Anna Funder – ChangeMaker Chat – How writing makes a difference
What the art of story-telling can teach us about how to make change
You can download this episode via the ACAST app here, or find it on any podcast app (Spotify, Apple, Stitcher etc) – just search “ChangeMakers Podcast” and look for the Orange Box!
Anna Funder is one of Australia’s most successful and accomplished writers. She has used her craft to explore power abuse and people’s response, whether through stories about life under the Stasi in East Germany, the rise of Hitler, or by giving voice to the agency of Eileen O’shaughnessy – the wife of George Orwell. In telling new stories about power she has challenged the narratives of the powerful.
In this conversation we explore how her writing is an act of change making, but also what the perspective of a writer might offer to those who seek to make change. Its a celebration of the power of all of us – our ordinary extraordinariness. She also shares how the everyday outrage that any of us, and all of us, can experience has driven her to advocate for writing and against the wanton content stealing that is enabling AI and the Tech Bros to make money.
Photo credit: Michele Aboud.
Anna will be part of an Australian speaking tour in August 2026, dates and tickets can be found here: https://thinkable.events/tours/an-evening-with-anna-funder.
You can find out more about Anna’s books here:
Anna’s closing address at the 2025 Writers Festival, that we mention in the podcast, is here.
Join our weekly email list to hear our latest musings, podcasts and training. Click on this button to subscribe:
