Rock star writer Neil Gaiman has a reputation for reinventing genres -- and for following his imagination wherever it leads. He's written everything from journalism to episodes of Doctor Who, fantasy horror for kids (Coraline, The Graveyard Book) to inventive comics for adults (Sandman).

Following his sold-out session at the Wheeler Centre in 2011, Neil discusses his latest novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, will be released in May -- but here, he offers us a sneak preview of this delicate fable with a decidedly dark edge: at once both elegant and dangerous.

In conversation with Alicia Sometimes, he describes writing his latest work, his scriptwriting for Doctor Who, why he 'sings like a novelist' and how journalism influenced his writing. And, to close the session, he reads the poem he wrote for Australia Day at Sydney Opera House.