season 1 guests
Tigest Girma
served with rice episode airs:
27th january 2026
Tigest is an Ethiopian author and teacher based in Melbourne, Australia. she is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Dark and the recently released second book in the series, Eternal Ruin, published with Hachette globally
passionate about exploring East African characters and myths, Tigest’s work weaves Black stories with the dark and fantastical
in her free time, Tigest can be found rewatching her comfort shows where the villain gets the girl 😈
you can find Tigest’s books in all good bookstores (we recommend Amplify Bookstore in Melbourne) or online
Instagram: @tigestgirma
TikTok: @tigestgirma
watch Tigest’s episode on YouTube or Spotify
listen to Tigest’s episode on your fave poddy platform >
make Tigest’s recipe >
Chris Tse
served with rice episode airs:
10th february 2026
Chris is a writer and frequent panelist and performer, born and raised in Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Chris studied film and English literature at Victoria University of Wellington, where he also completed an MA in Creative Writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters. in 2022, he was named the 13th New Zealand Poet Laureate and served an extended term to the end of August 2025
in addition to his own work, Chris is also the founder of the poetry collective Show Ponies and co-editor of Out Here: An anthology of Takatāpui and LGBTQIA+ writers from Aotearoa (Auckland University Press, 2021)
his poetry, short fiction, and non-fiction have been recorded for radio and widely published in numerous journals, magazines, and anthologies, and his first full-length poetry collection, How to be Dead in a Year of Snakes, was published in 2014
Chris has since published two more collections — HE’S SO MASC (2018) and Super Model Minority (2022), all with Auckland University Press
you can find Chris’ poetry collections in all good bookstores or online
Instagram: @chrisjtse
Facebook: facebook.com/christsenz
BlueSky: @chrisjtse.bsky.social
Angie Faye Martin
served with rice episode airs:
3rd march 2026
Angie (Kooma/Kamilaroi/European) is a writer and editor currently living on Gubbi Gubbi Country (Redcliffe)
Angie worked in public policy for 15 years before launching a freelance editing business, Versed Writings
she has a Bachelor of Public Health, a Masters of Anthropology, and a passion for fiction
Angie’s debut crime thriller novel, Melaleuca, was published by Harper Collins Australia in 2025
you can find Angie’s book in all good bookstores (we recommend Amplify Bookstore in Melbourne) or online
Instagram: @angie_faye_martin
Facebook: facebook.com/p/Angie-Faye-Martin-authoreditor-100091984857142
Natalia Figueroa Barrosso
served with rice episode airs:
24th march 2026
Natalia is a writer of Uruguayan descent with Charrúa, Yoruba, and Iberian origins. she was born on Dharug Ngura, and was raised between her birthland and her homeland
Natalia is a member of Sweatshop Literacy Movement, and has degrees in communications, screenwriting, and media production from the University of Technology Sydney
her essays, poems and short stories have been published widely, and in 2025 her debut semi-autobiographical literary novel, Hailstones Fell without Rain, was published by University of Queensland Press
you can find Natalia’s book in all good bookstores (we recommend Amplify Bookstore) or online
Instagram: @ms_figueroa_barroso
TikTok: @natfigbar
Facebook: facebook.com/NFigueroaBarroso
Khadro Mohamed
served with rice episode airs:
14th april 2026
Khadro is a writer and poet with a Somali background, residing on the shores of Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Khadro has a deep connection with her whakapapa, which is often a huge source of inspiration for her poetry
in addition to her poetry being published in journals all over Aotearoa New Zealand, Khadro’s debut poetry collection, We’re All Made of Lightning, was published by Tender Press in 2023 and subsequently won the Jessie MacKay Prize for Poetry at the 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. her debut novel, Before the Winter Ends, was published by Tender Press in 2025
you can find Khadro’s books in all good bookstores (we recommend Unity Books in Wellington and Auckland) or online
Instagram: @itsmekhadro
Jane Yang
served with rice episode airs:
5th may 2026
Jane is a writer who was born in a Chinese enclave of Saigon and raised in Australia, where she grew up on a diet of ancestral stories and superstition
she first fell in love with historical fiction when she discovered Pride and Prejudice in eighth grade and has never looked back, though established a scientific career — first as a pharmacist and later clinical researcher — before turning her hand to writing
Jane’s family tales are an inspiration for her writing, and she writes stories about women in pre-Communist China, exploring power and class struggles, sometimes with a dash of suspense, spirits and hauntings
Jane’s debut historical fiction novel, The Lotus Shoes, was published in 2025 by Hachette in Australia, NZ, and the UK, and HarperCollins in the US
you can find Jane’s book in all good bookstores (we recommend Amplify Bookstore in Melbourne) or online
Instagram: @janeyangwriting
Damien Levi
Āporo Press
served with rice episode airs:
26th may 2026
Damien (Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāpuhi, Pākehā) is a publisher, editor, and arts facilitator, based in Tāmaki Makaurau
Damien founded bad apple, an LGBTQIA+ arts and literature journal dedicated to Aotearoa’s marginalised communities, and was the former lead editor. from here he established Āporo Press in 2022, an independent micro-press which aims to publish works by minority voices in Aotearoa New Zealand and fill gaps in the market left unaddressed by major publishing houses
there are currently four titles in the Āporo Press list: Spoiled Fruit: Queer Poetry from Aotearoa edited by Amber Esau and Damien Levi (2023), Marrow & Other Stories by Sloane Hong (2024), Overseas Experience by Nicola Andrews (2025), and Hoods Landing by Laura Vincent (2025). an additional title, Frisk by Jo Bragg, is forthcoming in 2026
additionally, Damien has had a number of poetry and essays published online and in print, and his own podcast about arts and culture in Aotearoa, local loser (available wherever your ears get your podcasts)
you can find Āporo Press’ books in a number of independent bookstores around Aotearoa (we recommend Unity Books in Auckland and Wellington) or online through BookHub
Instagram: @damienlevi / @aporopress
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552687460037#
BlueSky: @damienlevi.bsky.social