In this episode of Fully Lit, we head to the Addi Road Writers’ Festival for a wide‑ranging conversation on masculinity, vulnerability, and the inner lives of men.
Writer Luke Carman is joined by George Haddad, author of Losing Face, and debut novelist Jet Williams to explore what it means to write — and read — men today.
From graffiti culture and underground urban exploration to questions of embodiment, intimacy and cultural expectation, the discussion moves between lived experience and literary form. Williams reflects on writing for readers who don’t usually pick up books, while Haddad speaks candidly about hospitality, identity and the complexities of masculinity within family and culture.
Together, they consider why art can still feel “embarrassing” for young men, the pressures of conformity, and the value of writing that resists easy answers. Along the way, they ask what it means to represent masculinity beyond crisis — and whether literature can offer something more honest, more expansive.
At its core, this is a conversation about connection: how we find language for difficult experiences, and how the most personal stories can resonate far beyond the self.
Voices
Luke Carman is a writer and author of An Elegant Young Man and Intimate Antipathies.
George Haddad is the author of Losing Face and winner of the Kill Your Darlings Creative Nonfiction Essay Prize.
Jet Williams is the author of Off the Rails, a debut novel exploring youth, subculture and identity.
Credits
This episode of Fully Lit was recorded at the Addi Road Writers’ Festival on Gadigal land in Sydney. Special thanks to Mark Mordue at the Addi Road Festival.
Fully Lit is brought to you by Impact Studios at UTS, the Sydney Review of Books, and the UTS Writing and Publishing Program.
Recorded my Maksim Voloshin-Cleary
Produced and edited by Regina Botros
Executive Producers: Sarah Gilbert and James Jiang