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From maintaining traditional handcrafting techniques to dressing up in the metaverse, to the evils of the fast-fashion industry.   Digital Fashion by Ariana Rigazzi  Could online fashion shows be a sustainable future? As the line between our physical and virtual lives continues to blur, a new world of fashion is starting to emerge ... and it exists entirely online Produced by Ariana Rigazzi   Supervising Producers: Persephone Waxman & Dan Semo.  Produced as part of a collaboration between the University of Melbourne, the Science Gallery and All The Best in 2025. Special thanks to Louisa Lim.    Can traditional handicraft survive fast fashion? by Zhian Zhou  Leanne O’Sullivan is the founder of Kimono House in Melbourne. While living in Japan, she fell in love with traditional Japanese handicrafts like Sashiko and Boro.  Produced by Zhian Zhou   Supervising Producer: Persephone Waxman.    Forced Fashion by Natalie Yeoman Natalie explores the forced fashion industry by following the production of one hoodie, from China to Bangladesh, and back home to Australia, and the exploitative work practices that come with it. Produced by Natalie Yeoman This story was made as part of USYD’s Radio and Podcasting unit. Special thanks to Lea Redfern.    Want more from All The Best? Check out our Substack for a little bit of BTS!   All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins  Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Special shout-out to all our volunteers   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  Don’t talk about the water by Alissar Seyla In this episode, we look at the concept of the homeland and diaspora. That tension between familiarity and unease. A young woman reflects on experiences in her homeland, Lebanon, and abroad, and struggles to find safety in either of those places amid escalating war. Now, it is time to talk about the water. Written and produced by: Alissar Seyla Sound Design by: Tala Issaoui   This story was originally commissioned by Debris Magazine for Issue 06: No! The co-editors were Jon Tjhia and Cher Tan. You can find out more about Debris Magazine here. You can also check out the previous episode featuring the co-editors, John and Cher, here, featuring other excerpts from Issue 6. Want more from All The Best? Check out our Substack for a little bit of BTS!   All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins  Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Special shout-out to all our volunteers   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Conservation Champion for Cheetham by Sandra Wilson Bernie McCarrick, a former Parks Victoria ranger and site manager of Cheetham Saltworks, reflects on his role in transforming a former industrial site into a thriving wetland ecosystem. Alongside insights from Dr Mike Weston, the story reveals how careful water management and decades of on-the-ground knowledge sustain critical bird habitats. Produced by: Sandra Wilson Supervising Producer: Sarah Mashman.    Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper by Ruijie Tang In this story, the matchstick grasshopper’s grand comeback. Following efforts led by Ary Hoffman to rediscover and protect the matchstick grasshopper — a species thought to have disappeared from Victoria after decades of habitat loss — his team draws on historical records and fieldwork to track the insect to a surviving population and begin the delicate process of rebuilding its numbers through conservation and translocation. Produced by: JJ Tang Supervising Producer: Thomas Phillips Special thanks to Louisa Lim.    Water Trial by Renate Millonig Amid a devastating algal bloom along South Australia’s coast, Renate shares a haunting poem capturing the grief of witnessing mass marine death.  “ In every breath we share, in every drop we drink.” Written and Read by: Renate Millonig Recorded by: Mel Bakewell.   All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins  Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Special shout-out to all our volunteers   Protest_Zara_Day_22-03-2009.wav by eraylik -- https://freesound.org/s/69954/ -- License: Attribution 4.0       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Stone, A Knife, A Flame by Joshua Santospirito Washing, scrubbing, rinsing, drying, wiping, wetting, drying. These mundane acts led Joshua to reflect so much more. Through his kitchen, the everyday collides with resistance and violence, as he invites us to question what it means to act in the world. Tip: Listen to this while washing your dishes for the immersive thought process. That story was written and performed by Joshua Santospirito as part of a graphic storytelling event run by Papercuts Comics Festival on Kaurna  Land in 2025.    Crime of Ration by Miles Mazzocato  Putting pressure on ourselves to be perfect is a common thing…sometimes at the expense of yourself and those around you. In this story, an apprentice’s obsession with being a perfect cook quietly begins to take over everything else. Remember, sometimes it takes more than techniques to make a perfect steak an enjoyable meal. Written by Miles Mazzocato.  Performed by Chloe Spanos and Helen Grimley.  Sound design by Miles Martignoni. Recorded by Ewan Maccoll at Extra(ordinary) Tales, a live storytelling collaboration between All The Best and Read To Me supported by the City of Sydney.    Story 3: Lentil Tahini Stew by Snack Syndicate Need dinner ideas? A Tahini lover? You are at the right place. In this story, a recipe becomes a love language in this warm, sensory piece from Snack Syndicate, where lentil tahini stew is more than just a dish—it is a joint creation shaped by two lovely voices. Time to get some tahini. That story from the archives was produced by Snack Syndicate. It was originally commissioned by Debris Magazine for their issue The Urge To Know.   All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins  Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Special shout-out to all our volunteers   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes moving forward is all about realising that you’ve got the power to write your own narrative.  This week you’ll hear stories about people facing down their own internal narratives that threaten to keep them quiet and small.     Like a Preacher by Idayat Jinadu  As a young girl, Idayat is scared to speak her mind. She stutters. But as she becomes an adult, she grows to realise her stutter isn’t an impediment, and that it’s time she claimed her voice, like a preacher.  Produced by Idayat Jinadu.  Sound design by Mel Bakewell The Supervising Producer was Evana Ho.    Ayla by Carey Scheer This next story is from the amazing Purple Orange podcast that centers  narratives around people living with a disability.  Ayla Regione spent years hiding her deafness, trying to “keep up”, and pushing through without asking for what she needed. When barriers got in her way, she blamed herself. Produced by Carey Scheer  And an extra special thanks to Ayla Regione for sharing their story.     All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Special shout-out to all our volunteers  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we focus on Khaled’s story, which offers insight into hope amid conflict. From Yemen to Tasmania, Khaled recalls his journey through university study and creative pursuits in a very different environment from the one he once called home.  Khaled from Yemen by 177 Nations  That story was from the 177 Nations Podcast. 177 Nations is produced by Mark Thompson from Lutruwita, so-called Tasmania.  Edits for this episode were by Ruijie Tang and Mel Bakewell.  You can hear more episodes of 177 Nations wherever you get your podcast, or by checking out Mark’s site here. If you want to know more about what’s happening at All the Best, check out our Substack! It’s a round-up of all our activities ... with a little bit of BTS.   All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Special shout-out to all our volunteers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  This week, lots of jumping, diving, falling and some bold decisions.   On your bike! by Jeffrey Khoo  In this story, your ultimate bike tutorial (absolutely not!) Trying something new in one’s adulthood may feel like a fish out of the water. Jeffrey felt the same way, too. From curving out chaotic zigzags in the grass, tipping over, giving up and back-pedalling through self-doubt, the bicycle has become the love of his life. Now the fish knows how to bike — just in time for Amsterdam’s bike lanes and Berlin’s questionable late-night decisions.   Produced by Jeffrey Khoo  Supervising Producers  Evana Ho and Mel Bakewell.   Just jump by Alannah Vidic-Worth In this story, Matt overcomes his acrophobia as he jumps off a waterfall in Samoa during a study trip. All it takes is a leap and perhaps… a scream off a Samoan waterfall. Produced by Alanna Vidic-Worth. Special thanks to Janak Rogers and Dan Semo.   In the Deep End by Catarina Fraga Matos  After being dragged out by a rip at a dangerous Australian beach, Craig avoids the water for 15 years. Then, a move to Timor-Leste pushes him back into the water. Sometimes the scariest water leads you straight to the most beautiful reefs. Produced by Catarina Fraga Matos Supervising producer Mel Bakewell  And a special thanks to Craig Garrett for sharing his story.     Nathan’s Comedy Failings by Nathan Roach Nathan went in search of a comedy duo and found a community instead. Produced by Nathan Roach   If you want to know more about what’s happening at All the Best, check out our Substack! It’s a round-up of all our activities ... with a little bit of BTS.   All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to all our volunteers.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we go analogue by exploring how to document memory through physical media. And to pull back to back from the interconnected digital world and just ... sit with art.    You get to hear why some of our friends at fbi.radio are stepping back from digital. Also fbi.radio is awesome. Please give a little love by being a supporter.  Special thanks to Tommy, Benny, Jasmine, Lindsey and Catarina for being a part of this episode.   The Analog-ish Revolution by Kwame Slusher Kwame even made a 7 minute  story about paring back the digital and going analog ... ish.   Produced by Kwame Slusher     Tintypes by Maya Fawaz In an age where everyone has a high-quality camera in their pocket and a cloud claiming their photos, people are going even more analogue than a digicam. And then some people - like Cole Caswell - are going even further than that.   Produced  by Maya Fawaz Supervising Producer was Persephone Waxman.    Year 2537 by Sepehr Jamshidi Fardi and Eugenia Zoubtchenko  This one is from the archives! On his shelf in Sydney, Sepehr has a camera from the future. Sepehr's father’s camera allows him to reflect on a pivotal moment from the past of the country he was born in … Iran.  That story was produced by Sepehr Jamshidi Fardi and Eugenia    If you want to know more about what’s happening at All the Best, check out our Substack! It’s a round-up of all our activities ... with a little bit of BTS. And the deadline for our first Audio Club challenge is on 23 March.  And we plan to have a little listening party.  🎉 🥳 🎈    All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to all our volunteers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we explore stories from the coastline.  The Beach That Grew by Joanna Beard Have you ever been to your favourite beach and noticed that a rock face, or a dune, looks different?  This story explains how erosion isn’t just about loss, but about shifts and transformation, and how this change makes a beach into a resilient landscape that sustains itself.  Produced by Joanna Beard. Supervising Producer was Craig Garrett. Special thanks to Tito Ambyo, one of Joanna’s lecturers at RMIT, who helped shape the story focus for this piece early on.     Trepang by Bridget Chappell Bridget Chappell interviews Yolngu cultural leader Timmy Burarrwanga of Yirrkala about his community’s connection to Makassan sailors from Sulawesi, Indonesia, connected through the sea cucumber, or trepung trade, that began in the early 1700s.  Produced by Bridget Chappell Supervising Producer Mell Chun.  If you want to know more about what’s happening at All the Best, check out our Substack! It’s a round-up of all our activities ... with a little bit of BTS.   All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to all our volunteers.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ring ... ring ... Would you answer a call from a number you don't recognise? What if it was a wrong number? Would you keep talking?   I'm Just Gonna Listen by Emma Lehman Olive Brazill starts receiving calls from strangers who just want someone to listen. And she does.  But it’s not just a random connection with strangers. Ten years earlier, Jack - someone Olive once knew - had received the same kind of calls as a social experiment.  Producer: Emma Lehman Supervising Producer: Lawrence Bull   Audio Club If you’re in Sydney, don’t miss our upcoming in-person Audio Club at fbi.radio on the 23rd February.     Substack  If you want to know more about what’s happening at All the Best, check out our Substack! It’s a roundup of all our activities with a little bit of BTS. .... And Happy Lunar New YearI 🐎   All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator: Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to all our volunteers.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love is in the air … Or at least it's in the airwaves. In this episode, we are going to be playing two stories about love, whether it's love overcoming language barriers or love helping us to overcome physical barriers and how to make the most out of the little things.    Love In Translation by Katie Stokes  So for this first piece, you’ll be taken on a journey through the complexities of a multilingual love story.  You’ll hear Ellie and Lucas navigate learning about each other, meeting each other's families and a little extra challenge of a communication barrier that makes it that much harder.   Produced by Katie Stokes Supervising Producer was Mark Yin   It’s the little things by Carey Scheer  This next piece explores love shaped by disability. From catching the train from Campbelltown together, to sitting in marshland together, Trudy and Chris explore how they’re connected by life’s ordinary ... explore the intimacies of touch and talk … and ultimately … their love for one another transcending life together.  Produced by Carey Scheer from the Purple Orange Podcast. Def worth a listen! And your All The Best host, Kwame, passes the mic on to your new host, Gabriella Accaria! Hurray! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Listen to the episode to learn a little bit more about your new host!   Audio Club If you’re in Sydney, don’t miss our upcoming in-person Audio Club at fbi.radio on the 23rd February.     All The Best Credits Host: Gabriella Accaria & Kwame Slusher Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator:  Catarina Fraga Matos  Production Manager: Kwame Slusher Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to our volunteers.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we continue our literary theme with part two (See part one here) of a showcase of the stories that came out of a collaboration between All the Best and WestWords. This week's stories in this episode deal with space beyond and within us. Whether it is literally outer space or the complexities of navigating an emotional space.   Here by Siham Dalila  Our first story begins with navigating the complexity of inner emotional spaces. It features a woman trapped somewhere between reality and a dreamscape.  And she is forced to make a decision about which reality she wants to stay in and which one she wants to escape from.   Written and performed by Siham Dalila Production and Sound Design by Felicity Weaver.    From Beyond the Karman Line by Myra A Our second story takes us to outer space.   When the first female astronaut to undertake a solo mission is sent to the moon, she finds solace in recording her own voice clips. But alone and far from earth, she is forced to confront a haunting past.  Written and performed by Myra A. Produced by Kwame Slusher Sound Design by Thomas Lu.      Octo by Tabitha Laffernis  Our third and final story takes us into that space of unrequited love.   Too many legs. Too many eyes. Too many feelings. Unrequited love hurts, but interspecies unrequited love hurts harder. A spider falls for her housemate, hoping that one day her housemate will see her.    Written and performed by Tabitha Laffernis Produced by Mel Bakewell  Sound Design and original composition by Suzanne Derry   If you'd like to get involved this month, we are having our first Audio Club meetings for the year! All skill levels are welcome! And if you want to keep what is happening behind the scenes at All the Best, check out our Substack.   All The Best Credits Program Manager & Host: Kwame Slusher Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator:  Catarina Fraga Matos  Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to all our volunteers.       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall ... This week, we have three stories from the 24 radio race in November of last year.   The way it worked is that the audio producers received a prompt a week out from the radio race.  On the day, there was a little bit of a brainstorm. And then the audio producers had 24 hours, working alone or in teams, to complete their stories.    The theme for this year was ‘mirrored’. The theme for the 2025 Radio Race was mirrored in this episode, producers themselves mirrored in other people,  imagining what would happen if your own reflection took over your life, or all the ways that we might actually fail to recognise our own reflection.   R2 Detour by Ramon Briant Our first story is from Ramon Briant. You’re probably familiar with all the use cases or how AI will supposedly make our lives more … efficient. But what are you willing to sacrifice for this efficiency?   Producer: Ramon Briant   It's Meant To Be! by Aya Salah and Mohammed Samir Do you find new social situations stressful? Maybe you are caught up in how anxious you are that you miss the fact that other people around you might feel the same way.   Aya Salah and Mohammed Samir tell a story of what you might find if you can get over that awkwardness. Producer: Aya Salah and Mohammed Samir   A Polished Tale by M. Cristina MarrasThis is a tale about self-reflection, or you being able to recognise your own reflection.And just in case you're not familiar with Cristina’s work, she has a way of taking listeners to places they never expected to be.   Producer: M. Cristina Marras All The Best Credits Program Manager & Host: Kwame Slusher Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator:  Catarina Fraga Matos  Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Mixed & Compiled: Ramon Briant  Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to our volunteers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  Clatter Tongue by K.A Ren Wyld  You’ll hear a live reading of a short story written by Ren Wyld and performed by Katie Becket for Story Saloon – a live storytelling show and podcast. The story itself comes from the First Nation Anthology of speculative fiction, titled This All Come Back Now, edited by Koori and Lebanese writer Dr Mykaela Saunders.  This interplay between voice and voicelessness. The juxtaposition of the fantastic with the real world. Tackles the larger question of empowerment and disempowerment.  Written by K.A Ren Wyld, Read by Katie Beckett. It was performed at the Vanguard in 2025 for StorySALOON, a live storytelling show and podcast that combines Australia’s best written storytelling with electrifying live reads.    StorySALOON’s executive producer is Jane Messer, audio recording by Martin Gallagher at Echidna Audio.  Find out more by heading to storysaloon.com.au  Also, a link to the last time we featured a StorySALOON live reading.   All The Best Credits Program Manager & Host: Kwame Slusher Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator:  Catarina Fraga Matos  Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to our volunteers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  In the Editorial to Debris Magazine Issue 06, editors Jon Tjhia and Cher Tan write, "Everywhere you look, the word is no—a word that stakes a powerful foothold as it pushes the walls closer around you. No time for ambivalence or ambiguity. No! And then you wake up." This episode features three excerpts from the Debris Magazine Issue 06: NO!   No Dogs by Luca Demetriadi  Luca's story is about a town that bans dogs after an incident, and how that changes the town forever. Written and read by Luca Demetriadi  Sound design by Mel Bakewell    Grand Theft Autism by Alex Creece  Alex Creece is openly neurodivergent, but their poem is not interested in confirming your suspected Autism diagnosis. Written and read by Alex Creece Sound design by Felicity Weaver    Personal by Claire Cao  An actor’s personal assistant wades through the blurred boundaries of life, work and performance on the day she’s going to quit.   Written and performed by Claire Cao Sound design by Catarina Fraga Matos   Substack  f you want more of what’s happening at All the Best, check out our Substack! It’s a roundup of all our activities with a little bit of BTS.   All The Best Credits  Host: Kwame Slusher Executive Producer: Melanie Bakewell Programming & Community Coordinator:  Catarina Fraga Matos  Community Coordinator: Patrick McKenzie Theme Music composed by Shining Bird Mixed & Compiled: Emma Higgins Cover Art: Ray Vo Special shout-out to our volunteers.       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.