Podcast appearances and mentions of Desmond Elliott Prize

In this episode of The Writing Life, novelist and screenwriter Eimear McBride on the power of language, and the ways literary fiction can evoke emotion and connection.   Eimear McBride is the award-winning author of four novels: A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, The Lesser Bohemians, Strange Hotel and The City Changes Its Face. Her debut novel A Girl is a Half-formed Thing won the inaugural Goldsmiths Prize, Irish Novel of the Year, the Bailey's Prize for Women's Fiction, The Desmond Elliott Prize and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Award. The City Changes Its Face is a continuation of this novel, and follows an intense story of passion, jealousy and family.   She sits down with NCW's former Chief Executive and lover of books Chris Gribble to discuss the recently published The City Changes its Face, a continuation of her debut novel A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing. Together, they discuss the process of returning to characters and storylines previously written, her experience adapting her novel into a screenplay, and the machine of writing and publishing; going from the solitary task of writing to the hustle and bustle of book tours and literary events.

Award-winning poet, long and short fiction author, performer and vocalist with the March Violets, Rosie Garland talks to Dr Rachel Knightley about curiosity, creative confidence – and taking on the world eyebrows first! She is the author of The Palace of Curiosities (which won the Mslexia Novel Competition and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize), Vixen and The Night Brother, which was described by The Times as “a delight…with shades of Angela Carter.” Her new novel, The Fates (Quercus) is a retelling of the Greek myth of the Fates. Her latest poetry collection, What Girls do in the Dark (Nine Arches Press), was shortlisted for the 2021 Polari Prize. Val McDermid has named her one of the most compelling LGBT+ writers in the UK today. In 2018-2019 she was inaugural Writer-in-Residence at The John Rylands Library, Manchester, and in 2023 was made a Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature.     For a writing workout based on Rosie's interview with Rachel, scroll down or visit WritersGym.com to download every Writing Workout in the series.   Find out more about Rosie at http://www.rosiegarland.com   Join our mailing list at drrachelknightley.substack.com or get in touch at thewritersgym@rachelknightley.com     Writing Workout based on Rosie's interview   Warm-up: Rachel's ‘Excuses Bingo' Grid   Make a massive noughts and crosses board on your page. Each square just needs to be to be big enough to write a sentence in. Throw all of the phrases that come up: ‘What if it's too boring?' ‘What if it's too weird?' ‘I'm not that kind of writer.” ‘X is better than me.' Whatever your brain might throw at you.   Go through them all, and use ‘What if' to find the positive opposite (spoiler alert: it's going to be true!). For example, ‘What if it's too weird?' might have as its positive opposite ‘What if this is the book that saved somebody's life?'   Exercise 1: The Craft of Gentleness   “I strive to do is show myself the gentleness that I show to other writers. I mean one thing I absolutely love and which feeds and nourishes me is being a mentor for other writers. I come to mentoring with an attitude of acceptance and warm encouragement and cheerleading and something I try to do for myself. It's sometimes a struggle because of that classic one of like the hardest, the person who's hardest in the world is you on yourself.” Rosie Garland   Listening Choose to listen to when the voices of self-criticism come:   If there is a fear, what would it be? If the thing it's criticising represents a step forward, what if that voice needs your reassurance instead of obeying it?   Choosing   Now you know it isn't a fact, put the what the voice on your Excuses Bingo grid. Note the time reference (you might just find it flies past the window the same time tomorrow!).   Exercise 2: The Art of Randomness   “Go and pick up three random books, four if you're feeling particularly adventurous. They could be recipe books, How to Fix Your Chainsaw or the novels of Jane Austen. Take the three books, open them up at a random page. Pick a random line: close your eyes, stick a finger in and basically with all three books pick out about between three and five random phrases, write them down and then use them as springboards for writing anything and try to get all five in.” Rosie Garland     Cool-down Exercise: Be Surprised “The thing about giving yourself permission to, you know, throw it all away when you've done it. was literally just, was exercising the writing muscles. Again, one of the reasons I do writing in the morning, apart from the fact I'm a morning person and I know not everyone else is, is it is like going to the gym. A… writer's gym? I see what I did there. Who would have thought?” Rosie Garland   If there was one new creative habit you could bring into this week, what would it be?

Author, Actor and Director Eimear McBride on the delayed gratification of her first novel, the  ‘classic combination' of sex and death and why we should celebrate  female writers tackling difficult topics and themes.  Eimear trained as an actor before writing her first novel, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, which took nine years to find a publisher but subsequently won the 2014 Women's Prize for Fiction, as well as the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year, the Goldsmiths Prize, and the Desmond Elliott Prize. Eimear's second novel, The Lesser Bohemians, won the 2016 James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award. Strange Hotel, her third novel, was published in 2020 and her latest release The City Changes Its Face is out in February 2025. In 2022, Eimear wrote and directed A Very Short Film About Longing (DMC/BBC Film) which was screened at the 2023 London Film Festival, and she also writes and reviews for the Guardian, New Statesman and the TLS.  Eimear's  book choices are: ** The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien ** Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice ** Save Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald ** The Unequalled Self by Claire Tomalin ** Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women's Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women's Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women. Don't want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops.  This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

On this month's episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Oisín Fagan to read and discuss Mariana Enriquez's story, ‘Back When We Talked to the Dead', translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell, originally published as in The Stinging Fly Issue 35, Volume 2: Winter 2019/20. Oisín Fagan is the author of Hostages, and Nobber, which was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Woodhouse Prize, and was named a Book of the Year by The Guardian and The Daily Mail. His novel, Eden's Shore, is coming out with John Murray Press in April, 2025. Mariana Enriquez is the author of three novels, two collections of short stories and two works of non-fiction in Spanish. Her work has been translated into over twenty languages, and her most recent story collection, Things We Lost in the Fire, was published by Granta Books in 2017. Her stories have also appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, McSweeney's and Asymptote. Megan McDowell's translations include works by Alejandro Zambra, Samantha Schweblin, Lina Meruane, Diego Zuniga, and Alejandro Jodorowsky, and have been featured in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Tin House, McSweeney's, Granta, and the Atlantic Quarterly, among others. She lives in Santiago, Chile. Nicole Flattery is a writer and critic. Her story collection Show Them A Good Time, was published by The Stinging Fly and Bloomsbury in 2019. Her first novel, Nothing Special, was published by Bloomsbury in 2023. The Stinging Fly Podcast invites writers to choose a story from the Stinging Fly archive to read and discuss. Previous episodes of the podcast can be found here. The podcast's theme music is ‘Sale of Lakes', by Divan. All of the Stinging Fly archive is available to subscribers.

Xan Brooks is an award-winning writer, editor and broadcaster. He was one of the founding editorial team at the Big Issue magazine in London and spent 15-years as a writer and associate editor at the Guardian newspaper. His debut novel, The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times, was listed for the Costa First Novel Award, the Author's Club Award, the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. On this episode of Little Atoms, he tells Neil Denny about his latest novel The Catchers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donal Ryan is an award-winning author from Nenagh, County Tipperary, whose work has been published in over twenty languages to major critical acclaim. The Spinning Heart won the Guardian First Book Award, the EU Prize for Literature (Ireland), and Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards; it was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize, and was voted 'Irish Book of the Decade'. His fourth novel, From a Low and Quiet Sea, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2018, and won the Jean Monnet Prize for European Literature. His novel, Strange Flowers, was voted Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, and was a number one bestseller, as was his most recent novel The Queen of Dirt Island, which was also shortlisted for Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. Donal lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick. On this episode of Little Atoms he talks to Neil Denny about his latest novel Heart Be At Peace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebecca Watson is an Assistant Arts Editor at the Financial Times and one of the Observer's ten best debut novelists of 2021. She has been published in the TLS, Granta and the Guardian. In 2018, she was shortlisted for The White Review Short Story Prize, and in 2021, she was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize. She is the author of the novel Little Scratch, and on this episode of Little Atoms she talks to Neil Denny about her latest novel I Will Crash. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kim Sherwood is an award-winning novelist and a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh. Her debut novel Testament (2018) won the Harper's Bazaar Big Book of the Year Award and the Bath Novel Award, was shortlisted for the Author's Club Best First Novel Award, and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize. In 2019, Kim was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Kim is currently writing a series of Double O novels for the Ian Fleming Estate and HarperCollins, expanding the James Bond universe with a new cast of Double O agents for the 21st century. The first title, Double or Nothing, was released in 2022, and the follow-up, A Spy Like Me, is just out.We loved chatting with Kim and hearing how a very last-minute decision to enter the Bath Novel Award changed her writing life, as well as talking about just how she managed to land the dream job of writing the new Bond novels. We talk about what it's like to write for a franchise that is so big and beloved, and discuss the pros and cons that can bring.Links:Buy Kim's books nowFollow Kim on Twitter/XVisit Kim's websitePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter/XFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on Threads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Writing Life, NCW Head of Programmes & Creative Engagement Holly speaks with novelist Michael Donkor about crafting identity in fiction. Michael Donkor was born in London to Ghanaian parents. He studied English at Wadham College, Oxford, followed by a Masters in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway. His first novel, Hold, was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas and shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize. He is a frequent contributor to outlets including the Guardian, the TLS and the Independent. Together, they discuss his new novel, Grow Where They Fall, and the different forms of identity represented in the book. Michael talks about writing queer characters of colour, how to show the reader signs that a character may not be as confident in their identity as they claim to be,  and creating links between the past and present when writing different timelines of one character's life. They also touch on how Michael will be joining us for an event and workshop at our City of Literature weekend at Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2024, where he will expand on crafting identities and writing conflict in fiction further.

For this week's podcast episode, I'm speaking to Rowan Hisayo Buchanan about her latest novel, The Sleep Watcher.We talk about what sleep-watching is, and what we would really discover if we could secretly see the world while asleep. We also talk about mental health, family dynamics, mixed-race identity, writing, and so much more.This episode was recorded back in September :)Rowan Hisayo Buchanan is a Japanese-British-Chinese-American writer. Her debut novel, Harmless Like You was published in 2016 by Sceptre and won the Author's Club First Novel Award and a Betty Trask award. It was also shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Books Are My Bag Breakthrough Author Award and longlisted for the Jhalak Prize. Rowan Hisayo Buchanan was the recipient of a Margins fellowship for the Asian American Writers Workshop, has a BA from Columbia University, an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is currently working on a PhD at the University of East Anglia. Her writing has appeared in the short story anthology How Much the Heart Can Hold (Sceptre), the Guardian, New York Times, Granta, The Paris Review and The Atlantic among other places. She has lived in London, New York, Tokyo, Madison and Norwich.If you enjoyed this episode, please do rate, like, follow, subscribe and leave a review. It really helps :)Also, you can help me continue putting out great episodes like these by joining me on Patreon. Join my community today and you could receive an exclusive podcast episode right to your inbox, every month:www.patreon.com/thediversebookshefpodcast Lets connect on social media - I'd love to hear from you

On this month's episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Sheena Patel to read and discuss Oisín Fagan's short story, ‘Triangle' originally published in Issue 39, Volume 2 of The Stinging Fly. You can access the story here. Sheena Patel is a writer and assistant director for the film and TV industry. She is part of the 4 Brown Girls Who Write collective, and her debut novel, I'm a Fan, won the Discover Book of the Year at the British Book Awards 2023, has been longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, and was shortlisted for both the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Jhalak Prize. It was Foyles Fiction Book of the Year 2022 and an Observer Best Debut Novel of 2022. Oisín Fagan was born in 1991 and grew up in County Meath. His collection of stories Hostages was published in 2016, and in 2019 his novel Nobber came out with JM Originals. It was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize and the Butler Literary Award, longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, was a Waterstone's book of the Month, and was named as one of the books of the year by The Guardian and The Daily Mail.  Nicole Flattery is a writer and critic. Her story collection Show Them A Good Time, was published by The Stinging Fly and Bloomsbury in 2019. Her first novel, Nothing Special, was recently published by Bloomsbury.   The Stinging Fly Podcast invites writers to choose a story from the Stinging Fly archive to read and discuss. Previous episodes of the podcast can be found here. The podcast's theme music is ‘Sale of Lakes', by Divan. All of the Stinging Fly archive is available to subscribers.

In this episode, we speak to Preti Taneja about her brilliant book, Aftermath. We discuss the ways in which individual actions are mapped onto societal, national and global histories and inequalities. We consider the paradoxical limits of language and writing to articulate grief, as well as a return to other radical writers and thinkers. We discuss the oppression of the prison industrial complex system and its relationship to racism within the UK education system. We speak about the use of shame to denigrate marginalised people and the erasure of colonial and imperial history within schools. We discuss the role of fictions, both within literature and within society, and the ways in which particular narratives have the potential to imprison or empancipate people. We consider the gatekeeping within contemporary literary culture and wonder what literature could look like in a more equitable world. Preti Taneja is a writer and activist. Her debut novel We That Are Young (Galley Beggar Press, 2017) won the Desmond Elliott Prize for the finest literary debut novel of the year and was listed for awards including the Folio Prize, the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize and the Prix Jan Michalski, Europe's premier award for a work of world literature. Her second book, Aftermath (And Other Stories, 2021) won the Gordon Burn Prize in 2022 and was a New Yorker notable book, a New Yorker best book of the year, a White Review book of the year, New Statesman book of the year in 2021 and in 2022, and shortlisted for British Book of the Year - Discover. Her writing has been published in The White Review, the Guardian, Vogue India, the New Statesman, Granta, INQUE and in anthologies of short stories, essays, literary criticism and prose poetry. She has taught writing in prisons, worked with arts practitioners around the world mediating their own conflict and post conflict zones, and with young people across deprived parts of the UK who want to get published. She is Professor of World Literature and Creative Writing at Newcastle University, and Director of the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts (NCLA). In 2022 Preti was named winner of the prestigious Philip Leverhulme Prize in Languages and Literatures 'for her work on combining ethics, politics and aesthetics; developing pioneering hybrid creative forms, including via literary prose to advocate for minority rights.' She is a Contributing Editor for The White Review magazine, and for the multi-award winning independent press And Other Stories, for which she accepts submissions of full manuscripts. References We That Are Young by Preti Taneja Aftermath by Preti Taneja Axiomatic by Maria Tumarkin Adrienne Rich Ruth Wilson Gilmore Angela Davis Visit Storysmith for 10% discount on Preti's work.

India's borders and borderlands have been marked by conflict since its independence from the British in 1947. Kashmir and the Northeast regions of India along with many forgotten enclave areas have been witness to relentless violence that have upended lives for several decades. How does literature from these war zones represent the conflict and people's experiences? More specifically, how do writers narrativize the conflict and write about violence? Mirza Waheed from the world's most militarized zone of Kashmir and Aruni Kashyap from Assam in Northeast India have lived through conflicts, and their work has been deeply shaped by these experiences. Their writings in the form of fiction, essay and poetry present a glimpse of life under duress and military occupation. In this episode, they discuss the imperative to write about Kashmir and Assam, the problems and challenges they have faced while writing about these difficult topics as well as their experiences in the publishing industry. Mirza and Kashyap speak about pressing questions about how to write violence and the limits of such writing. They discuss questions of representation that are vital literary and visual discourses of these two volatile regions. In the case of Kashmir, the representational pitfalls have always been associated with exoticizing the space in films and statist discourses. The Northeast is doubly vilified, first as a conflict space and then as a subject of heavily discriminatory narratives about its people. How do writers write to subvert nationalist and statist narratives that have saturated the discussions on such conflictual spaces? Amrita Ghosh talks to Waheed and Kashyap on this Mehfil as they reflect the anguish and pain of people caught in a cycle of violence. Mirza Waheed is a writer and journalist from Kashmir and based in the UK. His debut novel The Collaborator was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize. The Collaborator is about life in Kashmir under militarization and violence and it was also the book of the year awarded by The Telegraph, Telegraph India, Financial Times and New Statesman. Waheed is also the author of Book of Gold Leaves and Tell her Everything. The Book of Gold Leaves was shortlisted for the DSC prize for South Asian Literature. Waheed has published articles in the New York Times, Guardian, BBC and Al Jazeera English, among others. Aruni Kashyap is a writer and translator from Assam, India and Associate Professor and Director of the Creative Writing program at the University of Georgia. His recent works include a story collection, His Father's Disease and the novel The House With a Thousand Stories. Along with editing a collection of stories called How to Tell the Story of an Insurgency, he has also translated two novels from Assamese to English, published by Zubaan Books and Penguin Random House. His poetry collection, There is No Good Time for Bad News was nominated for the 58th Georgia Author of the Year Awards 2022, a finalist for the Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize and Four Way Books Levis Award in Poetry. Kashyap's short stories have appeared in many journals and literary magazines. Amrita Ghosh is Assistant Professor of English, specializing in South Asian literature at the University of Central Florida. She is the co-editor of Tagore and Yeats: A Postcolonial Reenvisioning (Brill 2022) and Subaltern Vision: A Study in Postcolonial Indian English Text (Cambridge Scholars 2012). Her book Kashmir's Necropolis: New Literature and Visual Texts is forthcoming with Lexington Books. She is the co-founding editor of Cerebration, a bi-annual literary journal.To inaugurate our Mehfil which means a celebratory gathering in Urdu, we asked Uday Bansal to compose a small poem for us. It was read out by...

We speak to writer and teacher Okechukwu Nzelu. Why? To discuss that greatest pillar of creative writing - character. Gill and Okechukwu discuss many aspects of character development, including those in his latest novel Here Again Now. Based in Manchecter, Okechukwu Nzelu was the recipient of a Northern Writers' Award from New Writing North in 2015. His debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney won a Betty Trask Award. It was also shortlisted for our very own Desmond Elliott Prize among others. In 2021, it was selected for the Kingston University Big Read.  His second novel, Here Again Now was published by Dialogue Books in March 2022. He is also a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University so he is perfectly positioned to help us understand how we can write compelling characters.

Across the Pond celebrates its 50th episode, and we talk to Maddie Mortimer about her polyphonic, visually imaginative novel, Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies, winner of the 2022 Desmond Elliott Prize.

Andrew Meehan talks about Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Amy Bloom, Joan Didion, Ivan Turgenev and much more as he discusses love, endings and sadness with Ruth McKee, choosing the books he would save if his house was on fire. Andrew Meehan's debut, One Star Awake was longlisted for the 2018 Desmond Elliott Prize, the UK's most prestigious award for debut novelists. His second book, The Mystery of Love, is a moving and unique reimagining of the relationship between Oscar and Constance Wilde. His latest novel, Instant Fires, is out now with New Island.

Kit de Waal, born to an Irish mother and Caribbean father, was brought up among the Irish community of Birmingham in the 60s and 70s. Her debut novel My Name Is Leon was an international bestseller, shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award for 2017. In 2022 it was adapted for television by the BBC. Her second novel, The Trick to Time, was long-listed for the Women's Prize and her young adult novel Becoming Dinah was shortlisted for the Carnegie CLIP Award 2020. Kit is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Professor and Writer in Residence at Leicester University. Her memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes  was published in August 2022. Kit's Choices:Great Expectations by Charles DickensBeloved by Toni MorrisonRemains of the Day by Kazuo IshiguroOpen by Andre AgassiMe Talk Pretty One Day by David SedarisOther books mentioned: How We Mortals Blame the Gods by Mairin McSweeneyYou can buy books mentioned in this episode on our Bookshop.org Affiliate page. (UK Only). By purchasing here, you support both small bookshops AND our podcast.Keep  in touchWe love our listeners, and we want to hear from you. Please leave a review on one of our podcast platforms and chat with us on social media:Twitter: @twolitchicksInstagram: @two_lit_chicksTikTok: @two_lit_chicksEmail: hello@twolitchicks.orgIf you do one thing today, sign up to our newsletter so we can keep you updated with all our news.Thank you so much for listening.  Listeners, we love you.Two Lit Chicks Podcast is recorded and produced by Your Voice HereSupport the show

How to write about love in its various forms with Maddie Mortimer.  Maddie is the author of Maps Of Our Spectacular Bodies which won her a 2022 Desmond Elliott Prize.  The first part of our conversation was about her Desmond Elliott Prize win, but we soon started talking about the novel, writing craft and writing love. This episode features the section of the conversation about writing love, from the intimate and tender to the physical and visceral, from the romantic to the familial.  As part of the Early Career Awards, we regularly publish our free EC Packs - bundles of advice, interviews, audio and video to help writers tackle particular areas of writing. We have packs on Editing, Beginnings, Structure, Plot, World Building and lots more. Access them for free on our website. This podcast forms a part of our new Early Career Pack - on the subject of love. It includes exercises, articles and indeed, this episode of the Writing Life.

On 29 November 2019, Usman Kahn attacked and killed Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt at Fishmongers Hall in London, and was later shot dead by police on London Bridge. Jones and Merritt were involved in a prison education programme in which Kahn had participated. All three had gathered at an event that day to mark five years of the programme. Preti Taneja also worked on that programme as a teacher of creative writing in prisons. Jack Merritt oversaw her work. Kahn was one of her students. Aftermath, is Taneja's attempt to come to an understanding of these events both how they called into question what had come before and the grief and trauma they engendered.*SUBSCRIBE NOW FOR BONUS EPISODESLooking for Friends of Shakespeare and Company read Ulysses? https://podfollow.com/sandcoulyssesIf you want to spend even more time at Shakespeare and Company, you can now subscribe for regular bonus episodes and early access to Friends of Shakespeare and Company read Ulysses.Subscribe on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/sandcoSubscribe on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/shakespeare-and-company-writers-books-and-paris/id1040121937?l=enAll money raised goes to supporting “Friends of Shakespeare and Company” the bookshop's non-profit, created to fund our noncommercial activities—from the upstairs reading library, to the writers-in-residence program, to our charitable collaborations, and our free events.*Preti Taneja is a writer and activist. Her first novel, We That Are Young, won the Desmond Elliott Prize and was listed for awards including the Folio Prize and the Prix Jan Michalski. It has been translated into several languages. Her second book is Aftermath, a lament on the language of prison, terror, trauma and grief. Taneja is Professor of World Literature and Creative Writing at Newcastle University. She is a contributing editor at And Other Stories, and at The White Review.Adam Biles is Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company. Buy a signed copy of his novel FEEDING TIME here: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/S/9781910296684/feeding-timeListen to Alex Freiman's Play It Gentle here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4gfkDcG32HYlXnBqI0xgQX?si=mf0Vw-kuRS-ai15aL9kLNA&dl_branch=1Shak Get bonus content on Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Pages 243 - 252 │Scylla & Charybdis, part II│Read by Preti TanejaPreti Taneja is a writer and activist, and Professor of World Literature and Creative Writing at Newcastle University, UK. Her debut novel WE THAT ARE YOUNG won the UK's 2018 Desmond Elliott Prize and was internationally acclaimed with listings for the Folio Prize, the Shakti Bhatt first book prize and Europe's premier award for a work of world literature, the Prix Jan Michalski. Her second book, AFTERMATH is an abolitionist's lament in a time of racism, prison, terror, trauma and grief. Published to critical acclaim by Transit Books (USA) it is forthcoming from And Other Stories in the UK in April 2022.https://www.ncl.ac.uk/elll/people/profile/pretitaneja.htmlFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PretiTaneja*Looking for our author interview podcast? Listen here: https://podfollow.com/shakespeare-and-companySUBSCRIBE NOW FOR EARLY EPISODES AND BONUS FEATURESAll episodes of our Ulysses podcast are free and available to everyone. However, if you want to be the first to hear the recordings, by subscribing, you can now get early access to recordings of complete sections.Subscribe on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/channel/shakespeare-and-company/id6442697026Subscribe on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/sandcoIn addition a subscription gets you access to regular bonus episodes of our author interview podcast. All money raised goes to supporting “Friends of Shakespeare and Company” the bookshop's non-profit.*Discover more about Shakespeare and Company here: https://shakespeareandcompany.comBuy the Penguin Classics official partner edition of Ulysses here: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/d/9780241552636/ulyssesFind out more about Hay Festival here: https://www.hayfestival.com/homeAdam Biles is Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company. Find out more about him here: https://www.adambiles.netBuy a signed copy of his novel FEEDING TIME here: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/S/9781910296684/feeding-timeDr. Lex Paulson is Executive Director of the School of Collective Intelligence at Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique in Morocco.Original music & sound design by Alex Freiman.Hear more from Alex Freiman here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4gfkDcG32HYlXnBqI0xgQX?si=mf0Vw-kuRS-ai15aL9kLNA&dl_branch=1Follow Alex Freiman on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/alex.guitarfreiman/Featuring Flora Hibberd on vocals.Hear more of Flora Hibberd here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5EFG7rqfVfdyaXiRZbRkpSVisit Flora Hibberd's website: This is my website:florahibberd.com and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/florahibberd/ Music production by Adrien Chicot.Hear more from Adrien Chicot here: https://bbact.lnk.to/utco90/Follow Adrien Chicot on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/adrienchicot/Photo of Preti Taneja by Rory O'Bryen See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A soundscape of nostalgia, loneliness and reflection on Kwei's journey home after a concert as he recollects memories following a big move to a new city. About Esme and Caleb Esme Allman is a poet, writer and theatre-maker based in South East London. She is an alumna on the Roundhouse Poetry Collective and the Barbican Young Poets programme. She has previously received poetry commissions from the ICA's New Creatives Programme, English Heritage, the Barbican and Sydenham Arts. Her work has also appeared in POSTSCRIPT, The Skinny and the Barbican Young Poets 2019/2020 anthology. Her work explores blackness, history, memory, desire and the ways these ideas interact with each other. Caleb Azumah Nelson (b. 1993) is a British-Ghanaian writer and photographer, living in South East London. He was recently shortlisted for the Palm Photo Prize and won the People's Choice prize. He has produced music and sound for artists such as MAVI and Belinda Zhawi. His writing has been published in The New York Times, The White Review, Granta and Harper's Bazaar. He was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award 2020 for his story 'Pray'. His first novel, OPEN WATER, was published by Viking (UK) and Grove Atlantic (US), and was longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize. New Creatives is supported by Arts Council England and BBC Arts. Esme Allman – Writer, Poet and Performer Caleb Azumah Nelson –Writer and Performer, Sound Production Tife Kusoro – Performer Rory Bowens (NTS) – Executive Producer

CHIBUNDU ONUZO was born in Lagos, Nigeria and lives in London. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and regular contributor to The Guardian, she is the winner of a Betty Trask Award, has been shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Commonwealth Book Prize, and the RSL Encore Award, and has been longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and Etisalat Literature Prize. Her first novel was The Spider King's Daughter. The author of Welcome to Lagos, Sankofa is her third novel.

For the seventeenth episode of The Literary Edit Podcast, I was joined by author Chibundu Onuzo, whose debut novel, The Spider King's Daughter, was the winner of a Betty Trask Award, shorted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Commonwealth Book Prize and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and Etisalat Literature Prize.   You can read about Chibundu's Desert Island Books here, and the ones we discuss in this episode are:   Everything Good Will Come by Sefi Atta The Earth Sea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin The First Woman by Jennifer Makumbi Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison Ake by Wole Soyinka Outline Series by Rachel Cusk The Horse and His Boy by C.S Lewis Segu by Maryse Conde   Other books we spoke about included Chibundu's books, Sankofa and The Spider King's Daughter, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend series.   If you'd like to buy any of the books we discussed in the episode, please consider doing so from the list I created on Bookshop.org, an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. If you're based in Australia, please consider buying them from Gertrude & Alice, who deliver all over the country. To contact me, email lucy@thelitedit.com   Facebook The Literary Edit   Instagram: @the_litedit @chibundu.onuzo   Twitter: @thelitedit @chibunduonuzo  

As we roll into autumn, we're joined by Rebecca Watson, novelist and arts writer. Rebecca's debut novel, Little Scratch, grew from a short story that was shortlisted for the White Review short story prize and the novel itself was shortlisted for this year's Desmond Elliott Prize.  Among all the other talking our chat took us through: expanding a short story into a novel. Investigating how writing can replicate the immediacy of thought. Playing with fiction and reality, and much more. You can find out more about Rebecca and her writing at her website here: https://www.rebeccawatson.co.uk/ Rebecca is on Twitter: @rebeccawhatsun And Instagram: @rebeccawhatsun Find us on Twitter: @UnsoundMethods - @JaimieBatchan - @LochlanBloom Jaimie's Instagram is: @jaimie_batchan We have a store page on Bookshop, where you can find our books, as well as those of previous guests: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/unsoundmethods Thanks for listening, please like, subscribe and rate Unsound Methods wherever you get your podcasts. Our website is: https://unsoundmethods.co.uk/ We are teaming up with the Institute of English Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. Now that some form of normality is cautiously being introduced in the U.K., why not check out their Literature in Lockdown page? : https://www.ies.sas.ac.uk/about-us/ies-virtual-community/literature-lockdown

We have a new Early Career Writers' Resource Pack, and it's all about STRUCTURE. On the podcast we're thrilled to have journalist Chitra Ramaswamy interviewing Rebecca Watson about her stunning debut Little Scratch, which was shortlisted earlier this year for the Desmond Elliott Prize. Rebecca details the book's unique design and how the story and its structure are inseparable. Find more resources on 'Structure' here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/pack-7-structure/  Our resouce packs are available for free thanks to support from Arts Council England. Meanwhile, Simon and Steph celebrate the launch of the 2021 Noirwich Crime Writing Festival, which you can attend virtually here: https://noirwich.co.uk/  Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Music by Bennet Maples.

William Ryan is the author of historical crime fiction novels, including the Captain Korolev series. William joins us on the pod to talk about his latest project, the Writers' & Artists' Guide To How To Write. It's a nuts-and-bolts framework for writing a book, avoiding common mistakes and asking yourself the right questions up front. Meanwhile we talk about the Early Career Awards winner announcements. Find out about the winners of the 2021 Desmond Elliott Prize, UEA New Forms Award and Laura Kinsella Fellowship here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/early-career-awards/ Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW  Music by Bennet Maples.

In this special episode, we talk with all three of the nominees for the 2021 Desmond Elliott Prize, the showcase award for debut authors from the National Centre for Writing.First up, we talk with AK Blakemore, author of The Manningtree Witches, a brilliant literary historical fiction novel set in England in 1643. AK is the author of two full-length collections of poetry: Humbert Summer (Eyewear, 2015) and Fondue (Offord Road Books, 2018), which was awarded the 2019 Ledbury Forte Prize for Best Second Collection. She has also translated the work of Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo (My Tenantless Body, Poetry Translation Centre, 2019). Her poetry and prose writing has been widely published and anthologised, appearing in the The London Review of Books, Poetry, Poetry Review and The White Review, among others.Then we chat with Rebecca Watson, author of the incredible little scratch, an experimental literary novel told in immediate first person. Rebecca is one of The Observer‘s 10 best debut novelists of 2021. Her work has been published in the TLS, The Guardian, Granta and elsewhere. In 2018, she was shortlisted for the White Review Short Story Prize. She works part-time as Assistant Arts Editor at the Financial Times and lives in London.Finally, we speak with Eley Williams, author of The Liar's Dictionary, a dual timeline literary novel revolving around false entries in dictionaries. Eley lectures at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her short story collection Attrib. and Other Stories (Influx Press) won the James Tait Black Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize. The Liar's Dictionary is her debut novel.Links:Read about the Desmond Elliott PrizeBuy The Manningtree WitchesBuy little scratchBuy The Liar's DictionaryWatch our video panel Page One Sessions as we discuss writing with great authors: https://youtu.be/gmE6iCDYn-sThe Page One Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on Twitter: @write_gearFollow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WriteGearUK/Follow us on Instagram: write_gear_uk See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Three writers reflect on the atmospheric pressure of the year they've just had in Weather With You – a series of three written commissions and podcasts that address what it means to be a writer today, and why we write. Derek Owusu is a writer, poet and podcaster from north London. He discovered his passion for literature at the age of twenty-three while studying exercise science at university. Unable to afford a change of degree, Derek began reading voraciously and sneaking into English Literature lectures at the University of Manchester. Derek edited and contributed to Safe: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space. That Reminds Me, his first solo work, won the Desmond Elliott Prize 2020. Part of the City of Literature festival. Find out more: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/cityoflit-21/ More about Weather With You: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/open-doors/weather-with-you/  Image (c) Josima Senior.

We’re back! Welcome to the relaunched S&Co podcast. For the first episode after a long hiatus, we were thrilled to be joined (remotely!) by Jenni Fagan and Salena Godden to discuss their formally inventive and thematically bold new novels LUCKENBOOTH and MRS DEATH MISSES DEATH. Hosted by Adam Biles. Buy LUCKENBOOTH here: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/d/9780434023318/luckenbooth Buy MRS DEATH MISSES DEATH here: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/d/9781838851194/mrs-death-misses-death Browse our online store here: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/15/online-store/16/bookstore Become a Friend of S&Co here: https://friendsofshakespeareandcompany.com * Jenni Fagan was born in Scotland. She graduated from Greenwich University and won a scholarship to the Royal Holloway MFA programme. She has just completed her PhD at the University of Edinburgh. A published poet and novelist, she has won awards from Creative Scotland, Dewar Arts, Scottish Screen and Scottish Book Trust among others, and has twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Jenni was selected as one of Granta's Best Young British Novelists after the publication of her debut novel, The Panopticon, which was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the James Tait Black Prize. Her adaptation of The Panopticon was staged by the National Theatre of Scotland to great acclaim. The Sunlight Pilgrims, her second novel, was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Encore Award and the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year Award, and saw her win Scottish Author of the Year at the Herald Culture Awards. She lives in Edinburgh with her son. Follow Jenni on Twitter: @Jenni_Fagan Salena Godden is one of Britain’s best loved poets and performers. She is also an activist, broadcaster, memoirist and essayist and is widely anthologised. She has published several volumes of poetry, the latest of which was Pessimism is for Lightweights, and a literary childhood memoir, Springfield Road. Mrs Death Misses Death is her debut novel. A BBC Radio 4 documentary following Godden’s progress on the novel over twelve months was broadcast in 2018. In November 2020 she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Follow Salena on Twitter: @salenagodden Visit Salena’s website: www.salenagodden.co.uk Adam Biles is Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company. Buy a signed copy of his novel FEEDING TIME here: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/S/9781910296684/feeding-time

The Laureate for Irish Fiction, Sebastian Barry, hosts a series of brief conversations with fellow writers asking what is writing. What is its purpose and mystery beyond the pragmatic notions of academia and journalism? This series will form part of a visual archive highlighting the golden age of writing in Ireland. Sara Baume was born in Yorkshire. She won the 2014 Davy Byrne's Short Story Award, and in 2015, the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award, the Rooney Prize for Literature and an Irish Book Award for Best Newcomer. Her debut novel, Spill Simmer Falter Wither was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, the Warwick Prize for Writing, the Desmond Elliott Prize for New Fiction and the International Dublin Literary Award. It was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and the Kate O'Brien Award. Her short fiction and criticism have been published in anthologies, newspapers and journals such as the Irish Times, the Guardian, Stinging Fly and Granta magazine. In autumn 2015, she was a participant in the International Writing Program run by the University of Iowa and received a Literary Fellowship from the Lannan Foundation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She lives in West Cork. The Laureate for Irish Fiction is an initiative of the Arts Council in partnership with University College Dublin and New York University.

Georgina Godwin speaks to Francis Spufford, a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and professor at Goldsmiths University. At the beginning of his career, he specialised in non-fiction, writing five highly acclaimed books that saw him long- and shortlisted for prizes in scientific, historical, political and theological writing. He then made the shift towards fiction in 2010, with the highly acclaimed ‘Golden Hill’. Over the course of his writing career, he has won the Costa First Novel Award, the RSL Ondaatje Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize. His latest novel is ‘Light Perpetual’.

Happy New Year! We begin 2021 with a conversation with Desmond Elliott Prize shortlisted Abi Daré, whose debut The Girl With The Louding Voice caught everyone's attention last year. Abi talks about her approach to world building and how she used the narrative voice in the book to explore its setting. Asking the questions is novelist Sarah Bower. Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna, who start the episode by celebrating that it's not 2020 anymore. If you like this episode don't forget to subscribe! Get more free resources on world building: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/5-world-building/  Find out about our Early Career Awards, including the Desmond Elliott Prize: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/early-career-awards/  Check out our online courses: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/creative-writing-online/  More on what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/  Made possible with support from Arts Council England. Music by Bennet Maples.

Carys Bray is an author from Southport, Merseyside and she really does have quite a story to share with us.Carys' story begins in Southport, where she still resides with her family. However, the life Carys leads now looks slightly different to when she was a child. We hear Carys' memories of growing up as part of a strict Mormon family and how this became the inspiration for her first novel A Song for Issy Bradley. The novel was serialised on BBC Radio Four's Book at Bedtime and was shortlisted for several awards including the Costa Book Awards and the Desmond Elliott Prize. It won the Utah Book Award and the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and was selected for the 2015 Richard and Judy Summer Book Club.Carys' debut collection Sweet Home won the Scott prize and selected stories were broadcast on BBC Radio Four Extra. Her second novel The Museum of Youwas published in 2016 and her third novel When the Lights Go Out was published in 2020.We hear about Carys' experience of going back to university as a mature student and how studying a Masters and PhD at Edge Hill gave her the confidence to become a writer herself.Available to download from Tuesday 8 December, hear Carys' unique tales of navigating challenges of the Mormon community, where her drive came from to be a writer and what's next for this talented author.

This week we are honoured to be talking to the astounding author Nikita Lalwani! Nikita's first book, Gifted, was long-listed for the Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and won the Desmond Elliott Prize. Her next novel The Village won the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered award. Her latest novel is the breathtaking, You People, which has been widely critically acclaimed. We talked to her about fictional secrets, the power of the single line, literary families and pretending to be Stig of the Dump.BOOKSDaisy Buchanan - InsatiableNikita Lalwani - GiftedNikita Lalwani - You PeopleMary Norton - BorrowersClive King - Stig of the DumpSalman Rushdie - Midnight’s ChildrenBharati Mukherjee - WifeJames Salter - Light YearsJames Salter - Sport and a PasttimeJames Salter - Life is MealsJames Salter - HuntersJames Salter - Last NightDoris Lessing - StoriesMaeve Brennan - Rose GardenMavis Gallant - StoriesGrace Paley - StoriesDoris Lessing - Winter in JulyDoris Lessing - Martha QuestTessa Hadley - Bad DreamsTessa Hadley - Late in the DaySue Miller - MonogamyCarol Shields - Larry’s PartySonia Faleiro - Good GirlsJanet Malcolm - Journalist & the MurdererToni Cade Bambara - Gorilla My LoveZadie Smith - IntimationsSinead Gleeson - ConstellationsPatrick Freyne -

Derek Owusu is a writer whose debut novel, That Reminds Me, was awarded the Desmond Elliott Prize. It was the first released by Stormzy's imprint #MerkyBooks. Derek talks to Tom over Zoom to talk about his favourite music and books.

Derek Owusu is a writer, poet and winner of the 2020 Desmond Elliott Prize for his novel That Reminds Me; the book he began writing while he was in a mental health facility in 2019. Derek joins AKQAs Rachel Taylor for a conversation about what it’s like to be Black in a primarily white industry and how we can help elevate young Black people, so their voices are heard. That Reminds Me is the first novel to be published by Stormzy’s imprint #Merky Books. It centres around the character “K”, who Derek created to help himself explore how his early life in foster care could have led to his diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. He discovered a love of literature while studying Exercise Science at university when he was 23. Unable to afford a change of degree, he began reading voraciously and sneaking into English Literature lectures whenever possible. In 2016 he joined the multi-award-winning podcast Mostly Lit and later collated, edited and contributed to SAFE: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space, a timely anthology exploring the conflicts and complexities of being a Black man today.

Georgina Godwin speaks to writer, poet and podcaster Derek Owusu about his debut novel ‘That Reminds Me’, which won him the 2020 Desmond Elliott Prize. The first book to be released on Stormzy’s Merky Books imprint, it explores addiction, identity and belonging through the fragments of one young man’s memory.

Yara Rodrigues Fowler is a force of nature. Last year, she published her debut novel Stubborn Archivist, a complex and subtle examination of identity, trauma and recovery which straddles Brazil and South London, winning high praise from critics and earning nominations for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award, the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize. Now she is working on her next book - but if you think this is a straightforward story of a young writer achieving overnight success, think again. As we discuss in this episode, at university she found unhappiness had a detrimental effect on her creativity; later, while trying to fit writing around a full-time job, she pushed herself to the point of burnout. We talk about this, as well as the benefits that antidepressants have had in her life, the Brazilian Black Lives Matter movement, how lockdown has changed our lifestyles, subverting conventional writing styles and much much more. Twitter: @aliceazania / @yazzarf Instagram: @aliceazania / @yararodriguesfowler Buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stubborn-Archivist-Yara-Rodrigues-Fowler/dp/0708899072 Edited by Chelsey Moore

Join us for our summer Book Club! We're reading Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, a crime thriller set in Texas. Flo Reynolds joins us on the pod today to excitedly introduce the book! Meanwhile, Steph and Simon are similarly excited about the Desmond Elliott Prize's winner announcement which happens this evening at 6.30pm UK time - tune in live here: https://youtu.be/UOUtj5xAecc Get involved with the book club: Join the Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW Find us on Twitter and Instagram @writerscentre https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Music by Bennet Maples.

The time to reveal the Desmond Elliott Prize shortlist has finally arrived! NCW Programme Assistant and almost absurdly well-organised person Lillie Coles joins us on the pod to introduce the shortlisted titles and provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the running of the prize. The Desmond Elliott Prize is part of the National Centre for Writing's Early Career Awards. Find out more about them here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/early-career-awards/ Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones. Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW More about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ Music by Bennet Maples.

Blackwell's Broad Street was thrilled to be joined by author of the best-selling Grief is the Thing with Feathers, Max Porter. Max was in conversation with fellow author, Ali Shaw, discussing his latest book, Lanny. There is a village outside London, no different from many others. Everyday lives conjure a tapestry of fabulism and domesticity. This village belongs to the people who live in it and to the people who lived in it hundreds of years ago. It belongs to England's mysterious past and its confounding present. But it also belongs to Dead Papa Toothwort who has woken from his slumber and is listening, and watching. He is watching Mad Pete the village artist. He is listening to ancient Peggy gossiping at her gate, to families recently moved here and to families dead for generations. Dead Papa Toothwort hears them all as he searches, intently, for his favourite. Looking for the boy. Lanny. ‘It’s hard to express how much I loved Lanny. Books this good don’t come along very often. It’s a novel like no other, an exhilarating, disquieting, joyous read. It will reach into your chest and take hold of your heart. It’s a novel to press into the hands of everyone you know and say, read this.’ MAGGIE O’FARRELL ‘The writing is stunning and deeply affecting. The plot thunders along. This is a book that resolutely refuses to be categorised but to get somewhere close, think: Under Milk Wood meets Broadchurch.’ NATHAN FILER ‘It takes a special kind of genius to create something which is both so strange and yet so compulsive.’ MARK HADDON Max Porter’s first novel, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers won the Sunday Times/Peter, Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year, the International Dylan Thomas Prize, the Europese Literatuurprijs and the BAMB Readers’ Award and was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Goldsmiths Prize. It has been sold in twenty-nine territories. Complicité and Wayward’s production of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers directed by Enda Walsh and starring Cillian Murphy opened in Dublin in March 2018. Max lives in Bath with his family. Ali Shaw is the author of The Trees, The Man who Rained and The Girl with Glass Feet, which won the Desmond Elliott Prize for first novels. He grew up in Dorset and studied English Literature and Creative Writing at Lancaster University. He has worked as a bookseller and at Oxford’s Bodleian Library. He lives with his wife and two-year-old daughter. Instagram: @blackwelloxford Twitter: @blackwelloxford Youtube: Blackwell's Bookshops Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/blackwells-oxford-11264382560

The King of Helsinki Crime and the 'funniest writer in Europe' Antti Tuomainen joins us on the pod to talk about his books including The Man Who Died and Little Siberia, plus how the crime fiction genre is the perfect engine for telling stories. Many thanks to the Finnish Literature Exchange (FILI) for supporting Antti's visit to the UK. Meanwhile, Steph and Simon introduce the Early Career Awards, launched TODAY, including the news that we are now running the Desmond Elliott Prize. We also share the writing prompt from our first drop-in writing session; "Out of the ashes rose..." Fill in the rest by sending us your microfiction responses on Twitter @writerscentre! Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. Find out more: nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk Early Career Awards: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/early-career-awards/ Noirwich: noirwich.co.uk

Alex Christofi is the first guest on the podcast who is both an editor and author. Alex has written two novels, Let Us Be True and Glass, which won the 2016 Betty Trask Prize and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize. We met to discuss the relationship between writing and editing, whether all great authors are great self-editors, and Alex reveals the three questions all non-fiction authors should ask themselves before sending their book to a publisher.Alex is also a former agent and he told me about securing a massive US deal for his very first book to represent, The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell.But, as always, Alex is on the show primarily as an editor of non-fiction. Alex is a commissioning editor at OneWorld, the publisher who recently won back-to-back Booker Prizes. At OneWorld, Alex has published non-fiction including A Field Guide to the English Clergy by Fergus Butler-Gallie, a Book of the Year for The Times, Mail on Sunday and BBC History Magazine from a young vicar Alex discovered on Twitter, and what the TLS called 'the decade's most important book', The Panama Papers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nikesh Shukla is a writer. His debut novel, Coconut Unlimited, was published by Quartet Books and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2010 and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2011. In 2011 he co-wrote an essay about the London riots for Random House with Kieran Yates, Generation Vexed: What the Riots Don't Tell Us About Our Nation's Youth. In 2013 he released a novella about food with Galley Beggars Press, The Time Machine, donating his royalties to Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. The book won Best Novella at the Sabotage Awards. His second novel, Meatspace, was published by The Friday Project. Nikesh is the editor of the essay collection, The Good Immigrant, where 21 British writers of colour discuss race and immigration in the UK. The Good Immigrant won the reader's choice at the Books Are My Bag Awards and is shortlisted for Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. In 2014 he co-wrote Two Dosas, an award-winning short film starring Himesh Patel. His Channel 4 Comedy Lab Kabadasses aired on E4 and Channel 4 in 2011 and starred Shazad Latif, Jack Doolan and Josie Long. He currently hosts The Subaltern podcast, an anti-panel discussion featuring conversations with writers about writing. From the 5x15 special curated by Angela Saini in London on 29th May 2019. 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: www.5x15stories.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/5x15stories Facebook: www.facebook.com/5x15stories Instagram: www.instagram.com/5x15stories

Michael is the author of ‘Hold’, which was just shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize for first novels. He is a graduate of the Royal Holloway writing programme and lives in London, where he works as a teacher. Michael's Book Choices: The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín Grief Is The Thing With Feathers by Max Porter You can follow Michael on twitter @michaeldonkor If you haven't already, please consider leaving the podcast a review on iTunes. It makes a massive difference and helps new people discover the show.

On this week’s show, we discuss the challenges – and joys – of becoming an author with Paula Cocozza and Preti Taneja

Arundhati Roy, Meena Kandasamy and Preti Taneja share thoughts about translation. Plus Anne McElvoy will be joined by Professor Nichola McLelland and Vicky Gough of the British Councl to examine why, in UK schools and universities, the number of students learning a second language is collapsing - whilst the number of languages spoken in Britain is rising and translated fiction is becoming more available and popular. The Booker prize winner Arundhati Roy is giving the W G Sebald lecture at the British Library about translation. You can find a 45' conversation with her about her latest novel The Ministry of Utmost Happiness on the Free Thinking website. Meena Kandasamy translates from Tamil and her first poetry collection Touch was translated into 5 languages. Her latest novel When I Hit You looks at domestic abuse. It is on the shortlist for the 2018 Women's Prize for Fiction and you can find a collection of interviews with the 6 shortlisted writers at bbc.co.uk/Freethinking Preti Taneja is a New Generation Thinker whose first novel We That Are Young is a setting of King Lear in Delhi. It's been shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize for New Fiction. She is taking part in the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival at the British Library on Saturday June 9th. Producer: Zahid Warley

We're talking mermaids, folksong and mythology with two of our new Vintage voices; Imogen Hermes Gowar and Kerry Andrew.The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar: po.st/TheMermaidAndMrsHancockSwansong by Kerry Andrew: po.st/SwansongThanks to Kerry for letting us use her music for this podcast. The two tracks featured were, in order of appearance, Three Ravens and Molly Bawn.Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/vintagebooksSign up to our bookish newsletter to hear all about our new releases, see exclusive extracts and win prizes: po.st/vintagenewsletterImogen Hermes Gowar - The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock A Sunday Times bestseller, now longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Desmond Elliott Prize 2018.‘A brilliantly plotted story of mermaids, madams and intrigue in 1780s London and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it become the Essex Serpent of 2018’ - The Pool'Imogen Hermes Gowar is a soon-to-be literary star’ - Sunday TimesTHIS VOYAGE IS SPECIAL. IT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING.One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock hears urgent knocking on his front door. One of his captains is waiting eagerly on the step. He has sold Jonah’s ship for what appears to be a mermaid.As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlours and brothels, everyone wants to see Mr Hancock’s marvel. Its arrival spins him out of his ordinary existence and through the doors of high society. At an opulent party, he makes the acquaintance of Angelica Neal, the most desirable woman he has ever laid eyes on… and a courtesan of great accomplishment. This meeting will steer both their lives onto a dangerous new course, on which they will learn that priceless things come at the greatest cost.Where will their ambitions lead? And will they be able to escape the destructive power mermaids are said to possess?In this spell-binding story of curiosity and obsession, Imogen Hermes Gowar has created an unforgettable jewel of a novel, filled to the brim with intelligence, heart and wit.Read more at https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1113246/the-mermaid-and-mrs-hancock/#Jtfc3MlFwQtPB854.99 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Amy Baker and Rosy Edwards chat to Desmond Elliott Prize nominee and author of highly acclaimed, 'My Name is Leon', Kit de Waal. We chat tips for getting published, whether education is essential and how important it is to believe in your writing.

With Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, Kit de Waal, and Francis Spufford. Presented by Sam Leith.

Tronsmo bookshop and The Norwegian Council for Africa invites you to the launch of Chibundu Onuzo's new book, "Welcome to Lagos". Chibundu will be reading an extract from her book, and through conversation with Andreas Delset, program chief at Litteraturhuset. The event will be open for questions from the audience, and her book will be available in the bookshop. Born in 1991 in Lagos, Nigeria, Chibundu Onuzo started writing novels and short stories at the age of 10. Less than a decade later, she became the youngest woman ever to be signed by Faber and Faber, Her debut novel, "The Spiderking's Daughter" was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Etisalat Prize, shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and Commonwealth Book Prize and won a Betty Trask Award. Her second novel, "Welcome to LAgos", is out in January. She writes opinion pieces for the Guardian, with a special interest in Nigeria. Chibundu is a History graduate and she is currently pursuing a PhD in History at King's College. The book launch is an event in a series of seminars arranged by the the Norwegian Council for Africa, all of which have a focus on Lagos, Nigeria's megacity. Lagos is a city where urban development happens rapidly - the question is, development for whom? Is there a way of building and expanding the city that does not compromise the lives and communities of those living in the city?

Chibundu Onuzo was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1991. Her first novel, The Spider King's Daughter, won a Betty Trask Award, was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Commonwealth Book Prize, and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Etisalat Prize for Literature. She is completing a PhD on the West African Student's Union at King's College London. Her latest novel is Welcome to Lagos. Alexandra Kleeman is a NYC-based writer of fiction and nonfiction, and a PhD candidate in Rhetoric at UC Berkeley. Her fiction has been published in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Zoetrope: All-Story, Conjunctions, Guernica, and Gulf Coast, among others. Nonfiction essays and reportage have appeared in Harpers, Tin House, n+1, and The Guardian. She is the author of the short story collection Intimations, and a debut novel You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The debut novel from Karl Geary introduces us to Sonny and Vera, a young man and an older woman who meet and forge an unconventional relationship in the Dublin of the early 1980s Chance meetings become shy arrangements, and soon Sonny is in love for the first time. Casting off his lonely life of dreams and quiet violence for this new, intoxicating encounter, he longs to know Vera, even to save her. But what is it that Vera isn’t telling him? Unfolding in the sea-bright, rain-soaked Dublin of early spring, Montpelier Parade is a beautiful, cinematic novel about desire, longing, grief, hope and the things that remain unspoken. It is about how deeply we can connect with one another, and the choices we must also make alone.Follow us on twitter: twitter.com/vintagebooksSign up to our bookish newsletter to hear all about our new releases, see exclusive extracts and win prizes: po.st/vintagenewsletterKarl Geary - Montpelier ParadeSelected as a Book of the Year in 2017 in the Irish Times and The TimesSHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2017 ‘A delicate, crystalline, hugely impressive novel… He's yet another masterful younger writer coming through… Wonderful’ - Sebastian BarryHer house is on Montpelier Parade – just across town, but it might as well be a different world. Sonny is fixing a crumbling wall in the garden when he sees her for the first time, coming down the path towards him. Vera.Vera is older, wealthier, sophisticated, but chance meetings quickly become shy arrangements, and soon Sonny is in love for the first time. But there is something unsettling that Vera is keeping from him. Unfolding in the sea-bright Dublin of early spring, Montpelier Parade is an indelible novel about the things that remain unspoken between lovers. It is about how deeply we can connect with one another, and the choices we must make alone.Longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2017 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our second Worlds 2016 podcast features Charles Nicholl and Ros Barber speaking on the theme of '(Re-)Writing Shakespeare'. Charles Nicholl is the author of numerous Elizabethan studies, including The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe (winner of the James Tait Black Prize for biography and the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for non-fiction), and The Lodger: Shakespeare on Silver Street. He has also written an acclaimed biography of Leonardo da Vinci. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and is currently Honorary Professor of English at Sussex University. Ros Barber's critically acclaimed verse novel The Marlowe Papers was winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize, joint winner of the Author's Club Best First Novel Award and long-listed for the Women's Fiction Prize. Her second novel Devotion is currently shortlisted for the Encore Award. She is Director of Research at the Shakespearean Authorship Trust and the editor of 30-Second Shakespeare.

Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Elizabeth Thomson, Editor, “Bob Dylan: No Direction Home”About Harvey's guest:Today's show is all about an artist who is widely considered to be America's greatest musical poet laureate and visionary, Bob Dylan. He is an artist of transcendent historical importance, both as a cultural hero and an anti-hero. His songs have become part of our cultural DNA. In 1986, a groundbreaking book entitled “Bob Dylan: No Direction Home” was written by the renowned New York Times music critic, Robert Shelton, whose very first article about Bob Dylan brought him national attention and launched him as a celebrity. The book is uniquely insightful, because it's much more than a biography. It's an eyewitness account, because Mr. Shelton was a close friend of Bob Dylan's, and he was there for all of the pivotal events in Dylan's career in the first half of his life.  This book comes as close as any book can, to finding the essence of the real Bob Dylan, and pierces through all the myths about this elusive artist. Mr. Shelton not only conducted an extensive and profound interview with Bob Dylan - he is the ONLY person EVER to have interviewed Dylan's parents. Sadly, Mr. Shelton passed away in 1995, but in 2011, a much more complete version of the book was published, which included many parts that were left out of the original edition. And now, a brand new edition is being released, thanks to our guest. She is a renowned journalist, broadcaster and author whose work has been featured in the most prestigious publications around the world.  She's a contributing editor to theartsdesk.com, she's a contributor to The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians, she was a founding trustee of the Desmond Elliott Prize for first novels, she served as Editor of the business weekly, “Publishing News”, she was the founding Editor of “Book Brunch”, the online bulletin and website for the publishing industry, she has lectured at numerous universities, and as a broadcaster, she has interviewed everyone from Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, to Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, Janis Ian, André Previn, Vanessa Redgrave and Joan Baez. In fact, several years ago she wrote a highly compelling biography of Joan Baez entitled, “Joan Baez: The Last Leaf”. In 2018 she founded The Village Trip, a celebration of arts and activism in Greenwich Village and the East Village in Downtown Manhattan, and she currently serves as Joint Artistic Director of that event.  But today, she's hear to talk about the brand new edition of “Bob Dylan: No Direction Home”.For more interviews and podcasts go to: https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com/To learn more about Elizabeth Thomson, go to:https://www.lizthomson.co.uk/https://www.facebook.com/thevillagetrip/https://twitter.com/TheVillageTrip@harveybrownstone,#harveybrownstone,@harveybrownstoneinterviews,#harveybrownstoneinterviews,#lizthomson,@lizthomson,#ElizabethThomson,@ElizabethThomson,#JoanBaez,#BobDylan,#RobertSheltonAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy