Writers Aloud: The RLF Podcast: Recent Episodes
Royal Literary Fund
Rebecca Watts, Jeremy Treglown, Jini Reddy, Guinevere Glasfurd and Rebecca Colby on the milestones in their writing lives.
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C.D. Rose, Elizabeth Cook and Mark Blayney explore the locations that have inspired and informed their writing.
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Caroline Sanderson interviews novelist and culture historian Dr Mark Blacklock.
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Pamela Scobie, Sonia Faleiro, Mark Blacklock, David Mark and Thomas Bunstead share insights into the nuts and bolts of their craft.
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John Keay, Horatio Clare, Ian Thomson, Charles Boyle, Laura Hird, Julian Turner, and Marina Benjamin on writing within 'their' genre.
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Nikki Sheehan, Sheena Wilkinson, Phoebe Power, Sarah Butler and Alex Nye consider what prompts them to write.
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William Ryan speaks with Doug Johnstone about crime writing, digging into history and the key to making the middle of a story work.
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Sarah Hilary, Jini Reddy, Marnie Riches and Peter Oswald reflect on how their relationship to their surroundings affects their writing.
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In the second installment of our ‘My True Genre’ series, we talk to RLF Fellows who work mostly in different forms to the genre they love most, examining the pleasures and pitfalls of keeping work to yourself, the perils of self-doubt and the influence of market forces.
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In the latest episode of the RLF Podcast Sheena Wilkinson tackles rejection, Kim Curran looks through her bottom drawer, David Mark kills his darlings and Vitali Vitaliev battles writer’s block.
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Charlie Hill speaks with Ann Morgan about becoming a better writer book by book, the value or otherwise of creative writing degrees, and knowing when to complicate the battle and when to eschew nuance.
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Mary-Jane Riley shares her experience of getting published, Beth Miller remembers publication day, Alys Fowler reveals how she celebrates a new release, Charlie Hill discusses festivals and Ian Ayris reveals his biggest writing surprise.
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In the first installment of our ‘My True Genre’ series, RLF Fellows discuss how writers discover which form of writing suits them best, including considerations such as financial reward, social pressure, personal inclination and happy accidents.
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William Ryan shares insights into how he writes scenes, Lauren James talks about how she writes and Menna van Praag tackles deadlines.
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Marnie Riches speaks with Doug Johnstone about the discipline required to write two books a year, the experience of moving publishers and how she’s found branching out into historical fiction.
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Michaela Morgan celebrates the power of poetry, Jasbinder Bilan rewrites a classic book and Tom Lee addresses his readers.
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RLF Fellows James Attlee, Lesley Glaister, Ruth Dugdall, and Mark Blacklock examine the idea of not fitting in, whether that means being an outsider, moving between genres, tackling loneliness or facing rejection.
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RLF Fellows Adriana Hunter, Simon Robson, and Anna Wilson explore technical challenges they have overcome in their work, such as learning to hear distinct voices in translation, the liberating power of repetition, and dealing with writer's block.
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Elizabeth Cook speaks with Ann Morgan about the experience of seeing your words set in music, the physical craft of writing and the difference between creating poetry and prose.
This episode of the Royal Literary Fund podcast was produced by Ann Morgan.
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Royal Literary Fund Fellows Sarah Hilary, Peter Fiennes and Claire Williamson explore the influence of past experiences on their work, taking in everything from valuable advice to troubling family history.
This episode of the Royal Literary Fund podcast was produced by Ann Morgan.
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In the second part of our investigation into ‘Writing versus life’, RLF writers examine the pitfalls that face writers who use material from real life in their work, paying particular attention to the ethics of story ownership, the challenge of protecting people's feelings and dealing with readers who mistakenly see themselves in your work.
This episode was produced by Ann Morgan.
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Royal Literary Fund writers explore the link between creativity and the world beyond the desk, touching on the role of exercise, the plight of the environment and the challenges of family life.
This episode of the Royal Literary Fund podcast was produced by Ann Morgan.
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John Greening speaks with Caroline Sanderson about discovering that poetry was his calling, and discusses his wide-ranging career in verse, editing and literary criticism.
This episode of the Royal Literary Fund podcast was recorded by Caroline Sanderson and produced by Ann Morgan.
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Royal Literary Fund writers explore how their writing relates to the people around them, taking in everything from working with community groups to dealing with isolation.
This episode was produced by Ann Morgan.
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In the first of a two-part exploration of the knotty problem of ‘Writing versus life’, Royal Literary Fund fellows discuss the ways writers try and sometimes fail to fit writing into their lives, including issues such as juggling family commitments, the importance of finding the right quality of silence and the value of a room of one's own.
This edition of the Royal Literary Fund Podcast is produced by Ann Morgan.
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Poetry Break: Karin Altenberg and Julia Copus discuss two poems by Tomas Tranströmer.
Karin Altenberg and our host Julia Copus discuss ‘Face to Face’ and ‘Solitude (I)’ by the late Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer, both translated by Robin Robertson.
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In ‘How I Write’, RLF writers reveal how they try and fail to beat distraction.
In this installment of 'How I Write', Royal Literary Fund writers discuss how they cope with the urge to procrastinate, touching on issues such as background noise, the usefulness of deadlines and the perils of having room with a view.
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Martyn Waites tells Doug Johnstone how he became a crime writer.
Martyn Waites speaks with Doug Johnstone about learning crime writing on the job, adopting a female pseudonym and the joys of writing daleks.
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CD Rose tells Ann Morgan about the joys and challenges of blurring fact and fiction.
CD Rose speaks with Ann Morgan about blurring the lines between fact and fiction, being persuaded to write a book and finding ways to commemorate geniuses whose work is never discovered.
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Lesley Glaister talks to Caroline Sanderson about the mysteries of the creative process, and the blend of dark and light in her fiction.
Lesley Glaister speaks with Caroline Sanderson about the mystery of why some of her characters roar into life while others don’t; pays tribute to Hilary Mantel as a friend and mentor of her work; and argues that the heart of her fiction doesn’t only lie in darkness, but also in the triumph of the human spirit.
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In ‘How I Write’, RLF writers discuss their favourite places to work.
In this installment of 'How I Write', we hear from Royal Literary Fund fellows about their favourite places to write, taking in everything from garden sheds to trains and foreign hotel rooms.
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Jamie Lee Searle speaks with Ann Morgan about translation and how it feeds into her other writing.
Jamie Lee Searle speaks with Ann Morgan about unpicking books layer by layer, overcoming the fear of writing and the practicalities of the creative life.
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Alan Jenkins speaks with John Greening about his career as an award-winning poet and critic.
Alan Jenkins speaks with John Greening about winning the Forward Prize, the moment he knew he would spend his life writing poetry, and the role of loss and death in his work.
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Michaela Morgan speaks with Ann Morgan about her experience as a poet and children’s writer.
Michaela Morgan speaks with Ann Morgan about becoming a reader by accident, writing for reluctant readers, using stories to unlock people and the importance of not writing down to children.
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In ‘How I Write’, RLF writers explore the age-old question of where ideas come from and how they get transformed into stories.
In this installment of 'How I Write', Royal Literary Fund writers discuss the mysterious mechanism by which stories, plays and poems are born, taking in everything from the arrival of the idea and the slog of the drafting process to the joys of editing.
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Jeremy Treglown speaks with Ann Morgan about his career as a literary biographer and critic.
Jeremy Treglown speaks with Ann Morgan about choosing biographical subjects, the fallibility of memory, trying to tell real-life stories fairly and the experience of being a critic as well as an author.
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Poetry Break: Emily Berry and Julia Copus discuss ‘I’ll Come When Thou Art Saddest’ by Emily Brontë.
Emily Berry and our host Julia Copus discuss the often overlooked poetry of Wuthering Heights author Emily Brontë, focusing on ‘I’ll Come When Thou Art Saddest’, in 'Poetry Break'.
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Lottie Moggach speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about the joys and challenges of writing novels.
Lottie Moggach speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about following in the footsteps of a novelist parent, the joys of plot and research, the experience of diving into writing historical fiction, and how to answer when someone asks you what you do.
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In ‘How I Write’, RLF writers discuss the different tools and technologies that help them produce their work.
In this installment of 'How I Write', Royal Literary Fund fellows discuss the relative merits of pen versus computer, the role stationery can play in planning, and some of the pros and cons of writing software.
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Brian Clegg speaks with Caroline Sanderson about the joys and challenges of writing about science.
Brian Clegg speaks with Caroline Sanderson about how he brought together his parallel passions for writing and for science; explains why we can all claim to be descended from royalty; and describes the sense of wonder that he believes is integral to science writing.
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Rosalind Harvey speaks with Ann Morgan about learning another language so well you dream in it, the process of finding the voice for other writers’ characters, and the link between writing and translating.
Syd Moore speaks with Doug Johnstone about Essex witches and their influence on her books, her new project exploring the Occult in World War Two, and the dilemma of whether to address or ignore the Covid-19 pandemic in an ongoing book series.
Syd Moore speaks with Doug Johnstone about her early writing life and the inclusive inspiration of seminal 80s and 90s culture, unexpectedly becoming a tv presenter on Channel 4, the self-doubt she experienced on not getting published, and the problematic Essex Girl stereotype.
In this installment of 'How I Write', Royal Literary Fund fellows discuss the tips, tricks and rituals they use to structure their writing days, with approaches including everything from going for a good walk to the Pomodoro technique.
Juliet Gilkes Romero speaks with Ann Morgan about telling history’s forgotten stories, writing about intersectionality, chasing down inconvenient truths, and the experience of taking up a writing residency at one of the UK’s most revered theatres.
Juliet Gilkes Romero speaks with Ann Morgan about childhood influences, developing a love of storytelling and how a career in journalism led to shaping narratives for the stage.
Jamie Lee Searle reflects on the experience of building a fiction-writing practice fifteen years into a translating career.
Chris Simms explains why research is his favourite part of writing, considers the advantages of talking with real people when seeking realism in fiction, and his own scary undercover experience at the sharp end of an Alsatian.
In this installment of 'My Favourite Book', Royal Literary Fund fellows share what books they love have taught them about craft, the role of the writer in a text and the tricky art of blurring poetry and prose.
Sara Wheeler speaks with Caroline Sanderson about the sources of her inspirations as a travel writer and biographer, why the future of travel writing is bright and why the writer’s job is to find hope and celebrate the individual human spirit’s survival.
Rebecca Watts and our host Julia Copus discuss ‘My Grandmother’s Love Letters’ by twentieth century American poet Hart Crane, in Poetry Break.
Gwyneth Lewis speaks with John Greening about being the first national poet of Wales, attempting to sail from Cardiff to Brazil, her experience of severe depression, the joy and challenge of finding out what you mean in both poetry and prose and her desire always to be trying new techniques in her writing.
Gwyneth Lewis speaks with John Greening about the unpredictable inspiration of a self-described ‘odd mind’, the attraction of sequences and the importance of fun as a motivator, writing about her astronaut cousin and the influence of Joseph Brodsky.
In this installment of 'My Favourite Book', we hear from Royal Literary Fund fellows about what makes particular books special to them, from subject matter and style to larger-than-life characters and those all-important opening lines.
Malachy Tallack speaks with Caroline Sanderson about how moving to Shetland as a child influenced his writing preoccupations, particularly his sense of place and the role of belonging , and how these things have come to imbue his varied fiction and non-fiction writing.
Adriana Hunter speaks with Ann Morgan about writing other people’s books, how sex scenes change between languages, the art of word games and the novels that never get to speak English.
Ian Ayris reveals how stories have been his constant companions, accompanying him through the darkest periods of his life and ultimately shaping his identity.
Elizabeth Cook explores how losses of all kinds shape us and may sometimes lead us to richer discoveries.
Alexandra Benedict speaks with Doug Johnstone about writing fiction and audio drama in the Doctor Who universe, co-writing works such as the Lovecraft-themed audio drama Arkham County with her partner Guy, and her sometimes stress-inducing habit of having many writing projects on the go simultaneously.
Alexandra Benedict speaks with Doug Johnstone about taking up writing at the age of three, her enduring fascination with dark and disturbing themes, the role of place in her creative output and how synaesthesia has influenced her use of unusual sensory details in her writing.
In this installment of 'My Favourite Author', we examine the influence that favourite authors have had on RLF writers' work, considering the technical, personal and cultural effect that prominent literary figures have had on their admirers.
Polly Morland speaks with Caroline Sanderson about how the skills acquired during a 15-year documentary film-making career fed into her vocational non-fiction writing, allowing her to blend ideas from self-help, psychology and philosophy with reportage of ordinary, yet extraordinary human stories.
Ian Ayris speaks with Ann Morgan about the therapeutic power of storytelling, football’s role in male expression, learning to write in your own voice and discovering the joys of Shakespeare.
Adriana Hunter contemplates the limitations of automated language translation by computers, and the liberties that human translators simply must take with source material.
Brian Clegg considers our human tendency to interpret the world via patterns and categories, and explains the trouble this causes when it comes to getting books into the hands of readers that might enjoy them.
Rebecca Goss speaks with John Greening about collaboration with artists and photographers, the various uses of pamphlets at different stages of a writing career, her return to Suffolk and curiosity about rural life and the continuing importance of loving the process of writing.
Rebecca Goss speaks with John Greening about the poetry collection Her Birth and the process of writing it, starting out as a writer and the influence of English teachers, pushing herself in new directions with language in Girl and fighting to break away from couplets.
RLF writers lay out their reasons for calling someone their favourite author, exploring the role that biography, style, message and childhood influences play in fostering powerful affinities.
Clare Chambers speaks with Ann Morgan about the experience of having a breakout success, the secret to creating convincing historical settings, the disruptive influence of mobile phones on storytelling and the importance of balancing pessimism and optimism in a writing career.
Dilys Rose speaks with Doug Johnstone about her literary work including poetry, short stories, novels and historical fiction, the different technical challenges of each form, her collaborations with composers and artists and her own visual arts practice.
Ann Morgan and our host Julia Copus speak about three objects that have a special significance in Ann's writing life, and Ann passes on three of her top writing tips.
Andrew Greig speaks with Doug Johnstone about historical fiction, his fascination with Scottish culture in its many guises, nearly dying of a brain cyst, the death of ambition and relief of being an ‘onlooker not a player’ and coming full-circle back to making music.
Andrew Greig speaks with Doug Johnstone about 60s music as his gateway to poetry, his accidental success as a poet while failing to becoming a musician, how a poem got him a place on Himalayan climbing expeditions and the value he places on triggering emotion in his readers.
RLF writers share the tips they’ve found most useful in helping them to hone their craft, from advice on subject matter choice and picking writing companions to the tricky business of how to end lines well in poems.
Penny Boxall speaks with John Greening about poetry as ‘igniting little moments of history’, poetic inspiration as a gap that you feel yourself into, goers and duds, her move into other genres such as children’s historical fiction and her advice for young writers.
Lucy Flannery confesses to an out-of-control obsession with stationery, explaining that every notebook and index card has a role in her creative process and reminding us that nothing is ever really thrown away when you’re a writer.
Alexandra Benedict considers the many different modes of sensory perception (including her own intriguing experience of synaesthesia), and explores how the senses can make their way into writing.
Lawrence Sail speaks with Ann Morgan about the importance of fallow periods, the difficult art of writing about and for people you know, the difference between a poem and a description and being drunk on the power and enjoyment of words.
RLF writers consider what advice might be most helpful for those hoping to pursue the writing life, including thoughts on time management, careers guidance and maintaining emotional equilibrium through the highs and lows of the creative process.
Peter Oswald speaks with John Greening about his passion for verse drama, his work translating writers such as Schiller, his introduction to Steiner and theosophical theatre and the struggle to find institutional support for verse drama and long-form poetry.
Anna Wilson speaks with Caroline Sanderson about wild swimming and taking the plunge with her writing, keeping a child’s eye view of the world and how a blog about grief led to the writing of her first book for adults - a memoir of her mother.
Michael Bond and our host Julia Copus speak about three objects that have a special significance in Michael's writing life, and Michael passes on three of his top writing tips, in 'Three Little Things'.
Lucy Flannery speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about fallow and active creative phases, the terror and euphoria of live theatre, working collaboratively with other writers and adapting and extending Wodehouse and Austen.
Lucy Flannery speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about internal monologues, making the leap into writing comedy, thinking as an important aspect of working and the act of writing as achieving a balance between ‘crippling self-doubt and alarming chutzpah’.
Lawrence Sail and our host Julia Copus discuss two favourite classic poems by Emily Dickinson - ‘I heard a Fly buzz - when I died -’ and ‘I could die - to know -’', in Poetry Break.
Jonathan Edwards speaks with John Greening about Welsh tradition and the impact of Welsh nationalism in poetry, writing about family in the context of truth and fiction, the impact of winning a major poetry prize and the Bic 4-way pen as the most essential tool in his creative process.
RLF writers explore the effects that encounters with readers have on them, and the sometimes surprising consequences of interacting with someone who might have read your words rather differently than you imagined.
Julia Copus speaks with Ann Morgan about building a varied writing career, the need to be brave, creating a new poetic form and the days when the words won’t come.
Penny Boxall seeks inspiration at Laurence Sterne’s Shandy Hall, wondering how to move forward as a writer after the loss of her mother and her previous creative rituals.
Jonathan Edwards considers the poet WH Davies, whose extensive body of work forms a bridge between two worlds - the natural beauty of South Wales, and the gritty reality of early 20th century London and its poverty.
Michael Bond speaks with Caroline Sanderson about his enduring fascination with observing the ways in which we are influenced by our social and physical surroundings, the joys of fandom and the art of navigation, both outdoors and on the page.
RLF writers consider the role that audience plays in the writing process, exploring the possibilities and limitations that thinking about who will read, watch or listen to your work introduces to the tricky business of putting words on the page.
Julianne Pachico speaks with Caroline Sanderson about growing up in Colombia at an unstable and threatening time, how horror and suspense fiction have influenced her work, and how she marries the demands of teaching creative writing with those of producing her own work.
Linda Hoy takes a writer's journey through the Peak District National Park, and explores its many inspiring aspects.
Jonathan Edwards shares his love of Newport, and the many sights, sounds and events to be found there.
Anna Wilson and our host Julia Copus speak about three objects that have a special significance in Anna's writing life, and Anna passes on three of her top writing tips, in 'Three Little Things'.
Andy Jackson speaks with John Greening about the patron saints of obscure and modern things, the sonnet as a ‘design classic’, anthologising as the joy of involving other poets in ‘daft ideas’ and the fun of ‘otwituaries’.
Andy Jackson speaks with John Greening about writing groups, imposter syndrome, getting published perhaps too early and being inspired by people rather than things.
Bethan Roberts yearns for Anglesey, a place of family history, childhood holidays and a beautiful, mysterious family language.
Morgen Witzel explores the moods of Dartmoor, and surveys the many writers, including himself, who have been inspired by its solitude.
Rebecca Goss looks up at the skies she's lived beneath, and considers how they've shaped her writing from above.
John Greening and our host Julia Copus discuss two favourite classic poems by Edward Thomas, ‘The Owl’ and ‘Adlestrop’, in Poetry Break.
Lydia Syson speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about moving into fiction and ghostwriting, her enthusiasm for history and her ethical motivations, the role of luck in publishing and the myths of writerly machismo.
Lydia Syson speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about childhood freedom in Botswana, how Critical Theory nearly destroyed her writing career, history as vicarious travel and her obsessive accuracy when it comes to historical and geographical details.
Mary Colson defends the honour of much-derided Milton Keynes, and explains why, for her, it's an inspiring environment.
Martin Day introduces the landscape around Yeovil, and explores how childhood vistas underpin our mental landscapes and writing.
Penny Boxall introduces us to Shandy Hall, the intriguing home of Laurence Sterne on the North York Moors.
Lucy Jago and our host Julia Copus speak about three objects that have a special significance in Lucy's writing life, and Lucy passes on three of her top writing tips, in 'Three Little Things'.
Catherine O'Flynn speaks with Bethan Roberts about the importance of location, the nebulous nature of a writer’s job, and her disastrous experience of renting an office to write in.
Catherine O'Flynn speaks with Bethan Roberts about childhood sleuthing, the difference between writing adult and children’s fiction, and her inner self that never grew up.
Amanda Mitchison visits Coleridge's cottage in Nether Stowey, the place where he wrote some of his greatest poems.
Julia Crouch takes a promenade on Brighton Beach, the inspiration for her first novel and for other famous neighbours.
Kathryn Maris and our host Julia Copus discuss two favourite classic poems by Thomas Hardy, ‘The Convergence of the Twain’ and ‘The Voice’, in Poetry Break.
Paul Dowswell speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about the constraints of the publishing industry, the importance of drama in the stories you choose to write, and what he wants to convey to young readers about zealotry and totalitarianism.
Paul Dowswell speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about childhood classics such as Molesworth and Noggin the Nog, starting out in publishing as an image researcher, writing to order as a staff member and then freelancer, and knowing what you’re good at.
Caroline Smailes takes us for a soak at the Victoria Baths in Manchester, a self-proclaimed Water Palace of the Victorian era.
Mark Illis explores Blackheath in south-east London, and the layers of memory that cluster there.
Clare Fisher wanders the many ginnels, alleys, nooks and crannies of Leeds, and examines their role in inspiring her writing.
Sita Brahmachari and our host Julia Copus speak about three objects that have a special significance in Sita's writing life, and Sita passes on three of her top writing tips, in our newest series 'Three Little Things'.
Lois Pryce speaks with Ann Morgan about travelling the world by motorbike, the way writing changes a journey and the challenge and value of understanding each other.
Bethan Roberts speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about the inspiration found in small details from real lives, writing for radio, and the productivity merits of her cafe habit.
Bethan Roberts speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about her family tradition of oral storytelling, becoming a novelist after abandoning literary theory, and accidentally writing a novel about Elvis.
Caroline Sanderson revisits her childhood home for the first time in five decades, to compare memory with reality.
Paul Dodgson takes us to Hythe on the south coast of Kent, drawn back to a place he was once desperate to escape.
Clare Chambers explains why the apparently prosaic location of the south-east London suburbs has been such a source of inspiration in her work.
Rebecca Goss and our host Julia Copus discuss two classic poems, 'Bath' by Amy Lowell and 'Sea Love' by Charlotte Mew, in another instalment of our special ‘Poetry Break’ series.
Laura Barnett unpacks the myth that writing needs lots of time, and explores the focusing effect that external demands can have on the creative process.
Ros Schwartz explores recent initiatives, by the community of translators and by committed independent publishers, that have transformed the publication of literature in translation.
Ben Musgrave speaks with Ann Morgan about writing across cultures, creating drama over Zoom, the value of writing groups and the importance of trusting yourself.
Babs Horton takes us to Tredegar, a small town in the Welsh Valleys, ravaged by coal and politics.
Brian Clegg re-haunts the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, where the ghosts of modern physics collect.
Tamar Yellin explains the influence of the moorland landscape of Bronte Country on her life and work.
Rhiannon Tise speaks with Ann Morgan about collaborating with actors, producers and the listener, adapting classic novels for radio, being drawn to the dark edges and keeping the essence of a project.
In the third instalment of 'My Genre’s Status', we speak with RLF writers who struggle against being pigeonholed, and consider issues such as the way different countries categorise literature, the challenges of hybrid forms and the need to keep pushing the boundaries.
Bethan Roberts explores the varying ways in which truth has transmuted into fiction in her novels, the different nature of truth in fiction versus truth in historical research, and how far she’s prepared to go when inhabiting characters who are also real people.
Lawrence Sail considers the balance between recognising things and discovering them, as experienced during the creative writing process, particularly in poetry.
Karl Whitney recalls the unlovely Central Motorway area of Newcastle upon Tyne, and how he found himself at home there.
Zoë Howe takes us to Canvey Island in the Thames Estuary, low-lying outpost of a cockney diaspora.
Ros Schwartz speaks with Ann Morgan about translating classic literature, learning to ventriloquise other writers, the importance of leaving some words untranslated and the linguistic challenges of the front-loading washing machine.
In the second installment of 'My Genre’s Status', RLF writers consider the challenges and opportunities that come with working in a booming or highly regarded genre, with the effects of technology, the impact of high-profile prizewinners and bestsellers, and the perils of marketing all playing a role.
Lois Pryce highlights the potential perils of writing about real people in non-fiction and memoir, and shares the tactics a writer can employ to keep everyone happy, including themselves.
Rhiannon Tise shares her joy in creative collaboration, in her theatre work and particularly in radio drama.
Emma Darwin speaks with Ann Morgan about trying and failing to write a novel based around her talented ancestors, and how creative non-fiction provided a satisfying solution.
Emma Darwin speaks with Ann Morgan about learning to write novels by doing it, balancing research and storytelling and writing what you come to know as well as what you already understand.
In the first instalment of 'My Genre’s Status', we talk to writers who feel that the kind of writing they do tends to be looked down upon, and consider the factors that may contribute to certain fields being literature's poor relations.
Alice Albinia speaks with Ann Morgan about travelling alone through Pakistan, prophetesses who can control the weather, the fact that Westminster used to be an island and female solidarity.
Laura Barnett speaks with Ann Morgan about capturing moments on the page, using details to create worlds, encountering sexism in the comments section and holding onto the book you want to write.
Maggie Butt (also published as Maggie Brookes) speaks with Ann Morgan about the transition from being a published poet to an internationally published novelist, the resilience writing requires and the challenge of choosing a pen name.
Lydia Syson reflects on the particular kinds of truth that fiction can reveal, considers the radical history of her maternal forebears, and puts the case for novel-reading as an essential element of historical research in ‘The Evidence of Fiction’.
Lucy Caldwell speaks with Ann Morgan about her short stories and writing about Northern Ireland, the impact of parenthood on creative work, the lure of poetry and the knack of knowing when to stick the knife in with live audiences.
Lucy Caldwell speaks with Ann Morgan about influential mentors, the challenges of publishing young and the struggles that writers’ biographies often hide, and the comparative strengths and demands of different writing forms.
Caroline Brothers speaks with Ann Morgan about writing international stories and her roots as a foreign correspondent, the different forms of bravery involved in writing and the process of seeing your work adapted for the stage.
Jane Feaver and our host Julia Copus discuss two classic poems by John Clare in another instalment of our special ‘Poetry Break’ series.
Linda Cracknell speaks with Doug Johnstone about creative non-fiction, walking as working, her community activities and residencies in Scotland and overseas, her radio drama work and her new calling to write about the sea.
Linda Cracknell speaks with Doug Johnstone about starting to write short stories 'because they were short', the interaction between writing and place, her first novel set in the remote landscape of Caithness and her creative non-fiction work 'Doubling Back'.
Catherine O'Flynn pens a bittersweet elegy to the freedom of aimless driving and dark nights on the urban flyovers of Birmingham.
Paul Dowswell takes a tour of the modern landscape of book reviewing, and finds it more than a little uneven.
Bill Kirton speaks with Doug Johnstone about his love of variety and new experiences, following wherever his interest leads him in his writing, and his long-term collaboration with a writer in Canada he’s never actually met in person.
Bill Kirton speaks with Doug Johnstone about becoming a teacher and loving it, being surprised by becoming ‘A Writer’ at the same time, creating radio drama and how-to writing guides, and the generally serendipitous progress of his life and career.
In the second instalment of 'My Hero', we hear from a number of RLF writers about their personal heroes, and how those heroes have had an impact on their lives and their writing.
Alicia Foster speaks with Catherine O’Flynn about her unusual childhood in an isolated former nursing home, growing up goth, her twin passions of visual art and literature, and accidentally becoming a novelist after being an academic.
Sarah Ardizzone speaks with Ann Morgan about the influence of performance on writing, the additional complications of translating graphic novels, and the need for what she calls ‘translation activism’.
Sarah Ardizzone speaks with Ann Morgan about the development of her career as a translator, translating writers in French who sit outside the mainstream, and the challenges of rendering slang convincingly in a different language and setting.
In ‘Why I Write', we talk to a number of RLF writers about what makes them write and why they keep going.
Sarah LeFanu explores the question of what name(s) to use for biographical subjects, the ongoing danger ‘of not being quite critical enough’ when the subject starts to feel like a friend, and the persistent asymmetry of naming men by surname and women by first name.
Caroline Brothers investigates the issue of cultural appropriation in fiction, suggesting the right way for novelists to avoid crossing that line.
Kate Worsley speaks with Bethan Roberts about the rich vernacular in her historical novel She Rises, the origins of its intertwined structure, what learning to sail taught her about character and how her novel has grown into a trilogy.
Kate Worsley speaks with Bethan Roberts about the substantial retraining she took when switching from journalism to fiction writing, the research joy to be found in both disciplines, the problem of impostor syndrome and the value of a good mentor.
Ian McMillan and our host Julia Copus discuss three classic poems by Robert Frost in another instalment of our special ‘Poetry Break’ series.
Chris Westwood shares his Break Point experience, explaining how a reset period in a fresh location helped him both to recover his creative writing self and to understand what had happened to disable it.
Emma Darwin recalls the early days of online writing communities, and explains how her popular blog “This Itch of Writing” came into being.
Andrew Cowan speaks with Bethan Roberts about escaping the noose of perfectionism, what research brings to the writing process and what ‘write what you know’ really means in every genre, his ongoing imposter syndrome and the relative pleasures of writing fiction and guide-books.
Andrew Cowan speaks with Bethan Roberts about growing up as a working class boy in Corby, eventually taking a Creative Writing MA mostly because he liked being a student, the way his writing proceeds from the visual to the written to the auditory and the slow genesis and under-appreciated success of his first novel.
Alyson Hallett visits the watery landscape of the Somerset Levels, to encounter an enormous murmuration of starlings.
Tom Connolly takes us to a tiny fishing outpost in Scotland, only accessible by foot, which is where his first novel began.
Sarah LeFanu speaks with Ann Morgan about how activism preceded authorship, writing a critical history of women’s speculative fiction because she wanted to teach it, her experiences in revolutionary Mozambique and her role in the Women’s Press and the subsequent illusion of ‘post-feminism’.
Linda Cracknell travels to France in the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson, considering the effects of motion and travel on writing and discovering that sitting beside a river can be as much of a journey as sitting on a long distance train.
Dan Richards visits the beautiful archipelago that provided both part-time home and profound inspiration for one of Finland’s best-loved writers.
Valerie Gillies speaks with Doug Johnstone about poetry’s place in Scottish life, her multi-disciplinary practice inspired by studies in 1970s India and ongoing collaborations, and her role as a practitioner in arts-based health work.
Catherine O'Flynn is surprised by the dearth of literature about car boot sales, the ideal place to take your internal apocalpysometer for a spin.
Stuart Walton recalls the Pleasureland Fairground, home of ‘The Rides’, an experience that grew with him and his sister throughout their youth.
Bashabi Fraser speaks with Ann Morgan about becoming a writer and researcher in London and Bengal, bridging two worlds as a ‘Scottish Indian’, the tremendous inspiration of her biographee Rabindranath Tagore and the rare privilege of 'gift' poems.
Nick Caistor speaks with Ann Morgan about discovering other realities through language learning at school and in Argentina, the chameleon nature of translation and challenges such as humour, and the importance of maintaining a regular creative writing practice in your own language.
Cherise Saywell speaks with Doug Johnstone about the correspondence course that showed her she had something to say, the striking sense of place in her writing, her love of clean, understated prose and the benefits of continuing to write short stories alongside her novels.
Syd Moore takes us to the liminal spaces of the Essex Estuary, where land and sea meet and mingle.
Amanda Dalton reconsiders Coventry, the place where she grew up that has now become less a place on a map than a state of mind.
Stephen Sharkey asks why anybody would want to turn a perfectly good novel into a stage play, and explains the value in turning the solitary pursuit of reading into the shared experience of theatre.
Bill Kirton considers Gustav Flaubert’s masterpiece, suggesting that its irregularities might be subversion rather than error, and spends an evening with his eponymous heroine.
Shelley Harris speaks with Bethan Roberts about prose perfectionism and embracing the ‘dirty first draft’, the fear of ‘using up’ all your talent, other disabling myths about writerhood and the writer’s ideal superpower.
Shelley Harris speaks with Bethan Roberts about writers’ outsiderhood, the influence of moving to the UK from South Africa as a child, overcoming a crippling fear of failure and having her first published novel picked for the Richard and Judy book club.
Sanjida O'Connell visits Rowberrow in Somerset, exploring the joys of country cottages gone feral and needing some love.
Emylia Hall goes about as far west as possible, to the Cornwall landscapes of her childhood that she rediscovered through writing.
Amanda Dalton speaks with Amanda Whittington about moving from teaching to writing, the cross-fertilisation of poems and drama in her work, and the bold approach she’s taken to audio drama in reimagining classic silent films for radio.
Former RLF Trustee Richard Holmes speaks with Gabriel Gbadamosi about the intrusions and liberations of biographical research, shares some useful advice for aspiring biographers and considers the impact of photography and the changing nature of biography as a form.
Former RLF Trustee Richard Holmes speaks with Gabriel Gbadamosi about falling in love with your biographical subjects, the importance of notebooks and the biographer’s own experience, the role of empathy and the “imaginary conversation” between biographer and subject.
Fraser Grace tours us around a town that might not be notable for much, but nonetheless has many hidden treasures.
Robin Etherington explores the influence of grand architecture on his writing, starting with Arundel Castle in West Sussex.
Shyama Perera speaks with Ann Morgan about her move from journalism to fiction writing, the influence of music in her work, growing up around casual racism and being a ‘portfolio woman’ thriving on teaching as well as writing.
Mirza Waheed speaks with Ann Morgan about why non-Western literature shouldn’t have to explain itself to Western readers, who can tell which stories, how parenthood and being primary carer have affected him as a writer, and the secret joy of working on buses.
Mirza Waheed speaks with Ann Morgan about his childhood in Kashmir and the injustice and violence he witnessed there, encountering the English literary canon in Delhi, and the influence of those experiences when writing his first novel in London.
David Spencer takes us on a tour of Halifax, exploring its 20th century history and meeting his own family ghosts.
Leigh Russell takes us far from the bucolic, to a piece of waste ground lying beside a railway track.
Sue Teddern speaks with Bethan Roberts about her varied writing career in magazines, radio, TV and fiction, and the need for realism when dealing with the unavoidable constraints of commercial writing.
Amanda Dalton considers the ventriloquism of the author, and encounters the deeper writing self that can speak uncomfortable truths ‘from the gut’.
Shahrukh Husain unveils the obstacles faced by the author, however well-established, who is contemplating a mid-career change of genre.
Hannah Vincent speaks with Bethan Roberts about how acting led her to playwriting, working as a script editor, her mid-career move into fiction, the ‘core self’ that drives creativity and some of the recurring themes in her work.