Aug 30, 2025
PRACTISING HOPE (FIVE): Beyond Poetics
The Tearfund Australia Podcast
The Podcast from TEARFUND AUSTRALIA exploring what it means to live ’upside-down’ in the chaos of our world today?
SEASON TWO
New in August 2025: A series of Poetic responses to Practising Hope: Essays on living what we long for - available at tearfund.org.au/hope
SEASON ONE
Join Joel McKerrow and Gracie Naoum as they bring you... An Upside-Down World, a podcast hosted with Tearfund Australia. Interviewing local and global guests, this podcast is a deep-dive into the eight sayings of Jesus (commonly known as The Beatitudes) and how these sayings help us walk steadily through this upside-down world. Joel and Gracie hear from some truly remarkable humans as they embrace Jesus’ backwards blessings and let them shape their lives.
Released through the weeks of Lent in 2022 the podcast accompanies Tearfund’s Lent series, which you can view at tearfund.org.au/the-way-of-love-lent-2022
Listen on:
Episodes
Episodes
Aug 12, 2025
Aug 12, 2025
3 min
Sanctuary: A poetic Response to the Practicing Hope Article by Bec Oates.
Download Practising Hope: Essays on living what we long for at www.tearfund.org.au/hope
Aug 12, 2025
Aug 12, 2025
2 min
Hurricane Warning: A poetic Response to the Practicing Hope Article by Laura Weatherall.
Download Practising Hope: Essays on living what we long for at www.tearfund.org.au/hope
Aug 12, 2025
Aug 12, 2025
3 min
Sitting in the Dirt: A poetic Response to the Practicing Hope Article by Strahan Coleman.
Download Practising Hope: Essays on living what we long for at www.tearfund.org.au/hope
Aug 12, 2025
Aug 12, 2025
2 min
We Wait: A poetic Response to the Practicing Hope Article by Deb Storie.
Download Practising Hope: Essays on living what we long for at www.tearfund.org.au/hope
Aug 12, 2025
Aug 12, 2025
3 min
The Sound of Peace: A poetic Response to the Practicing Hope Article by Grace Ji-Sun Kim.
Download Practising Hope: Essays on living what we long for at www.tearfund.org.au/hope
Aug 12, 2025
Aug 12, 2025
3 min
A Seed: A poetic Response to the Practicing Hope Article by Paul Dettmann.
Download Practising Hope: Essays on living what we long for at www.tearfund.org.au/hope
Aug 12, 2025
Aug 12, 2025
2 min
On Earth as it is in Heaven: A poetic Response to the Practicing Hope Article by Leisa Aitken.
Download Practising Hope: Essays on living what we long for at www.tearfund.org.au/hope
Apr 13, 2022
Apr 13, 2022
52 min
In this episode Joel and Grace spend time sharing stories and reflecting on what they have learnt throughout the series. They share a duet poem together with music by David Andrew which ties together many of the themes discussed throughout this podcast episode. We also have a special song written by Susanna Carter in response to the podcast.
For more about Tearfund Australia and how you can get involved checkout www.tearfund.org.au
Grace Naoum
Grace graduated from the full-time course at Actors Centre Australia in 2013. Most recently Grace has been cast in the role of Cora in the U.S. film, NOMAD, (2021 release), played Grace Luske (lead) in the TV series Deadly Women and played Molly Sweeney in Clock and Spiel’s Production of Molly Sweeney. Grace has worked as part of the Educational Theatre Company, Poetry In Action, touring Australia for 8 months. In the past 2 years Grace has been cast in several commercials such as Google, Aussie Home Loans, Smiths Chips, Fiji Tourism, Open Colleges and Berocca. Grace has worked on a variety of short films such as Enneagrams vs COVID-19 (actor, co-writer, producer), and written and performed poetry for charity organisations, International Justice Mission and TearFund Australia.
Joel McKerrow
Joel McKerrow is an award winning writer, speaker, educator, artist, creativity specialist and, having performed for hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world, is one of Australia’s most successful, internationally touring, performance poets. Based out of Melbourne, Australia he is the Artist Ambassador for the aid and development organisation ‘TEARFUND Australia’ and was the co-founder of community arts organisation, 'The Centre for Poetics and Justice' (2010-2013). Joel was the third ever Australian representative at the Individual World Poetry Slam Championships in the USA and is a highly sought after speaker at conferences and festivals all over the world. He has four published books and four spoken word/music albums, is a successful play-wright and is a co-founder/host of the The Deep Place: On Creativity and Spirituality Podcast.