Anna Funder - ChangeMaker Chat - How writing makes a difference

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 kind of everyday outrage that we all experience has effected her in particular, driving 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:

https://www.annafunder.com/

Anna's closing address at the 2025 Writers Festival, that we mention in the podcast, is here.

For more on ChangeMakers check us out:

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For more on the books and Amanda’s writing, have a look at:

Amanda’s website - https://amandatattersall.com/ 

Conscious Tribes: thinking differently about making a difference - here and via Hardie Grant

People Power in Cities - here and via Oxford Uni Press

On Substack - https://substack.com/@amandatattersall

On Medium - https://amandatatts.medium.com/

And - her much earlier book about coalition building - Power in Coalition and via Cornell Uni Press

Amanda is on Socials here:

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandatattersall/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.tattersall

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amandatattersall.bsky.social

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@amandatattersall

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amanda.tattersall

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