Sexuality, masculinity and mental health: Holden Sheppard bares all in the latest episode of the Fremantle Press Podcast
Fogarty Literary Award winner Rebecca Higgie joins Holden Sheppard at the mic for this month’s episode of the Fremantle Press Podcast.
In this episode, Holden talks to Rebecca about his gritty debut YA novel Invisible Boys, which won the 2018 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award. He explains how men play a part in shaping the concept of masculinity, touches on the importance of addressing mental health issues in young people and discusses how his own experiences as a gay man growing up in country Western Australia shaped the novel.
Marketing and Communications Manager Claire Miller said though Holden would not be relinquishing his role as the Fremantle Press Podcast host till the end of 2019, it was considered a little too ‘meta’ for him to interview himself. Claire said, ‘The current iteration of the Fremantle Press Podcast was designed to be a vehicle for Hungerford and Fogarty winners to gain experience as interviewers while giving aspiring writers a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing process. We’ve been blown away by Holden’s work and, after hearing this episode, we’re confident listeners will agree he’s leaving the podcast in good hands.’
Holden and Rebecca will co-host the Fremantle Press Podcast between now and the end of the year, with Rebecca to continue on until the announcement of the next City of Fremantle Hungerford winner at the end of 2020.
If you enjoy this episode, you can subscribe to the Fremantle Press podcast on iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud or your favourite podcast app. Previous episodes are also available on the Fremantle Press Podcast page.
Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.
Mastered and edited by: Aidan d’Adhemar