Conversations

When Kerstin Pilz discovered that her charming husband Gianni had been cheating on her while he was dying, she had to decide what to do next (R) She had fallen madly in love with this Italian man when she was in her 40s. The two married and began travelling the world together. Then Gianni suddenly fell ill. As he was in the hospital undergoing surgery for life-threatening cancer, Kerstin discovered her husband was not the man she thought he was. Further information Loving my Lying, Dying, Cheating Husband is published by Affirm Press. Originally broadcast in June 2024. This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison and presented by Sarah Kanowski. It explores narcissism, narcissistic personality disorder, infidelity, terminal cancer, caring for your spouse, marriage breakdown, illness, betrayal, grief, writing, origin stories, love, lust, trust, couples counselling, couples therapy. cheating, dying, grief. Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website. [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/conversations-live-the-stories-behind-the-stories/105225140]

Author Katia Ariel tells the story of Ephraim Finch, a man synonymous with death in the Melbourne Jewish community. He started life as Geoffrey William, the son of a butcher, who would go on to become a master builder before his life became unrecognisable to him. Several years ago, Melbourne author and book editor, Katia was invited to write Ephraim's biography. Katia was already familiar with his name. She had seen the way mourners uttered his name and felt a sense of calm and ease within their sorrow, because they trusted Ephraim as a master of death who would know how to lead them through the world of mourning. Ephraim started life as Geoffrey William Finch, the son of a butcher in the working class suburb of Ashfield in Sydney in the 1940s.  He learned his love of reading from his pop, who would come home from his job at the abattoir and read Oscar Wilde’s work over a cigar on the porch.  From a young age Ephraim felt an ineffable pull toward monotheism and converted to Judaism, along with his wife, Cas, after the pair met as teenagers at the Wagga Wagga Royal Show. Eventually he was drawn to his vocation — the sacred and quiet ritual of preparing bodies for burial.  And he became the go-to man in Melbourne, where over his career he has buried more than 10,000 people. Further information Ferryman: The life and deathwork of Ephraim Finch is published by Wild Dingo Press. Katia's first book, a memoir is called The Swift Dark Tide, published by Gazebo Books. Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website. [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/conversations-live-the-stories-behind-the-stories/105225140] Conversations' Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan. This episode of Conversations touches on death, grief, mourning, burial, Judaism, Jewish, chevra kadisha, Ephraim Finch, Melbourne, Orthodox Judaism, conversion, Jewish conversion, Wagga Wagga, Herman Wouk, deathwork, funerals, epic life stories, origin stories, loss, reflection and biography.

Professor Lorimer Moseley is neuroscientist, who specialises in the complexities and mind-boggling nature of pain - what it is, why it exists, how it works and when it can go wrong. For most of us, pain is a fundamental part of being alive, and staying alive and yet none of us will ever experience the exact same pain as someone else, which makes it incredibly difficult to understand. Every day, we stub our toes and burn our tongues. Some of us break bones and suffer from more serious illnesses and conditions. What you feel when your skin is broken or a ligament is torn is there to tell your brain to be careful, that something is wrong and needs to be protected. But what happens when doctors can't find any damage? When the tissues in your hips or the pictures of your brain seem perfectly fine, but still, there is agonising pain that refuses to leave you alone? Lorimer was a physiotherapist who came to this very specific neuroscience after his own experience with chronic pain, following a pretty gruesome sporting injury that by all accounts had been fixed by surgery. He realised that as he was learning more about how changes in the body are detected (like temperature and pressure), and communicated as pain to the brain through the central nervous system, his own chronic pain started to diminish. Since then, Lorimer has published hundreds of papers and several books on the topic, in his pursuit to help people also dig themselves out of the hellish cruelty of chronic pain. Further information You can find more resources from Professor Moseley about tackling persistent or chronic pain online at TameTheBeast.org [https://www.tamethebeast.org/] Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website. [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/conversations-live-the-stories-behind-the-stories/105225140] The Executive Producer of Conversations in Nicola Harrison. This episode was produced by Meggie Morris and presented by Richard Fidler.  It explores persistent pain, migraine, arthritis, neurology, psychology, distrust of the medical system, pain relief, hypersensitivity to pain, doctors who believe you, chronic conditions, endometriosis.

It’s been a decade since Australian journalist Peter Greste became a global news story, spending 400 days imprisoned in Egypt. But he still misses the life he had as a foreign correspondent. Peter and two colleagues were arrested while working for Al Jazeera in Cairo, they were charged with spreading false news and aiding terrorism.  Peter then was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in jail. Back home, Peter’s parents Juris and Lois became the face of the campaign to free him and his two brothers were a constant presence in Cairo throughout the ordeal. But after the initial exhilaration of freedom Peter had to work out how to live a different kind of life.  One far away from the adrenaline of his years reporting from some of the world’s most volatile places. Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website. [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/conversations-live-the-stories-behind-the-stories/105225140] This episode of Conversations deals with reporting from war zones, prison, solitary confinement, grief, death, press freedom, family, psychological distress, political unrest, post traumatic stress, prison life, captivity.

What happens when a man can't stop his drive and desire for more? Author Andrew O'Hagan dissects the pitfalls of more money, more success and more applause (R) Andrew O’Hagan is the author of several highly acclaimed novels. His most recent book is a sweeping portrait of modern-day London, a city ‘levitating on a sea of dirty Russian money’.  The main character, Campbell Flynn, is much like Andrew himself: a public intellectual who escaped from the Scottish council estate he grew up in and came to London to enjoy great success. But success, a big house, a loving family and expensive habits are not enough. Campbell is a man riding for a fall, and there will be many spectators at the final hurrah, when his life comes tumbling down.  Further information First Broadcast May 2024, and recorded at the Melbourne Writers' Festival. Caledonian Road is published by Allen & Unwin. Find out more about the Conversations Live National Tour on the ABC website. [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/conversations-live-the-stories-behind-the-stories/105225140]