NonFicPod

Karen Beddow is an entrepreneur, traveller, parent, and author. Frustrated by the lack of great travel books for children she began her own series, Extraordinary Travellers, to helo kids uncover the magic of exploring another country.In this epsiode we talk putting up tents in the rain, the false dichotomy between fiction and nonfiction and the journey to publication.Karen is bringing the Extraordinary Travellers and their adventures to Wild Words Festival - book now with 10% off with the code NonFicPod. Order the books - and get travel inspiration - at minitravellers.co.uk Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on Nonfic pod we're talking about how words get good - and if you enjoy a good word, you'll love wild words festival. From the 3rd-5th June in Cuffley, hertfordshire. A brand new celebration of the written and spoken word for avid writers and readers alike. Get 10 % off with the code NonFicPodRebecca Lee is an editorial manager at Penguin Random House. She's spent twenty years managing hundreds of high-profile books from delivery of manuscript to finished copies, signing off millions of words as fit to go to print with only the occasional regret.The transcript of this episode is available here Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Unusual Suspect reads like a thriller, with a complex protagonist who just happens to be a real human being. Stephen Jackley was deeply affected by the poverty and inequality he saw in the world. There was only one thing he could think of to do. Rob a bank.To tell us about Stephen Jackley is Ben Machell. Ben is a feature writer for The Times and The Times Magazine and a contributor to publications including VICE and Esquire. He has been shortlisted for Feature Writer of the Year at the British Press Awards.The transcript can be found hereWe're proud to be supporting Wild Words Festival - a brand new literary festival for the whole family. Find out more at wildwordsfest.com and get 10% off with the code NonFicPod. Wild Words Fest is for everyone who enjoys the written or spoken word with performances, panels, workshops, and author talks. If Hay Festival is the Fortnum and Mason of literary festivals then Wild Words is your local farmers' market. Book now for the best prices! Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of NonFicPod we're talking bees vs wasps, the ethical case for genetic modification, and why large herbivores are ecological engineers.My guest Rebecca Nesbit studies ecology, conservation ethics, food security, crop biotechnology, climate change, science policy and citizen science. In her previous book, is that fish in your tomato, she explored the science and ethics of genetic modification.  In her latest book, out on the 17th of February, Rebecca looks at what we choose to save in this age of extinction, and how we should decide. And don't forget, you can get 10% off Wild Words Festival by using the code NONFICPOD at wildwordsfestival.eventbrite.comHost: Emma ByrneMix and Tech: Mike WyerGuest: Rebecca NesbitTranscripts for this season's episodes can be found here Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we muse upon which humans get to go to space, how to stay human in space, and the banality of Elon Musk's intergallactic Tinder profile!Kate Greene was the crew writer and second-in-command on the first simulated Mars mission for the NASA-funded HI-SEAS project. A poet, essayist, and former laser physicist, her work has appeared in multiple publications and radio shows. She's taught writing at Columbia University, San Francisco State University, and the Tennessee Prison for Women. She joins us from New York City to talk about her moving and fascinating memoir Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars.You can find Kate on Instagram at kate_greene and on Twitter at kgreene - you can also find her at kategreene.netYou can find out more about the upcoming Wild Words Festival here and use the code NONFICPOD for a 10% discount on tickets!And you can find transcripts for all this season's episodes here Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are your expectations for the year ahead? A depressing slog through a series of stressful situations or an exciting opportunity to tackle inspiring challenges?We're excited and inspired to welcome award-winning science journalist David Robson to today's episode of NonFicPod. His latest book, The Expectation Effect offers an illuminating insight into the power of the prediction machine between our ears.In this podcast we talk aboutthe placebo effect,the connection between the way we describe food and how much we eatthe ways to take the sting out of exercise, tricky mental problems, and even agingAnd we also reveal the authors who inspired us.A transcript is available here - please report any issues to nonficpod@gmail.comDon't forget that reviewing the show on apple podcasts, or sharing it with a friend, will really help us! Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode we are joined by historians Dr Mary Wellesley and Dr Amy Jeffs talking about their new books "Hidden Hands" and "Storyland." We talk about the myth of individual greatness, the way stories shape our view of the world, and imagine Gerald of Wales having a Kanye moment. Please subscribe and share if you enjoy hearing about great new nonfiction. Look for the button in your podcasting app of choice.You can follow NonFicPod on Twitter @NonFicPod amd you can follow @amy_historia and @marywellesley too!The transcript of this episode can be found here Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Emily Mayhew is a military medical historian, and is the historian in residence in the Department of Bioengineering and a Research Fellow in the Division of Surgery within the Department of Surgery and Cancer, both at Imperial College London. Dr Mayhew wrote the Wounded trilogy, a series of books detailing medicine, conflict, and recovery. Her latest book, Four Horsemen looks at those extraordinary individuals and collaborations that are working to hold the line against war, pestilence, plague, and death. In this episode, we learn about Inca scientists, potatoes on Mars, and the importance of outcome studies. And your host, Byrne, learns how to pronounce cicada.A full transcript is available here Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the archives comes this absolute BANGER of an episode from Dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, cosmologist and campaigner. Ahead of our new season in November we're bringing you some of our full-length back episodes that are usually reserved for our patrons. Like what you hear? Back us on Patreon to help keep us on the air!And our new backers, All Good Bookshop will ship you a copy of The Disordered Cosmos - and any other book! - if you DM them your order. Tell 'em we sent you!Humanity has stopped moving. The average person now spends 70% of our time sitting or lying around - and that was before the pandemic. It's no surprise that this is linked to rising obesity rates, but it could also be increasing our levels of depression and reducing our cognitive skills.  Our guest on this episode, Caroline Williams, was going to be a PE teacher before being seduced by neuroscience. She's spent several years researching the connection between movement and the mind. As a science writer and broadcaster she says that her aim is to learn new and exciting things and share them in the most entertaining way she can think of. She is regularly featured in New Scientist magazine as well as the Guardian, BBC Future, BBC Earth and the Boston Globe. ​In her latest book, Move!, Caroline Williams investigates how movement moulds our minds including: how core strength is linked to stress control, why stretching tackles the mood-sapping effects of an overactive immune system, what dance can do for our emotional literacy, and why physical strength translates into emotional resilience.You can find Caroline at https://www.carolinewilliams.net and on Twitter.​​Move! Is Caroline's second book. Previously she wrote Override (published as My Plastic Brain in the US), and is the editor of two of New Scientist's Instant Expert Guides: How Your Brain Works: Inside the most complicated object in the known universe (John Murray, 2017) and Your Conscious Mind: Unravelling the greatest mystery of the human brain (John Murray, 2017).Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned:- Rodolfo Llinás, neuroscientist- Tecumseh Fitch, cognitive scientist- Rubber Hand Illusion- Marcus Scotney, ultramarathon runner- MovNat FitnessFind Us Online- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thenonficpod- Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod (purchases here support us and independent booksellers in the UK)- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thenonficpod- Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Guest: Caroline Williams- Episode Producer: Emma Byrne- Series Exec Producers: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Series Senior Producer: Beatrice Bazell - Composer and consulting engineer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and about life.Episode transcript available here (Google doc) Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the archives comes this absolute BANGER of an episode from Dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, cosmologist and campaigner. Ahead of our new season in November we're bringing you some of our full-length back episodes that are usually reserved for our patrons. Like what you hear? Back us on Patreon to help keep us on the air! And our new backers, All Good Bookshop will ship you a copy of The Disordered Cosmos - and any other book! - if you DM them your order. Tell 'em we sent you! Dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is a theoretical cosmologist and a campaigner for inclusion in physics. She is an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire and is working on the NASA Strobe-x mission. Dr Prescod Weinstein recently received the 2021 Edward A. Bouchet Award from the American Physical Society, in recognition "For contributions to theoretical cosmology and particle physics. The Disordered Cosmos, A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred is available now. You can find Chanda at http://www.cprescodweinstein.com and on TwitterPeople, Articles, and Organisations Mentioned:NASA STROBE-X MissionEdward A. Bouchet AwardDr Prescod-Weinstein's column in New ScientistPillars of Creation, Eagle NebulaWindrush deportation scandalJoey NeilsenBenjamin Banneker OnesimusArticle on the Mauna Kea observatories expansion in NatureHaleakalā observatory‘The James Webb Space Telescope Needs to Be Renamed', article by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Sarah Tuttle, Lucianne Walkowicz, and Brian Nord‘What I wanted when I called for a Strike for Black Lives', article by Dr Chanda Prescod-WeinsteinArticle by Selma James on founding the Wages for Housework CampaignMargaret Prescod and Wilmette Brown, ‘Birth Announcement' flyer for Black Women for Wages for HouseworkS. Zainab Williams, Managing Editor at Book RiotBooks Mentioned:Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsEmma Byrne, How To Build a Human: The Art of Parenting Like a ScientistStephen Hawking, A Brief History of TimeKurt Kohlstedt & Roman Mars, The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday DesignBrian Keating, Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science's Highest HonorSteven Weinberg, The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the UniverseEpisode transcript available here (Google doc)Find Us Online- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thenonficpod- Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod (purchases here support us and independent booksellers in the UK)- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thenonficpod- Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Guest: Dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein- Episode Producer: Emma Byrne- Series Exec Producers: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Series Senior Producer: Beatrice Bazell - Composer and consulting engineer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and about life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Love letters reveal so much - especially when the writers are the people who dictate the fate of nations, but who somehow come off as a bit... thirsty? Find out why Napoleon detested being left on read, why Prince Albert used to give Queen Victoria certificates for being ‘most improved,' and why there are two sides to every story.This archive cut includes the extended version of the show, which contains ‘Shit I Wish I'd Known' from Dan's perspective as an author of dozens of books, and as an experienced editor. What do editors wish writers knew? And what drives someone to write so damned much?! Find out on the extended cut. https://www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod Daniel Smith has written over 30 non-fiction books including the hugely successful How to Think Like… series. His book The Peer and the Gangster was described by the Observer as “revelatory and hilarious” while The Ardlamont Mystery is an “enthralling real- life murder mystery,” according to the Daily Mail. His next book, the Love Letters of Kings and Queens came out in February. You can find Daniel at https://www.danielsmithbooks.co.uk/ and on Twitter You can order his extensive back catalogue from the fine people at allgoodbookshop.co.ukWorks MentionedJoan Aiken, Arabel and Mortimer StoriesJoanna Spyri, HeidiRosie Wilby, The Breakup Monologues (NonFicPod episode coming soon!)Dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred (NonFicPod episode coming soon!)Nadia Owusu, Aftershocks (NonFicPod series 1 episode 8!)Episode transcript available here (Google doc)Find Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer Emma Byrne - Guest: Daniel Smith- Producer: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must-reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're in the mood for reflections this week: on a girlhood spent between cultures; on the shyness of life in poetry; on resilience when writing long-form, and of dream-like watery scenes past and present. Our guest is Nina Mingya Powles, whose latest collection of essays - Small Bodies of Water - spans oceans, pools and ponds worldwide - and is currently attracting heaps of praise.                   The extended version of the show contains ‘Sh*t I Wish I'd Known' from Nina's perspective as an award-winning nature writer, editor and self-described 'anxious poet'. What were the early steps in her publishing journey? How does she handle her urge to hide away? And what does it mean to have 'a career in creative writing' anyway? Hear all about it on the extended NFP cut, for Patreon subscribers at Silver Nib level and up. Join us at www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod Nina Mingya Powles is a poet, zine maker and founding editor from Aotearoa, with three published poetry collections to her name, as well as Bitter Melon, a small press showcasing poets from the Asian diaspora. Her latest work, Small Bodies of Water, won the inaugural Nan Shepherd Prize for underrepresented voices in nature writing.You can find Nina at www.ninapowles.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ninamingya, and through her monthly(ish) Tiny Letter, Comfort Food.Link to transcript of this episode here (Google doc)Organisations, Events, and Books mentioned:- Bitter Melon website- Nan Shepherd prize https://nanshepherdprize.com/- Wellington zinefest https://www.wellingtonzinefest.com/- Maggie Nelson https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maggie-nelson- Jake Spicer, ‘You Will Be Able to Draw By the End of this Book' - Usborne's Step-by-Step Drawing books https://usborne.com/gb/activities-for-kids/step-by-step-drawing- Cathy Rentzenbrink, ‘A Manual for Heartache: How to feel Better', and ‘The Last Act of Love: the Story of My Brother and His Sister'Find Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer: Georgie Codd - Guest: Nina Mingya Powles- Producer: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must-reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GuestGeorgie Codd has worked behind the scenes at a funeral parlour, taught English in a Himalayan nunnery, edited publications for the Tibetan Government in Exile, and shadowed drug dealers in Florida City. Winner of the Seth Donaldson Bursary, with an MA in Prose Writing from the University of East Anglia, Georgie's first book is We Swim to the Shark. Described by the Times Literary Supplement as an almost spiritual mission, We Swim to the Shark blends memoir, reportage, nature writing and insights into mental health. You can find Georgie at https://www.georgiecodd.co.uk/ and of course, hosting Nonfic Pod! In this episode we talk about BBC Storyville Documentary Collective, the book The Festival Organiser's Bible and of course, We Swim To The SharkWe also talk - a lot - about wildwordsfest.comFind the transcript here.Books, Articles, Pods, and Organisations Mentioned:Rebecca Foster, ‘Phobias', Times Literary Supplement review of We Swim to the SharkDouglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyThe Society of AuthorsSpread the WordNational Centre of WritingWriting Excuses podcastCollective, documentary directed by Alexander NanauThe Grenfell Tower Inquiry https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk/Sherborne Literary Festival https://www.sherborneliterarysociety.com/eventsJudith Spelman, The Festival Organiser's Bible: How to plan, organise and run a successful festival Wild Worlds Festival, wildworldsfest.comZimFest https://www.zimfestlive.comFind Us Online- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producers: Emma Byrne, Beatrice Bazell- Guest: Georgie Codd- Composer: Mike Wyer Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A summer-time special recorded in Brighton, priming you with great NonFic ideas for the young folk in your life. Note: this episode contains swearing.Our Pick of Kids' NonFic:Justin Hancock, Can We Talk About Consent?: A Book about Freedom, Choices, and AgreementClare Balding, Fall Off, Get Back On, Keep Going: 10 Ways to Be at the Top of Your Game!Frederick Joseph, The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person Tiffany Jewell, This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on how to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work Jenny Devenny, Race Cars: A Children's Book about White PrivilegeClive Gifford, Backward Science: What was Life Like Before World-changing Discoveries?Libby Deutsch, The Everyday Journeys of Ordinary Things: From Phones to Food and From Paper to PooPhilip Bunting, The World's Most Pointless Animals: Or Are They?Find Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne, Georgie Codd and Beatrice Bazell- Producer: Georgie Codd - Producer: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must-reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trigger warning: this episode contains brief references to sexual abuse and trauma.With its eye-catching title, bold ambition, and cover that simply cannot be ignored, The Sex Lives of African Women is set to get temperatures sizzling this summer. Join Codd as she meets with its author, the writer Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, to discuss womanhood, writing, Africa and, ahem, SEX.The extended version of the show contains ‘Sh*t I Wish I'd Known' from Nana's perspective as an author, story-collector and feminist activist. How does she approach interviews and transcripts? What advice would she give to other African writers aiming to publish? And what's the one question she wishes somebody would ask her? Hear all about it on the extended NFP cut, for Patreon subscribers at Silver Nib level and up. Join in at www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is a Ghanaian writer, public speaker and feminist activist, working as Director of Communications and Media for the Association for Women's Rights in Development. In early 2009, with Malaka Grant, she co-founded the award-winning blog: Adventures From the Bedrooms of African Women, as a space to focus on African women, sex and sexualities.Her writing has been published in the Guardian, openDemocracy, and Essence.You can find Nana at www.darkoathewriter.com, on Twitter @nas009 and on Instagram @dfordarkoaLink to transcript of this episode here (Google doc)People, Organisations, and Works Mentioned- Association for Women's Rights in Development link: https://www.awid.org/- Farafina Trust: http://farafinatrust.org/about-us/about-farafina-trust/- Dorothy Koomson: https://twitter.com/DorothyKoomson- Robert Caskie, Nana's agent: https://twitter.com/rcaskie1- Sharmaine Lovegrove, Dialogue Books Founder: https://twitter.com/SharLovegrove- It Wasn't Exactly Love: Stories from the Farafina Trust Creative Writing Workshop 2012 https://farafinabooks.com/books-store/it-wasnt-exactly-love- The Pot And Other Stories https://www.femrite.org/the-pot-and-other-stories/Podcasts and Books from Byrne and Codd's Chat:Today in Focus podcastThe Last Archive podcastRonan Farrow, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators Emma Byrne, Swearing Is Good For You: The Amazing Science of Bad Language Annabelle Sami, Llama Out Loud!Tim Guest, My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the GuruFind Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer: Georgie Codd - Guest: Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah - Assistant Producer: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must-reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You know how some lines almost leap from the page? In this episode of NonFicPod, there's one that Codd can't shake: ‘When it comes to communicating details about diet, health, sex and mood, an anal gland can be surprisingly eloquent.'Hit 'play' for a rollicking chat around our very own Emma Byrne's second book, How to Build a Human: what science knows about childhood.For our Patreon subscribers at Silver Nib level and up, the extended version of the show contains ‘Shit I Wish I'd Known' from Emma's perspective as an author, scientist, and public speaker. How does she balance being a mum with being a writer? Where does she find her team mates when writing solo? How has she handled the dreaded 'burnout'? Hear all about it on the extended NFP cut. Find out how at https://www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod Dr Emma Byrne is an actual robot scientist – a robot scientist! – who writes for Wired, the Guardian, Forbes and the FT. She frequently appears on the BBC and Sky News talking about the future of robotics and artificial intelligence; has packed out pubs and convention halls with her talks, and in case you hadn't noticed yet, is also the esteemed founder and co-host of NonFicPod.You can find Emma at www.emmabyrne.net, and on Twitter at @SciWriBy and @How2BuildAHuman Link to transcript of this episode here (Google doc)People and Works Mentioned:Lawrence Wright, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of BeliefLawrence Wright, God Save Texas: A Journey Into the Soul of the Lone Star StateLawrence Wright, ‘Lives of the Saints', 2002 article on the future of Mormonism in The New Yorker [paywall] Find Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer: Georgie Codd - Guest: Emma Byrne - Socials and transcription: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must-reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode's transcript can be found hereNadia Owusu is a woman whose life story spans continents. Losses and uprootings marked her early life, leaving her with questions about her worth, her identity, even her sanity. A woman with an emotional seismometer, always attuned to the possibility of loss, she witnessed civil war, terrorism, and the ravages of colonialism and anti-blackness. She was also abandoned by her birth mother, lost her father to cancer, and fought with her widowed stepmother for the truth of her father's memory.Described by Margo Jefferson as “rigorous and luminous” and by Xiaolu Guo as “intense and intimate” Aftershocks is a beautiful, moving, unflinching memoir of a woman who transcends boundaries and defies categories. GuestYou can find Nadia Owusu on twitter at @NadiaOwusu1 on Instagram @wheresnadia and online at nadiaaowusu.com Her Whiting Award-winning memoir Aftershocks is available now.Works & Authors Mentioned:Go Tell It on the Mountain - James BaldwinRen Hang (Eponymous)How to Build a Human - Emma ByrneFind Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Guest: Nadia Owusu- Social Team: Beatrice Bazell and Felicity Quick- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and about life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parenting could well be the world's toughest job. On the plus side, fatherhood's giving Nikesh Shukla some great writing material. Join us as he talks about finding motivation - both as a father and an author - and speaks openly about his frustration at publishing in a pandemic.For our Patreon subscribers at Silver Nib level and up, the extended version of the show contains ‘Shit I Wish I'd Known' from Nikesh's perspective as a mentor, author and comedy-writer. What role does humour play in his work? How is he processing grief through publishing? Why does he think his daughters will tell him to "F*ck off" eventually? Hear all about it on the extended NFP cut. Find out how at https://www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod Nikesh Shukla is an author, editor, journalist, podcaster and screenwriter with three novels to his name – including the Costa shortlisted debut, Coconut Unlimited. It's safe to say he is something of a writing powerhouse: he has also authored two books for young adults, edited the bestselling essay collection The Good Immigrant (co-editing its 2019 follow-up for US audiences) AND co-founded the literary journal The Good Journal. In February 2021, Nikesh published a new true story of his own, the book Brown Baby: A Memoir of Race, Family and Home, which is accompanied by a weekly podcast of the same name.You can find Nikesh at www.nikesh-shukla.com, and on Twitter and InstagramLink to transcript of this episode here (Google doc)Works & Authors Mentioned:James Baldwin, novelist and essayist, essay 'The Artist's Struggle for Integrity.' Quote cited: 'You must decide all over again whether you want to be famous or whether you want to write.'Ta-Nehisi Coates, author and journalistRobert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceNikesh Shukla, essay 'Namaste' in The Good ImmigrantCesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peltier, Cesar's WayEmma Byrne, How to Build a Human (forthcoming)Find Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer: Georgie Codd - Guest: Nikesh Shukla- Socials and transcription: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's get real now, people: love may well be all around us (many thanks to Wet Wet Wet for the constant earworm), but so too are the breakups. Tonnes of them. Join Rosie Wilby, the 'breakup queen', as she shares a few snippets of what she's learned about inevitable endings everywhere.For our Patreon subscribers at Silver Nib level and up, the extended version of the show contains ‘Shit I Wish I'd Known' from Rosie's perspective as a comedian who presents, writes and pods. What's her top tip for navigating an author contract? How does she fund her work? What does she really think about her book's front cover? Hear all about it on the extended NFP cut. Find out how at https://www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod Rosie Wilby is an award-winning comedian, podcaster and author. Her first book Is Monogamy Dead? was shortlisted for the Diva Literary Awards 2017 and longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize 2018. Rosie presents The Breakup Monologues podcast, and has toured the world with a trilogy of shows that started with The Science of Sex and ended with The Conscious Uncoupling, which was shortlisted for Funny Women Best Show.You can find Rosie at www.rosiewilby.com, and on Twitter and InstagramPeople & Works MentionedDr Qazi RahmanBrian Earp, 'Love is the Drug'Abigail Tarttelin, 'Golden Boy'Patricia Wiltshire, 'Traces: The Memoir of a Forensic Scientist and Criminal Investigator'Francesca Beauman, 'Shapely Ankle Preferr'd: A History of the Lonely Hearts Ad'Find Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer: Georgie Codd - Guest: Rosie Wilby- Socials and transcription: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is a theoretical cosmologist and a campaigner for inclusion in physics. She is an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire and is working on the NASA Strobe-x mission. Dr Prescod Weinstein recently received the 2021 Edward A. Bouchet Award from the American Physical Society, in recognition "For contributions to theoretical cosmology and particle physics. The Disordered Cosmos, A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred is available now. You can find Chanda at http://www.cprescodweinstein.com and on TwitterPeople, Articles, and Organisations Mentioned:NASA STROBE-X MissionEdward A. Bouchet AwardDr Prescod-Weinstein's column in New ScientistPillars of Creation, Eagle NebulaWindrush deportation scandalJoey NeilsenBenjamin Banneker OnesimusArticle on the Mauna Kea observatories expansion in NatureHaleakalā observatory‘The James Webb Space Telescope Needs to Be Renamed', article by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Sarah Tuttle, Lucianne Walkowicz, and Brian Nord‘What I wanted when I called for a Strike for Black Lives', article by Dr Chanda Prescod-WeinsteinArticle by Selma James on founding the Wages for Housework CampaignMargaret Prescod and Wilmette Brown, ‘Birth Announcement' flyer for Black Women for Wages for Housework S. Zainab Williams, Managing Editor at Book RiotBooks Mentioned:Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsEmma Byrne, How To Build a Human: The Art of Parenting Like a ScientistStephen Hawking, A Brief History of TimeKurt Kohlstedt & Roman Mars, The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday DesignBrian Keating, Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science's Highest HonorSteven Weinberg, The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the UniverseEpisode transcript available here (Google doc)Find Us Online- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thenonficpod- Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod (purchases here support us and independent booksellers in the UK)- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thenonficpod- Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Guest: Dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein- Episode Producer: Emma Byrne- Series Exec Producers: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Series Senior Producer: Beatrice Bazell - Composer and consulting engineer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and about life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Humanity has stopped moving. The average person now spends 70% of our time sitting or lying around - and that was before the pandemic. It's no surprise that this is linked to rising obesity rates, but it could also be increasing our levels of depression and reducing our cognitive skills.  Our guest on this episode, Caroline Williams, was going to be a PE teacher before being seduced by neuroscience. She's spent several years researching the connection between movement and the mind. As a science writer and broadcaster she says that her aim is to learn new and exciting things and share them in the most entertaining way she can think of. She is regularly featured in New Scientist magazine as well as the Guardian, BBC Future, BBC Earth and the Boston Globe. ​In her latest book, Move!, Caroline Williams investigates how movement moulds our minds including: how core strength is linked to stress control, why stretching tackles the mood-sapping effects of an overactive immune system, what dance can do for our emotional literacy, and why physical strength translates into emotional resilience.You can find Caroline at https://www.carolinewilliams.net and on Twitter.​​Move! Is Caroline's second book. Previously she wrote Override (published as My Plastic Brain in the US), and is the editor of two of New Scientist's Instant Expert Guides: How Your Brain Works: Inside the most complicated object in the known universe (John Murray, 2017) and Your Conscious Mind: Unravelling the greatest mystery of the human brain (John Murray, 2017).Ideas, People, and Works Mentioned:- Rodolfo Llinás, neuroscientist- Tecumseh Fitch, cognitive scientist- Rubber Hand Illusion- Marcus Scotney, ultramarathon runner- MovNat FitnessFind Us Online- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thenonficpod- Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod (purchases here support us and independent booksellers in the UK)- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thenonficpod- Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Guest: Caroline Williams- Episode Producer: Emma Byrne- Series Exec Producers: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Series Senior Producer: Beatrice Bazell - Composer and consulting engineer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and about life.Episode transcript available here (Google doc) Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Love letters reveal so much - especially when the writers are the people who dictate the fate of nations, but who somehow come off as a bit... thirsty? Find out why Napoleon detested being left on read, why Prince Albert used to give Queen Victoria certificates for being ‘most improved,' and why there are two sides to every story.For our Patreon subscribers at Silver Nib level and up, the extended version of the show contains ‘Shit I Wish I'd Known' from Dan's perspective as an author of dozens of books, and as an experienced editor. What do editors wish writers knew? And what drives someone to write so damned much?! Find out on the extended cut. https://www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod Daniel Smith has written over 30 non-fiction books including the hugely successful How to Think Like… series. His book The Peer and the Gangster was described by the Observer as “revelatory and hilarious”  while The Ardlamont Mystery is an “enthralling real- life murder mystery,” according to the Daily Mail. His next book, the Love Letters of Kings and Queens came out in February. You can find Daniel at https://www.danielsmithbooks.co.uk/ and on TwitterWorks MentionedJoan Aiken, Arabel and Mortimer StoriesJoanna Spyri, HeidiRosie Wilby, The Breakup Monologues (NonFicPod episode coming soon!)Dr Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred (NonFicPod episode coming soon!)Nadia Owusu, Aftershocks (NonFicPod series 1 episode 8!)Episode transcript available here (Google doc)Find Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer Emma Byrne - Guest: Daniel Smith- Producer: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must-reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Family dynamics can be precarious at the best of times. For Georgina Lawton, the trials of growing up as a teen in suburban Surrey were compounded by a question that refused to leave her alone: why was her skin brown, when the skin of her parents and brother was white? And why did her Anglo-Irish family refuse to engage in discussions about race?For our Patreon subscribers at Silver Nib level and up, the extended version of the show contains ‘Shit I Wish I'd Known' from Georgina's perspective as a journalist-turned-author, learning to find her voice and trust her own abilities. How does she balance writing for herself with writing for social media? Why does she sometimes yearn for the good old days of bikini pics? Hear all about it on the extended NFP cut. Find out how at https://www.patreon.com/join/nonficpod Georgina Lawton is a journalist and speaker in her twenties. A former Guardian Weekend columnist, she also writes for a number of other publications such as: The Independent, Stylist, gal-dem, Travel + Leisure, VICE, Time Out London and more. She is also a broadcaster and host of the Audible podcast The Secrets In Us, which was released in late 2020. Her first book, Raceless, a family memoir exploring race, identity, and long-held secrets, will be out in the UK and the US by the time this podcast is aired, and, in this country, it's her publisher Sphere's non-fiction title for spring 2021.You can find Georgina on Twitter and InstagramLink to transcript of this episode here (Google doc)Works and Resources Mentioned'Raceless', Georgina LawtonThe Secrets in Us Podcast, hosted by Georgina Lawton'Diary of an MP's Wife: Inside and Outside Power', Sasha Swire'Love Letters of Kings & Queens', Dan SmithDNA NPE Friends, Facebook support groupDNA Surprises, Facebook support groupFind Us Online- Patreon: www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: www.uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod- Twitter: www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer: Georgie Codd - Guest: Georgina Lawton- Socials and transcription: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike WyerAbout UsBrought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne, NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must reads. Our premium podcast, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NonFicPod with Byrne and Codd is your all-new podcast for bitchin' nonfiction. In this season we're covering everything from the love lives of royalty to the impact of exercise on the brain, from growing up black in a white family to understanding how viruses go, well, viral. In this episode, find out who Emma and Georgie (Byrne and Codd) actually are. As your hosts on this journey we thought it only right to make sure you know who you're signing on with. This series will bring you the finest from writers like Georgina Lawton, Caroline Williams, Dan Smith, Nadia Owusu, and Rosie Wilby. Every fortnight between now and autumn, we'll bring you the inside stories behind the true stories. Brought to you by author and publishing rockstar Georgie Codd (We Swim to the Shark) and author and broadcaster Emma Byrne (Swearing is Good for You and How to Build a Human), NonFicPod is your home for the latest nonfiction must reads. Our extended cut for Patreon backers, Sh*t I Wish I'd Known, teaches you the lessons that we (and our guests) have learned about writing - and life.Books MentionedJack El-Hai, The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental IllnessLindsey Fitzharris, The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Kate Fox, Watching the English: the Hidden Rules of English BehaviourJon Krakauer, Into Thin AirMary Roach, Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal Mary Roach, Bonk: The Curious Coupling Of Sex and ScienceMary Roach, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human CadaversFind Us Online- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/nonficpod- Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/nonficpod (purchases here support us and independent booksellers.) - Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nonficpod- Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/nonficpodCredits- Hosts: Emma Byrne and Georgie Codd- Producer: Georgie Codd - Transcription and socials: Beatrice Bazell- Composer: Mike Wyer Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hear from our first few guests as we launch NonFicPod.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Patreon, and your favourite podcatchers! Live from March 2nd 2021(See a transcript for this trailer here) Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Byrne and Codd tell you about their exciting new podcast! From sex to shark bites, parenting to pottery, breakups to breakdancing - it's all on NonFicPod. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.