My Unlived Life

Joanna and Miriam discuss what her life might have looked like if she'd studied and then pursued a career in dance, as opposed to following what she considered to be a more traditional, intellectual route for her education. Along the way they talk about the intelligence of the body, gendered attitudes to both success and competition, and the romantic dalliances of Sylvia Plath and Simone de Beauvoir.Joanna Biggs is an editor at Harper's Magazine, and previously was associate editor at the London Review of Books. She has also written for the New Yorker, the FT and the Guardian, as well as appearing on BBC Radio 4. Her first book, All Day Long: A Portrait of Britain at Work, was published in 2015, and was one of the Observer's books of the year. Her new book, A Life of One's Own, is a piercing blend of memoir, criticism and biography, interspersing her own life story with an examination of how women writers across the centuries carved out intellectual freedom for themselves. It's out now and available in your local bookshop and on Bookshop.org.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy and Miriam discuss what might have happened if his father - who was incarcerated when Andy was 12 - had in fact not gone to prison, and stayed in his life throughout his teenage years. Along the way they talk about what it means to break intergenerational cycles, the fine line between our lives and those of others, male friendship and a little something called positive catastrophising. Andy West has taught philosophy in prisons since 2015. He holds a BA in philosophy from the University of London and has written for 3AM, The Guardian, The Times Education Supplement, The Millions and more. His first book THE LIFE INSIDE: A memoir of prison, family and learning to be free is out now and available in all good bookshops.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Jandel Allen-Davis and Miriam discuss what might have happened if, only a few years ago, she'd walked away from her highly successful career to pursue her art full time. Along the way they talk about what it means to risk it all for your passions, the difference between seeing and looking, and whether it's always necessary to pick a lane. Jandel is also a wildly prolific artist, and so they talk about pretty much every material under the sun.Dr Jandel Allen-Davis is the President and CEO of Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes in patients with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injuries. Before this, she was Vice President of Government, External Relations and Research for Kaiser Permanente Colorado. Jandel is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and was in active practice for 25 years. She is also one of Miriam's mother's closest friends, who she's known since she was a teenager, which made this episode a particularly special one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jackie and Miriam discuss what might have happened if Jackie had learned to play the violin as a teenager, and used her skills to busk as a traveling storyteller across Spain, Africa, Mongolia and beyond. Along the way they discuss what it takes to become an artist, the joys and perils of traveling alone and how learning languages is a lot like inhabiting other lives. Jackie also encounters a lot of fabulous wildlife, and learns to ride a motorcycle.Jackie Morris is an author and illustrator. She studied illustration at Hereford College of Art and Bath Academy and has illustrated many books, and written some. The Lost Words, co-authored with Robert Macfarlane, won the Kate Greenaway Medal 2019, and she was nominated again for The Unwinding in 2021. Her accordion books - Fox and Otter - are out now with Unbound.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alice and Miriam discuss what might have happened if she hadn't accepted a job offer in Poland in her twenties, and had stayed living and working in London instead. Along the way they talk about the perspective you get from travel, how to step back and examine the system you're living in and the pros and cons of mainstream publishing. Alice also has a very scandalous home counties affair.Alice Jolly is a novelist and playwright Alice Jolly. She won the 2014 V. S. Pritchett Memorial Prize with one of her short stories, ‘Ray the Rottweiler', and her memoir Dead Babies and Seaside Towns won the 2016 PEN Ackerley Prize. Her novel Mary Ann Sate, Imbecile was longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize and shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize. In 2021, Jolly was awarded an O. Henry Prize for her short story ‘From Far Around They Saw Us Burn' and the story collection of the same name is out now and available in your local bookshop.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

*LIVE EPISODE*Lawyer and author Hafsa Zayyan and Miriam discuss what might have happened if she'd stood up to her parents at the age of 16, and insisted on attending her local school with all of her friends, as opposed to the exclusive grammar school two hours from home where she ultimately went. Along the way they talk about the friends we lose and the friends we keep, the weight of parental expectation and some particularly salient marriage advice.Hafsa Zayyan is a writer and dispute resolution lawyer based in London. She studied Law at the University of Cambridge and holds a masters' degree from the University of Oxford, and she won the inaugural #Merky Books New Writer's Prize in 2019. We Are All Birds of Uganda is her debut fiction novel, inspired by the mixed background from which she hails, and is available in your local bookshop.This episode of My Unlived Life was recorded live, at the Merky Books Literature Festival at the Roundhouse in London.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The poet Maggie Smith and Miriam discuss what might have happened if she'd left her native Ohio to go to graduate school in Tucson, and thus also left the man who ultimately became her husband. Along the way they discuss the impossible questions one gets asked in the aftermath of divorce; how writing your trauma can help you through, though not necessarily in the way you might think, and ways to find yourself when you're far from home. Maggie also teaches Miriam a very important lesson about band t-shirts.Maggie Smith is the award-winning author of Good Bones, The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison, Lamp of the Body, and the national bestsellers Goldenrod and Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change. A 2011 recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, Smith has also received several Individual Excellence Awards from the Ohio Arts Council, two Academy of American Poets Prizes, a Pushcart Prize, and fellowships from the Sustainable Arts Foundation and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She has been widely published, appearing in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, The Nation, The Best American Poetry, and more. Her memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, is out now and available in your local bookshop.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Maxine and Miriam discuss what might have happened if she had followed her heart and studied English Literature at university, as opposed to following a path which she said allowed her to stay a bit more hidden. Along the way they talk about the unrealistic and damaging pressure society puts on mothers, why we tend to want people to be just one thing, and how, in her words, communities can put the fire out on shame. In her unlived life Maxine also makes some very savvy property decisions.Maxine Mei-Fung Chung is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, clinical supervisor and writer with over fifteen years of clinical experience. She lectures on gender and sexuality, trauma and attachment theory at the Bowlby Centre and was presented with The Jafar Kareem Award for her work supporting people from ethnic minorities experiencing isolation and mental health problems. What Women Want is her first work of non-fiction and is out now and available in your local bookshop.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom and Miriam discuss what might have happened if, at the age of 17, he'd come out to his parents when an opportunity unexpectedly presented itself at a school picnic, instead of waiting until the age of 23 to tell them his truth. Along the way they talk about full moon parties in Thailand, the impact of hiding your identity at a formative age and how often others can see you more clearly than you see yourself.Tom Rob Smith's bestselling novels in the Child 44 trilogy were international publishing sensations. Among its many honours, Child 44 won the International Thriller Writer Award for Best First Novel, the Galaxy Book Award for Best New Writer, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and the inaugural Desmond Elliot Prize, and is now a major motion picture. Tom's new novel, Cold People, about a colony of global apocalypse survivors trying to reinvent civilisation under the most extreme conditions imaginable, is to my mind an intimate and hopeful look at how people can and do come together against all odds. Crucially, it's out now and available in your local bookshop.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caro and Miriam talk about what might have happened if she had attended a traditional university as opposed to going to drama school, which she describes as an 'intense and edgy place'. Along the way they discuss being two opposing things at once, the impossibility of actually having it all, and how tricky it is to find a good harp.Caro Giles is a writer based in Northumberland, whose words are inspired by her local landscape. She writes honestly about what it means to be a woman, a mother and a carer and about the value in taking the road less travelled. Her writing has appeared in journals, press and periodicals and she was named Countryfile magazine's New Nature Writer of the Year in 2021. Twelve Moons, her stunning, enveloping memoir about finding yourself and your voice, is out now and available in all good bookshops.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 4 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sophia and Miriam discuss what her life would have been like if she'd received an offer to work as assistant private secretary to the Queen, a job she was asked to apply for but which ultimately went to someone a bit older. Along the way they discuss what one wears to an interview at the palace, the bravery of female artists, the liberation that comes on the other side of the menopause and some very romantic trees.S.J. Bennett was a strategy consultant and startup manager before turning to writing. She has published ten books for teenagers, winning The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition in 2009 and the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2017. The Windsor Knot was her first novel for adults, and Murder Most Royal -her most recent book and the third in the Her Majesty The Queen Investigates series - is out now and available in all good bookshops.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 3 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist & writer Emma Hughes and Miriam what might have happened if, after going through a rigorous application process, she'd received and taken an offer to work at M!5. Along the way they discuss the things we learn as we get older, the way society privileges certain types of intelligence and whether or not we need to be a bit more serious.Emma Hughes is a London-based freelance writer and editor who covers everything from food to travel, relationship advice to romcoms, for everyone from Time Out to Wired and the Guardian and many more. Emma's first novel, No Such Thing As Perfect, was published in 2021 and is available in all good bookshops and on Bookshop.org. Her second novel, It's Complicated, is out in July 2023.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 3 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Davina and Miriam discuss the moment in her life when her father was diagnosed with lung cancer, a moment that is central to her book. She and her husband were living with her parents at the time, and while she continued to be very involved in her father's care, she chose to move out of the house in his final months, one of several moves that would take her away from suburban London and deeper into the British countryside. Together they explore what life might have looked like had she stayed living there, along the way examining the ebb and flow of grief, the unexpected impact of wartime trauma and the resilience we can find in the most challenging times.Davina Quinlivan is a Lecturer in the Department of English and Creative Writing at The University of Exeter. She taught at Kingston School of Art for over a decade and regularly leads the ‘F: For Flânerie' film and literature seminar series at The Freud Museum. She lives in a rural hamlet on the outskirts of Exeter with her family. Her new book Shalimar: A Story of Place and Migration is published by Little Toller and has been co-published in audio by Spiracle Audiobooks. She is currently working on a book about rivers and migration, mothers and daughters, as a loose follow-up to Shalimar. Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 3 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helen and Miriam explore what might have happened if - at the age of 26 - she'd not moved from Australia to the UK with the man who became her husband (and who she ultimately divorced). Along the way they discuss finding joy after divorce, the wounds left by infidelity and the lifesaving magic of really good girlfriends.Helen Thorn is an award-winning comedian, podcaster and author widely known for her honest and hilarious take on parenthood, being single in her 40s and body positivity. Together with Ellie Gibson she is the co-host of hugely popular The Scummy Mummies podcast, and has performed to packed out theatres around the UK. Helen's book Get Divorced: Be Happy is a joyful guide to going it alone, showing you that divorce is not the end but very much the beginning, and is out now in paperback in your local bookshop.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 3 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John and Miriam discuss what might have happened if he'd followed in his parents' footsteps and run his own restaurant instead of pursuing a career in physical therapy, before he began writing. Along the way they discuss how waiting tables increases empathy, the ethics of combat sports, and why restaurants are an excellent training ground for authors.John Vercher is a writer on race, identity and social justice currently living in the Philadelphia area with his wife and two sons. He holds a BA in English from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA in Creative Writing from the Mountainview Master of Fine Arts program. His debut novel, Three-Fifths was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Award and was a Sunday Times, Guardian and Financial Times Book of the Year. His new book, After the Lights Go Out, is out now and available in all good bookshops.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 3 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A.M. and Miriam discuss what would have happened if, during high school, a particular mentor had encouraged her to study medicine, and she'd gone on to become a doctor. Along the way they discuss the AIDS epidemic, being penpals with Pete Townshend and the importance of being truly seen, both within medicine and in life.A.M. Homes is the author of the novels May We Be Forgiven, which won the Women's Prize in 2013, This Book Will Save Your Life, a Rickhard and Judy pick in 2007, Music for Torching, The End of Alice, In a Country of Mothers, and Jack; three collections of short stories and the highly acclaimed memoir The Mistress's Daughter, as well as the travel memoir Los Angeles. A Washington DC native, she currently teaches at Princeton University and lives in New York City. A.M.'s new novel, The Unfolding, is out now from Granta Books and is available in all good bookshops.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 3 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miriam and Miki discuss what would have happened if as a child, when her mother and stepfather moved to Los Angeles, she had moved with them as opposed to staying in London with her father. Along the way they discuss music, making friends on the peripheries, growing up between two homes and why being a little wishy washy can be a superpower.TW: Emotional and sexual abuseMiki is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. She is probably best known as a founding member of the alternative-rock band Lush, darlings of the indie scene and Britpop in the late 80s and early 90s. She is currently part of Piroshka and lives in London. Her memoir, Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me from Success, is a an incredible account of a trailblazing woman and a seminal band delivered with vivid, controlled storytelling, and is available now in all good bookshops and on Bookshop.org.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 3 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kamila and Miriam discuss what would have happened if, after graduating from university, she had not been able to attend her creative writing MFA in Massachusetts, and therefore returned home to Karachi instead of staying in America, where she met her then agent and now longtime editor Alexandra Pringle.Along the way they discuss the destructive nature of guilt, the implications of early setbacks and successes, and how a new friendship is a lot like a romance.Kamila Shamsie was born and grew up in Karachi, Pakistan and now lives in London, and is the author of eight novels including Burnt Shadows, A God in Every Stone and Home Fire, which won the Women's Prize for fiction in 2018. Her work has been translated into over 30 languages, she is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and she is professor of creative writing at the University of Manchester. Her most recent novel, Best of Friends, is out now and available in all good bookshops and on Bookshop.org.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 3 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about another path their life might have taken. Together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lisa and Miriam discuss what her life might have looked like if, when in her twenties, she'd listened to her instinct and not accepted a second date with a man who she didn't really fancy, a man who went on to control almost every aspect of her life for the next five years. Along the way they discuss the positive and negative effect of peer expectations and how easily women override their intuition in the name of being nice, plus they get Lisa just a little bit of her twenties back.Lisa Jewell's first novel, Ralph's Party, was the bestselling debut novel of 1999, and since then she has written another eighteen novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers. She is a New York Times and Sunday Times number one bestselling author and has been published worldwide in over twenty-five languages. She lives in north London with her husband, two teenage daughters and the the best dog in the world. Her most recent novel, The Family Remains, is out now and available in all good bookshops.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 2 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Travis and Miriam discuss what their life might have looked like if they had finished university instead of walking out of their exams. Along the way, the two talk about the cultural obsession with certainty, the importance of geography when forming communities and the sex appeal of really bad shoes.Travis Alabanza is an award-winning writer, performer and theatre maker. After being the youngest recipient of the Artist-in-Residency programme at Tate Galleries, their debut show Burgerz toured internationally to sold-out performances in the Southbank Centre, in Brazil, and Berlin, and won the Edinburgh Fringe Total Theatre Award. Their writing has appeared in the Guardian, Vice, gal-dem and BBC Online, and they previously had a fortnightly column in the Metro. They have been published in numerous anthologies, including Black and Gay In the UK. Their work surrounding gender, trans identity and race has garnered international recognition, and they have given talks at universities including Oxford, Harvard, Bristol and more. Their new book, None of the Above: Reflections on Life Beyond the Binary, is published this August by Canongate.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 2 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miriam and Chris discuss what his life might have looked like if he hadn't been fired from the animation studio where he worked at the start of his career, and therefore not been forced into trying to make his way as a professional illustrator. Along the way they discuss the history of animation, how editing is good practice for children's storytelling, and what it takes to carve your own path.Chris Haughton is an Irish designer and illustrator and the acclaimed picture book author of family favourites A Bit Lost, Shh! We Have a Plan, Goodnight Everyone, Don't Worry Little Crab, Maybe and Oh No, George!, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. His new book Well Done, Mummy Penguin will be published in October. Chris' books have won prestigious prize and awards across the world, from the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award to The Irish Children's Book of the Year, and most recently Oscar's Book Prize. He has sold over two million copies of his picture books and they have been published into 26 languages. Originally from Dublin, Chris now lives in London.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 2 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miriam and Sandra discuss what her life might have looked like if, as a teenager, she'd not been afraid to answer honestly when a friend asked her a question about her sexuality. Along the way they discuss the American suburbs, open relationships and the particular joy of bottomless cups of coffee.Sandra Newman is the author of four novels including The Heavens and The Country of Ice Cream Star, and several bestselling nonfiction books on writing. She is currently working on a feminist retelling of Nineteen Eighty-Four and her most recent novel, The Men, is a disquieting tale of impossible sacrifices, and is available in all good bookshops.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 2 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew and Miriam discuss what his life might have been like if, a year after graduating from university in Oxford and getting a job in London, he had done a complete 180 and moved back to Oxford to write sketch comedy with a friend. Along the way they invent a fictional sandwich chain, narrowly avoid petty theft and helicopter Philip Larkin into the 2012 olympics. They also laugh A LOT.Andrew Hunter Murray. Andrew is a scriptwriter and fact-hunter for BBC2's QI. He co-hosts the podcast No Such Thing As A Fish, which has toured the UK, Europe and Australia. He also writes jokes and journalism for Private Eye magazine, and hosts the Eye's podcast, Page 94. He is one of the founder members of the award-winning comedy show Austentatious, and spent three years as one of the regular correspondents on BBC2's The Mash Report.He is the author of The Last Day and his new, totally gripping ecological thriller The Sanctuary is out now and available in all good bookshops.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 2 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miriam and Deesha discuss what her life might have been like if, after catching the man who she'd just started dating in a devastating lie, she had walked away instead of staying with, and ultimately marrying him. Along the way they discuss the shame that exists around loneliness, the importance of small surprises, and some handy tips for spotting dating app red flags.Deesha Philyaw's debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the 2020/2021 Story Prize, and the 2020 LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. In addition to winning all the awards, the collection, which focusses on Black women, sex, and the Black church, is being adapted for television by HBO Max. Deesha is also a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and will be the 2022-2023 John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 2 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives. Produced by Neil Mason #MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miriam and Edward discuss what his life might have looked like if he'd never been selected for a certain large book retailer's prize in America, and thus never flown to New York and never met his wife, the novelist Elizabeth McCracken. Along the way they discuss the lives of objects, the original, and much darker, version of Pinocchio (not for the faint of heart) and at least one way to get yourself out of a creative fallow period.Edward is the author of the novels Observatory Mansions and Alva and Irva: the Twins Who Saved a City, and of the YA Iremonger Trilogy, which have all been translated into many different languages and all of which he illustrated. His novel Little, which took him a ridiculous fifteen years to finish, has been published in 20 countries and his novel The Swallowed Man is set inside the belly of an enormous sea beast. His most recent book B: A Year in Plagues and Pencils is a collection of drawings created over the first year of lockdown, and is truly an outward-looking tribute to creativity and connection in a time of isolation, and is available from your local bookshop. Edward has lived in England, France, Romania, Lithuania, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, and the United States and currently lives in Austin, Texas.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 2 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.Produced by Neil Mason#MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Louise and Miriam discuss what her life might have been like if she hadn't lived in Beirut for two years in her late twenties - two years she credits with getting her out of a rut but also which she feels, given the amount of time she spent in the sun while there, sowed the seeds for the melanoma for which she is currently in treatment. Along the way they discuss how adversity can lead to creativity, the importance of a really good girlfriend and why professional cooking is great training for being a writer.Louise Kennedy is a short story writer and novelist whose work has appeared everywhere from the Stinging Fly and the Guardian to the Irish Times and Radio 4. She was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award in both 2019 and 2020 and her debut novel, Trespasses, is a stunning and devastating love story set against the backdrop of The Troubles. Before getting her start as a writer Louise spent nearly thirty years working as a chef, and she now lives in Sligo with her husband and two children.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 2 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.Produced by Neil Mason#MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miriam sits down to chat with Tanya Shadrick about what her life would have been like if, at the age of 13, she'd felt confident enough to attend a pool party being thrown by a very intriguing, very bohemian new boy at her school. Along the way they discuss what opening up to others can teach you about yourself, the importance of methodical movement in a world that values speed and the economics of changing your life.Tanya Shadrick is a former hospice scribe whose first public work was a mile of writing composed pen on paper beside England's oldest outdoor pool. She is the founder of The Selkie Press and editor of Wild Woman Swimming, a journal of west country waters. Her memoir The Cure for Sleep - an unforgettable story of a life changed forever by sudden near-death – is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and is available from your local bookshop.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 2 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.Produced by Neil Mason#MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miriam sits down with comics artist Karrie Fransman to discuss what Karrie's life may have looked like if her IVF treatment had failed and she'd never managed to conceive a child. Along the way they talked about the mismatch between our perceptions and the reality of motherhood, Karrie's obsession with communes; and the beauty of animatronic storytelling machines. Karrie Fransman is a comic creator. Her comics strips and graphic stories have been published in The Guardian, The Times, Time Out, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, The Young Vic, Psychologies Magazine, The Arts Council Create Magazine, The Goethe Institute and The British Red Cross. Her latest illustrated book, Gender Swapped Fairy Tales (Faber), was co-created with her husband Jonathan Plackett was chosen as Book of the Month by the Bookseller and WHSmith. It is currently on its fifth reprint.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 1 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.Produced by Tess Davidson#MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Renowned psychotherapist and author Philippa Perry explores what her life would have been like if, as a teenager she had been encouraged to go to university as opposed to being dismissed because of her (then undiagnosed) dyslexia. Along the way, she and host Miriam Robinson also discuss the importance of setting boundaries, what it means to find your tribe, and a counterintuitive way to get your kids to do the dishes.Philippa Perry has been a psychotherapist for twenty years. She is an agony aunt for Red Magazine, a freelance writer, and a TV and radio presenter. Her bestselling books include The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) and Couch Fiction: A Graphic Tale of Psychotherapy (Penguin Life) She lives in London with her husband the artist Grayson Perry, and they have a grown-up daughter, Flo.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 1 – in each episode, Miriam interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.Produced by Tess Davison#MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Internationally bestselling author John Boyne speaks to host Miriam Robinson about what his life would have been like if, at the age of 16, he would have had the confidence to audition for his school production of Hamlet. Along the way we discussed his creative and sexual awakening, what it means to be a success; and his long standing crush on singer-songwriter Will Young. John has published 13 novels for adults, six for younger readers, and a short story collection, including New York Times No.1 Bestselling The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, which was adapted for a feature film, a play, a ballet and an opera, selling around 11 million copies worldwide. His novels are published in 54 languages, and his latest adult novel The Echo Chamber (Transworld) was published in August 2021. Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 1 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.Produced by Tess Davidson#MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nigerian-British writer Irenosen Okojie and host Miriam Robinson discuss what would have happened if, in her early 20s, Irenosen had accepted a job as an editorial assistant at a magazine in New York. Along the way they discuss why mentors matter, the importance of embracing mess and why everything good starts with a fabulous lunch.Irenosen Okojie is a Nigerian-British author. In 2021 she was awarded an MBE For Services To Literature, and she is an RSL Fellow. Her debut novel Butterfly Fish won a 2016 Betty Trask Award. Her short story collection Speak Gigantular, was published was shortlisted for the inaugural Jhalak Prize and the 2017 Edge Hill Short Story Prize. Nudibranch, her collection of short stories, was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize 2020, and its story ‘Grace Jones' won the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 1 – in each episode, Miriam interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.Produced by Tess Davidson.#MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist Molly Flatt sits down with host Miriam Robinson to discuss her tangled love affair with London, the limits of rational thought, how to combat perfectionism and the unexpected upside of a Hackney bar fight. Together, they explore what Molly's life would have been like if, in 2014, the sale on the house she intended to buy in the countryside hadn't fallen through and she'd left London for the countryside of her youth.Molly Flatt is a journalist who specialises in the impact of technology on publishing, culture and identity, and is Comment Editor at The Bookseller. Her novel is The Charmed Life Of Alex Moore (Pan Macmillan). She is also co-founder Big Book Weekend, a free virtual book festival accessible to all, supported by BBC Arts and Arts Council England.Make sure to subscribe to hear the rest of Season 1 – in each episode, Miriam Robinson interviews a guest about a path their life might have taken and together, step by step, they write the stories of their unlived lives.Produced by Tess Davidson#MyUnlivedLife Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.