Podcast: The Writing Life

We’re a weekly podcast for anyone who writes. We talk to writers about their writing journeys and techniques, from early career debuts to self-publishers and narrative designers. We’ve featured Margaret Atwood, Jackie Kay, Sara Collins, Antti Tuomainen, Val McDermid, Sarah Perry, Elif Shafak and many more!Brought to you by the National Centre for Writing at Dragon Hall in Norwich.

#41 Life of a Bookseller: Joe Hedinger

Joe Hedinger is one of the nominees for Individual Bookseller of the Year at the British Book Awards. He also happens to be found in The Book Hive, a unique indie bookshop found here in Norwich. We sent the one and only Peggy Hughes to find out how Joe e…

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#40 Elif Shafak, Patience Agbabi, Charlotte Higgins & Evie Wyld

For our 40th episode we return to the International Literature Showcase with a special conversation between Elif Shafak, Patience Agbabi, Charlotte Higgins and Evie Wyld – all writers who have been selected by Elif for her showcase of women writers worki…

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#39 Charlotte Higgins In Conversation

Today we’re chatting with Charlotte Higgins, who is one of our selected authors for the International Literature Showcase.The showcase curator Elif Shafak describes Charlotte as “an author with magic in her pen. From ancient subjects she conjures livin…

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#38 Celebrating Granta At 40 with Ros Porter

This month we’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of Granta Magazine and on the podcast today we’ve got our programme director Peggy Hughes chatting with Ros Porter, Deputy Editor of the magazine. They discuss the history and origins of the magazine and …

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#37 Elif Shafak talks to Bernardine Evaristo, Lucy Caldwell & Sara Maitland

Elif Shafak hosted a conversation with three of her selected writers for the International Literature Showcase at London Book Fair earlier this month. Bernardine Evaristo, Lucy Caldwell and Sara Maitland contribute to a wide ranging discussion involving …

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#36 What it’s like to be shortlisted for an award with Caroline Goldsworthy

We talk with Caroline Goldsworthy, independent author of Tangent, about being shortlisted for The Selfies award. We also talk about London Book Fair and what it has to offer for self-published writers.Hosted by Simon Jones, writer and Digital Marketing…

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#35 Elif Shafak’s 10 Exciting Women Writers in the UK

Elif Shafak reveals her selection of 10 exciting women writers in the UK, for the first International Literature Showcase of 2019, a collaboration between the National Centre for Writing and British Council.Elif is in conversation with Bidisha, the jou…

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#34 How to find inspiration in tragedy with Sharlene Teo

This week we have a conversation with Sharlene Teo, debut author of Ponti. It’s described as “an exquisite story of friendship and memory spanning decades, at once an astounding portrayal of the gaping loneliness of teenagehood, and a vivid exploration o…

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#33 How to write video games with 80 Days’ Jon Ingold

Jon Ingold, co-founder of Inkle Studios, joins us on the podcast today. The studio has produced award-winning adventures for mobile and PC, including the Sorcery series and 80 Days, and they’re only weeks away from releasing their latest project, Heaven’…

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#32 How to write collaboratively with Nicci French

This week we have an interview with the entity that is Nicci French, comprised of wife-and-husband team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French. They discuss their Frieda Klein books and how they write collaboratively.Asking the questions is Chris Rushby, the mu…

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