Meet the Writers

As an award-winning journalist, Rachel Shabi has reported for ‘The Times’, ‘The Guardian’, Al Jazeera English and many more besides. Her coverage of the Middle East, in particular the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the resurgence of antisemitism, led to ‘Off White: The Truth About Antisemitism’. The book addresses the need to understand and confront antisemiti...

Stephen May has a penchant for reimagining the lives of historical figures and his new novel, ‘Green Ink’, is a case in point. May evocatively explores what could have happened on firebrand politician Victor Grayson’s last day. The former socialist MP suspiciously disappeared one night in September 1920. May joins Georgina Godwin to share insights on writing, creativity and his r...

Natasha Brown’s 2021 debut ‘Assembly’ was met with critical acclaim,  shortlisted for several awards including the Folio Prize, the Goldsmiths Prize and the Orwell Prize for Fiction, and translated into 17 languages. Her second novel ‘Universality’ is another extension of her talent, exploring the effect of language and applying to certain narratives affecting so...

The history of Zanzibar is prevalent in the work of Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, including his new release, ‘Theft’, which is set in the 1990s and explores themes of injustice, class and personal growth. Abdulrazak speaks to Georgina Godwin about his upbringing in Britain following the revolution in his home country, his PhD on West African fiction and his transition from academia...

As a fiction writer, essayist and journalist, Lauren Markham’s work most often concerns issues related to youth, migration, the environment and her home state of California. ‘A Map of Future Ruins’ explores the global immigration crisis’s historical, contemporary and, of course, future implications. Speaking with Georgina Godwin during the Lannan Literary Festival at George...

Janet de Neefe’s explorations of cooking and writing have seen her publish her hybrid memoir-cookbook ‘Fragrant Rice’ and open various restaurants and guesthouses in Bali, Indonesia. Speaking to Georgina Godwin in Ubud, De Neefe discusses her many businesses, including founding the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, her Balinese cultural integration and spirituality, and furthe...

Tash Aw’s writing puts the history and reality of Southeast Asia on the page. His latest novel, ‘The South’, is the first in a quartet series exploring family struggles amid climatic and economic change. Speaking to Georgina Godwin, Aw discusses his upbringing, his influences, his relationship with Malaysia and the reality behind the glossy image of Southeast Asia. See omnystudio...

Ram Murali’s pivot from law to filmmaking sparked his route into writing. His debut novel, ‘Death In the Air’, blends elements of an Agatha Christie whodunnit with the sumptuous setting of a world-class spa in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas. He speaks to Georgina Godwin at the 2025 Galle Literary Festival about his diverse career background and the importance of India&rsqu...

Benjamin Moser joins Georgina Godwin to talk about his journey from growing up in Texas and writing his first book, ‘Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector’, to winning a Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Susan Sontag, titled ‘Sontag: Her Life and Work’. Moser also reflects on culture, class, writing and hints at his next project, a political history of Jews who...

Sandip Roy’s writing career started when he pivoted from software engineering to broadcasting. Currently a columnist and podcaster, he’s been a longtime commentator on NPR’s ‘Morning Edition’, the most-listened-to radio programme in the US, and an editor with Pacific News Service and New America Media in San Francisco. After returning to India...

Angelo Tijssens’ screenwriting credits include ‘Girl’ (2018), about a trans ballerina, and ‘Close’ (2022), an Oscar-nominated film that follows the friendship between a pair of 13-year-old boys. In Tijssens’ first foray into literary fiction, ‘The Edges’, an unnamed narrator returns to his hometown to settle his mother’s affairs following her d...

For Maggie Mackellar, writing was never in her plans. She initially wanted to be a vet or mountain climber before eventually settling into a career as an academic. Mackellar’s love for writing came while studying a PhD in history at the University of Sydney. Now, as a writer and historian living on the east coast of Tasmania, Maggie writes the much-loved newsletter The Sit Spot and is the au...

  Booker Prize shortlisted writer Caryl Phillips is one of contemporary literature’s master stylists. His latest novel, ‘Another Man in the Street’, chronicles a West Indian man’s journey to England as part of the Windrush Generation and his struggles therein. As we follow this engrossing emigre from Saint Kitts to London with dreams of becoming a journalist, Phillips...

Charles Hecker’s 40-year career has seen him travelling and reporting from both the Soviet Union and Russia. He has worked as a journalist and a geopolitical risk consultant, and has lived in Miami, Moscow and now London. His new book, ‘Zero Sum: The Arc of International Business in Russia’, charts the rollercoaster story of Western capitalists and their misadventures in post-com...

“Education for girls is the family business,” says Sudanese-British broadcast journalist Zeinab Badawi. She tells us about her family and career, and what it’s like to interview the world’s most notable politicians on BBC’s ‘Hard Talk’. Badawi explains how her groundbreaking TV series, ‘The History of Africa’, for which she visited 34 African c...

We look back at the Charleston Literary Festival in South Carolina. Its roots lie in Charleston House in the UK, home of radical writers, artists and thinkers. Georgina Godwin speaks to executive director Sarah Moriarty and artistic director Diana Reich about the origin of the festival. Plus: development director Suzanne Pollak, co-founder of the Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuits, shares her...

Julie Taymor is a tour de force when it comes to penning scripts for theatre, film and opera. Her 1997 stage adaptation of Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ secured 11 Tony Award nominations, including a win for best direction. It is now the third-longest-running show on Broadway of all time and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Her 1999 directorial debut, ‘Titus’, earned h...

As Channel 4’s international editor, Lindsey Hilsum has seen war in six continents across more than two decades. As a witness to the catastrophic effects of conflict, Lindsey would carry works of poetry with her to try and make sense of the world. She speaks to Georgina Godwin about her book, ‘I Brought the War with Me”, which collates her favourite poems alongside memories of he...

Namita Gokhale is the author of 25 works of fiction and non-fiction. Her oeuvre spans various genres including novels, short stories, Himalayan studies, mythology, anthologies, books for young readers and a play. She speaks to Georgina Godwin about her childhood, illustrious career and being the recipient of many awards. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After winning the 2024 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction, Richard Flanagan joins Georgina Godwin to discuss ‘Question 7’, his life and career, and his plans after winning the prize. Described by Peter Carey as maybe just being “the most significant work of Australian art in the last 100 years”, ‘Question 7’ is a love letter to his island home, his parents and the terrible past that delivered h...

Mike Batt is known for raising the popularity of one of the most well-known British novelty pop acts of the 1970s, The Wombles. Batt wrote and composed the theme song to the children’s TV series, which led to the rising popularity of ‘The Wombling Song’. Batt has also worked with artists such as Katie Melua and others on his Dramatico Label, and co-wrote 'The Phantom of The Opera’. He sits down wi...

As the first female commander in the Ukrainian military, Yulia Mykytenko has seen the horrors of war. Yulia is both a squadron leader and a role model for women wanting to fight for their country on the frontlines and in the background. Telling Lara Marlowe of her entry into Ukraine’s forces, ‘How Good It Is I Have No Fear of Dying’ recounts her student days giving out flyers for an independent Uk...

As one of Sweden’s most prominent music journalists, Jan Gradvall has a close and fond relationship with his nation’s top musical export, Abba. In ‘The Book of Abba: Melancholy Undercover’, Gradvall explores the love, heartbreak and connections between each member of the pop group, from Eurovision to beyond. He sits down with Georgina Godwin to discuss his journalistic career, his former role as h...

We look at conspiracy theories that have emerged through US politics with Gabriel Gatehouse, author of ‘The Coming Storm’. The podcaster and former international editor of the BBC’s ‘Newsnight’ joins Georgina Godwin to discuss his career so far, his thoughts about the two major presidential candidates and the underbelly of the internet, which is host to fringe forums such as 4chan and QAnon. See o...

Writing a fourth memoir is somewhat unheard of but for Peter Godwin it’s an even more personal note. Not a grief memoir so much as an exploration in memory of the passing of his mother, the end of his marriage and moving on, Peter shares the poignant moments of his life so far in ‘Exit Wounds’. He joins Georgina Godwin – his sibling – to discuss childhood memories of their mother, the process of h...