I'm a Serious Book Person

Welcome to another episode of I’m a Serious Book Person. This time Robert sits down with the award-winning essayist, poet and novelist, Fiona Wright, to discuss her reading and writing life. From the shock of recognition she found in an Australian Literature course at Uni to her specific writing rituals at her local café, this episode dives into why stories are the ultimate machines for empathy an...

Is it possible to love books deeply while being a totally 'unserious' book person? According to Sita Walker, the answer is a resounding yes.  In this episode, Robert sits down with the author of the soul-bearing memoir The God of No Good and the stunning new novel In a Common Hour to discuss why stories matter more than the medium they come in. Sita takes us back to her childhood and the...

Are you a serious reader, or just someone who skips to the spice? In this episode, host Robert Watkins sits down with Alex Sarkis, author of Something Blue and Something New , to interrogate her literary credentials. Alex reveals why she considers herself a 'mostly no' on the serious book person scale, admitting to a ruthless habit of skim reading and abandoning books that don't hoo...

This time on I’m a Serious Book Person, Robert is joined by Jaclyn Moriarty. Jaclyn reveals the delightful (and slightly eccentric) roots of her career, sharing how her father commissioned her and her famous sisters to write stories for pocket money—only to win the cash back in a game of roulette. Whether she is discussing her 'panicky' need to always have a book on hand, identifying as...

In the first episode of I’m a Serious Book Person, Robert sits down with best-selling crime novelist Ashley Kalagian Blunt to dissect her reading and writing life. Tune in to find out why Ashley is one of the most compelling voices in crime writing today, what kept her turning the pages as a child and how a youthful brush with a 'poetry scheme' set the stage for her success. Don't m...

Is your TBR pile becoming a serious health and safety hazard? Did you stay up too late last night JUST so you could finish the good bit at the end of Chapter 8? Have you ever found yourself sniffing the pages of a new paperback book like it's a fine perfume? If you answered yes to any of those questions you just might be a Serious Book Person.   Join our host, Robert Watkins, as he sits down...