The Writing Life

Our CEO Chris Gribble joins us on the pod to discuss Arts Council England's new National Lottery Funding Grants. Available now to artists they offer much-needed support and relief during Covid-19. Applications are open, and Chris is on the show to provide starter tips and an introduction to the grants system: plus why arts funding is critical, especially at times like this. It was very hot when re...

Long overdue, we finally have this wonderful recording from the BCLT Summer School 2019, featuring Swiss-Albanian writer Elvira Dones, her translator Clarissa Botsford and publisher Stefan Tobler. Chaired by Rosie Goldsmith, it's a wide-ranging discussion taking in themes of identity, linguistics, translation processes and the creation of Elvira's book Sworn Virgin. This event took place in partne...

Get a taste of what we do and meet hosts Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. We're a weekly podcast for anyone who writes - find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and all good podcast apps. Produced by the National Centre for Writing in the UK. Find out more at https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk

We are very excited to have Sarah Perry back on the podcast! Sarah talks to Chris Gribble about crafting characters and what it means when an author talks about their creations 'coming to life'. This conversation was part of our Early Career Writers' Resource pack back in May, so do check out the other contributions from Michael Donkor and Joe Dunthorne - https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/pa...

Crime writer Nicola Upson returns to the pod to talk about designing a good plot. Nicola tells us how her process has adjusted over time and discusses the unique requirements of the crime genre. Nicola's latest book is Sorry for the Dead, continuing her hugely successful Josephine Tey series. This episode is part of our latest Early Career Writers' Resource pack, which is all about PLOT. Check out...

Sarah Ardizzone is a translator from the French with forty-something titles to her name. This week she joins us on the pod to discuss her career as a translator, the importance of forging a bond with writers and how translation techniques differ between mediums. Asking the questions is Sarah Bower. Meanwhile, Steph and Simon talk about the upcoming drop-in writing sessions and Bluebird, Bluebird b...

Eva Meijer, writer and philosopher, joins Kate Griffin on the pod to discuss her work. Topics range from understanding animal languages to writing routines and redrafting. Meanwhile, Steph has been back to Dragon Hall as lockdown restrictions are eased in the UK, and everyone is getting excited about The Book Club. If you'd like to read Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke with the rest of us, you c...

Join us for our summer Book Club! We're reading Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, a crime thriller set in Texas. Flo Reynolds joins us on the pod today to excitedly introduce the book! Meanwhile, Steph and Simon are similarly excited about the Desmond Elliott Prize's winner announcement which happens this evening at 6.30pm UK time - tune in live here: https://youtu.be/UOUtj5xAecc Get involved wi...

We're 100 episodes old! To celebrate, Simon and Steph indulgently look back on The Writing Life show and pick out their favourite episodes, which turns out to be an almost impossible task. You're not going to find a podcast anywhere else that combines Val McDermid, Jenny Offill, Joe Dunthorne, Jon Ingold, Kelsey Beachum, Ed Parnell, Ian Nettleton, Sian Cain and Joe Hedinger. Thanks for listening!...

This week Eimear McBride shares her writing method with advice on characters, how to finish a book and what makes someone a writer. Interview originally broadcast on YouTube in March as part of the Early Career Writers' Resources. More info here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/2-method/ Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Find out more at https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Musi...

Time for a burst of optimism and inspiration, courtesy of poet, producer and tutor Lewis Buxton. If lockdown is getting to you, have a listen to this week's pod and hopefully you'll feel a little brighter about the future. Lewis talks about TOAST, his regular live literature events, his own route into poetry and how coronavirus has affected his work. Then he treats us to readings of a couple of hi...

The time to reveal the Desmond Elliott Prize shortlist has finally arrived! NCW Programme Assistant and almost absurdly well-organised person Lillie Coles joins us on the pod to introduce the shortlisted titles and provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the running of the prize. The Desmond Elliott Prize is part of the National Centre for Writing's Early Career Awards. Find out more about them h...

Bregje Hofstede returns to the podcast with this full length version of her conversation with our Programme Director Peggy Hughes. Bregje stayed with us back in October as a writer in residence at Dragon Hall, back when such a thing was still possible. Bregje came to work on her new novel – working title De oplossing van Hadewych (The Hadewych Solution). Dragon Hall was the ideal location, as the...

Owen Sheers, author, poet and playwright and Professor in Creativity at Swansea University, reveals his selection of ten inspiring writers asking the questions that will shape our future, as part of the International Literature Showcase. In this conversation with award-winning jouranlist Chitra Ramaswamy you'll discover the details of Owen’s list, including his introduction to each writer and the...

Our City of Literature festival continues with today's podcast: A fascinating glimpse into the daily process of making and writing from Sara Baume (Spill Simmer Falter Wither) and Elizabeth Macneal (The Doll Factory), chaired by Jen McDerra. Through writing, sculpture and ceramics, they will offer reflections on isolation, motivation, nature and beauty. This episode is presented by the National Ce...

City of Literature 2020 begins! Today's special episode features Max Porter and Sam Winston, talking about the collaborative exhibition A Delicate Sight. Originally intended to be part of this year's Norfolk & Norwich Festival, we're now taking the event online so that you can experience it at home. Place darkness at the centre of your perception and explore how your senses, thoughts and emotions...

Michael Donkor, author of HOLD, graduate of our Escalator talent programme and a Desmond Elliot Prize nominee, guests on the pod to talk about creating and developing characters. It's a chat full of amazing tips for any writer - and you can find even more with our Early Career Writers' Resources Pack this month, as it's all about CHARACTER and is packed full of insight from Sarah Perry, Joe Duntho...

We have something of a mini-episode this week as NCW Programme Officer Flo Reynolds joins Simon and Steph to introduce our new Book Club. Starting today, the Book Club is reading A Line Made By Walking by Sara Baume - we hope you'll join us on the read! There are many ways to get involved - all of them free, of course. Read along, chat with us on Twitter and join our scheduled Zoom chats to share...

Moto Shibata returns to the podcast for an in-depth conversation about how he became a translator, balancing the academic and more accessible styles of translation and his new serialised adaptation of Gulliver's Travels. Asking the questions: Peggy Hughes! Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna, who talk excitedly about our new Time To Write workshops for younger writers (https://nationalcentrefo...

Poets Kendel Hippolyte and Flo Reynolds talk on the pod about Kendel's career, taking in his work on page and stage, sharing tips and techniques for poets and considering the responsibilities - and obligations of artists to society. Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Find out more at https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk Music by Bennet Maples.

Stephanie Scott's debut What's Left Of Me Is Yours releases on April 21st - that's Tuesday, for fast listeners - and Laura Stimson sat down to discuss the creation of the book and its true crime inspiration. There's great tips from Stephanie about conducting research, finding agents and working through a large project. Meanwhile, Simon and Steph talk about the on-going weirdness of working from ho...

Former Dragon Hall resident Vahur Afanasjev joins the pod to talk to Lewis Buxton about his books, how coronavirus has affected his writing and why he writes a lot about fish. Vahur is an Estonian author and creator of the award-winning Serafima and Bogdan, a bloody, funny and surreal family saga about the Russian Old Believer minority in Estonia. ALSO on this week's episode is guest-host Peggy Hu...

Writer and presenter Mark Stay, co-creator of The Bestseller Experiment and author of Robot Overlords and The End of Magic, returns for this week's episode to discuss his publishing experiments and why 'finding a new normal' is something we all do multiple times in our lives. If you're struggling to be productive while under isolation, listen to this right now. Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKe...

It's a bumper edition of the pod today, with TWO special guests: Bregje Hofstede and Motoyuki Shibata. As part of our new Early Career Writers' Resource pack they are talking all about their METHOD: from the writer's perspective and the translator's. Simon also shares his favourite digital tools for writers! Check out the full METHOD resource pack: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/2-method/...

None other than Jenny Offill joins the podcast to talk about her new book Weather with Joe Dunthorne. Along the way they discuss catastrophising, doomers, coronavirus and seismic historical events. This conversation is in partnership with The Book Hive. Weather is available direct from them at a special discount for pod listeners and event ticket holders! Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones. F...