Lit Up

Rachel Kushner's existing relationships with people in the American penal system led to an understanding of, and sympathy for, the people involved in prison life, from workers to inmates. Rachel chats to Angela Ledgerwood about how she came to understand people's 'logic' surrounding murders they'd committed and how stalkers perceive their stalking actions and how this informed...

Six-time Walkley Award winner Kerry O'Brien has worked in newspapers, television and the wire service as a journalist. Having been at the helm of Australian news programs This Day Tonight, Four Corners, Lateline and the 7.30 Report for 15 years, Kerry shares with host Angela Ledgerwood who his favourite interviewees were and how to spot a good story. Having turned his journalistic eye on his o...

What does touching look like in the future or do people even touch? In her book 'Touch', Courtney Maum looks to a world where romantic touching and spontaneous touch don't happen anymore and discusses, with host Angela Ledgerwood, the issues that touch deprivation can cause amongst people and how our body language skills are getting rusty because of social media. Advertising Inquiries:...

Are 'Big Tech' companies taking over governmental roles? The birth of technology as a consumer project and the value of the data we freely give away is at the heart of what Lucie Greene's ‘Silicone States’ is about. Lucie speaks to host Angela Ledgerwood about the conscious expectations we have of tech companies and how our reliance on these companies is effecting government services....

Research is key for author, performer and screenwriter Georgia Clark when writing characters that represent an experience that she has not had herself. Georgia speaks to host Angela Ledgerwood about her book 'The Bucket List' and the importance of respecting your friends and of having a strong support system around you. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. S...

Olivia Laing's agitation about the political events of 2017 led her to keep a diary that became the basis for her novel Crudo. In it she becomes a hybrid of h2erself and late author Kathy Acker as topics that were relevant in the 80s crop up again in the modern day like Nazism, body-autonomy and hyper-violence. Olivia discusses with host Angela Ledgerwood her difficulty in reconciling the fact...

Getting rid of distractions and daily choices like what to eat and what to wear helped R.O. Kwon focus on her debut novel, The Incendiaries. This novel took her 10 years to write and she shares with Angela Ledgerwood how changes in her personal life, her stance on religion and her obsession with cults all found it's way into the final evolution of the novel. Advertising Inquiries: https://redc...

Journalist Rebecca Traister writes about women in politics, media, and entertainment from a feminist perspective. Rebecca catches up with host Angela Ledgerwood to speak about her book 'Good and Mad' and how women's rage is portrayed negatively even though it is often the catalyst for big social change and movements. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast....

When did you first see yourself in the character of a book? Glory Edim speaks to host Angela Ledgerwood about her book Well-Read Black Girl and the importance of being represented in literature. Glory started her Instagram and Brooklyn-based book club, Well-Read Black Girl, to celebrate the uniqueness of Black literature and sisterhood. Now, having established a literature festival of the same nam...

*Explicit language warning* Controversial American author James Frey doesn't care if he enrages you or breaks your heart, as long as his writing makes you feel something. James speaks to host Angela Ledgerwood about using his book, Katerina, to examine his past and what could have been. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

Design affects our health and happiness whether it be in our home, work or our natural surroundings. Designer an author of Joyful - The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, Ingrid Fetell Lee, speaks to host Angela Ledgerwood about how to inject joy into your everyday surroundings. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

The solitary life of a writer. Actor Parker Posey chats to host Angela Ledgerwood about how her dog, Gracie, got her through the tough times when she was writing her memoir, ‘You’re on an Airplane,’ and the similarities between researching an acting role and writing. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The loneliness of motherhood is the theme explored by Aussie author and journalist Meg Mason in her novel You Be Mother. Meg chats to friend and Lit Up host Angela Ledgerwood about how she uses the characters in her books to examine complicated family dynamics and the struggles she experienced when becoming a mother in her early 20s. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Ac...

Comic books, graphic novels, films and audio theatre...English author Neil Gaiman has done it all! Gaiman discusses his novel, American Gods, with Lit Up host Angela Ledgerwood. As well as, what Norse Gods taught him about modern humanity and some handy tips for designing your own religion. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

British journalist and author Caitlin Moran chats to host Angela Ledgerwood about her book 'How to be Famous.' Caitlin calls on men to break down gender boundaries and to start their own equivalent of feminism and suggests how women can take back the power when it comes to sexual shame. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

Maggie Nelson joins Angie to discuss her work, including The Argonauts and The Red Parts. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes, rarely, you meet someone whose energy radiates and fills the whole room. Mary Louise Parker is that person. She joins Angie to discuss her gorgeous first book, Dear Mr. You. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claire Messud and Angie talk about her new novel "The Burning Girl," as well as Claire's childhood years in Australia, and how childhood friendships can haunt and define us. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year's Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen, joined us to talk about the renowned collection of stories that took him nearly two decades to perfect: The Refugees. Throughout the stories, Viet gives voice to the Vietnamese communities in Southern California (where he grew up) and to those living in the country he fled. In 1975, he and his family came to The United States as refugees in...

In a particularly emotional episode, Lidia Yuknavitch joins Angela to discuss all of her work, which blurs the lines between fiction and non-fiction. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trevor Noah, host of the Daily Show, joins Angie to discuss his newly released memoir, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. It was a packed room at NeueHouse and an incredibly timely conversation in this era of post-election confusion. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irby's raw and relatable book of essays "We Are Never Meeting in Real Life" will make you LOL for real. Irby shares her hilarious application to be a contestant on The Bachelorette, the life lessons she learned from her 14 years at the animal hospital, and what she's willing to do for love. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...

Tom Perrotta, the author of Election, Little Children and The Leftovers talks to Angie about his latest novel Mrs. Fletcher, which explores sexuality in America, empty nest syndrome and the universal longing for human connection. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephanie Dandler and Angie sit down to discuss her novel Sweetbitter Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Angela sits down with Mohsin Hamid to discuss his newest novel, "Exit West." Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.