The Brit Lit Podcast
Our guest on episode 78 is poet Blake Auden, who has almost 300,000 Instagram followers and is known for speaking openly about mental health. He also has four collections of poems out in the world, and the most recent is Murmuration, which came out in October.
info_outline Bonus episode: The Idea Of You, with Robinne LeeThe Brit Lit Podcast
My guest in this special bonus episode is Robinne Lee, the author of my favourite read of 2021, The Idea Of You. She's not British, but I loved this book so much that I wanted to bring you this interview anyway!
info_outline 77: The Party Crasher, with Sophie KinsellaThe Brit Lit Podcast
I’m so excited to bring you an interview with none other than Sophie Kinsella, who’s known to many as the queen of British chick lit and the author of the mega-bestselling Shopaholic series.
info_outline 76: Careless, with Kirsty CapesThe Brit Lit Podcast
This month’s guest is Kirsty Capes, author of the novel Careless. We talked about why she wanted to write about female friendship, what it was like to study with Bernadine Evaristo, why it's especially important for kids in the foster care system to see themselves reflected in books, and a whole lot more.
info_outline 75: The Roxy Letters, with Mary Pauline LowryThe Brit Lit Podcast
This month’s guest is Mary Pauline Lowry, who wrote . Mary is married to a Brit, and she had lots of fascinating insights about the cultural differences between the countries, and I loved talking to her back about Bridget Jones and Jane Austen too. The Roxy Letters was one of my favourite reads of 2020. It was really fun and just what I needed. It’s out now in paperback. Mary and I talked about why we love epistolary novels, took a bit of an accidental deep dive into books about Hollywood, chatted about the difference between...
info_outline 74: The Summer Job, with Lizzy DentThe Brit Lit Podcast
Our guest on episode 74 of the Brit Lit Podcast, is Lizzy Dent, who wrote The Summer Job, and who’s also a YA author -- as Rebecca Denton, she wrote This Beats Perfect, among other books.
info_outline 73: Star-Crossed, with Minnie DarkeThe Brit Lit Podcast
Our guest on episode 73 of the Brit Lit Podcast is Danielle Wood who, as Minnie Darke, wrote one of Claire's very favourite books of recent years, called Star Crossed. Among other things, she discussed what makes One Day by David Nicholls such an amazing novel, and gave some recommendations for books by Tasmanian authors.
info_outline 72: Who's Loving You: Love Stories by Women of Colour, with Sareeta DomingoThe Brit Lit Podcast
Our guest today is Sareeta Domingo, who’s the author of both adult and young adult fiction, and most recently the editor of the collection called Who's Loving You: Love Stories by Women of Colour. She talks about romantic reads she loves, the process of putting together an anthology, why books by British authors of colour are important, and more.
info_outline 71: Exciting Times, with Naoise DolanThe Brit Lit Podcast
Today, we hear from Naoise Dolan, who’s an Irish author and the writer of the Women’s Prize longlisted novel Exciting Times. She and I talked about cultural and literary differences between the UK, the US, and Ireland, what we both think about the idea of “likeable” characters, some great Irish authors, and more.
info_outline The Most Fun Job, with Laurie Gillman of East City BookshopThe Brit Lit Podcast
Happy Independent Bookstore Day! I work part-time in a lovely bookshop on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, and in this bonus episode, I interview my boss, Laurie Gillman, who founded the shop five years ago, to talk about what goes into starting and running a bookshop.
info_outlineOn episode 61, we hear from Rosanna Amaka, whose debut novel The Book of Echoes came out in the now long-distant era of February this year, though I spoke to her just before her publication date. The Book of Echoes is a powerful novel that encompasses several different points in history, including the slave trade and the Brixton Riots. Alex Wheatle, who also writes about that part of London, said the following about the Book of Echoes: 'So bewitching I almost felt like I time-travelled back into Brixton 1981. A gorgeous book'. The Observer called it impassioned, lyrical, and affecting, and the Independent called it powerfully redemptive.
Rosanna Amaka talked about her long and winding path to publication, how Brixton has changed over the years, and more.
Books Mentioned on the Podcast:
The Book of Echoes, by Rosanna Amaka
The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead
The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead
The Intuitionist, by Colson Whitehead
The Flatshare, by Beth O'Leary
The Switch, by Beth O'Leary
A Theatre for Dreamers, by Polly Samson
You People, by Nikita Lalwani
Stim, by Lizzie Huxley-Jones
Sway, by Dr Pragya Agarwal
Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, by Craig Brown
One Two Three Four, by Craig Brown
Unscripted, by Claire Handscombe
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