The Writing Life

Okechukwu Nzelu's 10 year writing journey

Okechukwu Nzelu joins us on the pod to talk about his debut The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, writing in lockdown and balancing life as a full-time teacher and author. Okey was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize and Polari First Book Prize and won a 2020 Betty Trask Award. Turns out that award-winning debut author + experienced English teacher = a brilliant podcast full of tips and insight.

Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones.

Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW

All about our work: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/

Get Noirwich workshop tickets: http://noirwich.co.uk/

Photo of Okechukwu Nzelu (c) Martin Glacken

Music by Bennet Maples.

Debut author Eliza Clark on Boy Parts, being published during Covid-19 & lazy comparisons

We're joined on the pod by Eliza Clark, the debut author of Boy Parts. Eliza talks to Steph about being published in her mid-20s, the inevitable comparisons with other authors and the series of unlikely events that led to publication. She also discusses how writing fan fiction in her teens helped hone her craft before embarking on her first book, as well as how Covid-19 has affected the book's launch.

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.

Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW

Early Career Writers' Resource Packs: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/free-resources/

Noirwich Crime Writing Festival: https://noirwich.co.uk/

Produced by the National Centre for Writing https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/

Image by Richard-Kenworthy

Music by Bennet Maples

How Arts Council National Lottery Grants Work

Our CEO Chris Gribble joins us on the pod to discuss Arts Council England's new National Lottery Funding Grants. Available now to artists they offer much-needed support and relief during Covid-19. Applications are open, and Chris is on the show to provide starter tips and an introduction to the grants system: plus why arts funding is critical, especially at times like this.

It was very hot when recording this episode, so we're going to blame the heat for the slightly glitchy audio quality on Chris' end. Heat rises, so we can only assume that it stole away some of the soundwaves before they reached the mic. Apologies!

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.

Find out more about the ACE grants: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/projectgrants

Here's what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ 

Music by Bennet Maples.

Elvira Dones on identity and translation in Sworn Virgin

Long overdue, we finally have this wonderful recording from the BCLT Summer School 2019, featuring Swiss-Albanian writer Elvira Dones, her translator Clarissa Botsford and publisher Stefan Tobler. Chaired by Rosie Goldsmith, it's a wide-ranging discussion taking in themes of identity, linguistics, translation processes and the creation of Elvira's book Sworn Virgin.

This event took place in partnership with the British Centre for Literary Translation, with support from Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.

Meanwhile, Simon and Steph talk about lots of exciting NCW things, from the Book Club and drop-in Writing Sessions to the new Creative Writing Online courses and the exciting announcement of NOIRWICH 2020.

Some useful links:

Join the National Centre for Writing's Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW

Check out the full Noirwich 2020 programme: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW 

More info on all of our work to support writers: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ 

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.

Music by Bennet Maples.

The Writing Life Trailer

Get a taste of what we do and meet hosts Simon Jones and Steph McKenna. We're a weekly podcast for anyone who writes - find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and all good podcast apps.

Produced by the National Centre for Writing in the UK.

Find out more at https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk