Which book would you choose?
Experience the intersection of storytelling and scent on the Paperback Perfumes Podcast. Each episode invites guests to share their perspectives and creative journeys, often sparking fresh reading inspiration or new ways of thinking about fragrance. My hope is that these conversations resonate with your own experiences and open the door to discoveries you haven’t encountered yet.
Episode 83- The Sublime and The Absurd
In this episode, I have an excellent conversation with Benjamin Esposito, the self‑taught perfumer behind New York’s House of Mammoth. I have always admired the way Benjamin talks about his work, grounding it in what he calls radical attention, the practice of noticing the strange, tender and absurd moments that shape a life.
Episode 82- Finding Language
Saskia Dodds‑Painter is the founder of KOLIDO, a hands‑on perfumery based in the Yarra Valley on Wurundjeri Country, and the creator of Nose Magazine, an independent print publication dedicated to cultivating olfactive curiosity. Working with a small team, Saskia approaches scent as both craft and storytelling, designing and producing every perfume in‑house — from early formulation to bottling and shipping.
Episode 81- Subversion
Barbara Herman is a writer, vintage‑perfume historian, and the founder of ERIS Parfums, a fragrance house inspired by the bold, unconventional beauty of classic perfume styles. Her journey began with collecting and researching vintage fragrances, which led her to create the blog Yesterday’s Perfume and later write Scent and Subversion: Decoding a Century of Provocative Perfume, a book exploring the cultural and artistic history of scent .
Episode 80- On the Scent
Jo Fairley is a celebrated writer, journalist, and one of the most influential voices shaping how we understand and talk about fragrance. As co‑founder of On The Scent magazine (and it’s inclusion in a burgeoning media empire), she has spent decades translating the invisible world of scent into stories that explore memory, culture, and the emotional power of perfume.
Episode 79- Coffee and Conversation
Delphine McPhilimey brings a quiet, intentional artistry to the world of natural perfumery, and this episode explores the depth behind her craft. A French‑born artisan perfumer, her path has taken her from traditional perfumery studies to hands‑on workshops in Bali, eventually leading her to establish Olfactora in West Leederville, Western Australia.
Episode 78- A Beautiful Grimoire
Grimoire Perfumes founder Troy (Trung) Vu, joins us to explore the rich intersection of fragrance, aesthetics, mythology, and artistic expression. A self‑taught perfumer, Troy’s creative path winds through years as a classically trained dancer, a makeup artist, and a decade spent in luxury retail and cosmetics. These experiences shape his approach to scent as an invisible art form built on instinct, memory, structure, and imagination.
Episode 77- Gourmet
Flowers, food, and fragrance have long been powerful forms of expression—anchoring memory, shaping culture, and awakening creativity through the senses. In this episode, we explore Mastering the Art of French Cooking through a multisensory lens, where aroma is just as essential as technique. This conversation invites us to consider cooking not only as craft, but as a richly layered sensory experience—one that engages smell, taste, touch, and imagination.
Episode 76- Enfleurage
This conversation with George Chlouk moves through fragrance, philosophy, and the emotional terrain of being human in challenging times. We begin with the cultural depth of Lebanese perfumery—its reliance on local flora, the influences of tourism and tradition, and ancient techniques like enfleurage that still echo through contemporary scent‑making.
Episode 75- Linked to the Land
In this episode we explore the space where books and fragrance meet, guided by writer and sensory storyteller Rowan Ambrose. Rowan’s life is shaped by vivid experiences—sailing tall ships, gardening, travelling widely, and savouring the simple pleasures of perfume, fine tea, chocolate, and good coffee. These influences infuse her writing with texture and atmosphere.
Episode 74- Wuthering Fights
It feels like Wuthering Heights has swept back into the cultural conversation—whether it’s through rereads of the novel, rewatches of film adaptations, or simply the collective fascination with its gothic storms and tangled emotions. And honestly… how could a librarian not wade into that literary storm?
Episode 73- About Alice
In this episode, I’m joined by Fliss Walton, who helps me dive deep into my lifelong love for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Together, we explore Lewis Carroll’s iconic story—its rich cultural history, its playful yet profound wordplay, and the many interpretations and adaptations that have kept Alice alive in our collective imagination.
Episode 72- The Importance of HYgiene
In this episode, I’m joined by Clayton Ilolahia, an Evaluation and Communication specialist at Fragrances of the World, to explore the rich intersection of art, commerce, and fragrance. Together, we discuss into how changes in the media landscape has transformed the perfume industry, reshaping not just marketing but the creative process itself.
Episode 71- A Box of Spices
Hosting this conversation with Alina Tadevosyan gave me the chance to learn about the powerful themes of Armenian cultural: resilience, identity and heritage preservation.
Episode 70- Emblems
It feels amazing to start Season 3 of the podcast talking to Mandy Aftel—an extraordinary natural perfumer and author whose influence on the world of scent and creativity runs deep.
Episode 69- The Maker
In the final episode of Season Two, I’m joined once again by Michael Nordstrand to explore the rich and layered world of Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Episode 68- Characterisation
Craig Andrade, founder and perfumer of The Raconteur, has built an Australian fragrance house celebrated for its refined, story-driven scents.
Episode 67- The Hive
I had the pleasure of speaking with Saskia Wilson-Brown, founder of the Institute for Art and Olfaction, to discuss the evolution of her ground breaking organization and the role storytelling plays in the world of scent.
Episode 66- Politics of Pleasure
This week, I sit down with self-taught perfumer Marie-Pierre Blanchette, whose creations blend art, emotion, and storytelling through scent. We explore her Rococo collection—a celebration of joy, pleasure, and the subtle politics of beauty.
Episode 65- Sacred Scent
In this episode, I’m joined by Gamilaroi woman and founder of LA COUCH, Lee Couch. Lee shares her journey of cultural understanding and the powerful role scent plays in healing, memory, and connection to Country.
Episode 64- Smell-O-Vision
In this episode, I’m joined by Tammy Burnstock, whose work explores the rich intersections between scent, cinema, and storytelling. Tammy describes her practice as scent archaeology—unearthing and reviving perfumes that carry cultural memory and creative possibility.