The Tall And True Short Reads Podcast
Tall And True Short Reads is a storytelling podcast featuring short stories, blog posts and other writing from the Tall And True writers’ website. Stream from Acast or follow and listen via Apple Podcasts and all popular podcast apps.
Latest Episode
Two Visits to the Berlin Wall – Part Two
After living and working in England from 1987, my wife and I returned to Australia in 1995, overland. Michael Palin’s 1991 BBC series, Pole to Pole, inspired our journey and route, travelling from north to south for eight months. And along the way, we revisited Berlin, as I recorded in my travel journal.
About the Podcast
Tall And True Short Reads features short stories, blog posts and other writing written and narrated by Robert Fairhead from the Tall And True writers’ website.
At the end of each episode, Robert provides his writer’s insight into the featured writing — when, why and how he wrote it.
The podcast is recorded in Sydney, Australia, on the land of the traditional lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.
Recent Episodes
Two Visits to the Berlin Wall – Part One
In 2019, approaching the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, I found a timely book in a secondhand bookshop: The Berlin Wall, 13 August 1961 – 9 November 1989 by Frederick Taylor. The book inspired me to write about my two contrasting visits to Berlin as a backpacker in 1987 and 1995.
The Magical Lamp
Handcuffed in the police car, I wished the lamp hadn’t been magical. “That, sir, is a genuine antique,” the stallholder had asserted when I’d stopped and inspected it at the secondhand market. The oil lamp looked like a prop from Disney’s Aladdin. But though tarnished, I thought the embossed metal would polish up nice and shiny and earn me a tidy profit.
Alice Nannup and my Nan
Henry Rollins said, “A great way to learn about your country is to leave it.” And I learned a lot about Australia while living overseas from 1987 to 1996. Books like Alice Nannup’s When The Pelican Laughed (published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press in 1992) helped my education. And from her memoir, I learned about the Stolen Generation and a connection with my Nan.
Please note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned this podcast episode contains the names and words of people who have passed away.
About Robert Fairhead
A middle-aged dad and dog owner, Robert Fairhead is a writer and editor at the Tall And True writers’ website, and blogs on his website, RobertFairhead.com. He also writes and narrates for the Tall And True Short Reads podcast.
Along with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you can follow Robert on the popular Mastodon social media platform.