Podcast appearances and mentions of ryan van winkle

Brian Johnstone (1950 - 2021) was a poet and former director of the StAnza poetry festival. In this archive podcast he discusses the highlights of his StAnza career, what he thinks makes a good poetry festival, his own work and his creative improvisations as part of jazz-poetry combo Trio Verso. Featuring the tracks ‘Storm Chaser' and ‘The Sound of Breaking Glass'. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle. Produced by Colin Fraser. Incidental music by Ewen Maclean.

Best Scottish Poems is an online selection of twenty of the best poems by Scottish authors to appear in books, pamphlets and literary magazines during 2015. The latest edition was guest edited by novelist and poet Ken MacLeod. Our latest podcast features the poets who appear in the anthology reading their work. Includes Kathleen Jamie, Ryan Van Winkle, Ron Butlin, Christine De Luca, JL Williams and many, many more. Image: Helen Douglas

Pages 171 - 178 │Aeolus, part IV │ Read by Ryan Van WinkleRyan Van Winkle is an author, artist and producer based in Edinburgh. His second collection, The Good Dark, won the Saltire Society's 2015 Poetry Book of the Year award. He is currently Writer in Residence at the University of Edinburgh and the Schools Writer in Residence for the Citizen project at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. He is also the Creative Director of Golden Hour Productions which has been producing innovative live literature experiences since 2006. His poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, Modern Poetry in Translation and New Writing Scotland.www.ryanvanwinkle.com Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rvwable*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 Spotify here: https://anchor.fm/sandcoSubscribe 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/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you think Burns night is all about haggis, neeps and tatties then think again......Chef Neil Forbes joins Jenny MacPherson to give haggis a complete makeover, Ryan Van Winkle talks about how food and poetry are the perfect pairing and Emma Gryczka heads along to Aberdeen's indoor market where she gets a pasta masterclass from Francesco Di Nicola.

RYAN VAN WINKLE is a poet, live artist, podcaster and critic living in Edinburgh. His second collection, The Good Dark, won the Saltire Society’s 2015 Poetry Book of the Year award. His poems have appeared in New Writing Scotland, The Prairie Schooner, The American Poetry Review, AGNI and Best Scottish Poems 2015. As a member of Highlight Arts he has organized festivals and translation workshops in Syria, Pakistan and Iraq. He is always happy to hear from you, you can contact Ryan here.

Last year, the publisher Freight put out an anthology called Umbrellas of Edinburgh. This collection of new work brought together poems all about Scotland’s capital. Co-edited by Claire Askew and Russell Jones, Umbrellas of Edinburgh is a poetic map of the city, from the centre and Princess Street, to the rim of the city and areas like Wester Hailes. There are also, as you’ll hear, poems about Edinburgh’s monuments and landmarks. Many of the poets you’ll hear have appeared on previous SPL podcasts, writers such as Harry Giles, Christine De Luca and Ryan Van Winkle. Many may be new to you. There’s even a poem about the Scottish Poetry Library waiting for you at the end of the podcast. Image: Umbrellas Near London Bridge by C., under a Creative Commons licence

Best Scottish Poems is an online selection of twenty of the best poems by Scottish authors to appear in books, pamphlets and literary magazines during 2015. The latest edition was guest edited by novelist and poet Ken MacLeod. Our latest podcast features the poets who appear in the anthology reading their work. Includes Kathleen Jamie, Ryan Van Winkle, Ron Butlin, Christine De Luca, JL Williams and many, many more. Image by Helen Douglas.

Our former podcaster Ryan Van Winkle returns to talk about his award-winning second collection The Good Dark (Penned in the Margins). A collection that has its origins in heartbreak, Ryan talks about his struggle to rise above an adolescent tone. He explains why despite his extensive travels abroad, his poetry never touches on his destinations. And why Snoopy is an unexpected literary influence.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of William Butler Yeats, the extraordinary Irish poet. His work reflects and sometimes opposes changes in the the poetry of his times. His life was large enough to encompass the remarkable changes Ireland underwent during his life and one of literature's most famous unrequited love affairs. In a podcast marking the 150th anniversary of his birth, the SPL invited a number of poets to read and reflect on their favourite Yeats poem. Recorded in March at St Andrews StAnza poetry festival, our podcast features Kei Miller, Ryan Van Winkle, Carolyn Forché, Jim Carruth, Alexander Hutchison, Anne Crowe and many more.

The Poetry School welcomes you to a new poetry podcast, our very first (be gentle). For our pilot outing, host Ryan Van Winkle re-visits his 2013 Scottish Poetry Library podcast interview with TS Eliot-prize winner, Philip Gross, ranging across making up names for colours, comparing the similarities of poetry and making scones, and asking what happens in the thought vortex of ‘What if? And then?’ Listeners can also join The Line Break group on CAMPUS, the Poetry School’s free online community for poets http://campus.poetryschool.com. This episode is produced by Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com with thanks to the Scottish Poetry Library for their support.

In the last regular podcast to feature the founder host of the Scottish Poetry Library podcast, Ryan Van Winkle looks back at some of his favourite interviews since he started the podcast in 2008 as part of his Reader in Residence position at the SPL. Featuring Robert Pinsky, Caroline Bird, Sarah Broom, Owen Sheers, Jed Milroy, Matthew Zapruder, Jane Hirshfield, Golan Haji, Sabreen Khadim, Krystelle Bamford, John Glenday, Mark Doty, Paula Meehan, Adam Zagajewski and Mary Ruefle. This podcast was produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm and presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable of Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

We talk to poet, novelist, sailor and storyteller Ian Stephen about one of his unfinished projects on today's episode as well as revisit a vintage interview with the poet and activist Mandy Haggith about her book on the paper industry, Paper Trails. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com

Our final Book Talk podcast features a pair of heavyweights from the world of crime fiction and a debut author we should all be sure to keep an eye on.First up: Ryan Van Winkle has a chat with bestselling author Val McDermid and her partner in crime (research), forensic anthropologist Sue Black. Val has recently returned to her roots as a journalist with her latest book, Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime, a work of non-fiction. But although, in her own words, she usually ‘makes stuff up,' she still does meticulous research, and for that, she turns to Sue. The pair met while guesting on a radio show years ago and have been friends and research partners ever since. Learn how the writer/expert relationship works, what Sue respects most about Val's writing, and how they balance the dark aspects of their day jobs with normal life.Ryan next introduces us to Kate Tough, whose debut novel, Head for the Edge, Keep Walking, deals with a woman's ‘late quarter-life crisis.' Kate talks about her inspiration, how she went from writing poetry and short stories to a novel and the invaluable assistance she received with it, and what you can expect from her at the upcoming Aye, Write! Festival in Glasgow.Finally, Sasha de Buyl has a word with Nordic crime superstar Arne Dahl. Dahl discusses his latest book, To the Top of the Mountain, the third in the Intercrime series, and what he loves most about the crime fiction genre.

To mark the retirement of one Scotland's last full time literary critics, we're featuring short interviews with Lesley Glaister, Francis Bickmore, Jenny Brown and Claire Stewart on the future of criticism. And we're also including one of our favourite interviews from the CL archives - with playwright Jo Clifford. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com. We acknowledge Creative Scotland funding for our 2014 season.

We're at StAnza this weekend and caught up with two Poet Laureates about some of the projects they have abandoned - Glasgow Makar Jim Carruth and Edinburgh Makar Christine De Luca. We also feature our interview with writer & theatre maker Hannah Silva that we recorded at StAnza a couple of years ago. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com We acknowledge the financial support of Creative Scotland for our 2014 season,

Ryan Van Winkle talks with poet Thomas Lux on this week's episode. Winner of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, a Guggenheim fellowship as well as grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Thomas was at the SPL for our Sympoetry event last year. We get the opportunity to hear some of Thomas's work and he discusses his approach to writing and his inspiring thoughts on teaching creative writing. His recently published Selected Poems is available now from Bloodaxe Books. This episode is presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

We decided to try something new on the Laser this week and so invited two artists - musician Billy Liar www.billyliarmusic.com/ and designer Emily Millichip http://www.emilymillichip.com - to discuss their unfinished projects with us. Also we're featuring our interview with novelists Ben Marcus and Mark Z Danielewski that we recorded last year in the stacks of the Mitchell Library at the Aye Write festival in Glasgow. Culture Laser acknowledges the financial support of Creative Scotland for its 2014 season. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle and produced by Colin Fraser of Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

This month, Ryan Van Winkle and our own Sasha de Buyl interview best-selling YA authors Garth Nix (@garthnix), Leigh Bardugo (@LBardugo) and David Levithan (@loversdiction) about returning to different worlds, crafting a series and creating characters that break the mould.Garth Nix is the Australian-born author of the Old Kingdom series, the Keys to the Kingdom series and the Seventh Tower series. Written almost 20 years ago, Sabriel was the first book in the Old Kingdom series and told the story of a young girl tasked with making sure the dead stay dead. Though Garth hasn't returned to the world of the Old Kingdom since 2003's Abhorsen, last year's Clariel found him back there, this time several hundred years before the events of Sabriel. Garth talks to Sasha about what it was like to go back, and why he went there again.Leigh Bardugo is the Jerusalem-born, LA-raised author of The Grisha Trilogy, a YA fantasy series that comprises Shadow and Bone, Seige and Storm and the third in the trilogy, Ruin and Rising. Shadow and Bone tells the story of Alina Starkov, an orphan who has to harness powers she didn't even know she had in order to save her best friend. The novel debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and the series has proved incredibly popular. Leigh talks to Ryan about crafting a trilogy, realising your potential and never taking a break. David Levithan is the hugely popular American author of a number of YA books, including Boy Meets Boy and The Realm of Possibility, and books for adults including The Lover's Dictionary. In collaboration with Rachel Cohn, he wrote Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, which was adapted into a film in 2008. His newest novel Every Day tells the the story of A, a character that wakes up in a different body and in a different life each morning. David talks to Ryan about creating a character without physical characteristics, what makes us ourselves and the nature of love.Podcast contents00:00 - 01:02 Introduction01:10 - 14:08 Garth Nix interview14:09 - 22.39 Leigh Bardugo interview22:40 - 36:27 David Levithan interviewBook Talk is produced by Colin Fraser of Culture Laser Productions.

Ryan Van Winkle talks to the poet Sasha Dugdale, who is also editor of Modern Poetry in Translation. She tells us about how some of her poems come from 'failed translations' and she discusses how sound plays a much more important role in her own writing than other factors. She also discusses the problems involved with being a poet and a poetry translator. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle and produced by Colin Fraser of Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

In our first set of interviews for 2015, Ryan Van Winkle talks to Lucy Ribchester, Lucy Hughes-Hallett and Elizabeth Gifford about suffragettes, mythology and the fascist poet who wanted to create his own utopia.Lucy Ribchester is the Edinburgh-based author of the recently-published The Hourglass Factory, her first novel. As well as being shortlisted for this year's Costa Short Story Awards, Lucy is a previous recipient of a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. The Hourglass Factory tells the story of Frankie George, a young reporter who becomes entangled in the messy, passionate worlds of the circus and the suffragettes when she meets Ebony Diamond, a mesmerising trapeze artist using her skills to fight for votes for women. Lucy opens up to Ryan about her inspirations, the fascinating world of those early suffragettes and why it took her five years to finish the book. Elisabeth Gifford is the author of Secrets of the Sea House, a fascinating novel which explores the interaction between history and myth. Based in the Hebrides, the book looks at the mythology of the islands and of the sea, and what happens when the two appear to come together in the form of a dark discovery. The book enjoys a very definite sense of place, and Elisabeth chats to Ryan about the culture of the Hebrides, the link between the sea and those who live by it, and the responsibility she felt in dealing with such an interesting culture. Elisabeth's new novel Return to Fourwinds is out now. Finally, Ryan speaks to Lucy Hughes-Hallett, a Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction winner and author of The Pike: Gabriele d'Annunzio, a searing biography of the man who believed he was the greatest Italian poet since Dante. The book was awarded the 2013 Costa Book Award for Biography of the Year, and the subject matter is certainly eye-opening. d'Annunzio was a creative, daredevil and fascist whose life goal was to establish a utopia based on his political and artistic ideals. Lucy talks Ryan through the intensely thrilling world of this strange man and the way his life unfolded. Podcast contents00:00 - 01:09 Introduction01:10 - 13:19 Lucy Ribchester interview13:20 - 19.08 Elisabeth Gifford interview19:09 - 29:33 Lucy Hughes-Hallett interviewBook Talk is produced by Colin Fraser of Culture Laser Productions.

Ryan Van Winkle caught up with poet Donna Stonecipher in Berlin. They discuss her fascination with Model Cities and how the changing nature of Berlin has affected her poetry. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser

In this edition of Book Talk, Ryan Van Winkle talks modern day crime with Martina Cole, 18th century science with Jack Wolf, and ancient Memopotamian stories with Irving Finkel.Martina Cole is a legendary British crime writer. She's the author of 21 books, including her most recent novel The Good Life.Cole discusses her background, how she stays up-to-date with the changing criminal world and her attraction to writing about criminals and prison life rather than from the police perspective: "I prefer writing from the perspective of the criminal, I think they're much more exciting people to write about... You know in my book who's bad and who's not."As one of the most borrowed - and stolen! - authors in prison libraries, Cole also discusses her work in prisons and why she's encouraging prisoners to escape (with a book!)Jack Wolf, whose debut novel The Tale of Raw Head and Bloody Bones, takes us back to 1750, a time where medieval superstition was on the way out and modern rationalist thinking on the way in. Wolf's protagonist, Tristan Hart, is a conflicted man caught between science and superstition.Wolf talks about conveying the mental pain of the character and also how he coped with writing a novel while keeping the language of the book as authentic as possible. "You just write. It becomes as instinctive as speaking the language I speak now".Finally, Ryan talks to Irving Finkel, a curator at the British Museum in London whose book The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood looks at the origins of the Biblical story of Noah's Ark.After deciphering a cuneiform tablet brought into the British Museum, Finkel discovered that it was the beginning of the flood story. While the story of Noah in the Bible is a universally known narrative, the tablet demonstrates that the ancient Mesopotamians knew a very similar story 1000 years before the Bible came into being.Finkel discusses the strong literary link and striking similarities between the stories and his theory about how the Babylonian story developed into the biblical version that we know today.Podcast contents00:00 - 00:58 Introduction00:58 - 10:22 Martina Cole10:22 - 20:18 Jack Wolf20:18 - 30:00 Irving Finkel

This episode was recorded as part of the VERSschmuggel project at the Poesie festival in Berlin this year. The aim of this cross-cultural collaboration was to pair Scottish and German language poets together to produce "cover versions" of each other's poems, where you can hear the original but you also appreciate the new voice too. As organiser Aurelie Maurin says of the process it shows how "it's possible to have two tongues in the mouth of one poem." Featuring Don Paterson, J.O. Morgan, Katharina Schultens, Peter Mackay, Dagmara Kraus, Björn Kuhligk, Odile Kennel, Michael Donhauser, Anna Crowe and Ryan Van Winkle. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com

In this edition of Book Talk, host Ryan Van Winkle and Sasha de Buyl talk to Ron Butlin, Donal McLaughlin and Eimear McBride about family and place.A Girl is a Half-formed ThingWith an international reputation as a prize-winning novelist, Ron Butlin is a former Edinburgh Makar/Poet Laureate (2008-2014) whose fourth novel, Ghost Moon, is out now. The book tells the story in flashback of Maggie, a young woman in post-World War II Edinburgh who falls pregnant in a society that frowns on unwed mothers. Based on Ron's own mother, the author explains where fact and fiction meet and discusses the writing process.Born in Derry in 1961, but resident in Scotland since 1970, Donal McLaughlin is a freelance writer known for his short stories, a number of which have already appeared in translation. Donal's latest collection, Beheading the Virgin Mary, and Other Stories, follows the character of Liam through a loose sequence of stories and take place over a period of three decades. Ron reads from the book and offers some insight into his technique which will be of interest to both readers and aspiring writers.Finally, Sasha talks to author Eimear McBride, who was born in Liverpool to Northern Irish parents before moving to Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo. Eimear discusses the nine-year journey between the writing of her book, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, and its eventual publication and critical success.BookTalk is produced by Colin Fraser of Culture Laser Productions.

We talk with the critically acclaimed American poet August Kleinzahler on this week's episode. In a robust interview, he reads some poems from his latest collection The Hotel Oneira as well as discussing his views on poetry as an art form and the modern poetry world. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com

In this edition of Book Talk, host Ryan Van Winkle talks to Ajay Close and David Mitchell about time, ethics and mortality.Novelist and dramatist Ajay Close discusses her latest book, Trust. Trust follows the lives of a disparate group of characters working in mining and banking and the effects or two major events, the miner's strike and the banking crisis, on their lives. Ajay discusses where the idea for the story came from and how it developed over time.If the last edition of Book Talk left you wanting to know more about David Mitchell and The Bone Clocks you're in luck - this edition of the podcast features an extended discussion with the man himself. Spoiler warning: this discussion reveals detail about characters and plot.David tells us about the process of creating the book and how he was able to effectively portray time's passage: "Stay true to life and how we perceive the passing decades and you probably won't go too far wrong". Morality, mortality and the future are also discussed.Podcast contents 00:00 - 00:28 Introduction00:28 - 08:52 Ajay Close 08:52 - 30:00 David Mitchell

Miriam Gamble talks with Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable about her new collection Pirate Music. She reads a number of her poems and tells us about her approach to writing. Miriam also talks about how being a critic impacts on her work and the pressures of being part of the Northern Irish poetic tradition. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle and produced by Colin Fraser of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com

Of Me and Others is as close to Alasdair Gray’s autobiography as we are likely to get. Described by its editor Alistair Braidwood as ‘ribald, humorous, angry and incisive’, this new tome by one of Scotland’s literary superstars describes his meetings with authors such as Anthony Burgess, and explains how he went about writing his masterpiece Lanark and recent Faust adaptation, Fleck. Hear him talking to Ryan Van Winkle about his work at the Book Festival in this recording of his 2014 event.

We features two Korean poets on this episode - Sim Bo-Seon & Kim So-Yeon - with interpretation from Brother Anthony and Jonathan Cameron. They discuss the genesis of their work, how poets are perceived in Korean and read a few of their poems for us. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com

Podcast contents00:00-01:27 Introduction01:27-12:57 Nick Barley12:57-23:35 Natalie Haynes23:35-27:22 Karrie Fransman and Amruta Patil 27:22-30:48 Gail PorterCreativity and storytelling weave their way through this edition of Book Talk as host Ryan Van Winkle talks to Nick Barley, Natalie Haynes, Karrie Fransman, Amruta Patil and Gail Porter.Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival takes up on a walk through his picks of the programme. While the big names may be getting the press coverage, Nick digs out some of the programme's hidden gems, including Conversations with Ourselves, a strand of the programme that looks at the role of our inner voices in the creative process.Comedian and writer Natalie Haynes discusses the inspiration for her debut novel The Amber Fury, and the crossover between her life on stage and her career as a writer. "I'm sure that some of the storytelling that I learned to do on stage has spilled over into this book. Withholding information until the last possible minute - that's a standup technique for sure".Graphic novelists Karrie Fransman and Amruta Patil talk about the artists and writers that influence their work, and give their advice on embracing rejection and why the things you may consider to be disadvantages are actually the things that will propel your work forward and help you develop an innovative voice.Finally, Gail Porter joins us to talk about the five books that have shaped her life.Discover moreVoices in Our Head at Edinburgh International Book FestivalColumns and journalism from Natalie HaynesClose Your Eyes podcast with guest Nick Barley

In an episode recorded at last year's Edinburgh Fringe, we speak with the organiser of The Great Bloody Border Ballad Project, Lorne Campbell, and two of its six participants, the poet Chris Thorpe and theatre practitioner Lucy Ellinson, about their involvement in what was a fascinating exploration of the artistic potential of borders and a reimagining of the modern ballad. We also speak with Catalan poets Josep Lluís Aguiló and Carles Torner who appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival together with Gaelic poets Padraig MacAoidh and Niall O'Gallagher. They discuss writing in their respective minority languages and how the situation with Gaelic publishing is almost the opposite of that enjoyed by Catalan. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser.

In this edition of Book Talk host Ryan Van Winkle takes us on a literary trip around the world, stopping off in Roman Britain, on the River Nile and in the Middle East.Charlotte Higgins is the author of Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain. Having travelled around Britain in a campervan, Charlotte talks to Ryan about how the idea of Roman Britain has resonated throughout British culture since the end of Roman rule and what it means to us now.If you'd like to head out on your own journey of discovery, she gives some suggestions of where to find some of the best Roman remains in Scotland and where you can find out more about the Roman history in Scotland.We then move to Eqypt to talk to Robert Twigger, author of Red Nile: The Biography of the World's Greatest River. Robert talks about the challenges of writing an autobiography of an inanimate object and, given the phenomenal history of the subject, how to decide what to focus on. Robert tells some of the stories associated with the Nile, including Caliph Al-Hakim's unconventional approach to keeping his neighbourhood quiet and free of dogs.Finally, we head to the Middle East to look at two new anthologies of Palestinian and Kurdish/Iraqi contemporary poetry translated into Scots and English. Poet Liz Niven discusses A Bird is Not a Stone, featuring Scots and English translations of Palestinian poetry from some of Scotland's most acclaimed poets and Iraqi Kurdish poet Awezan Nouri and Scottish poet William Letford discuss This Room is Waiting is an anthology of contemporary poetry from Iraq.Podcast contents00:00-01:04 Introduction01:04-11:06 Charlotte Higgins interview 11:06-18:52 Robert Twigger 18:52-22:56 Liz Niven interview 22:56-29:12 Awezan Nouri and William Letford interview

We talk with two poet editors on this episode: Michael Schmidt, founder, editor and director of Carcanet Books and editor of the PN Review, and Peter Rose, editor of the Australian Book Review. Both read us a selection of their poems and discuss their approach to editing and to writing. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser. Photo: Ben Schmidt

In this edition of Book Talk, Ryan Van Winkle speaks to Chris Ware, Dilys Rose and Michael Fry about stories, memories and histories.Chris Ware is an American graphic novelist whose latest book is Building Stories. The book, which has no beginning or end, is designed to reflect the non-linear way we remember our lives. Chris talks about why he decided to focus the intangible world of memory and how he develops work that can be read in multiple ways.“It's like composing music. You have a sense of a feeling you're trying to get to but the second you start playing a note or hearing the notes that you're playing you think, ‘oh that doesn't sound right' or ‘that sounds better than what I had in mind'.”Scottish poet and novelist Dilys Rose picks up the thread of memory and its deception. The narrative of her new novel Pelmanism developed from the interconnected and fragmented nature of remembrance. Is there such a thing as a real memory when “once you start remembering, you start inventing as well”? Dilys also reads the homage to RD Laing she wrote for the novel as a creative solution to copyright clearance!Finally, we finish our tour of the past by speaking to historian Michael Fry. The title of Michael's newest book A New Race of Men: Scotland 1815-1914 references a contemporary description of Scotland at a time of huge progress.  How did Scotland transform a country and its people?By looking at the past, Michael identifies how old Scotland connects to a new Scotland, “we don't have to assume our history has been lost... People in Scotland are too unaware of the facts of their history, how those facts hang together, how they have survived, and how they still influence us in the present day.”Podcast contents00:00 – 00:51 Introduction00:55 – 13:05 Chris Ware13:05 – 21:52 Dilys Rose21:52 – 33:00 Michael Fry

We talked with Caroline Bird after her recent reading at The Sutton Gallery in Edinburgh. She discusses her latest collection The Hat-Stand Union and reads a couple of her poems. She also talks about the importance of reading for a poet and how an Arvon course she attended when she was 13 persuaded her to transform her readings habits. It obviously worked as she published her first collection at just 15 years of age. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://culturelaser.com

In this edition of Book Talk, host Ryan Van Winkle talks to author Scott Westerfeld about steampunk and zeppelins, discusses the myths of modern Scotland with commentator and academic Gerry Hassan, and looks at how crime and science work together in fiction with Lin Anderson and Doctor Kathy Charles.Scott Westerfeld, author of the Uglies trilogy, gives an insight into how he researched and created the steampunk World War One setting of Leviathan. Loved by teenagers and military history buffs alike, the book showcases a world that blends accurate military detail with fantastic creations including airships made of whales.  Scott discusses the benefits of writing for a young adult audience. “Adult readers are very fragile and very easy to alarm and scare off, whereas teenagers are incredibly robust readers who can keep going. If you see a teenager who'd really into a book you could drop a brick on their head and they'll keep reading!”Gerry Hassan, commentator and academic in Cultural Policy discusses his latest book, Caledonian Dreaming: The Quest for a Different Scotland. Inspired by the work of Fintan O'Toole following the crash in Ireland, the book looks at the myths Hassan argues are inherent in Scottish identity. What are these stories we tell ourselves about modern Scotland and where did they come from?Finally, Ryan chats to crime writer Lin Anderson, creator of fictional forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod, and forensic psychologist Dr Kathy Charles about how crime and science work together in fiction.  Lin and Kathy discuss the use of psychology to develop strong characters, how to effectively depict the biological differences of psychopaths in fiction and the challenge of ensuring potential scenarios in the novel are scientifically plausible while keeping a novel entertaining. Podcast contents00:00-00:51  Introduction00:52-12:08  Scott Westerfeld interview12:09-22:26  Garry Hassan interview  22:27-32:05  Lin Anderson and Dr Kathy Charles interview

On this episode we talk with Korean poet Lee Si-Young and his translator, Brother Anthony of Taize. He reads some of his poems and reflects on how his work has evolved since the military dictatorship in South Korea when it was dangerous and extremely difficult to publish poetry. It 'was a responsibility that young poets had to take to stand up and dare take the risk to oppose and indicate there was another way ahead.' He also discusses his views on political poetry - 'without something that emerges from the human heart you cannot have a poem... If I am simply angry then nothing will come out in terms of poetry. It has to be transformed.' You may find more information about Lee Si-Young and other Korean poets on Brother Anthony's website http://hompi.sogang.ac.kr/anthony/ We also feature one of the collaborations from SJ Fowler's Camerade project with Marcus Slease and Claire Potter. Listen to more of the collaborations at http://bit.ly/LaserCam and find out more at: http://sjfowlerpoetry.com. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions @culturelaser http://www.culturelaser.com

In this edition of Book Talk, host Ryan Van Winkle interviews bestselling American author George Saunders and Scottish crime writers Alex Gray and Doug Johnstone.Tenth of December, the sci-fi infused short-story collection by George Saunders was recently awarded the inaugural Folio Prize. George reads ‘Sticks', a story from the collection and talks to Ryan about having the freedom to focus on writing fiction, how he applies lessons from his career as a scientist to develop his characters and how he has learnt to write about family without drifting into sentimentality: “The trick is to try to be honest and say ‘at this moment in the story, what's the most truthful, bighearted thing to do?'”The latest novel from Doug Johnstone, The Dead Beat, is a thriller set in an Edinburgh newspaper. As Martha, a journalism student, begins an internship on the newspaper obituaries desk, she takes a call from an ex-employee of the newspaper who appears to commit suicide. This chilling echo of Martha's own life forces her to unravel the mysteries of her parents' past. Music and gigs feature heavily in the book, and Doug discusses the future of journalism and music, during a time of increasing uncertainty for both industries.Finally, we catch up with Alex Gray, whose book The Bird That Did Not Sing, the 11th in the Lorimer series, has just been released. Set in Glasgow at the start of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Gray describes the novel as “my most ambitious book to date”. The book deals with themes including people trafficking and terrorism, and Alex discusses the inspiration behind the book and her experiences of writing such a complex novel.

Mark Doty speaks with Ryan Van Winkle about daring to do the things in poems that others are scared to do and bringing aspects of your own personality into your writing and your readings. In this wide ranging discussion we cover such topics as Alec Baldwin, dogs, celebration and the importance of reading widely to develop as a writer. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle @rvwable and produced by Colin Fraser @kailworm of Culture Laser Productions http://www.culturelaser.com @culturelaser.

In this edition of the Book Talk podcast Ryan Van Winkle interviews Kirsty Logan about her debut collection of short stories, discusses parkour with novelist and poet Tim Sinclair and imagines the Scotland of the future with sci-fi author Ken MacLeod.The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales is the debut short story collection from former New Writers Award recipient Kirsty Logan. Written over the course of five years, the stories are set in locations as diverse as 1920s New Orleans, the Australian Outback and Paris.Kirsty reads her moving short story The Light Eater and discusses how writing helped her to process difficult emotions.Australian novelist and poet Tim Sinclair talks about his latest young adult novel, Run. Written in concrete poetry, where words function both linguistically and visually, the book explores the world of parkour, where participants “move through the urban environment in a way that doesn't allow for boundaries”. But when ego gets involved, trouble quickly follows.Finally, acclaimed sci-fi writer Ken MacLeod discusses his new book about “flying saucers, hidden races and Antonio Gramsci's theory of passive revolution”. Descent follows the teens and twenties of an ordinary Greenock man whose bad behaviour is blamed on a possible alien encounter.Moving from science fiction to science fact, Ken also explains his involvement with Hope Beyond Hype, a comic book he wrote in collaboration with OptiStem, an EU-funded stem cell research project. It was downloaded over 100 000 in times in the first few days following release - listen now to discover how the book was developed.Podcast contents00:00-00:53 Introduction00:53-09:20 Kirsty Logan interview09:20-16:30 Tim Sinclair Interview16:30-30.00 Ken MacLeod interview

In this edition of the Book Talk podcast Ryan Van Winkle interviews bestselling Chocolat author Joanne Harris, biologist and science writer Aarathi Prasad and Dr Karin Kukkonen, an academic specialising in the history of graphic novels. Peaches for Monsieur le Curé is the third in Joanne Harris's series of books about Vianne Rocher, the chocolatier first introduced in her bestseller Chocolat. Joanne talks to Ryan about the challenges of revisiting a familiar character and explains why "if you want to create characters that people believe in then they can't be immune to life". She also gives a brillaint reading that exemplifies the sensory quality of her writing.Shortlisted for Salon's Transmission prize, Aarathi Prasad's first book Like A Virgin: How Science is Redefining the Rules of Sex provoked headlines when it was first published, due to its suggestion that technology could be making males unnecesarry in the reproductive process. She explains the quite startling details behind the headlines in this fascinating interview, describing just what it means to be "exploring the frontiers of conception".And finally we have a different kind of evolution, as the academic and author of Reading Comics, Dr. Karin Kukkonen, goes toe-to-toe with Ryan in a wide-ranging discussion about graphic novels through history, and picks the five essential graphic novels you need to read.Podcast Contents00:00-01:00 Intro 01:05-10:30 Joanne Harris interview 10:30-20:55 Aarathi Prasad on Like A Virgin: How Science is Redefining the Rules of Sex 20:55-31:40 Karin Kukkonen on graphic novelsDiscover MoreListen to our earlier interview with acclaimed graphic novelist Joe Sacco here: http://scottishbooktrust.com/audio/joe-sacco-and-rj-palacio-facing-realityMore about Joanne Harris at www.joanne-harris.co.uk/ More about Aarathi Prasad at www.aarathiprasad.com/

What did you get up to during Book Week Scotland? Did you meet some of your favourite authors, try our Literary Personalities app, or grab your copy of Treasures? In this instalment of Book Talk, Ryan Van Winkle takes us on a quick tour of the week, sitting down with two authors and staying up all night at the Fruitmarket Gallery.First up, Ryan meets Glasgow-based author Louise Welsh for a talk about her latest book, A Lovely Way to Burn, the first instalment of the Plague Times Trilogy. Set in a contemporary world engulfed in a pandemic, the book follows a woman named Stevie Smith who sets out to get some answers regarding her boyfriend's mysterious death. Find out where Louise found her inspiration, why you'll love her heroine, and what's to come in the next two books.Ryan then moves on to Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery, which hosted an all-night event called In the Wee Small Hours, featuring a drawing workshop, poetry readings and plenty of treats. Hear from some of the attendees, discover the inspiration behind the night, and listen to some of the attending poets read their work.Finally, Ryan takes some time to sit down with Alastair Reynolds, author of On the Steel Breeze, the second volume of the Poseidon's Children Sequence of science fiction novels. Among other things, they discuss the ins and outs of planning a multi-volume series and how he keeps science fiction grounded in reality.Podcast contents00:00-02:42 Intro02:42-15:36 Louise Welsh interview15:36-24:49 In the Wee Small Hours21:25-22:44 Samantha Walton reads her poem, Circuitous23:55-24:29 David Hopkins reads his poem, Sleep is Serious24:29-36:03 Alasdair Reynolds interview

Book Week Scotland 2013 kicks off next week, and in this special edition of Book Talk, host Ryan Van Winkle gives us a preview of just a few of the exciting events to come! Scottish Book Trust's Head of Reader Development, Philippa Cochrane, and Reader Development Administrator, Sasha de Buyl get things started by sharing where you can find out about the events happening near you and which events they're most looking forward to attending.Next, award-winning author Ewan Morrison (whose latest novel, Close Your Eyes, was featured in our last book discussion podcast) discusses the workshops he ran throughout Scotland, encouraging people to get involved in Treasures. Find out what frequently appearing artifact surprised him most and how he dug down to find out what people really valued (it wasn't necessarily what they brought to the workshop!). Then, stick around and listen to him read his own Treasures story, featuring Batgirl and late American rocker, Kurt Cobain.Ready to discover all the National Library of Scotland has to offer? The library's reader in residence, Kate Hendry, has a full roster of events planned for Book Week Scotland. You'll have a chance to take your kids (or just yourself!) to the reading rooms during off hours to explore some of the millions of volumes the library has to offer, and try your luck at the book giveaway--who knows what fascinating volume you might grab out of the box? There will also be a pop-up books event for children aged 4-7, a Wikipedia relay for prizes, lectures and much more. Click here for a full listing of the National Library's events.Finally, Sara Sheridan, bestselling author of the Mirabelle Bevan mysteries, rounds things out by talking about the joys of writing a series, what drew her to the 1950s and how she's trying to give the 'cosy crime' genre the edge it had back in Agatha Christie's day. You can see Sara during Book Week Scotland at these events.There's all this and much more in this exciting edition!

Journeys - both literal and literary - weave through the latest edition of Book Talk, which sees host Ryan Van Winkle sit down with authors Olivia Lang, Sarah Hall, Pedro Lenz and translator Donal McLaughlin to talk about their latest projects.Granta Best Young British Novelist Sarah Hall reads a creepy excerpt from her new short story collection, The Beautiful Indifference, and discusses the very human need to fight, and how modern-day living has stripped us of the opportunity to do so. Find out where she got the inspiration for her excerpted story, She Murdered Mortal He, and why she finds it easiest to write short stories on the road.How does a Swiss German novel wind up being translated to Glaswegian Scots? With a little inspiration from James Kelman and some unique urban landscapes. Ryan discusses Donal McLaughlin's translation of Pedro Lenz's novel, Naw Much of a Talker, and discovers what's really important in a good translation (and it's not necessarily being slavishly faithful to the source!).Finally, Olivia Lang speaks up about alcoholism as a destructive force in literature, as detailed in her nonfiction book, Trip to Echo Spring. Detailing the lives of six authors with well-documented relationships with alcohol (Ernest Hemingway, John Cheever, John Berryman, F Scott Fitzgerald, Tennessee Williams and Raymond Carver), Lang seeks to pull away the pervasive myth that it was cool for writers to drink a lot. In reality, it was a destructive force for them, as it is for anyone else, that may have cost the world some great literature. Hear one of the crazier anecdotes detailed in the book, and why Lang found the sobering subject matter so interesting.Podcast contents0:00-0:47 Introduction0:47-11:20 Sarah Hall Interview11:20-24:10 Pedro Lenz and Donal McLaughlin interview24:10-32:37 Olivia Lang InterviewBook Talk is produced by Colin Fraser of Culture Laser Productions. Music by Ragland.

Summer may be winding down but Book Talk is heating up with a lineup of inspiring (and inspired!) authors who join host Ryan Van Winkle to talk about their upcoming books, how they work humour into even the most harrowing stories, their admiration for flawed characters and how jazz wakes up the mind.Genre-defying Helen Fitzgerald gets things started with a discussion of The Cry, her latest novel, which is available on e-readers now and will be released in paperback in September. The Cry, like many of her other books, follows two people who find themselves in an unimaginably awful situation and end up making perhaps the worst possible decisions. Find out more about the book, and the surprising connection Helen has found between writing and her former career in criminal justice. Also, check out her list of five books her fans will like that don't necessarily fit into the crime fiction genre.New Writers Awardee Pippa Goldschmidt is also celebrating the release of a book, her first, The Falling Sky. This tale of a young astronomer who makes an extraordinary discovery that not only shakes the foundations of science itself, but also has her questioning her entire life and delving into her painful past manages to mix complex family drama with science and dark comedy, as she reveals the cutthroat underbelly of academia. As an academic herself, it's a world she knows well. But beyond campus politics, this is also the tale of a woman dealing with her demons, as well as a meditation on how we tend to see and understand other people.Finally, Ryan catches up with Naomi Alderman, one of Granta's Best Young British Novelists, who recently collaborated with jazz band The Moss Project to write a story based on one of their songs. According to Naomi, after listening to the song over and over, the story suddenly just came, the inspiration doubtless assisted by the fact that, according to her, 'Moss's music makes interesting things happen in my brain. Jazz in general does--it wakes up your brain.' Discover how music has wound its way into her writing in the past, and hear the story and the song that inspired it.

Summer is heating up, and we have a sizzling edition of Booktalk to go with the rising temperatures. First up, host Ryan Van Winkle sits down with Ruth Ozeki, whose novel, A Tale for the Time Being, has been longlisted for this year's Booker Prize. The book, about a diary written by a 16-year-old Japanese girl that washes up in British Columbia, inspires a spirited discussion of such wide-ranging subjects as reader-writer relationships, how major world events can impact on a work-in-progress (and how said work can provide a sort of therapy for the writer), and bullying in both children and adults. It's also inspired a soulful tune from Bath-based The Bookshop Band, a trio of literary songwriters who were commissioned by the owner of Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights to liven up authors' readings with some original songs. Though nerve-wracking (they do have to perform the songs for the authors themselves, after all!) the Band has taken up the project and run with it magnificently. They now have nearly 100 tunes covering folktales, classics, bestsellers and even a dictionary! Have a listen to their song, The Paris Wife, and catch them in action at the Guardian Spiegeltent at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.If all that's a bit too tame for you, then brace yourself for the Literary Death Match, also coming soon to a Spiegeltent near you! Just what is the Literary Death Match, you ask? No, it does not involve any bloodletting, and no novels are harmed in the making. It's a fun evening that sees four writers perform their work for three judges (and the audience, of course), who provide hilarious commentary before picking two of the writers to move on to a a round of wacky hijinks, like pinning a moustache on Hemingway or chucking cupcakes at a poster of George Saunders, to ensure things don't get too serious or competitive. Learn more about the Death Match's past, present and exciting future from founder Todd Zuniga and find out where you can see one yourself!Are you ready? It's going to be a scorcher!

After a trip to the Middle East last month, Bookmarked host Ryan Van Winkle is back in the UK and ready to talk about crime, poetic inspiration and the extraordinary history of how one London landmark ended up in the Arizona desert.Highlights include:* Crime writer Sophie Hannah discussing her new book, The Carrier, motives that aren't so black-and-white and how success both helps and hinders her writing* A trip to the StAnza poetry festival in St Andrews, where Ryan talks about family and solves rhyming riddles with poet and performer John Hegley* Do you know the rhyme about London Bridge? You'll know much more than that as Ryan sits down with Travis Elborough, author London Bridge in America: The Tall Story of a Transatlantic Crossing. Travis's book tells the extraordinary story of how an American tycoon bought one of the last works of famed Scottish civil engineer John Rennie and used it as the centrepiece of a new development in Arizona.

Ryan Van Winkle gets 2013 off to a great start with his third Bookmarked podcast, which has him talking about kids' wild imaginations with author and illustrator John Fardell, discovering the world of football with Rodge Glass and rubbing shoulders with the League of Extraordinary Booklovers.Podcast highlights: Somerset Maugham Award-winning author Rodge Glass talks about sports and his new book, Bring Me the Head of Ryan Giggs John Fardell takes a break from creating a mural at the Mitchell Library to share what it's like to be an illustrator-in-residence, how kids constantly surprise him and who his favourite illustrators are 2012 New Writers Award winners Andrew Sclater and Roy Gill discuss how the award changed their lives and their writing and what we can expect from them in the future Karen Cunningham, head of Glasgow libraries, speaks about the future of books during Book Week Scotland Three members of the League of Extraordinary Booklovers talk about how they were chosen, what their mission is and what books they were eager to recommend  LINKSBook List: 10 Books About the Beautiful GameBook Week ScotlandDuncan Wright: The League of Extraordinary BookloversJohn FardellNew Writers AwardsRodge Glass

Ryan Van Winkle hosts a jam-packed Book Week Scotland special for the second episode of Bookmarked. Book Week Scotland took place from 26 Nov - 2 Dec and incorporated over 350 book-centred events across the length and breadth of Scotland, in libraries, theatres, community centres, schools and pretty much anywhere booklovers could think of.On the podcast we have: Alexander McCall Smith reading his contribution to the My Favourite Place book Scottish Book Trust's Jeanette Harris talking about guarding one of the Book Sculptures for the Book Week Scotland Treasure Hunt, and student Jemma explaining how she followed the clues and found one of the sculptures. JL Williams and two young adults discussing the Young Writers Conference, their workshops, including examples of cut-up poetry (pictured right) - and their 5 favourite books Novelist and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce talking about his top 2 screenplays and why he doesn't read his children's books to his own children Clive Gilman from Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) on their Book Week Scotland programme Translator Brian Holton reading a Chinese poem in Mandarin and in a Scots translation Nicola Balkind discussing her week traversing Scotland as the Book Week Scotland blogger  

Bookmarked is Scottish Book Trust's latest podcast, bringing you a monthly dose of bookish action from all around Scotland. Each new episode is jam-packed with book news, interviews, readings, roundups and sneak previews. Whether you are a staunch bookworm or looking for something new to get you stoked about reading, be sure to catch Bookmarked, hosted by Ryan Van Winkle, arriving for your listening pleasure in the first week of every month. In our inaugural podcast, you'll catch a behind-the-scenes tour of ‘GiftED', the Edinburgh book sculptures exhibition currently touring Scotland; a catch-up with author, Wigtown resident and book lover, Jessica Fox; a taster of Book Week Scotland's events programme and a quick-fire interview with author Jenni Fagan, who fills us in on her favourite books for people who are short on time.Bookmarked is produced by Colin Fraser with music by Ragland.