What's worth fighting for? When do we switch sides, redraw the battle lines or concede defeat? And how are we altered by the fights of our lives? At July's Next Big Thing session we'll hear from four writers whose work is concerned with bruising confrontation – with nature, with politics and even in the boxing ring.

Alice Bishop's debut short story collection, A Constant Hum, is about the Black Saturday bushfires. Elizabeth Kuiper's novel, Little Stones, is about race and power in Mugabe's Zimbabwe. Alex McClintock's book, On the Chin, is about the history and culture of boxing, and his own progress through the sport's amateur ranks.