Ncw Online

We are very excited to have Sarah Perry back on the podcast! Sarah talks to Chris Gribble about crafting characters and what it means when an author talks about their creations 'coming to life'. This conversation was part of our Early Career Writers' Resource pack back in May, so do check out the other contributions from Michael Donkor and Joe Dunthorne - https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/pack-3-character/The pack was made possible by support from Arts Council England.Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.ukMusic by Bennet Maples.

Crime writer Nicola Upson returns to the pod to talk about designing a good plot. Nicola tells us how her process has adjusted over time and discusses the unique requirements of the crime genre. Nicola's latest book is Sorry for the Dead, continuing her hugely successful Josephine Tey series.This episode is part of our latest Early Career Writers' Resource pack, which is all about PLOT. Check out the website for more amazing free stuff from Okechukwu Nzelu and Inua Ellams. https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/4-plot/Supported by Arts Council England.Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones.More about us: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.ukMusic by Bennet Maples.

Sarah Ardizzone is a translator from the French with forty-something titles to her name. This week she joins us on the pod to discuss her career as a translator, the importance of forging a bond with writers and how translation techniques differ between mediums. Asking the questions is Sarah Bower.Meanwhile, Steph and Simon talk about the upcoming drop-in writing sessions and Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, this month's Book Club selection. Join our Discord community of writers and readers here: https://discord.gg/3G39dRWSarah's work spans picture books, graphic novels and travel memoirs as well as children’s, young adult and literary fiction. Notable authors include Alexandre Dumas (a fresh version of The Nutcracker), Faïza Guène, the outspoken young French-Algerian voice from the banlieue, and former ‘dunce’ Daniel Pennac, whose autobiographical polemics about education are illustrated by Quentin Blake. Twice recipient of the Marsh award, she has won the Scott-Moncrieff prize and a New York Times notabl

Eva Meijer, writer and philosopher, joins Kate Griffin on the pod to discuss her work. Topics range from understanding animal languages to writing routines and redrafting.Meanwhile, Steph has been back to Dragon Hall as lockdown restrictions are eased in the UK, and everyone is getting excited about The Book Club. If you'd like to read Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke with the rest of us, you can find out more here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/book-club-bluebird-bluebird-by-attica-locke/To join the Discord discussions click here: https://discord.gg/3G39dRWHosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Also check out this interview with Eva in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/nov/13/of-course-animals-speak-eva-meijer-on-how-to-communicate-with-our-fellow-beastsEva Meijer is an author, artist, singer, songwriter and philosopher. Her non-fiction study on animal communication, Animal Languages, was translated to English in 2019. Bird Cottage was her first novel to appear in En

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/UOUtj5xAeccGet involved with the book club:Join the Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRWFind us on Twitter and Instagram @writerscentrehttps://nationalcentreforwriting.org.ukHosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Music by Bennet Maples.

We're 100 episodes old! To celebrate, Simon and Steph indulgently look back on The Writing Life show and pick out their favourite episodes, which turns out to be an almost impossible task.You're not going to find a podcast anywhere else that combines Val McDermid, Jenny Offill, Joe Dunthorne, Jon Ingold, Kelsey Beachum, Ed Parnell, Ian Nettleton, Sian Cain and Joe Hedinger.Thanks for listening! Find out more about what we do at https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/Photo by Floris Andréa on UnsplashMusic by Bennet Maples.

This week Eimear McBride shares her writing method with advice on characters, how to finish a book and what makes someone a writer.Interview originally broadcast on YouTube in March as part of the Early Career Writers' Resources. More info here: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/2-method/Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Find out more at https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/Music by Bennet Maples.

Time for a burst of optimism and inspiration, courtesy of poet, producer and tutor Lewis Buxton. If lockdown is getting to you, have a listen to this week's pod and hopefully you'll feel a little brighter about the future.Lewis talks about TOAST, his regular live literature events, his own route into poetry and how coronavirus has affected his work. Then he treats us to readings of a couple of his own poems plus material from selected TOAST headliners.Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRWGet in touch with TOAST: https://toastpoetry.com/Find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/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/3G39dRWMore about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/Music by Bennet Maples.

Bregje Hofstede returns to the podcast with this full length version of her conversation with our Programme Director Peggy Hughes. Bregje stayed with us back in October as a writer in residence at Dragon Hall, back when such a thing was still possible.Bregje came to work on her new novel – working title De oplossing van Hadewych (The Hadewych Solution). Dragon Hall was the ideal location, as the Middle Ages feature large in the novel while Norwich is the most complete medieval English town to have survived and has more medieval churches than any other European city north of the Alps.The wide-ranging discussion takes in how your writing changes when you're away from your normal situation (something we're all at least vaguely familiar with by now...), as well as what happens to spirituality in a secular society. There are no clear answers anymore: is that a good thing?Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/3G39dRWFind out about everything we do: https://nationalce

Owen Sheers, author, poet and playwright and Professor in Creativity at Swansea University, reveals his selection of ten inspiring writers asking the questions that will shape our future, as part of the International Literature Showcase.In this conversation with award-winning jouranlist Chitra Ramaswamy you'll discover the details of Owen’s list, including his introduction to each writer and the reasons why he finds their work to be so important – spanning topics including the environment, structural inequality and the role of a writer at times of transition and change.What role can writers play in shaping a more just world, and how do we ensure that we don’t go back to ‘business as usual’ after such a catastrophic event?The ILS is a partnership project between the National Centre for Writing and British Council, supported by Arts Council England and Creative Scotland.Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Find out more about the International Literature Showcase: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/ilsC

Our City of Literature festival continues with today's podcast: A fascinating glimpse into the daily process of making and writing from Sara Baume (Spill Simmer Falter Wither) and Elizabeth Macneal (The Doll Factory), chaired by Jen McDerra. Through writing, sculpture and ceramics, they will offer reflections on isolation, motivation, nature and beauty.This episode is presented by the National Centre for Writing and the Norfolk & Norwich Festival.Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones.Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/ERQhsGjMore City of Literature free events: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/city-of-literature/Music by Bennet Maples.

City of Literature 2020 begins! Today's special episode features Max Porter and Sam Winston, talking about the collaborative exhibition A Delicate Sight. Originally intended to be part of this year's Norfolk & Norwich Festival, we're now taking the event online so that you can experience it at home.Place darkness at the centre of your perception and explore how your senses, thoughts and emotions are heightened with this free creative resource.A number of the UK’s leading writers – including Bernardine Evaristo, Max Porter, Raymond Antrobus and Don Paterson – were commissioned to spend time in a dark room installation as part of artist and producer Sam Winston’s interactive exhibition A Delicate Sight. Now it’s your turn!Find out more and get involved: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/city-of-literature/Thanks to Arts Council England.Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Join the Discord community: https://discord.gg/ERQhsGjMusic by Bennet Maples.

Michael Donkor, author of HOLD, graduate of our Escalator talent programme and a Desmond Elliot Prize nominee, guests on the pod to talk about creating and developing characters. It's a chat full of amazing tips for any writer - and you can find even more with our Early Career Writers' Resources Pack this month, as it's all about CHARACTER and is packed full of insight from Sarah Perry, Joe Dunthorne and more.Check out the full pack: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/pack-3-character/Join the Discord community with this limited-time invite: https://discord.gg/ERQhsGjHosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Music by Bennet Maples.

We have something of a mini-episode this week as NCW Programme Officer Flo Reynolds joins Simon and Steph to introduce our new Book Club. Starting today, the Book Club is reading A Line Made By Walking by Sara Baume - we hope you'll join us on the read!There are many ways to get involved - all of them free, of course. Read along, chat with us on Twitter and join our scheduled Zoom chats to share your opinions. We're also launching a new online community on Discord, which is open now and you can find an invite for podcast listeners below.We can't wait to discuss the book with you all!Follow this link to join the new NCW community on Discord (limited places available): https://discord.gg/ERQhsGjBook your place on the free Zoom chats:Thursday 21 May: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/ncw-book-club-a-line-made-by-walking/orTuesday 26 May: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/whats-on/virtual-book-club-2-a-line-made-by-walking/Full details on the Book Club can be found here: https://nationalcentr

Moto Shibata returns to the podcast for an in-depth conversation about how he became a translator, balancing the academic and more accessible styles of translation and his new serialised adaptation of Gulliver's Travels. Asking the questions: Peggy Hughes!Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna, who talk excitedly about our new Time To Write workshops for younger writers (https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/working-with-schools/young-workshops/), the transformed INN CROWD (remote) residencies (https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/apply-to-be-a-remote-writer-in-residence/) and why you should sign up to our excellent newsletter (https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/newsletters/).Enjoy and hear you next week!More about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/Music by Bennet Maples.

Poets Kendel Hippolyte and Flo Reynolds talk on the pod about Kendel's career, taking in his work on page and stage, sharing tips and techniques for poets and considering the responsibilities - and obligations of artists to society.Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Find out more at https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.ukMusic by Bennet Maples.

Stephanie Scott's debut What's Left Of Me Is Yours releases on April 21st - that's Tuesday, for fast listeners - and Laura Stimson sat down to discuss the creation of the book and its true crime inspiration. There's great tips from Stephanie about conducting research, finding agents and working through a large project.Meanwhile, Simon and Steph talk about the on-going weirdness of working from home during Covid-19 and highlight some of the exciting opportunities and writer resources we're putting out every week.Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.ukMusic by Bennet Maples.

Former Dragon Hall resident Vahur Afanasjev joins the pod to talk to Lewis Buxton about his books, how coronavirus has affected his writing and why he writes a lot about fish. Vahur is an Estonian author and creator of the award-winning Serafima and Bogdan, a bloody, funny and surreal family saga about the Russian Old Believer minority in Estonia.ALSO on this week's episode is guest-host Peggy Hughes, joining Steph and Simon to talk about Bibliotherapy and recommend some great books for us all to read while stuck in isolation.Hosted by Steph McKenna & Simon Jones.Music by Bennet Maples.

Writer and presenter Mark Stay, co-creator of The Bestseller Experiment and author of Robot Overlords and The End of Magic, returns for this week's episode to discuss his publishing experiments and why 'finding a new normal' is something we all do multiple times in our lives. If you're struggling to be productive while under isolation, listen to this right now.Hosted by Simon Jones and Steph McKenna.Find out more about what we do: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.ukMark's website: https://markstaywrites.com/Listen to the Bestseller Experiment: https://bestsellerexperiment.com/Music by Bennet Maples.