Tell us about ‘Machine Highs’. What prompted you to write it?
‘Machine Highs’ explores the world of poker machines in Australia from multiple perspectives — gambling addicts, relatives of addicts, and health professionals.
Choosing a subject to write about is much like spinning a globe, closing my eyes, and saying that wherever my finger lands is where I’ll next buy a plane ticket to. So it was with this. I was curious about the poker-machine industry in Australia, so I decided one day to head down to The Star casino, and there I met a pokie player who was happy for me to shadow him around for the time he played. That only heightened my curiosity, and raised questions in my head such as, why do people get so addicted to the pokies? Is it the machines themselves or the people? Why is it such a problem in Australia? What is being done by the government to address the problem? I wanted to show a holistic picture of the issue, from as many people affected by poker-machine addiction as possible, both directly and indirectly.
If we asked a friend of yours what you were good at, what would they say?
Listening.
What was the last book you had trouble finishing, and why?
The Bush by Don Watson. Not because it’s bad; it’s brilliant. But it is so packed with information that it’s near impossible to absorb all of it at once. It’s a book that should be read by all Australians, but read with a quarter-time, half-time, and three-quarter-time break.
What do you think of writing that blurs the lines between fiction and nonfiction? Does the line matter?
I have no problem with writing that blurs that line. What is important, however, is for the writer to be upfront to the reader about whether they are moving between the two formats. A great example of this is by Tom Wolfe in the note at the end of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test: ‘I have tried not only to tell what the Pranksters did but to recreate the mental atmosphere or subjective reality of it.’
Which nonfiction writer would you most like to have a drink with?
Bruce Chatwin — to pick his brain about the theory he discusses in The Songlines that humans are naturally nomads and that we are at our happiest on the move.
What is a constant in your life, even as other things change?
Bushwalking.
Which nonfiction writers are doing the most interesting things with the form at the moment, do you think?
There are three writers who stand out — Anna Krien, Martin McKenzie-Murray, and Oscar Schwartz.