing, but also how more recently, the challenges posed by AI and content-theft have led her to rethink her role in public life – and to work with others to make a difference and defend creativity.
Episode description (2026, Season 10, Episode 13)
Anna Funder is one of Australia’s most successful and accomplished writers. She has used her craft to explore power abuse and people’s response, whether through stories about life under the Stasi in East Germany, the rise of Hitler, or by giving voice to the agency of Eileen O’shaughnessy – the wife of George Orwell. In telling new stories about power she has challenged the narratives of the powerful.
In this conversation we explore how her writing is an act of change making, but also what the perspective of a writer might offer to those who seek to make change. Its a celebration of the power of all of us – our ordinary extraordinariness. She also shares how the kind of everyday outrage that we all experience has effected her in particular, driving her to advocate for writing and against the wanton content stealing that is enabling AI and the Tech Bros to make money.
Photo credit: Michele Aboud.
