How We Write About Ourselves

Father, mother, family, home, changed forever by violence.

Two writers tell the true stories of their families living through war and conflict before immigrating to Australia for new lives. Writer and journalist Antoun Issa beautifully recounts his mother’s heartbreaking life in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War in Rebirth, while playwright S. Shakthidharan traces his family’s journey from Sri Lanka, great-grandparents’ house and all, in his memoir Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath.

In conversation together, Antoun and Shakthi consider the task of writing about their families, histories and cultural inheritances. With host Beejay Silcox.