The Writing Life

Derek Owusu: Weather With You #2

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.

Kerri ní Dochartaigh: Weather With You #1

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.

Kerri ní Dochartaigh was born in 1983, in Derry-Londonderry at the border between the North and South of Ireland. She read English Literature and Classical Civilisation at Trinity College Dublin and trained as a Waldorf teacher in Edinburgh. She taught in Edinburgh and Bristol, before returning to Ireland in her early thirties. She writes about nature, literature and place for the Irish Times, Dublin Review of Books, Caught by the River and others. She now lives in a railway cottage in the very heart of Ireland. Thin Places is her first book.

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) Manus Kenny.

Valur Gunnarsson & Sarah Bower on writing alternate histories

Icelandic writer Valur Gunnarsson joins Sarah Bower to discuss his work, with a focus on alternate histories. He is best known as a writer of creative historical fiction; his first novel was a Viking fantasy and his third an alternative history where the Germans invade Iceland in World War II. Meanwhile, his second novel was a piece of autofiction set in the aftermath of the economic collapse of 2008. His fourth book, Bjarmalönd, is set in the former Soviet Union. He also co-founded Grapevine magazine and has made three albums and a poetry book. 

Valur was in town virtually as part of our Imagining the City residencies, which you can find out about here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/imagining-the-city/

Meanwhile, Simon and Steph get over-excited about recording the first podcast IN DRAGON HALL since March 2020. While some Covid-19 rules remain in place, this week marks the first public event held in the building since the start of lockdown. As such, the centre is a hive of activity - as you'll hear in the background of this episode.

We're also launching the City of Literature programme as part of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival this week. Find out all about it and book your (FREE!) tickets here: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/cityoflit-21/ 

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna

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

Find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ 

Music by Bennet Maples.

Liz Breslin & Tiffany Atkinson on discovering yourself through writing

In the third of our Imagining the City podcasts, New Zealand writer Liz Breslin talks to British academic and poet Tiffany Atkinson about writing communities and how writing can help you discover yourself. Liz also reads two of her poems, including one from her new collection, In Bed with the Feminists.

Flo Reynolds also jumps on the pod to introduce the next Book Club book, In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.

BCLT Event with Jhumpa: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/sebald-lecture-jhumpa-lahiri/

Our City of Literature events: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/cityoflit-21/

Imagining the City resources: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/imagining-the-city/ 

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

Music by Bennet Maples.

Polish writer Marcin Wilk talks to Joe Hedinger from The Book Hive

Our Imagining the City series continues with virtual writer in residence Marcin Wilk, at home in Krakow, talking to bookseller Joe Hedinger from Norwich's famous Book Hive bookshop. Marcin is a non-fiction writer and has written two biographies of famous Polish women and a history of Poland in the year before World War 2. They talk about writing in the pandemic, Polish culture and history, how to be organised when you're very busy, his love of Virginia Woolf and much more.

Audio quality is a little lower than usual due to irritating technical glitches - apologies

You can find out more about Imagining the City and read Marcin's articles here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/imagining-the-city/

Find out more about our City of Literature strand at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/cityoflit-21/

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

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.

Music by Bennet Maples.

Julian of Norwich & biscuits with Vahni Capildeo and Jeremy Noel-Tod

Writer Vahni Capildeo stayed with us in a virtual residency back in February and is joined in this week's episode by Jeremy Noel-Tod, editor, critic and Senior Lecturer in Literature at the University of East Anglia. Together they discuss Vahni's work, the inspiration found in places like Norwich and Edinburgh, the influence of Julian of Norwich and much more besides - all while enjoying an imaginary afternoon tea at the Maid's Head Hotel.

We recommend reading Lighthouse and Anchorage by Vahni before listening to this episode: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/lighthouse-and-anchorage-journal-entries/ 

Vahni stayed with us as part of the month-long Imagining the City event, which you can find out about here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/imagining-the-city/

Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones

Read Keeping A Writerly State of Mind: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/keeping-a-writerly-state-of-mind-two-reflections/

Read Five Everyday Writing Tips for any Writer: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/five-everyday-writing-tips-for-any-writer/

Did you know you can buy All Shall Be Well prints to help fund our work and remember Julian of Norwich? https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/buy-a-julian-of-norwich-screen-print/

Join our free Discord community and let us know your favourite biscuit: https://discord.gg/3G39dRW

Music by Bennet Maples.

Writing a short story collection with Jo Lloyd + Norfolk & Norwich Festival!

Winner of the BBC Short Story Award in 2019, Jo Lloyd has now published her collection The Earth, Thy Great Exchequer, Ready Lies, and joins Chris Gribble on the pod to discuss her work, the challenges of going from one award-winning story to an entire collection, how the American short fiction market differs from the UK and why she prefers editing to writing.

Meanwhile, NCW programme director Peggy Hughes explores our hugely exciting City of Literature line-up for the 2021 Norfolk & Norwich Festival, most of which can be enjoyed online and entirely for free!

Main interview begins at 15:00.

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.

Book your (free!) City of Literature events: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/cityoflit-21/

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

Music by Bennet Maples.

Neill Cameron on writing for young comics readers, representation, The Phoenix & MEGA ROBO BROS

Writer and illustrator Neill Cameron is on the pod to talk about his debut novel Freddy Vs School, the long-running comic series MEGA ROBO BROS and contributing to fab weekly children's comic The Phoenix. Neill discusses how he got into comics and writing for younger readers, how he works complex themes into accessible stories, making the comics form easy for new readers and why fart jokes and punchy robots are every bit as important as the serious stuff. Meanwhile, Simon pretends that he gets The Phoenix for his son to read.

ALSO on the pod today is Flo Reynolds, making a return to intro the latest Book Club book in the form of Abir Mukherjee's A Rising Man. Find out more here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/the-ncw-book-club/ 

Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones.

Join our Discord and say hello! https://discord.gg/3G39dRW 

Check out the amazing NNF City of Literature programme: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/cityoflit-21/ 

Find out more about what we do at https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ 

Listen to our earlier pod with Anni Domingo: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/anni-domingo-on-the-writing-of-breaking-the-maafa-chain/ 

Music by Bennet Maples.

Ambiguity & metaphor in The Last Good Man with Thomas McMullan

What is The Last Good Man about? When Duncan Peck arrives at a remote village in Dartmoor, he immediately notices the wall towering over it and displaying messages written by the inhabitants. Simon read it as a metaphor for social media and online discourse, Thomas references anonymous, public writing in China, and the book remains resolutely ambiguous. 

Thomas joins us on the pod to discuss the balance of information needed to keep a book ambiguous, with the discussion taking in everything from Gamergate, Twitter, the concept of 'lore', the differences between stage and page, the curious magic inherent to the act of reading and his use of third person present tense to create an unsettling atmosphere.

Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.

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

Find out more about what we do: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ 

Music by Bennet Maples.

Photo by Jonathan Rin.

Writing HADES with Greg Kasavin of Supergiant Games

BAFTA Award-winning writer and games designer Greg Kasavin joins the pod to talk about his work at Supergiant Games, focusing on the critically acclaimed smash hit HADES. The game won five BAFTA awards last week and we spoke to Greg about how he got into writing for games, his background in journalism and how Supergiant strive to merge narrative and gameplay mechanics. Essential listening for anyone interested in interactive fiction, games and narrative design.

Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones.

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

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

Music by Bennet Maples.