Episode Overview

Podcast: A Podcast of One’s Own with Julia Gillard
Episode: Julia Gillard and Kathy Lette Look Back on 2025
Date: December 17, 2025

In the final episode of 2025, Julia Gillard sits down with celebrated author and comedian Kathy Lette for an effervescent year-end review. The conversation weaves through the power of female friendship, the essential value of women’s writing—especially in comedy—and the importance of sisterhood, memoir writing, and feminist resilience. Together, they recommend standout books, recall literary icons, discuss Kathy’s forthcoming novel and memoir, and reflect on how literature deepens empathy amid a fragmented world, all with their signature warmth and wit.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Power of Female Friendship and Sisterhood

• Opening Theme: Kathy and Julia speak lovingly about the importance of both biological and chosen female family.
  • Kathy describes women as “human Wonderbras, uplifting, supportive and making each other look bigger and better,” playfully emphasizing the value of nurturing female friendships. (00:35)
  • Julia affirms: “They’ve been so vitally important to me across my life, in the best of times and in the hardest of times.” (01:02)
  • This thread recurs throughout as both women tie support, joy, and resilience to the power of the sisterhood.

2025 in Books: Laughing and Listening to Women’s Voices

• Comedy in Literature: Kathy rails against the historic undervaluing of funny women writers, noting the difficulty—and importance—of making people laugh.

  • “There’s like a thousand billions more words in the English language for misery than there are for joy. So the Comedy Women in Print Prize was started by Helen Lederer to celebrate witty, gritty writers.” (03:19, Kathy Lette)
  • She highlights Fundamentally’s win, a darkly comedic novel about ‘ISIS brides’: “She disarmed with charm. Her charm is more disarming than a UN peacekeeping force.” (07:24)

• Notable Reads:

  • Both reference books discussed on the podcast, such as Highway 13, The Book of Guilt, and Audition.
  • Kathy pays tribute to Jilly Cooper after her passing, comparing her to “Jane Austen in jodhpurs—searingly insightful about class, sexism, motherhood, and marriage.” (02:33)
  • The Wedding People by Alison S. Patch and Don’t Make Me Laugh by Julia Rayside, both with feminist comedic spins, stood out for Kathy.

Memoir Writing: Motivation and Process

• Kathy shares plans for her own memoir, possibly titled Let Bygones, focusing on raising her autistic child and her journey through feminism. (05:43)
  • She’s toying with humorous titles: “I might call it Let Bygones... or While You’re Down There, which works as coming from Australia, it works as a feminist, and in lots of other lovely ways.” (06:01)
• Julia recalls the intense process of writing her own memoir—“I predominantly wrote it in six frenzied weeks over summer... 10, 12 hours a day... If I didn’t go ‘bleh’ and get it all down quickly, I wouldn’t be able to do it.” (15:52)
• Both discuss contrasting writing processes: plan-and-structure vs. the “blurt it all out” technique, encouraging aspiring writers to find what works for them.

Women’s Voices in Public and Literary Life

• Julia describes the significance of setting the record straight as a leader, and how memoir allows for personal legacy and public debate. (17:25)
• Kathy lauds Julia’s “smackdown speech” to Tony Abbott as legendary: “That speech is now an opera, a ballet, women get it tattooed on their arms, it’s the most iconic feminist political speech ever.” (18:34)
• Both agree that personal motivation—often outrage at injustice or sexism—is at the heart of their writing and activism.

Kathy Lette’s Next Novel: The Sisterhood Rules

• Kathy previews her upcoming 21st novel, The Sisterhood Rules (Out February 2026), centered on estranged twin sisters forced to reunite to find their missing mother.
  • “I wanted to write a book totally passionate about female friendship and the love between women... I also wanted it to end on a real note of harmony and unity because I think we all need that now.” (12:27)
  • Signature Kathy Lette humor is present (“Women are like big knickers: we’ve got your ass covered.”) (12:55)

Lifelong Joy, Feminist Resilience, and the Importance of Rest

• Kathy quotes an article: “Joy builds resilience. Now we’ve got an excuse to swing off the chandelier with a cocktail between our teeth—that it’s actually building us up to fight our feminist campaign.” (23:21)
• Both share family Christmas traditions—Kathy’s hilarious, Aussie poolside scenes; Julia’s time in Adelaide with family and stacks of books.

Women’s Literary Prizes: Past and Future

• Julia chairs the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction, emphasizing the continuing need to uplift women's writing, despite progress.
  • “It comes from the time when we could see that women were being excluded through all sorts of soft biases from major book prizes.” (26:02)
• Kathy recounts the 30-year history of the Prize, rooted in inequity: “We had a mock Booker Prize dinner... our serious point was that women were being overlooked.” (26:59)
• Key 2026 dates for the Prize are shared for listener participation:
  • Longlist: March 4, 2026
  • Shortlist: April 22, 2026
  • Winner: June 11, 2026 (28:13)

Celebrating Literary Icons & the Tragic Loss of Maggie Smith

• The recent passing of legendary actress Maggie Smith sparks discussion of Muriel Spark and other overlooked literary giants.
• Julia: “I did want to just give a shout out to Muriel Spark... We mustn’t forget her as a writer.” (30:44–31:08)
• Kathy shares a delightful story about meeting Spark: “She was just like her heroines, caustic, wry, dry... I had to really win her over, but she was wonderful.” (31:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Sisterhood and Support
  • Kathy: "Women are each other's human Wonderbras. Uplifting, supportive, and making each other look bigger and better... We are also like big knickers. We've got your ass covered." (12:55)
• On Women’s Comedy Writing
  • Kathy: “It is so much harder to make someone laugh than make them cry. There are billions more words in the English language for misery than there are for joy.” (03:19)
• On the Value of Female Friendships
  • Julia: “They’ve been so vitally important to me across my life, in the best of times and in the hardest of times. That’s what the female friends are there for, and they always are there.” (01:02, 14:41)
• On Writing: Process and Motivation
  • Julia: “I predominantly wrote it in six frenzied weeks over summer... I had this real sense if I didn’t go, ‘bleh’ and get it all down very quickly, that I wouldn’t be able to do it.” (15:52)
  • Kathy: “Never write with a critic looking over your shoulder, ever... Be bold, be brave.” (20:28)
• On Feminist Second Acts
  • Kathy: “I always joke that women should have a sensational second act and not let your guilt gland throb… My term for that: adventure before dementia.” (20:40)
• On Julia’s ‘Smackdown Speech’
  • Kathy: “That speech is now an opera, a ballet, women get it tattooed on their arms, it’s the most iconic feminist political speech ever.” (18:34)
• On Literary Inclusion
  • Julia: “Even women who were published… in the review sections, they weren’t being reviewed. We were absolutely second class citizens in the literary world. So that’s what started that [the Women’s Prize for Fiction].” (26:59)
• On Remembering Female Literary Icons
  • Julia: “We mustn’t forget [Muriel Spark] as a writer. She mustn’t be overlooked, she’s brilliant.” (30:44–31:08)
  • Kathy: “If you haven’t discovered Muriel Spark, slip between those covers, happiness guaranteed.” (31:08)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• On the Sisterhood and Friendship: 00:35 – 01:26, 13:51 – 14:41
• Books of the Year & Comedy and Women’s Writing: 02:33 – 08:44
• Memoir Writing and Process: 05:43 – 17:26
• Kathy’s Forthcoming Novel: 10:40 – 13:51
• Family, Rest, and Resilience: 23:08 – 24:25
• Women’s Prize for Fiction and Literary Inclusion: 25:43 – 29:16
• Maggie Smith, Muriel Spark, and Classic Women Writers: 30:31 – 33:03
• Closing Reflections and What’s Next: 33:20 – 34:41

Conclusion and Looking Ahead

Julia and Kathy close 2025 on a high note—celebrating women’s voices, urging listeners to embrace joy and resilience, and championing the importance of both laughter and seriousness in feminist literature. Listeners are encouraged to keep reading, supporting women writers, and participating in the vibrant conversation about books and equality in the year ahead.

Wishing you a well-read Christmas and a literary New Year! (34:26)