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2 episodes with costa book
2 episodes with costa book
2 episodes with costa book
2 episodes with costa book
2 episodes with costa book
Jack Fairweather brings the same rigour and narrative flair that won him the Costa Book of the Year award for The Volunteer, to his new book, The Prosecutor, which tells the story of Fritz Bauer, a gay German Jew, who retuned to West Germany on a mission to prosecute Nazi war criminals and found himself opposed on all sides in forcing the German people to reckon with their past. Join us for a fascinating conversation about personal responsibility, public prosecution, and the personal cost to a very determined man.
What happens inside the head when you learn a 2nd language?'The Bilingual Brain' by Albert Costa is a quick summary of academic research on bilingual vs monolingual speakers. He looks at effects that knowing a 2nd language can have on the physical wiring as well as behavioural differences. So things like response times, vocab limits, gray matter density, etc. In the 5 chapters he goes over studies and you'll see some graphs & brain cross sections.If you got value from the podcast please provide support back in any way you best see fit!Timeline:(00:00:00) Intro(00:02:12) Themes/Questions(00:20:56) Author & Extras(00:23:10) Summary(00:25:51) Value 4 Value(00:27:14) Join Live! Connect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReUTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspodsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcastsValue 4 Value Support:Boostagram: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/supportPaypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast
Send us a textIn the darkness of an old asylum, a young man unscrews the lid from a bottle of sleeping pills. In the nearby village, two couples begin their day. Local doctor, Eric Parry, mulling secrets, sets out on his rounds, while his pregnant wife sleeps on in the warmth of their cottage. Across the field, in a farmhouse impossible to heat, funny, troubled Rita Simmons is also asleep, her head full of images of a past life her husband prefers to ignore. He's been up for hours, tending to the needs of the small dairy farm he bought, a place where he hoped to create a new version of himself, a project that's already faltering … In this episode we talk to Andrew Miller about his latest novel, which some have called his best yet, The Land in Winter. For his Toaster Challenge Andrew selects Light Years by James Salter.This episode is supported by a Project Award from the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.Intro/outro music: Colm Mac Con Iomaire, ‘Thou Shalt Not Carry' from The Hare's Corner, 2008, with thanks to Colm for permission to use it. Logo designed by Freya Sirr.Andrew Miller's first novel, Ingenious Pain, was published by Sceptre in 1997. It won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Grinzane Cavour Prize for the best foreign novel published in Italy. It has been followed by Casanova, Oxygen, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Whitbread Novel of the Year Award in 2001, The Optimists, One Morning Like a Bird, Pure, which won the Costa Book of the Year Award 2011, The Crossing, Now We Shall Be Entirely Free and The Slowworm's Song. Andrew Miller's novels have been published in translation in twenty countries. Born in Bristol in 1960, he currently lives in Somerset.The Land in Winter was a best book of the year for the Independent, Guardian, and Good Housekeeping.'Tender, elegant, soulful and perfect. A novel that hits your cells and can be felt there, without your brain really knowing what's happened to it. Superb' SAMANTHA HARVEY, Booker Prize-winning author of Orbital 'Delicate and devastating' INDEPENDENT, The 20 best books of the year 'Miller may have written his best book yet . . . brilliance that is not to be missed' GUARDIAN, The best fiction of 2024 'Incredibly satisfying' FINANCIAL TIMES 'A novel of dazzling humanity and captivating, crystalline prose' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Perfect' RACHEL COOKE, OBSERVER 'I loved The Land in Winter . . . There were moments I thought of Penelope Fitzgerald - that moment I have always loved in The Beginning of Spring when the birch trees seem to grow hands - those liminal moments that are kind of beyond words, or explanation, but Miller finds them anyway. It's a thing of rare beauty' RACHEL JOYCE, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry 'Disruptive and graceful beyond anything I've read' SARAH HALL, author of Burntcoat December 1962, the West Country. PRAISE FOR ANDREW MILLER 'Andrew Miller's writing is a source of wonder and delight' HILARY MANTEL 'One of our most skilful chroniclers of the human heart and mind' SUNDAY TIMES 'A writer of very rare and outstanding gifts' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'A highly intelliSupport the show
Sin + Helen have teamed up to write Prophet, in every bookshop you've ever seen right now. Sin is a musician and writer- this is their first novel. Helen, who uses she/they pronouns, is a writer, poet, naturalist and historian of science. They have previously been celebrated internationally for their book H is for Hawk, which won many prizes including the Costa Book of the Year, Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, and the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. It was also shortlisted for The Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction and The Duff Cooper Prize. Their book Vesper Flights was a Sunday Times Bestseller. They presented the BBC Four documentary, The Hidden Wilds of the Motorway, in 2020 and worked as an an affiliated research scholar at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, until 2015. Sin + Helen have been interviewed by The Washington Post, LitHub, The London Review of Books podcast & The Guardian. Get their book here, or at your local bookshop.
Sin + Helen have teamed up to write Prophet, in every bookshop you've ever seen right now. Sin is a musician and writer- this is their first novel. Helen, who uses she/they pronouns, is a writer, poet, naturalist and historian of science. They have previously been celebrated internationally for their book H is for Hawk, which won many prizes including the Costa Book of the Year, Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger, and the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. It was also shortlisted for The Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction and The Duff Cooper Prize. Their book Vesper Flights was a Sunday Times Bestseller. They presented the BBC Four documentary, The Hidden Wilds of the Motorway, in 2020 and worked as an an affiliated research scholar at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, until 2015. Sin + Helen have been interviewed by The Washington Post, LitHub, The London Review of Books podcast & The Guardian. Get their book here, or at your local bookshop.
In the June edition of MetCast, we continue to champion Creative Excellence and explore how Manchester Metropolitan innovates and shapes the film, media, fashion, literature, art and design industries. First up, we explore how we are making our mark at the box office. We meet creative writing lecturer, Andrew Hurley, and senior filmmaking lecturer, Loran Dunn. They share more about their involvement in writing and producing for film and discuss how it feels to see your work come to life on the big screen. Then, we meet Manchester Metropolitan alumnus and Creative Director of Max Mara, Ian Griffiths. Ian talks about his life as a student in 1980s Manchester and how studying a creative subject at University helped shape his career. And finally, we hear more about Passiontide, the new novel from Monique Roffey. Monique won the Costa Book of the Year award for her last novel, The Mermaid of Black Conch. She is also Professor of Contemporary Fiction at Manchester Met's Manchester Writing School. We learn more about her inspiration behind the novel's key themes of feminism, protest and politics.
Thank you for listening to Write On! Audio, the podcast for writers everywhere brought to you by Pen to Print Our interview this month is with British / Irish writer and broadcaster Kit De Waal. Born in Birmingham to an Irish mother and Caribbean father, she initially pursued a career in law working alongside foster carers and the social care sector before turning to writing and broadcasting. Her debut novel ‘My Name Is Leon' was shortlisted for the Costa Book award. Her short fiction has been nominated for - and won - numerous prizes. Soon after the publication of ‘My Name Is Leon' she began working on The Kit De Waal Creative Writing Scholarship which provides a fully funded place for a disadvantaged writer on the creative writing MA course at Birkbeck College in London The interviewer is Iole Dexter who was alongside Write On!'s editor Madeleine White If you'd like to find out more about Kit De Waal and her writing you can visit her website here https://www.kitdewaal.com/ To read Iole Dexter's blog go here https://iolewrites.com/ We're always delighted to read your contributions so if you'd like to see your words in Write on! or hear them on this podcast please get in touch. Please submit to: https://pentoprint.org/get-involved/submit-to-write-on/ Thank you for listening to Write On! Audio. This edition has been presented by Tiffany Clare and produced by Chris Gregory. Write On! Audio is an Alternative Stories production for Pen to Print. This podcast is produced using public funding from Arts Council England
Rachel and Simon speak with the nature writer and novelist Helen Macdonald. "H is for Hawk", a memoir of grief and falconry published in 2014, won several prizes including the Costa Book of the Year and the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction. "Vesper Flights", a collection of essays, was a Sunday Times bestseller in 2020. "Prophet", her latest book, is a sci-fi novel co-written with Sin Blaché. Helen is currently working on a project about Midway Atoll, an island in the North Pacific Ocean. We spoke to Helen about her huge success with "H is for Hawk", writing about the natural world in poetry, journalism and non-fiction, and about "Prophet". This episode of Always Take Notes is sponsored by Curtis Brown Creative. Go to www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk to find out more about their creative writing courses. Use code ATN20 for £20 off the full price of any four-, five, six- or ten-week online course. You can find us online at alwaystakenotes.com, on Twitter @takenotesalways and on Instagram @alwaystakenotes. Our crowdfunding page is patreon.com/alwaystakenotes. Always Take Notes is presented by Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd, and produced by Artemis Irvine. Our music is by Jessica Dannheisser and our logo was designed by James Edgar.
My guest this week is award-winning author and screenwriter Stef Penney, whose novel "The Tenderness of Wolves" won Costa Book of the Year, Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year, and has been translated into 30 languages. Her latest novel, "The Beasts of Paris,” takes us to Paris in 1870 at the onset of the Franco-Prussian War and its subsequent revolution. We visit Paris, not through the eyes of political or military strategists, but through some of her more marginalized characters: gay men, people of color, neuro-divergents, women, and those questioning their gender identity. As we drift between the zoo animals of the Jardin des Plantes to the women's asylum to the homes of the bourgeoisie and makeshift hospitals, we discover who the true beasts are. In our conversation, Stef shares who inspired her main characters and why they were so important to her, what it meant to her to focus on those often overlooked in wartime retellings, love stories and more. Then, she treats us to a reading from her book. stefpenney.com Join our Book Club: patreon.com/parisundergroundradioFind Us OnlineWebsite: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/storytimeinparisFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradioInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/ CreditsHost and Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.comMusic CreditsHip Hop Rap Instrumental (Crying Over You) by christophermorrow https://soundcloud.com/chris-morrow-3 Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/2AHA5G9 Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/hiYs5z4xdBU About UsSince well before Victor Hugo looked up at Notre Dame and thought, "Huh... what if a hunchback lived in there?" authors have been inspired by Paris. The Storytime in Paris podcast will help keep this tradition alive with short interviews and readings from your favorite contemporary authors with a French connection. Every episode will feature five questions, asked by you, our authors' biggest fans, and answered live on air. Then, our authors will treat us to a reading of an excerpt from their book. Who knows? Maybe you'll even be inspired to write your own Great French Novel. Happy listening!
Following its successful UK premiere, new BritBox Original limited series The Confessions of Frannie Langton, a powerful period drama with a murder mystery and a tale of forbidden love at its core, will premiere exclusively on BritBox.Adapted from the Costa Book award-winning novel of the same name by the author herself, Sara Collins, and set against the dazzling opulence of Georgian London, The Confessions of Frannie Langton narrates Frannie's journey from a Jamaican plantation to the grand Mayfair mansion of celebrated scientist George Benham and his exquisitely beautiful wife: Madame Marguerite Benham. In a misguided and monstrous gesture, Frannie is gifted to Benham by the man who owns her, John Langton, and she is employed as a maid in the household, much to her chagrin.As the plot twists and turns, events take a fateful turn as the Benhams are found murdered in their beds, with Frannie lying next to Marguerite. Frannie is accused of murder but swears that she couldn't possibly have killed her mistress because she was devoted to her. Dragged away to prison, Frannie attempts to piece together the events of that night. She is deep into a laudanum addiction and unclear about precisely what happened.
Following its successful UK premiere, new BritBox Original limited series The Confessions of Frannie Langton, a powerful period drama with a murder mystery and a tale of forbidden love at its core, will premiere exclusively on BritBox.Adapted from the Costa Book award-winning novel of the same name by the author herself, Sara Collins, and set against the dazzling opulence of Georgian London, The Confessions of Frannie Langton narrates Frannie's journey from a Jamaican plantation to the grand Mayfair mansion of celebrated scientist George Benham and his exquisitely beautiful wife: Madame Marguerite Benham. In a misguided and monstrous gesture, Frannie is gifted to Benham by the man who owns her, John Langton, and she is employed as a maid in the household, much to her chagrin.As the plot twists and turns, events take a fateful turn as the Benhams are found murdered in their beds, with Frannie lying next to Marguerite. Frannie is accused of murder but swears that she couldn't possibly have killed her mistress because she was devoted to her. Dragged away to prison, Frannie attempts to piece together the events of that night. She is deep into a laudanum addiction and unclear about precisely what happened.
The novels of Sebastian Barry form an intriguing web of family history and his latest, Old God's Time, follows a retired policeman who is forced to reckon with the past as an old case rears its head. We spoke with two-time Costa Book of the Year-winner Sebastian Barry about fleshing out the past, fatherhood and falling in love.
On today's episode of The Literary Life, Mitchell Kaplan is joined by Monique Roffey to discuss her novel, The Mermaid of Black Conch, out now from Knopf. Monique Roffey is a senior lecturer in creative writing at the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is the author of seven books, four of which are set in Trinidad and the Caribbean region. The Mermaid of Black Conch won the 2020 Costa Book of the Year Award and was short-listed for several other major prizes. Roffey's work has appeared in The New York Review of Books, Wasafiri, and The Independent. She was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and educated in the United Kingdom. Her website is moniqueroffey.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by Monique Roffey, author of of The Mermaid of Black Conch. Monique Roffey is a senior lecturer in creative writing at the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is the author of seven books, four of which are set in Trinidad and the Caribbean region. The Mermaid of Black Conch won the 2020 Costa Book of the Year Award and was short-listed for several other major prizes. Roffey's work has appeared in The New York Review of Books, Wasafiri, and The Independent. She was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and educated in the United Kingdom. Her website is moniqueroffey.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hannah Lowe's third full collection of poems, The Kids, won the 2021 Costa Poetry Award and went on to be named Costa Book of the Year, and was also shortlisted for the 2021 T.S. Eliot Prize. Hannah taught for a decade in an inner-city London sixth form. At the heart of her award-winning book of compassionate and energetic sonnets are fictionalised portraits of ‘The Kids', the students she nurtured. But the poems go further, meeting her own child self as she comes of age in the riotous 80s and 90s, later bearing witness to her small son learning to negotiate contemporary London. Lowe interrogates the acts of teaching and learning with empathy and humour, exploring the universal experience of what it is to be taught, to learn and to teach. 5x15 brings together five outstanding individuals to tell of their lives, passions and inspirations. There are only two rules - no scripts and only 15 minutes each. Learn more about 5x15 events: 5x15stories.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: www.instagram.com/5x15stories
On The Verb this week Ian McMillan is up for a fight. We're delving into the world of the adversary. He'll be talking to Man Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James about Moon Witch, Spider King the second book in his Dark Star Trilogy, asking why the sequel explores the psychology of a witch - a character more generally associated with evil deeds than inner motivations. Hannah Lowe, fresh from a Costa Book of the Year win for her collection The Kids, will be exploring the adversarial side of the classroom, and unveils a special commission for The Verb. Unbuckled takes us into the world of an adversarial romantic relationship - with sad echoes of the Cinderella story. And when it comes to the villain of the piece - how can you top Satan himself? The name means "adversary" in Hebrew. So we're about get Satanic with Joe Moshenska. He's published a new book, Making Darkness Light, The Lives and Times of John Milton. He'll be explaining how the poet's compelling, smooth-talking creation became the template for a new type of antihero. Look no further than Paradise Lost for your embryonic Tony Sopranos and Walter Whites. And you can't talk adversaries in literature without touching on crime. Jane Casey's new novel is called The Killing Kind. When her life is threatened defence barrister Ingrid turns to a sinister stalker she helped to exonerate for help. Where does a classic Faustian deal with the devil come in the world of adversarial writing - and how much should we root for the bad guy? Presented by Ian McMillan Produced by Kevin Core
It's 50 years since The Godfather was released, the first of three films that have had a huge impact in their own right and on so much that followed them, from The Sopranos to The Simpsons. Christina Newland and Carl Anka discuss the power of the films and their legacy as Godfather II joins The Godfather on cinematic re-release. Our Generation is a new play by Alecky Blythe, the author of London Road, whose particular technique of verbatim theatre this time involved following a group of young people in the secondary school years and just beyond for five years. The snapshot of exams, phones, relationships, dreams and aspirations that's resulted is at the National Theatre and then Chichester. It's reviewed by poet Anthony Anaxagorou and critic Susannah Clapp. Paul Dano discusses his role as The Riddler in new film The Batman, and reflects on the particular quality shared by many of the characters he has played. And Anthony Anaxagorou and fellow poet Hannah Lowe, who's just won the Costa Book of the Year Award for her collection The Kids, each recommend a new poetry collection.
Anna and Annie discuss the Costa Book of the Year The Kids by Hannah Lowe, the 2022 Dublin International LIterary Award Longlist and the Adelaide Writers' Week program. Our book of the week is The Sentence, the new novel by Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich. Set in Minneapolis in 2020, it tells the story of badass heroine Tookie, her marriage, and a ghost haunting the bookshop where she works. We loved it. Coming up: Devotion by Hannah Kent. Follow us! Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Facebook: Books On The Go Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mister_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
To celebrate the announcement of the winner of the 2021 Costa Book of the Year Award this week, Read On will be looking back over some of the Costa highlights from previous years, including: Our interview with Hilary Mantel when ‘Bring Up the Bodies' won Best Novel in 2013. Ali Smith discussing her novel ‘How to Be Both'. A review of Frances Hardinge's brilliant story for Young adults ‘The Lie Tree'. And award-winning poet J.O. Morgan on recording his epic poem ‘Assurances' as a Talking Book. And of course we will also bring you the reaction of this year's winner, poet Hannah Lowe, on winning this most popular of British literary awards.
Poet Hannah Lowe has won the 2021 Costa Book of the Year Award for her collection of sonnets 'The Kids'. Read On's Red Szell was on hand to catch a quick interview with her after last night's ceremony in London, in which she discussed the inspiration behind the collection, and her excitement at her upcoming visit to The RNIB Talking Books Studios in Camden to record an audio version.
Read On's Red Szell speaks to Monique Roffey, winner of last year's Costa Book of the Year Award with 'The Mermaid of Black Conch', for the Books of Her Life.
Monique Roffey is a writer, activist and lecturer. She was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and now shares her time between there and her home in London. Monique has published seven books – a memoir and six novels – as well as works of short fiction, essays and literary journalism. Her novel The Mermaid of Black Conch won the Costa Fiction Award and the Costa Book of the Year in 2020, and was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize that same year. It was short-listed for both the Rathbones Folio Award and the Republic of Consciousness Prize in 2021. Monique teaches creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, where she is currently a senior lecturer. In 2019, she helped set up Writers Rebel, a campaigning group inside Extinction Rebellion. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-world-as-it-should-be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We bring you the Best of Read On 2021, Part 1. Costa Book of the Year Award winner Monique Roffey introduces us to The Mermaid of Black Conch. We'll meet an extraordinary veteran of the First World War who flew a biplane to Darjeeling then set out to become the first man to conquer Everest. Kate Wilkinson takes us onto the London Underground and into the magical world of Edie and The Box of Flits. Top children's author Jason Reynolds shares his reaction to winning the 2021 CILIP Carnegie Medal. And RNIB volunteer and blind chef Kim Jaye shares her love of reading Through the Books of Her Life.
Harriett Gilbert talks to the multi-award-winning Trinidadian-British author Monique Roffey about her enchanting novel The Mermaid of Black Conch, which won the 2020 Costa Book of the Year. Roffey spins the mesmerising tale of a cursed mermaid and the lonely fisherman who falls in love with her. When American bounty-hunters capture Aycayia from the deep seas off the island of Black Conch, David rescues her and vows to win her trust. With Aycayia in hiding, their love grows as they navigate both the joys and dangers of life on shore. But on an island whose history reaches back to darker times nothing is straightforward as old jealousies and ancient grudges surface amongst the inhabitants. (Photo: Monique Roffey.. Credit: Marcus Bastel.)
First, Chris goes one-on-one with "Anonymous" author Miles Taylor on the revelations made in a new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. Then, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman joins Chris to discuss calls for General Mark Milley to resign. Chris wraps up the show with Michael Smerconish and a preview of the California recall election results. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
First, Chris goes one-on-one with "Anonymous" author Miles Taylor on the revelations made in a new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. Then, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman joins Chris to discuss calls for General Mark Milley to resign. Chris wraps up the show with Michael Smerconish and a preview of the California recall election results. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
Robert Bathurst's many series on television include Cold Feet, Toast Of London, Downton Abbey, Joking Apart, Emma, Dr Who. His many stage productions include the title role in King Charles lll for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and he created a stage show with animation, Love, Loss & Chianti, dramatizing two books by the poet Christopher Reid. He has performed seven of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache novels for Macmillan Audio, has been nominated for three Audie Awards, winning Best Male Narrator in 2020. He judged the Costa Book of the Year and the BBC Radio Drama Prize and writes for magazines about showbiz and horseracing.Shane Wilson is a storyteller. No matter the medium, the emphasis of his work is on the magical act of the story, and how the stories we tell immortalize us and give voice to the abstractions of human experience. His first two contemporary fantasy novels, set in his World of Muses universe, are currently available. Born in Alabama and raised in Georgia, Shane is a child of the southeastern United States where he feels simultaneously at-home and out-of-place. He graduated from Valdosta State University in south Georgia with a Masters in English. He taught college English in Georgia for four years before moving to North Carolina in 2013.Shane plays guitar and writes songs with his two-man-band, Sequoia Rising. He writes songs as he writes stories--with an emphasis on the magic of human experience. He tends to chase the day with a whiskey (Wild Turkey 101) and a re-run of The Office. Shane's novels are A Year Since the Rain (Snow Leopard Publishing, 2016) and The Smoke in His Eyes (GenZ Publishing, 2018). Shane's short story, "The Boy Who Kissed the Rain" was the 2017 Rilla Askew Short Fiction Prize winner and was nominated for a 2018 Pushcart Prize. Shane is currently at work on a new novel.http://shanewilsonauthor.comThe Douglas Coleman Show now offers audio and video promotional packages for music artists as well as video promotional packages for authors. Please see our website for complete details. http://douglascolemanshow.comIf you have a comment about this episode or any other, please click the link below.https://ratethispodcast.com/douglascolemanshow
Robert Bathurst's many series on television include Cold Feet, Toast Of London, Downton Abbey, Joking Apart, Emma, Dr Who. His many stage productions include the title role in King Charles lll for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and he created a stage show with animation, Love, Loss & Chianti, dramatizing two books by the poet Christopher Reid. He has performed seven of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache novels for Macmillan Audio, has been nominated for three Audie Awards, winning Best Male Narrator in 2020. He judged the Costa Book of the Year and the BBC Radio Drama Prize and writes for magazines about showbiz and horseracing.Shane Wilson is a storyteller. No matter the medium, the emphasis of his work is on the magical act of the story, and how the stories we tell immortalize us and give voice to the abstractions of human experience. His first two contemporary fantasy novels, set in his World of Muses universe, are currently available. Born in Alabama and raised in Georgia, Shane is a child of the southeastern United States where he feels simultaneously at-home and out-of-place. He graduated from Valdosta State University in south Georgia with a Masters in English. He taught college English in Georgia for four years before moving to North Carolina in 2013.Shane plays guitar and writes songs with his two-man-band, Sequoia Rising. He writes songs as he writes stories--with an emphasis on the magic of human experience. He tends to chase the day with a whiskey (Wild Turkey 101) and a re-run of The Office. Shane's novels are A Year Since the Rain (Snow Leopard Publishing, 2016) and The Smoke in His Eyes (GenZ Publishing, 2018). Shane's short story, "The Boy Who Kissed the Rain" was the 2017 Rilla Askew Short Fiction Prize winner and was nominated for a 2018 Pushcart Prize. Shane is currently at work on a new novel.http://shanewilsonauthor.comThe Douglas Coleman Show now offers audio and video promotional packages for music artists as well as video promotional packages for authors. Please see our website for complete details. http://douglascolemanshow.comIf you have a comment about this episode or any other, please click the link below.https://ratethispodcast.com/douglascolemanshow
How determined do you have to be to become a writer? How do you return to the page every day when inspiration runs dry, or you receive a rejection? And how do you know when to step away in case your writing becomes over-determined. To answer these questions Ian McMillan is joined by guests including Paula Byrne who has just written a new biography of the British novelist Barbara Pym, who wrote for many years before being published, and was unceremoniously dropped by her publisher when her work become unfashionable. Monique Roffey's novel 'The Mermaid of Black Conch' won the Costa Book of the Year Award 2020 - but its path to publication wasn't straightforward. Here Monique discusses keeping faith in your work when it doesn't appear to fit in any boxes. And we have brand new poetry from Marvin Thompson, winner of the National Poetry Competition award for his poem '‘The Fruit of the Spirit is Love (Galatians 5:22)' and from Iona Lee who has written us a new poem on 'Determination'. Presenter: Ian McMillan Producer: Jessica Treen
Join us as we discuss the 2020 Costa Book of the Year, The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey. ‘A fishy tale of doomed womanhood', even Margaret Atwood got excited about it, tweeting ‘Not your standard mermaid. No comb and glass, no Lorelei hair. No catch and release…' This unusual novel weaves together sex, misogny and race with love, music, magic and myth, plus it throws in a few spliffs, a virginal mermaid, a crooked cop, and a chorus of vindictive women. All that in one book? Yes, indeed. Did it make for a good book club book? Listen in to find out. Our book recommendations were Indigo by Marina Warner, Blonde Roots by Bernadine Evaristo, The Left-Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin, Kitsch by Anthony Joseph, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway and The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar. Want to keep up with us between episodes? Sign up for our newsletter, or follow us for daily book reviews and recommendations on Instagram or Facebook @BookClubReview podcast, on Twitter @bookclubrvwpod or email thebookclubreview@gmail.com. Don't miss our website thebookclubreview.co.uk for our episode archive and library of book reviews and articles. Do subscribe to us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and never miss an episode. If you like what we do please take a moment to rate and review the show, which help other listeners find us.
Multi-award-winning writer and memoirist Monique Roffey was born in Trinidad and educated in the UK. She has won the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature and claimed the 2020 Costa Book of the Year award for her recent novel, ‘The Mermaid of Black Conch’. Roffey also teaches the next generation of writers as a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University.
In this fifth episode poet and presenter Malika Booker converses with Trinidadian-born British novelist Monique Roffey in their office at Manchester Metropolitan University. They speak about Roffey’s prize winning novel, Mermaid of Black Conch (Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2020) then the writer shares an excerpt from her enchanting novel. We then travel to Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival to hear Trinidadian poet Lauren K. Alleyne reading from her collection Honeyfish. The New Caribbean voices podcast celebrates the best of Caribbean and black British literature and culture. Produced by Melody Triumph for Peepal Tree Press, Artwork featured `Rainbow` is by Stanley Greaves. Music by Chris Campbell. With special thanks to Arts Council England and the Clarissa Luard Award.
Anna and Annie discuss the winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award, The Mermaid of Black Conch: A Love Story by Monique Roffey. Our book of the week is The Prophets , the much-hyped debut novel by Robert Jones, Jr. It is a queer black love story set during a time of slavery, told in a lyrical voice with echoes of Toni Morrison. Described as 'virtuosic' (The Guardian) it is an instant New York Times Bestseller. A great pick for Black History Month. Coming up: A Burning by Megha Majumdar. Follow us! Facebook: Books On The Go Email: booksonthegopodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Twitter: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Litsy: @abailliekaras and @mr_annie Credits Artwork: Sascha Wilkosz
Hot on the heels of her Costa Book of the Year win for her novel The Mermaid of Black Conch, MetCast speaks exclusively to writer and Manchester Writing School lecturer Monique Roffey. Roffey speaks about what it's like to win such a prestigious award, as well as her approach to both writing and teaching, and shares some words of wisdom for aspiring authors on writing the book that only they can write.
Monique Roffey is the winner of Costa Book of the Year Award 2020 for her bittersweet love-story 'The Mermaid of Black Conch' Read On’s Red Szell caught up with her to find out which books inspired her to become an author.
Helen Fisher introduces us to Space Hopper, her must-read debut novel, featuring a blind character drawn from her years working at RNIB. We bring you news of the winner of this year's Costa Book of the Year Award. Narrator David Graham reminisces on his many years of working for RNIB, and the iconic roles he helped create in Thunderbirds and Dr Who. And Laura Barnett brings words and music together in her soulful novel Greatest Hits.
Last night the winner of the 2020 Costa Book of the Year Award was announced. Read On’s Red Szell was there to interview the winning author, Monique Roffey, whose novel The Mermaid of Black Conch is a bitter sweet love story set in the Caribbean which was described by the judges as a classic in the making’.
Can you use craft to help make the world a better place, one stitch at a time? In her new BBC Four documentary, Craftivism: Making a Difference, writer, comedian and art lover Jenny Eclair meets people doing extraordinary things with knitting, cross-stitch, banners and felt to change hearts and minds. She tells us all about it. Tom talks to Jon Brown, BAFTA award-winning show-runner and screenwriter about his gaming sitcom Dead Pixels which returns to E4 for a new series. And we've an interview featuring the winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award, which has just been announced. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Julian May
This week Read On is focusing on The Costa Book Awards, which recognise the most enjoyable books published in the UK over the past year in five categories: Novel, Debut Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Books. The five category winners were selected earlier this month. And next week, one overall winner will be crowned Costa Book of the Year, winning the author £30,000. And Red Szell brings you interviews with four of the five authors in contention: Ingrid Persaud, Monique Roffey, Lee Lawrence and Natasha Farrant, and talks to the friend and publisher of Eavan Boland, who died shortly before she won the Costa Poetry Award.
Patrick is a black comedy from Belgium set in a woodland nudist camp. After his father dies and leaves him to run the campsite, Patrick’s favourite hammer is stolen, and he finds himself on an existential quest as he attempts to recover his beloved tool. The film is by Tim Mielants who directed the third series of Peaky Blinders. Briony Hanson gives us her verdict. The Dublin residence known as The House Of The Dead because James Joyce used it as the setting for part of his 1914 short story The Dubliners is in the news because developers want to turn it into a 50-bed hostel. Many important Irish writers have objected, saying that it would 'destroy an essential part of Ireland’s cultural history'. Colm Tóibín explains why he thinks the development shouldn’t go ahead. The poet Christopher Reid won the Costa Book of the Year in 2009 with A Scattering, in which he reflected on the death of his wife Lucinda. Today he discusses his new collection The Late Sun, in which he also memorialises those recently departed, including his mother, but also celebrates the vitality of living, as well as travel and the reality of the day-to-day experience. Scottish singer songwriter Amy Macdonald talks about her fifth album The Human Demands, which spans a range of emotions, from the happiness of falling in love to a feeling of loneliness. Presenter Samira Ahmed Producer Oliver Jones
Its not very often you get to chat to one of the UK's leading authors but having had the great fortune to work with Helen Macdonald and call her a friend. Her book H is for Hawk propelled Helen into the dizzy heights of stardom winning the Samuel Johnson Prize and Costa Book of the Year award among others. Helen is a avid falconer and an incredible writer, her use of the English language and way describing things is wonderful. In this chat we try to get to know Helen and what makes her tick, where her love for raptors comes from and whats next.
Winner of the 2018 Costa Book of the Year Award, The Cut Out Girl is the extraordinary true story of Lien de Jong, a young Jewish girl who became one of Holland’s hidden children of World War II. While her parents were being sent to Auschwitz, Lien was being taken in by a foster family part of the Dutch resistance meant to keep children safe. But after the war, her relationship with the family abruptly ended. Decades later, Bart van Es, the grandson of the couple that took Lien in, wondered: what happened to the young girl his grandparents hid from Nazis? His investigation would change both Bart’s life and Lien’s – and bring to light a dark truth about Holland’s past. A moving account of resilience, The Cut Out Girl also explores how Holland, once a place of refuge for Jewish people, became a world of betrayal. A higher proportion of Jewish people in Holland died under Nazi occupation than those in Germany. Bart joins ABC Radio’s Sarah Kanowski to discuss this extraordinary story of war-time survival and how saviours can also scar. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.
Previous winner of the Costa Book of the Year prize Nathan Filer joins Robin Ince in a hotel room back in January to chat about his new book, This Book Will Change Your Mind About Mental Health. They talk about the inspiration behind the book and Nathan's time working as a psychiatric nurse and in mental health research. To hear an extended version of this, and every, episode of Book Shambles, become a Patreon supporter at patreon.com/bookshambles
This week, we've been meeting the writer, director and stars of the acclaimed On Blueberry Hill, which is finally coming to the West End after three years in Ireland and the USA for a limited run at London's Trafalgar Studios until May 2nd.On Blueberry Hill is Sebastian Barry's first new play in 10 years. He is one of Ireland's greatest living writers and the current Laureate of Irish Fiction. Born in Dublin in 1955 his novels and plays have won, among other awards, the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Prize, the Costa Book of the Year award, the Irish Book Awards Best Novel, the Independent Booksellers Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He also had two consecutive novels, A Long Long Way (2005) and The Secret Scripture (2008), shortlisted for the MAN Booker Prize.Thomas met up with Sebastian, Director Jim Culleton, and stars Niall Buggy and David Ganly (alongside fan of the play Gemma Arterton) at a press evening to find out more.Ticket details:Performances: Monday – Saturday at 7:30pm, Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2:30pmTicket prices: From £15To book tickets please visit: onblueberryhill.co.ukWelcome to Up The Arts, a weekly podcast for those proud to be be involved in theatre, music, art and literature in the LGBTQ+ world! Every Thursday, we meet incredible people from the arts world and explore their creativity and inspiration, as well as providing a peek at upcoming events in which pride and the arts world collide!Find us on Twitter: @uptheartsshowAnd check out our website for news, reviews, what's on and more: www.uptheartspodcast.com
This week we talk to the winner of the Costa Book of the Year, Jack Fairweather (Starts at 1.00) We celebrate the publication of ‘Kika and Me: How One Extraordinary Guide Dog Changed My Life’ we have an in-depth conversation with Dr Amit Patel - the other half of a winning team. (10.00) And to keep Kika happy Robert Kirkwood chases up some of the other shaggy dog stories in the RNIB Library (39.30) Then a return to Amit Patel for the Books of his Life. (50.50)
Natalie Haynes explores the enduring appeal of Greek and Roman myth and launches her new novel ‘A Thousand Ships’. (Starts at 1.08) Jonathan Coe reveals how the characters of ‘The Rotters Club’ have responded to Brexit. (19.45) Red Szell reviews 'Fifty Days That Changed The World'. (36.00) The winner of the Costa Book of the Year Award. (44.10 - Full interview next week) And the author of ‘The Belfry Witches’ conjures up the books of her life. (47.17)
Samira talks to Sir Patrick Stewart about what tempted him back to Star Trek to play Jean-Luc Picard for the first time in 18 years. Star Trek: Picard finds the legendary Starfleet officer in retirement but still deeply affected by the loss of Lieutenant Commander Data and the destruction of Romulus that ended his career. Stewart also discusses the parallels between the world of Star Trek: Picard and politics today. The overall winner of the Costa Book of the Year is announced on Front Row, live from the ceremony. Contenders this year include debut novelist Sara Collins, novelist Jonathan Coe, biographer Jack Fairweather, poet Mary Jean Chan and children’s novelist Jasbinder Bilan. Continuing our Risk Season, Sharmaine Lovegrove tells us about the risks involved in setting up Dialogue Books, an imprint that publishes authors from under-represented communities, including writers from BAME, LGBTQI+ and working class backgrounds. Arts Council England’s Chief Executive Darren Henley and Amanda Parker, Editor of arts industry journal, Arts Professional, discuss “Let’s Create” - the Arts Council’s new 10-year Strategy which seeks to expand our nation’s creative opportunities. Image: Sir Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: Picard Image credit: Amazon Prime Video Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Simon Richardson
We exclusively reveal and analyse the 2019 Costa Book Prize shortlist. Critics Alex Clark and Sarah Shaffi discuss the books chosen in the five categories: novel, first novel, poetry, biography and children's fiction. Category winners will appear on the programme in January and Front Row will announce the overall prize-winner on 28 January 2020 Rian Johnson is the director of new film Knives Out - a murder comedy with an all-star cast. His previous work includes Star Wars: The Last Jedi and sci-fi film Looper. He tells us how he copes with a Gothic whodunnit set in the real world in the present day? Is art theft on the rise? There seem to have been a spate of high profile thefts from art galleries recently - Dresden, Dulwich, Tretyakov, even the solid gold toilet at Blenheim Palace. How can institutions make their collections accessible to the public whilst also keeping the priceless works of art secure? We ask art security expert Charley Hill Presenter: Kirsty Lang. Producer: Oliver Jones
TORCH Book at Lunchtime event on Chaucer: A European Life by Professor Marion Turner. Book at Lunchtime is a series of bite-sized book discussions held fortnightly during term-time, with commentators from a range of disciplines. More than any other canonical English writer, Geoffrey Chaucer lived and worked at the centre of political life-yet his poems are anything but conventional. Edgy, complicated, and often dark, they reflect a conflicted world, and their astonishing diversity and innovative language earned Chaucer renown as the father of English literature. Marion Turner, however, reveals him as a great European writer and thinker. To understand his accomplishment, she reconstructs in unprecedented detail the cosmopolitan world of Chaucer’s adventurous life, focusing on the places and spaces that fired his imagination. Uncovering important new information about Chaucer’s travels, private life, and the early circulation of his writings, this innovative biography documents a series of vivid episodes, moving from the commercial wharves of London to the frescoed chapels of Florence and the kingdom of Navarre, where Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived side by side. The narrative recounts Chaucer’s experiences as a prisoner of war in France, as a father visiting his daughter’s nunnery, as a member of a chaotic Parliament, and as a diplomat in Milan, where he encountered the writings of Dante and Boccaccio. At the same time, the book offers a comprehensive exploration of Chaucer’s writings, taking the reader to the Troy of Troilus and Criseyde, the gardens of the dream visions, and the peripheries and thresholds of The Canterbury Tales. By exploring the places Chaucer visited, the buildings he inhabited, the books he read, and the art and objects he saw, this landmark biography tells the extraordinary story of how a wine merchant’s son became the poet of The Canterbury Tales. Bart van Es is Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, focusing primarily on Spenser and Shakespeare. Bart is interested in connections between history writing and poetry in early modern England. In recent years his research has focused primarily on Renaissance drama and the material realities of London’s theatre world. The Cut Out Girl, his work of creative non-fiction on World War II in the Netherlands, won the 2018 Costa Book of the Year award. Marion Turner is Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow in English at Jesus College, University of Oxford. Marion’s research interests lie in late medieval secular literature and history, and she has published very widely on Chaucer, including two books and many articles. Chaucer: A European Life, was her first foray into biography, and she now teaches life-writing as well as medieval literature. Her next book is going to be a global history – or biography – of the Wife of Bath across time. Helen Swift is Associate Professor of Medieval French at the University of Oxford. Having focused for several years on fifteenth-century literary defences of women, she now explores more broadly questions of narrative voice and identity in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century French literature. Her second book, Representing the Dead: Epitaph Fictions in Late-Medieval France examines voices and bodies speaking from beyond the grave and was runner-up for the Society for French Studies R. Gapper Book Prize in 2017. John Watts is Professor of Later Medieval History at the University of Oxford and Chair of the History Faculty Board. John is interested in politics, political culture and political structures in later medieval England and Europe, between the 13th and the early 16th centuries. Most of his published work deals with later medieval English politics and political culture, but he has also written about politics in later medieval Europe. Elleke Boehmer is Professor of World Literature in English at the University of Oxford, Director of the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing and was the Director of TORCH from 2015 to 17. She is a founding figure in the field of colonial and postcolonial studies, and internationally known for her research in anglophone literatures of empire and anti-empire. She is also a novelist and short story writer, most recently of The Shouting in the Dark.
Hosted by acclaimed author Cathy Rentzenbrink, the seventh edition of The Bookseller Podcast features an exclusive interview with former mental health nurse and Costa Book of the Year award-winner Nathan Filer, discussing the difficult language and messy realities in his newest book The Heartland. The Bookseller's Caroline Sanderson talks about non-fiction's moment in the sun with plenty of remarkable memoirs, and shares the fiction titles she's looking forward to catching up on over the summer. Hear what two of the British Isles' best indie bookshops recommend for readers up and down the country. This episode it's Julie Danskin from Golden Hare Books in Edinburgh and Rachel Rogan from Rogan's Books in Bedford. As BookGig is now part of The Bookseller family, we recommend the very best book and author events coming up this month, across the UK. And playing us out – an extract from On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous written and read by Ocean Vuong.
The seventh edition of The Bookseller Podcast features an exclusive interview with former mental health nurse and Costa Book of the Year award-winner Nathan Filer, discussing the difficult language and messy realities in his newest book The Heartland.
Professor Bart van Es talks to us about The Cut Out Girl, which was recently announced as the Costa Book of the Year. He explains how his family took in a young Jewish girl in the Netherlands during the Second World War, and the complex legacy of the traumatic war years for those involved. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Love Amid the Carnage of War Anyone who has heard Sebastian Barry read from his work knows he’s one of the best in the business. Anyone who has read Days Without End, his impossibly tender novel set in mid-19th century America, knows that it's another great work from the Costa Book of the Year-winning author and is surely in with a chance of bagging him another clutch of awards. Prepare, in other words, for an unmissable treat. Chaired by Jane Fowler.
In a packed Read On this week: Winner of the Costa Book of the year, Bart Van Es. (Starts at 1.45) Juliet Stevenson shares her passion for narrating Talking Books, and reveals the one that got away. (Starts at 12.00) Janice Galloway extolls the virtues of short stories. (Starts at 27.20) NB Dixon explores a medieval revolt through a hidden gem in the Library. (Starts at 37.55) Angus McDonald introduces us to a tale of love and blindness in The First World War. (Starts at 43.00) Then a return to Juliet Stevenson for The Books of Her Life. (Starts at 46.30)
Live daily magazine programme on the worlds of arts, literature, film, media and music
Andrew Miller, who won the Costa Book of the Year Award for his novel Pure, discusses his new book Now We Shall Be Entirely Free, an adventure story set during the Napoleonic wars.We consider how the idea of the artist's muse has changed over time, and ask what makes a modern muse? With art critic Louisa Buck, novelist and critic Matt Thorne and Andrew Miller.As the latest TV adaptation of William Thackeray's Vanity Fair hits our screens this weekend, Emma Bullimore reports from the set, where she speaks to Olivia Cooke, who stars as Becky Sharp, the consummate and shameless social climber, as well as screenwriter Gwyneth Hughes and Michael Palin, who plays the narrator Thackeray.Neil Simon, the pioneering playwright who set a new tone in theatrical comedy with such shows as The Odd Couple and captured the spirit of the middle-class American family with plays like Lost in Yonkers, has died. Critic Michael Carlson pays tribute. Presenter : Samira Ahmed Producer : Dymphna Flynn.
Simon and Kassia speak to Louisa Joyner, editorial director at publisher Faber & Faber. Louisa moved to Faber in 2016 from Canongate, and previously worked at HarperCollins, where she published Costa Book of the Year winner Nathan Filer’s The Shock of the Fall and commissioned Curtis Sittenfeld's re-write of Pride and Prejudice - Eligible. Louisa spoke to us about entering publishing from academia, her approach to the editorial process, where Faber fits in today's market, and where she sees the industry going in future. https://twitter.com/louisajoyner You can find us online at alwaystakenotes.com, on Twitter @takenotesalways, and on Facebook at facebook.com/alwaystakenotes. Our crowdfunding page is patreon.com/alwaystakenotes. Always Take Notes is presented by Kassia St Clair and Simon Akam, and produced by Olivia Crellin, Ed Kiernan and Elizabeth Davies. Liz Davies edited this episode. Zahra Hankir is our communities editor. Our music is by Jessica Dannheisser and our logo was designed by James Edgar.
The writer and psychoanalyst Adam Phillips is the author of 'On Kindness', and 'On Kissing, Tickling and Being Bored' amongst other works of non-fiction. He is also a regular contributor to the London Review of Books. Adam invited The Verb into his west-London consulting room to discuss the rules and significance of Freud's concept of 'free association', the importance of inconclusive conclusions and what he sees as the lopsided relationship between poetry and psychoanalysis - something he explores in his new book 'In Writing: Essays on Literature' (Hamish Hamilton). AL Kennedy is a writer and stand-up comedian - for The Verb she explores the importance of 'no' in conversation and in writing, the illusion of spontaneity in comedy and the reasons why Meg, one of the characters in her latest novel 'Serious Sweet' (Vintage), is sceptical of 'talking cures'. AL Kennedy won the Costa Book of the Year award in 2007 for 'Day'. Rachel Parris and Amy Cooke-Hodgson are part of 'Austentatious', the cult Edinburgh fringe performance group. Austentatious improvise plays in the style of Jane Austen using only audience suggestions. You can hear more from Austentatious in their own BBC Radio 4 show http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08tvyw0 The poet Kathryn Maris is the author of the collections 'God Loves You' (Seren) and 'The Book of Jobs' (Four Way Books). Kathryn explores the influence of psychoanalysis on the work of American poets, and argues that younger poets in Britain are also finding it a rich source of inspiration. Kathryn's work will be appearing alongside Sam Riviere and Frederick Seidel in 'Penguin Modern Poets 5: Occasional Wild Parties'. Producer: Faith Lawrence Photo credit: Toby Glanville.
Author Rachel Ward tells us about her new book, 'The Cost of Living', narrator Peter Kenny demonstrates just how versatile he is, we reveal the winner of the Costa Book of the Year award and we pay a visit to a new Harry Potter exhibition an the British Library.
Last year, wunderkind playwright James Graham premiered three plays Ink, Labour of Love, and Quiz which looked respectively at the rise of the Sun newspaper, Labour party history; and the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire "coughing Major" scandal. As he begins 2018 with another premiere, The Culture: A Farce in Two Acts, he discusses turning his attention to Hull's year as City of Culture and his desire and energy to keep creating new work.The V&A's new exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed and Style explores the golden age of ocean travel through all aspects of ship design from ground-breaking engineering, architecture and interiors to the fashion and lifestyle aboard. Design critic Corrine Julius reviews.Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi on her novel Kintu - lauded as 'The Great Ugandan Novel' - which has just been published in the UK for the first time.And we speak to the winner of the 2017 Costa Book Prize, live from the ceremony. The book is chosen from the five category winners - Inside the Wave by Helen Dunmore (Poetry); Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (First Novel); Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor (Novel); The Explorer by Katherine Rundell (Children's) and In the Days of Rain by Rebecca Stott (Biography).
We have a listen to all of the category winners as we wait for the announcement of the Costa Book of the Year and chat to First Novel winner Gail Honeyman. We also chat to previous winners Ali Smith and Sebastian Barry and review Frances Hardinge's The Lie Tree.
Sebastian Barry's great-grand-father was a traditional Irish musician, who played on the wooden flute and piccolo. His mother was an actress at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin; his aunt Mary O'Hara had a huge career as a singer and harpist with her own series on the BBC. Little surprise then that Sebastian Barry's writing is musical in the widest sense; full of the rich music of everyday speech. It's an impressive body of work: fourteen plays, two volumes of poetry, and nine novels. Two of his novels, "The Secret Scripture" and the latest, "Days Without End", have won the coveted Costa Book of the Year prize. When he thanked the judges earlier this year, Barry declared: "You have made me crazy happy from the top of my head to my toes in a way that is a little bit improper at sixty-one." In Private Passions, Sebastian Barry talks to Michael Berkeley about the "gaps" in Irish history he has explored in his books: areas which are touchy, taboo, and perhaps deliberately forgotten now, such as the fate of those who were Catholic, but loyal to Britain. He reveals too that his latest novel, a love story between two young soldiers, was inspired by his son coming out as gay. Music choices include Bruch's Violin Concerto; Handel's "Judas Maccabaeus"; Alfred Deller singing "Three Ravens"; Bach's Cello Suites; and his aunt Mary O'Hara singing a song written by Sebastian Barry's own mother. Produced by Elizabeth Burke A Loftus production for BBC Radio 3.
Anyone who has heard Sebastian Barry read from his work knows he’s one of the best in the business. Anyone who has read Days Without End, his impossibly tender novel set in mid-19th century America, knows that it's another great work from the Costa Book of the Year-winning author and is surely in with a chance of bagging him another clutch of awards. This event, recorded live at the 2017 Edinburgh International Book Festival, is therefore an unmissable treat.
The authors of three historical novels discuss the way research and family history have informed their fiction in a discussion recorded at the Hay Festival chaired by New Generation Thinker Sarah Dillon from the University of Cambridge. Jake Arnott has set novels in the 1960s, the 1940s and the 1900s and in his latest novel The Fatal Tree he depicts the criminal world in 18th century London. Madeleine Thien's novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing explores the impact of the Cultural Revolution on two generations of musicians. It has won prizes in her native Canada and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Sebastian Barry won the Costa Book of the Year for his novel Days Without End, which imagines the gay relationship between soldiers caught up in the American Civil War. Producer: Zahid Warley.
Milo Yiannopoulous' book deal cancelled http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/milo-yiannopoulos-book_us_58ab6c35e4b0f077b3ed221c Book Crossing http://www.bookcrossing.com/ Lifeline Bookfair http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/lifeline-book-fair-at-epic-breaks-record-with-half-a-million-items-on-sale-20170203-gu544a.html Episode 7 - Lifeline Bookfair https://soundcloud.com/lost_the_plot/episode-7-lifeline-bookfair Victorian Premier's Literary Awards https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/jan/31/leah-purcell-wins-australias-richest-literary-prize-for-reimagining-of-the-drovers-wife https://www.facebook.com/HachetteAustralia/photos/a.180157912037845.48121.175572992496337/1248432751877017/?type=3&theater Costa Book of the Year https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/31/days-without-end-wins-sebastian-barry-second-costa-book-of-the-year Stella Prize http://thestellaprize.com.au/prize/2017/ Cologne Library https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/feb/21/cologne-library-opens-doors-refugees-you-fill-room-with-life?CMP=share_btn_link https://www.facebook.com/BernamaNewsChannel/videos/1368991126454441/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE Most Expensive Library in Russia *note I said in the podcast that books ranged in price from $500 to $840, which is not correct. This is the average price per book. http://rbth.com/arts/literature/2017/02/07/5-million-for-a-book-russias-most-expensive-library-opens-in-petersburg_696633 Book Thieves https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/12/thieves-steal-2m-of-rare-books-by-abseiling-into-warehouse State Government Sued Over Key Witness' Book http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-20/gordon-wood-sues-state-of-nsw-for-malicious-prosecution/8285392 Professor Frisked at Airport Over Books https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6924523 https://medium.com/@chanda/black-semitic-girl-reader-at-the-airport-76b751dadbce#.87v8ff408 Mem Fox Detained at LA Airport http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-25/mem-fox-detained-at-los-angeles-airport-by-us-officials/8303366 Local Canberra Bookshop Threatened by Proposed Development http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/curtin-developers-deny-hardball-tactics-in-threat-to-hoard-up-shops-20170131-gu2ev3.html Harry Potter House Themed Editions https://www.facebook.com/dymocksbooks/photos/a.10150190428635043.444109.218042520042/10158099707070043/?type=3&theater https://www.pottermore.com/news/hogwarts-house-themed-covers-unveiled-for-philosophers-stone-20th-anniversary Philip Pullman Announces New Trilogy https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/15/philip-pullman-unveils-epic-fantasy-trilogy-the-book-of-dust?CMP=share_btn_fb https://penguin.com.au/authors/32-philip-pullman/article/1304-announcing-philip-pullmans-new-trilogy Neil Gaiman Announces Neverwhere Sequel http://bookriot.com/2017/02/17/neil-gaiman-announces-neverwhere-sequel/ American Gods Graphic Novel http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/30-430/American-Gods-Shadows-1 Anniversary Edition of the Name of the Wind http://www.tor.com/2017/02/03/patrick-rothfuss-kingkiller-chronicle-book-3-update/ Larry Buttrose on Ghostwriting A Long Way Home http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-16/a-long-way-home-ghostwriter-larry-buttrose-on-story-behind-lion/8276278 Animorphs AMA with K A Applegate https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/gzhau/iam_ka_applegate_author_of_animorphs_and_many/ Ghostwriting http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=57007 https://daybydaywriter.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/answers-to-your-questions-about-ghostwriting/ http://dereklewis.com/famous-ghostwritten-books-and-their-ghostwriters/ http://www.jamespatterson.com/bookshots#.WMTAlPmGNPY http://andrewcrofts.com/what-is-ghostwriting/ https://raventools.com/blog/truth-about-ghostwriting/
The Lie Tree By Frances Hardinge Read by Emilia Fox Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2015. The Lie Tree is a wonderfully evocative and atmospheric novel by Frances Hardinge, award-winning author of Cuckoo Song and Fly By Night. Faith's father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, and as she is searching through his belongings for clues she discovers a strange tree. The tree only grows healthy and bears fruit if you whisper a lie to it. The fruit of the tree, when eaten, will deliver a hidden truth to the person who consumes it. The bigger the lie, the more people who believe it, the bigger the truth that is uncovered. The girl realizes that she is good at lying and that the tree might hold the key to her father's murder, so she begins to spread untruths far and wide across her small island community. But as her tales spiral out of control, she discovers that where lies seduce, truths shatter . . .
Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of interview award-winning author Sebastian Barry, about his latest book Days Without End. Sebastian Barry is the author of seven novels, including A Long Long Way and The Secret Scripture (now a major motion picture starring Rooney Mara and Vanessa Redgrave). He has won the Costa Book of the Year Award, the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year Award, and the Walter Scott Prize. His work has twice been short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. He lives in Ireland. Days Without End is a historical novel set during the Indian Wars in the American west, and the Civil War, about two young men who are brothers in arms and also lovers. It’s a story where the gay relationship is the only consistently joyful thing against the otherwise bleak background of war, genocide and the American empire. In this episode we discuss: Recognizing how your real life becomes infused in your best writing. Shaking off the self-consciousness of writing. Being aware of what’s not in the books you’re reading and striving to create what’s not “out there.” Plus, Sebastian’s #1 tip for writers. About the Author Sebastian Barry is the author of seven novels, including A Long Long Way and The Secret Scripture (now a major motion picture starring Rooney Mara and Vanessa Redgrave). He has won the Costa Book of the Year Award, the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year Award, and the Walter Scott Prize. His work has twice been short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. He lives in Ireland. Days Without End The book is inspired by and dedicated to Barry’s son, who came out as gay recently and on whose behalf Barry advocated for LGBT marriage rights during the Irish marriage referendum. The letter he wrote for the Irish Times on the subject went viral, and was read aloud in the Irish and Australian parliaments. The character of John Cole is a portrait of his son Toby’s boyfriend, Jack. Writing gay love was new territory for Barry, and part of his historical research for the novel was looking into the (elusive) history of gay life during that time through primary sources. There is a seriously researched and utterly moving history of proto drag on the frontier. John and Thomas, the main characters, first find work crossdressing, working as dance partners in saloons for lonely miners in frontier towns. Barry takes on the psychology of drag from Thomas’ point of view—what his costumes mean to his identity, which is split between his occupation as a soldier and the secret family he has built with John. Days Without End shifts the narrow expectations of what “masculine” literature can be and do. The book is in dialogue with and in some ways a rebuttal to Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain, in that the gay relationship is the only consistently joyful thing in otherwise bleak novel about genocide and American empire, rather than the source of anguish and frustration it is in Proulx’s novel. With John and Thomas, Barry wanted to portray the joy that he observes in his son’s relationship with his boyfriend, rather than shame and persecution. In Days Without End, Thomas McNulty, a “wren-sized” young man barely seventeen and an Irish refugee of the Great Famine, signs up for the U.S. Army in the 1850s with his brother in arms John Cole. The two friends are sent to fight in the Indian Wars against the Sioux and Yurok, and ultimately in the Civil War. Fans of Sebastian Barry’s subtly interconnected novels will rediscover the McNulty family—based on members of Barry’s own family—in the New World, as Thomas McNulty travels from the contested frontier plains of Wyoming, to the Union battlegrounds of Virginia and Maryland, to the starving remains of scorched earth towns in Tennessee. Days Without End is a powerful literary portrait of a time when Americans were pitted against Americans in bloody struggles fought to define the borders and identity of the nation. Barry writes of this period as it was experienced by common soldiers: men who did not determine or even necessarily understand the wars they fought, but who fought anyway, merely to survive them. Not just a war novel, Days Without End is also a poignant love story, about two men and the unlikely family they form with a young Sioux girl, Winona. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/133
The Costa Book of the Year is announced this week, so we’re joined by the chair of the judging panel, writer and historian Kate Williams. She chats with Robin and Josie about judging the prize, great sci-fi books, history’s great diaries and the perils of historical accuracy in fiction. The Cosmic Shambles network launches next week, sign up now at cosmicshambles.com
@Writerer @BBCBooks #doctorwho #tindogpodcast @BBCWBC Isn't life terrible? Isn't it all going to end in tears? Won't it be good to just give up and let something else run my mind, my life?Something distinctly odd is going on in Arbroath. It could be to do with golfers being dragged down into the bunkers at the Fetch Brothers' Golf Spa Hotel, never to be seen again. It might be related to the strange twin grandchildren of the equally strange Mrs Fetch – owner of the hotel and fascinated with octopuses. It could be the fact that people in the surrounding area suddenly know what others are thinking, without anyone saying a word.Whatever it is, the Doctor is most at home when faced with the distinctly odd. With the help of Fetch Brothers' Junior Receptionist Bryony, he'll get to the bottom of things. Just so long as he does so in time to save Bryony from quite literally losing her mind, and the entire world from destruction. Because something huge, ancient and alien lies hidden beneath the ground – and it's starting to wake up… About the Author A. L. Kennedy has twice been selected as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists and has won a host of other awards – including the Costa Book of the Year for her novelDay. She lives in London and is a part-time lecturer in creative writing at Warwick University. A. L. Kennedy
Helen Macdonald talks about training a goshawk Mabel in the aftermath of her father's death. Her critically acclaimed book H is for Hawk winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize and Costa Book of the Year 2014. Helen Macdonald is an English writer, naturalist, and an Affiliated Research Scholar at the University of Cambridge Department of History and Philosophy of Science. She is best known as the author of H is for Hawk, which won the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize and Costa Book Award. In 2016, it also won the Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger in France. 5x15 brings together five outstanding individuals to tell of their lives, passions and inspirations. There are only two rules - no scripts and only 15 minutes each. Learn more about 5x15 events: http://5x15stories.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/5x15stories
Richard Coles & Anita Anand with special guest actress, writer and Costa Book award judge Natascha McElhone on her unthespian roots and the sudden death of her husband. They hear the Inheritance Tracks of singer Graham Nash and Ron Moody's Secret Life of 'ombrage'. Flood victim Trixie Webber tells them how she recovered from the Boscastle flood of 2004 and Louise Ashley and Jason Liostatos reflect on how their relationship fared with no fixed abode. Peter Caton revisits the train journeys of his childhood and Matt Adkins explains why a traffic roundabout was his salvation.Producer: Harry Parker.
With Mark Lawson. Matthew McConaughey is Oscar nominated for his starring role in Dallas Buyers Club. He lost 47 lbs to play Ron Woodroof, a Texas electrician who became an unlikely AIDS activist after being diagnosed with HIV in the mid-1980s. He discusses the physical endurance of the part and his recent career renaissance. Nathan Filer, a registered mental health nurse, has won the Costa Book of the Year award with his debut novel The Shock of the Fall, a story about loss, guilt and mental illness. A surprise win, Filer beat the favourite Kate Atkinson with her novel Life after Life, and other award winning writers Lucy Hughes-Hallett for The Pike, an account of the life of Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, and poet Michael Symmons Roberts for his collection Drysalter. Nathan Filer tells Mark about what the award will mean for his writing. In the week that Rory Kinnear won twice at the Critics Circle for best actor and most promising playwright, David Edgar muses on the long tradition of the actor/writer, from Shakespeare to Pinter. Grammy winning singer/songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter discusses her new album Songs from the Movie, a re-working of 10 of her songs, recorded with a full orchestra and 15 voice choir. She reveals what inspires her new songs and the emotional pain of revisiting old material. Producer: Ellie Bury.
With Mark Lawson Rowan Atkinson takes on his most serious role yet as the eponymous hero of Simon Gray's play Quartermaine's Terms. Atkinson and director Richard Eyre discuss the challenges of such a quiet and sedentary part, and why audiences who turn up expecting to see Mr Bean quickly adapt to the tone of the play. Hilary Mantel was announced last night as the winner of the £30,000 Costa Book of the Year award for her novel Bring Up the Bodies. She discusses her golden year, having already won the Man Booker Prize for the same novel. Samuel West discusses his role as King George VI in Roger Michell's film Hyde Park on Hudson. Also starring Bill Murray as Franklin D Roosevelt, the film focuses on the weekend in 1939 when the King and Queen visited Roosevelt in an attempt to persuade America about the threat of World War II. Nicholas Hytner, director of the National Theatre, reveals his plans for the Theatre's 50th birthday celebrations, and hints at when he will end his tenure, which began in 2003. Producer Jerome Weatherald.
With Mark Lawson. Andrew Miller last night won the Costa Book of the Year with his historical novel Pure, set in pre-revolutionary Paris. Mark talked to the author just after hearing the news. National Theatre Director Nicholas Hytner announces his plans for the year ahead. Jens Lapidus is a Swedish criminal defence lawyer and author. His debut novel is Easy Money, set amongst gangsters and criminals in the Stockholm underworld. He told Mark how he made the transition from criminal defence to crime writing. New film Acts of Godfrey, starring Simon Callow and Harry Enfield, is written entirely in rhyming couplets. Poet Paul Farley gives his verdict in rhyme. Producer Katie Langton.
The category winners of the Costa Book Awards 2011 are announced live on Front Row by the awards' director Bud McLintock. Literary editors Gaby Wood and Will Skidelsky give their response to the winners of the five categories - novel, first novel, biography, poetry and children's book. The winner in each category receives £5,000, and one of the five winning books will then selected as the Costa Book of the Year, announced on 24 January, receiving a further £30,000. Multi-award winning writer Tony Marchant discusses his new drama Public Enemies about the relationship between a convicted murderer recently released from prison, played by Daniel Mays, and his probation officer, played by Anna Friel, who is returning to work after being suspended after a shocking crime was committed by an offender under her supervision. Mark Lawson is joined by Ralph Steadman and Posy Simmonds in paying tribute to Ronald Searle, the British cartoonist best known for creating the fictional girls' school St Trinian's, who died today aged 91. This week Front Row talks to an artist, a playwright, and a film director who each face the challenge of following up on especially successful projects. First, ceramic artist Edmund de Waal talks about what comes after his memoir, The Hare With The Amber Eyes, which won several literary prizes last year, and was the biggest selling non fiction paperback . Producer Nicki Paxman.
December's Bookclub author is Sebastian Barry. Well known as a successful dramatist and novelist, his literary career became stellar when he won the 2008 Costa Book of the Year Award with this month's chosen book, The Secret Scripture; and he is considered one of Ireland's greatest living writers. The novel is told by Roseanne, who is uncertain of her age; she thinks she is now one hundred. She's been incarcerated in asylums in Ireland for over sixty years, and is writing the story of her life, on pieces of paper that she hides under the floor boards of her room. This is the Secret Scripture of the title; which comes from a poem by an Irish nationalist poet, Thomas Kettle, who fought for the British in World War I. As the book unfolds, we discover the why and the how of her incarceration. The second narrator of the novel is Roseanne's psychiatrist Dr William Grene, who must judge whether Roseanne can be released into society as the hospital is about to close. As he comes to know her, he becomes fascinated by her and the history - which is the history of twentieth century Ireland - that she represents. Sebastian Barry tells readers how he uses his own family in his fiction and how the character of Roseanne came from hearing about a great aunt who had been shunned by the rest of the family - the only thing known about her was her great beauty. His was a family beset with secrets, and his mother, Joan O'Hara (a famous actress of her day), was a "consummate un-coverer of secrets". January's Bookclub choice : 'The Beatles' by Hunter Davies. Producer : Dymphna Flynn.
After being awarded the coveted Costa Book of the Year Award earlier in the year for his incredibly moving novel The Secret Scripture, Irish writer Sebastian Barry went on to receive the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction too, which was announced in a special event at the 2009 Book Festival. This multi-talented writer (he's a poet and playwright too) reads from his novel and chats to Diana Hope in an engrossing event.
Writer/comedian A. L. Kennedy lives and works in Glasgow and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In 2003 she was nominated by Granta magazine as one of 20 'Best of Young British Novelists'. Her novel Day (2007), won the Costa Book of the Year Award. She reviews and contributes to most of the major British newspapers, and has been a judge for both the Booker Prize for Fiction (1996) and The Guardian First Book Award (2001). Her first book, Night Geometry and the Garscadden Trains (1990), a bleak collection of short stories, won several awards including the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, a Scottish Arts Council Book Award and the Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award. Other short story collections include Now That You're Back (1994) and Original Bliss (1997), and her novels include: Looking for the Possible Dance (1993); So I Am Glad (1995), winner of the Encore Award, which focuses on child sexual abuse and its consequences in adulthood; and Everything You Need (1999), the story of a middle-aged writer living on a remote island and his attempt to build a relationship with his estranged daughter. We met at the International Festival of Authors in Toronto to talk about humour, the buzz of post-suicide attempts, living as if you are going to die, self esteem, making other worlds, changing reality, fictional rehearsals, Buster Keaton hats, the physicality of great comic actors, storytelling and investing in lies, Lolita, Nicola Six, Shakespeare, Hamlet, Yann Kott, Benny Hill, Blazing Saddles, freedom and child molestation.
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