Biographers in Conversation

Dr Drusilla Modjeska: "A Woman’s Eye, Her Art: Reframing the Narrative through Art and Life"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr Drusilla Modjeska chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about A Woman’s Eye, Her Art: Reframing the Narrative through Art and Life.
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
Why Drusilla Modjeska wrote this biography of six female European modernist artists from the early 20th century.
Why the biography also includes contemporary artists, Chantal Joffe and Julie Rapp.
The meaning of ‘a woman’s eye’.
Why Drusilla chose to write a collective rather than an individual biography.
Why Drusilla examined how these women reframed the male gaze through their art.
Why Drusilla chose a non-linear structure and collage form in three parts.

Julie Summers' "British Vogue: The Biography of an Icon"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Julie Summers chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about British Vogue: The Biography of an Icon
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
Why Julie Summers decided to craft an object biography of British Vogue.
What Julie discovered by reading every issue of British Vogue since its launch in 1916.
Why Julie portrayed British Vogue as a living, evolving personality.
How Julie brought a century of style, culture and power to life.
How British Vogue has reflected and shaped women’s lives for over a century.
The story behind the striking cover of British Vogue: The Biography of an Icon
How British Vogue became a cultural barometer.
British Vogue’s enduring ability to chronicle and shape British style, culture, and imagination.

Diana Parsell "Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Diana Parsell chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees.
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
Diana Parsell reveals how a reprinted travelogue led her to the forgotten story of Eliza Scidmore, a pioneering woman behind Washington’s iconic cherry trees.
Diana discusses Scidmore’s remarkable career as a travel writer, journalist, and early National Geographic board member.
Parsell reflects on the narrative power of her prologue, “A Grave in Yokohama,” and the decisions behind her book’s compelling structure.
She describes the challenges of researching a 19th-century woman whose archives were scattered, incomplete or inaccessible.
How Eliza’s personality, passions and persistence drove the plot of her biography.
How thematic timelines and scene-building created a vivid, cinematic portrayal of Scidmore’s global travels.
The literary techniques and authorial choices that shaped the biography’s immersive style and emotional depth.
Advice to first-time biographers about the balance between historical truth, narrative craft and ethical storytelling.

Dr Greg de Moore "Tom Wills: The Insubordinate Life of an Australian Sporting Legend"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr Greg de Moore chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting Tom Wills: The Insubordinate Life of an Australian Sporting Legend.
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
How Greg de Moore first stumbled upon Tom Wills’ forgotten story
Why Greg felt compelled to rescue Tom Will’s legendary tale from obscurity.
Wills’s remarkable life journey growing up among Aboriginal friends in the bush, captaining cricket at England’s elite Rugby School then returning to Australia to become a cricket star and co-inventor of Australian Rules.
Greg’s narrative choices to bring Wills’ world alive.
Why Greg framed Wills as ‘insubordinate’.
How Greg portrayed Wills’s rebellious streak.
How Greg approached writing about Wills’ dramatic downfall.
Why sharing Tom Wills’s story still matters.

Ray Boomhower: "The Ultimate Protest: Malcolm W. Browne, Thich Quang Duc, and the News Photograph That Stunned the World"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Ray Boomhower chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting The Ultimate Protest: Malcolm W. Browne, Thích Quảng Đức, and the News Photograph That Stunned the World.
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
The powerful story behind Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức’s 1963 self-immolation protest in Saigon.
How Malcolm Browne’s iconic photograph of this tragic act shocked the world, igniting global outrage that influenced the course of the Vietnam War.
Why Boomhower chose The Ultimate Protest as the biography’s title.
How Boomhower braided biography with war history. 
Boomhower’s meticulous behind-the-scenes research, from scouring archives and news reports to retracing Malcolm Browne’s footsteps in Vietnam.
How Boomhower captured Malcolm Browne’s voice and perspective despite never interviewing him. 
How Boomhower depicted distressing and sacred moments with unflinching accuracy, empathy and cultural sensitivity.
The ethical dilemmas Boomhower grappled with in sharing Browne’s story.

Dr Bron Bateman: "Women of a Certain Courage"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr Bron Bateman chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while editing Women of a Certain Courage.
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
The drive behind Women of a Certain Courage, including why Bron set out to challenge traditional male-centric hero narratives and celebrate everyday women’s bravery.
How Bron handpicked 18 diverse women writers—Indigenous activists, queer and trans voices and women with disabilities—to share first-person stories of courage from across Australia.
A peek into Bron’s editing process: how her poet’s eye for imagery and rhythm helped shape the anthology’s powerful emotional journey.
The common threads of resilience, healing and transformation that connect these diverse stories and how each woman emerges stronger after adversity.
Bron’s fresh take on what courage really means, highlighting that heroism isn’t always loud. It can be found in small acts of persistence and speaking your truth in everyday life.
Why sharing these stories creates a ripple effect of bravery, inspiring others to find their own courage.
Why Bron believes every act of courage, no matter how small, matters.

Stephen J. Campbell: "Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr Stephen J. Campbell chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting Leonardo da Vinci: An Untraceable Life.
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
Why Stephen Campbell resists the urge to create a seamless narrative and instead embraces the mystery, silence and gaps in Leonardo da Vinci’s story.
How the book’s structure reflects the fragmented reality of Leonardo’s life.
The origin of the book’s title and how it challenges traditional biographical expectations by leaning into ambiguity.
How Campbell uses philosophical chapter titles and historical nuance to explore mythmaking and modern interpretations of Leonardo da Vinci.
Why Campbell avoids speculation and instead invites readers to sit with what we don’t know, treating uncertainty as revealing rather than inconvenient.
The biographer’s role as a curator of questions rather than authority, a model of life writing that prioritises transparency over certainty.
The myths the book gently dismantles, from the lonely genius trope to misconceptions about Leonardo’s inventions and personality.
How An Untraceable Life encourages us to rethink what biography can be and to rediscover awe in the unresolvable aspects of a life.

Jillian Graham "Inner Song: A Biography of Margaret Sutherland"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, the musician and author Dr Jillian Graham chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting Inner Song. A Biography of Margaret Sutherland, the life story of the ‘Grand Old Lady of Classical Music.’
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
Margeret Sutherland was a child prodigy, composer, pianist and teacher. She composed more than 200 works and was an influential champion of both contemporary and Australian music
Margaret Sutherland’s role in Australia’s cultural history and why she still matters, 40 years after her death
How Jillian Graham narrowed the biographical scope given the avalanche of evidence she sourced during her painstaking research
How Margaret’s character drove the plot of Inner Song
How Jillian balanced Margaret’s voice and perspective and her voice as the narrator
How Jillian balanced Margaret’s public persona and professional accomplishments with her human story
How Jillian reconciled conflicting opinions about Margaret Sutherland
Why it was so vital to bring Margaret Sutherland’s story to a new generation of readers and music lovers.

David Veltman, Daniel Meister and Hans Renders Biography Across the Digitized Globe: Essays in Honour of Hans Renders

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Dr David Veltman, Dr Daniel Meister and Professor Hans Renders chat with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about Biography Across the Digitized Globe: Essays in Honour of Hans Renders.
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
David and Daniel edited this collection of essays to honour Hans’s pioneering role in the field of biography.
Diverse perspectives on how digital sources and global connections are reshaping how we share life stories.
Why biography remains a vital, evolving genre despite deliberate disinformation and an Orwellian subversion of truthfulness in politics and public conversation.
Why is it vital to consider biographical traditions from around the world.
Diverse perspectives on how digital sources and global connections are reshaping how we share life stories.
The value of a biography lies not in its adherence to a single, monolithic ‘truth’, but in its ability to offer an authentic, authoritative and empathetic exploration of a human life.
Biography’s future given the emergence of AI.

Shauna Bostock "Reaching Through Time: Finding My Family’s Stories"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Shauna Bostock chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting Reaching Through Time: Finding My Family’s Stories.
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
The shocking late-night phone Shauna Bostock received that ignited her determination to unearth her family’s true history.
How Shauna traced over 200 years of her Indigenous family history amid scant and fragmented records.
Shauna’s unique approach to storytelling: blending biography, history, memoir and oral storytelling.
How Shauna balanced being a rigorous historian and a loving descendant.
How Shauna alternated between close-up personal scenes and wide-angle historical context.
Why Shauna Bostock sees her book as part of Australia’s broader truth-telling movement, an effort to openly acknowledge Indigenous history and the injustices of the past.