Martin McKenzie-Murray is the man behind Feeding the Chooks, an ongoing survey of matters political, philosophical, personal and pop cultural that could be the most engaging intellectual blog in Australia.

(If you're wondering, Feeding the Chooks is how Joh-Bjelke Petersen described his press conferences.)

A former political speechwriter turned columnist for The Age, McKenzie-Murray has an easy-going, anecdotal and, most importantly, nuanced edge to his writing which sets him apart from so many of his opinion-based brethren. But more than that, he has a breadth of interest that marks him as a true essayist – here you'll find clear-eyed reflections on the speechwriting of Barack Obama, basketball, the legacy of Hitchens, Hunter S. Thompson, The Sopranos, the Aurora massacre, Billy Bragg and the nexus between blogging and journalism. Also, some more basketball. Frank, funny and honest it's an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon.