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Indonesia’s recently sworn in President Prabowo Subianto is many things. To millions of young Indonesians, he is a daggy dancer on TikTok. But to a cohort of voters with longer memories, he is a veteran of a brutal and oppressive military force. Today, principal fellow of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre at Murdoch University Jacqui Baker charts Prabowo Subianto’s extraordinary climb to the presidency and what it means for Indonesia’s fragile democracy.  Please enjoy “Forcing History”, read by Jacqui Baker and first published in the Australian Foreign Affairs October issue. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Principal fellow of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre at Murdoch University Jacqui Baker

This year, Andrea Robin Skinner, the daughter of the late Nobel Prize-winning Canadian author Alice Munro, revealed something about her mother that had stayed hidden throughout Munro’s entire life. When Skinner was nine years old, Munro’s husband – who was also Andrea's stepfather – had assaulted her.  Today, art critic and author Sebastian Smee reads his piece on the author Alice Munro. It’s an insightful and sharp piece of writing by one of the best observers of the art and literary worlds.  Please enjoy ‘Into the Dark: The Legacy of Alice Munro”, read by Sebastian Smee, first published in The Monthly’s November edition. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Art critic and author Sebastian Smee

Peter Dutton’s first major promise when he became opposition leader was to build nuclear power plants. It was a curious idea with no cost attached, and polling suggested it had little community support. Today, journalist Marian Wilkinson joins with her investigation into the conservative charity group figures driving the opposition leader’s pivot to nuclear energy.   Marian’s sharp reporting on the nuclear lobby only becomes more relevant with each day we inch closer to the next federal election.  Please enjoy “Dutton’s nuclear power plants”, read by Marian Wilkinson and first published in The Monthly earlier this year.  Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Investigative reporter Marian Wilkinson

Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist whose work has been translated into fifty-five languages. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Michael chats with Elif about her latest novel, There are Rivers in the Sky, which follows a single drop of water across millennia. Reading list: The Bastard of Istanbul, Elif Shafak, 2006 The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak, 2009 Honour, Elif Shafak, 2011 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In this Strange World, Elif Shafak, 2019 The Island of Missing Trees, Elif Shafak, 2021 There are Rivers in the Sky, Elif Shafak, 2024 You can find these books and all the others we mentioned at your favourite independent book store.  Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter Guest: Elif Shafak