The Barrow Podcast

Things become tense in the studio this week as Mum and I address the end of my longterm relationship, the beginning of my nervous breakdown and first suicide attempt. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode of The Barrow Podcast on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber and get notified with every new upload:  http://www.youtube.com/@TheBarrowPod   Follow us on—  I...

Mum and I take a look at coming-of-age novel The Mercy Step, shortlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize and written by Marcia Hutchinson. You can find Marcia on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/marxia1 Check out Marcia's website here: https://marciahutchinson.co.uk/ Purchase The Mercy Step today: https://afroribooks.co.uk/products/the-mercy-step-by-marcia-hutchinson-1?_pos=1&_psq=...

I read to Mum the short story 'A Man in the Way' by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of Fitzgerald’s many Pat Hobby stories following the exploits of a drunken Hollywood hack. Enjoy! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode of The Barrow Podcast on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber and get notified with every new upload:  http://www.youtube.com/@TheBarrowPod   Follow us on—  Ins...

Following up last week’s outrage, Mum & I talk about my experiences of tertiary education, both as a student and as a teacher and lecturer at supposedly one of the most prestigious institutions in the world…  Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode of The Barrow Podcast on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber and get notified with every new upload:  http:...

In this previously unreleased recording, Mum & I sat down to discuss the current state of education, which has become a crisis of incompetency and excuse-making. Things get heated and I try not to have another nervous breakdown… Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode of The Barrow Podcast on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber and get notified with ever...

I read to Mum the short story 'Acceptance of Their Ways' by Canadian writer Mavis Gallant. Enjoy! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   Mum & I are on Substack. Become a subscriber today by going to thebarrowpod.substack.com . If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting for? 🤷‍♀️📚🤷‍♂️  ✅ Exclusive readings from our memoir-in-progress 📖 ✅ Bonus episodes 🎙️ ✅ Field recordings 🎤 ✅ Subscriber-only...

Mum and I get into the decline of the arts and the value shift that was occurring around the time I went off to university in 2007. We discuss my first relationship, as well as notions of dependency, obligation, and intellectual and emotional class. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode of The Barrow Podcast on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber and get n...

This week, I speak to Canadian photographer Emily Doyle about her rural upbringing, developing her photography practice, and how she navigates the current freelance and art worlds. For anyone interested in connecting with Emily, please see the links below. Find Emily’s website here: https://www.abigailandemilydoyle.social/ Follow Emily Doyle on Instagram: instagram.com/emmilymadeline   Check out E...

Mum and I discuss emotional brutality and my difficulties transitioning from high school to university, when I began to retreat into self-ridicule and shutdown, as well as my inability to process the suicide of a close friend. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode of The Barrow Podcast on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber and get notified with every new...

This week, I sit down with author Patrick Michael Finn to talk about gritty New York memoir A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints by writer, musician and filmmaker Dito Montiel.  Follow Dito on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ditomontiel/   Purchase Patrick’s novella A Martyr for Suzy Kosasovich: https://www.csupoetrycenter.com/books/a-martyr-for-suzy-kosasovich   Check out my earlier episo...

Mum & I are giving you free access to another two reading episodes from behind the paywall. These episodes are for paying subscribers only and are exclusive to Substack. If you like what you hear and want to follow along while we write our book, then become a subscriber today by going to ⁠⁠thebarrowpod.substack.com⁠⁠ . Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode...

Mum and I discuss the dilemmas of my adolescence and why and how I learned not to reveal anything about myself, as well as the effects of secrecy and repression.  Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode of The Barrow Podcast on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber and get notified with every new upload:  http://www.youtube.com/@TheBarrowPod   Follow us on—  I...

Buy Rainbow Road today: https://tr.ee/Z-gvHZQ9aP   On today’s episode, I catch up with Scott Laudati to talk about life as a multi-disciplinary artist and how to navigate disillusionment and self-promotion. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Subscribe to Scott’s YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@thescottlaudati   Follow Scott on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottlaudati/   Follow Scott on T...

I read to Mum the short story 'The End of the World' by Canadian writer Mavis Gallant. Enjoy! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   Mum & I are on Substack. Become a subscriber today by going to thebarrowpod.substack.com . If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting for? 🤷‍♀️📚🤷‍♂️  ✅ Exclusive readings from our memoir-in-progress 📖 ✅ Bonus episodes 🎙️ ✅ Field recordings 🎤 ✅ Subscriber-only blog...

Mum and I flesh out the problems that accompanied my schooling, a disastrous children’s birthday party, and a wedding anniversary that signalled the onset of dementia. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode of The Barrow Podcast on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber and get notified with every new upload:  http://www.youtube.com/@TheBarrowPod   Follow us o...

The anonymous reviewer returns to The Barrow studio, this time to discuss outsiders, memoir writing, social class, and cultural perceptions of France. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode of The Barrow Podcast on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber and get notified with every new upload:  http://www.youtube.com/@TheBarrowPod   Follow us on—  Instagram: ht...

Mum and I discuss the choice to move in with my grandparents following her divorce and the creation of ’The Compound’. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   You can watch every episode of The Barrow Podcast on our YouTube channel. Become a subscriber and get notified with every new upload:  http://www.youtube.com/@TheBarrowPod   Follow us on—  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebarro...

Mum & I discuss the variety of psychology textbooks we've encountered on our mental health journey so far. Plus, we unpack male Borderline Personality Disorder & the culture of toxic positivity in self-help & mental health writing. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   Mum & I are on Substack. Become a subscriber today by going to thebarrowpod.substack.com . If you hav...

Mum & I open up about processing our mental health diagnoses & starting medications for the first time. I talk about my relationship with wanting to check out from life & my ambivalence about being called a 'victim'. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   Mum & I are on Substack. Become a subscriber today by going to thebarrowpod.substack.com . If you haven’t signed...

Mum & I are giving you free access to another two reading episodes from behind the paywall. These episodes are for paying subscribers only and are exclusive to Substack. If you like what you hear and want to follow along while we write our book, then become a subscriber today by going to ⁠thebarrowpod.substack.com⁠ .  If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting for? 🤷‍♀️📚🤷‍♂️  ✅ Exc...

I open up to Mum about the full extent of what I endured as a child, and we discuss social class, emotional weakness, narcissistic abuse, and how trauma can be a pathway to personal failure. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   Mum & I are on Substack. Become a subscriber today by going to thebarrowpod.substack.com . If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting for? 🤷‍♀️📚🤷‍♂...

In our final episode on New York Times bestseller The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Mum & I discuss nature vs nurture, diagnostic criteria vs life circumstances, and the biological necessity of social support. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   Mum & I are on Substack. Become a subscriber today by going to thebarrowpod.substack.com . If you haven’t signed up yet,...

With Mum’s father recently passing away, we decided to provide listeners with an update and some insight into what’s been happening behind the scenes. This episode is the last of 3 on my grandfather’s decline; the first 2 will remain behind the paywall on Substack, as they were a little raw and perhaps not appropriate for wide release. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   Mum & I are...

I read to Mum the short story 'Florida' by Canadian writer Mavis Gallant. Enjoy! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   Mum & I are on Substack. Become a subscriber today by going to thebarrowpod.substack.com . If you haven’t signed up yet, what are you waiting for? 🤷‍♀️📚🤷‍♂️  ✅ Exclusive readings from our memoir-in-progress 📖 ✅ Bonus episodes 🎙️ ✅ Field recordings 🎤 ✅ Subscriber-only blogs✍🏼 ✅ Acces...

Mum & I get into the nuances of my upbringing, failing to integrate with a stepfamily that was never defined. I discuss my mixed feelings and discomfort, reminiscing about a time that seems surreal in hindsight, as well as my anxieties over being replaced by someone else’s children. Thanks for listening! ☺️🙏 Don't forget—   Mum & I are on Substack. Become a subscriber today by going t...