Rippling Pages: Interviews with Writers

Deb Olin Unferth on awe and writing the bottom of the ocean and outer space

We're going to the bottom of the ocean and to outer space for this near-future literary escapade about when the world is no longer habitable. Deb Olin Unferth joined me from Austin, Texas, to talk about her latest novel, Earth 7. Deb's novel is inventive in its world-building, taking us into the cosmos, its exploration of human and non-human relationships, and capacity for both fear and wonder for what the future might hold for humans. Deb has quite the. C.V. She’s the author of seven books, including novels Barn 8 and Vacation, and the memoir, Revolution, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics’ Circle Award. She’s published graphic novels, story collections, and her writing has also appeared in Harper’s, the New York Times, Paris Review, Granta, and McSweeney’s. She’s also received Guggenheim Fellowships and Pushcart Prizes. So a good episode if you're wanting to see a writer pushing their boundaries and modes and picking up awards and fellowships along the way If you fancy getting more from the Rippling Pages, including an exclusive Patreon only podcast on what makes the openings of books so good, why not consider suscribing here! https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi And buy all the books mentioned on the show. Buying from this link supports indie bookshops and the Rippling Pages as I get a very small commission from every book sold through this link. https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Chapters 0.17 - Introduction to Deb's work. 2.40 - the capacity of Deb's novel 3.30 - Why Deb went to space. 7.20 - the fate of humans 12.20 - the mother daughter relationship 19.20 - How would Deb's dad respond to this book 20.45 - the idea of hope 26.15 - the rippling pages patreon 27:45 - where are the other earths 34.15 - The importance of Deb's research. 39.00 - How does love fit into the novel. 42.00 - cynicism and feeling hopeful. Books and Writers Samantha Harvey - Orbital Barn 8 - Deb Olin Unferth Pascal Clancy Martin

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Louisa Bello’s sheer determination to get published and being inspired by a friend

What company Louisa Bello is! A story about an agent, a publisher and a pub and sheer determination to get published, and taking a friend’s experience to inspire your first novel. Louisa Bello is here to talk about WHERE THE SHADOW’S END (époque Press) What I loved about Louisa’s novel, however, is its commitment to, indeed, presenting a panoply of voices and identities in its inner city suburbs. But also it’s fierce commitment to exploring the mental health of a man trying to negotiate his way through this community. Louisa herself is a British-Nigerian who was raised in south-London, but has lived all over the world. She’s led creative workshops for Africa Writers at the British Library, and served as a trustee for the Pelican Post. This novel is her first and was longlisted for the Pat Kavanagh Prize for Writing Excellence, and supported by an Arts Council Grant. Please note that today’s episode features discussions of schizophrenia and mental health Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages Patreon and become a Page Rippler! https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Buy all the books here!:https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/louisa-bello-reading-list?&new-list-page=true&bkshp-astro=t Chapters 1.30 Living in Ecuador 2.27 - leave a five star review 2.58 - A story based on a friend’ 6.10 - Diverse London community 8.35 - an agent, a publisher, and a pub 13.50 - Sam’s trauma and loneliness 22.30 - How Louisa researched the novel 29.15 - Other London writers and trauma 34.45 - Louisa’s next novel Reference Points Films - Crazywise (2016: Phil Borges and Kevin Tomlinson) Books - Bernadine Evaristo - Carl Jung - Mel Robbins - Zadie Smith - White Teeth

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Deepa Anappara describes the importance of Moby Dick to her novel…and a Rippling Points Preview

This is some bonus content from the latest Rippling Pages Coffee Conversations. This is as real as it gets - two microphones, two writers getting real about writing! Here, Deepa is talking about our favourite Rippling Pages bonus segment, and speaks about the importance of Moby Dick. You’ll also hear a preview of the Rippling Points podcast, a podcast for those who want to understand the ideas behind books exclusive to Patreon Subscribers. Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages Patreon and become a Page Rippler! https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Books Buy all the books here!: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/july-s-reads-2026?&new-list-page=true&bkshp-astro=t Rudyard Kipling T.S.Eliot Herman Melville - Moby Dick Alexandra David-Néel Larissa Pham - Discipline (2026, Serpent’s Tail) Larissa Pham - Pop Song. (2021, Catapult Books) Deepa’s Books Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line - (2020, Random House) Letters to a Writer of Color: An Anthology (2023, Vintage Books) - edited by Deepa Anappara, Taymour Soomro, and Madeleine Thien Chapters 0.15 - Introduction 03.50 - Deepa Anappara objects of influence 08.20 - Rippling Points preview

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Deepa Anappara on great storytelling and complex explorations of grief

It’s time for another special episode where we have another coffee conversation! As ever with the coffee conversations, this is a real as it gets. Two microphones, two writers getting real about writing! And this is a book that has a bit of everything. It’s 1869. Tibet is a forbidden kingdom and closed to foreigners. Tibet is also an unwilling participant in what was called, ‘The Great Game’, a geopolitical rivalry, shall we call it, that didn’t escalate into a full-scale war, but it did see both Russia and the United Kingdom trying to expand their territories. Deepa takes us on a sweeping journey back into history as she brings to life what was at stake for those explorers who, secretly, conceitedly, and ambitiously, crossed those borders. But it's also a prescient exploration of boundaries and borders and a hymn to the complicated emotion of grief. And, as well all that, it’s an example of just really good storytelling. Deepa Anappara is here to talk to me about THE LAST OF EARTH published by Oneworld Publications. Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages Patreon and become a Page Rippler! https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Chapters 2.45 - Writing about the mountains 6.20 - Political dimensions of map-making 8.30 - inspiration from maps 12.15 - Characters and the captain 15.15 - Moby Dick and naming characters 21.45 - Rippling Pages Patreon 23.15 - Who is Catherine? 28.30 - Women, race, and getting into Tibet 31.15 - Guilt, death and grief 35.20 - Finding meaning in loneliness 37.30 - Deepa’s own grief Reading List Buy all the books here!: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/july-s-reads-2026?&new-list-page=true&bkshp-astro=t Rudyard Kipling T.S.Eliot Herman Melville - Moby Dick Alexandra David-Néel Deepa’s Books Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line - (2020, Random House) Letters to a Writer of Color: An Anthology (2023, Vintage Books) - edited by Deepa Anappara, Taymour Soomro, and Madeleine Thien

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Ashton Politanoff tells us how to write tense scenes and write a novel set in the world of tennis

It's a summer of sport, and I am here for it! Ashton Politanoff is here to talk to me about his novel, DAD HAD A BAD DAY (Daunt Books) Ashton's novel is an articulate exploration of masculinity, its patiently crafted unraveling narrative, and its loyal homage to the sport of tennis. Here's some fun facts about Ashton. Ashton Politanoff is a frequent contributor to NOON, edited by Diane Williams. He is a former Division I tennis player, and his childhood coach was Robert Lansdorp, who is credited with coaching Pete Sampras and Maria Sharapova. Politanoff’s first novel, You’ll Like It Here, was published in 2022 by Dalkey Archive Press. He is an English professor at Cypress College, and lives in Los Angeles. In the episode, we'll be talking about (im)perfect role models and father figures, the challenges of writing about your passion, how to write narrative tension, and yes, of course, and tennis. A reading list of books Ashton mentions in this episode are available to buy here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/july-s-reads-2026?&new-list-page=true&bkshp-astro=t Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages Patreon and become a Page Rippler! https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Chapters - 1.15 - Pete Sampras and Maria Sharipova? - 2.10 - watching Wimbledon - 4.15 - Who is Ned and why tennis? - 5.45 - setting a novel in a tennis club - 7.40 - Did Ashton feel like he had to write this novel - 10.15 - Ned's relationship with his son. - 11.50 - Tough challenges of writing sons - 15.10 - fathers and sons and sports. - 17.45 - Ashton's own tennis career - 19.30 - different fraternal and paternal relationships - 20.30 - Rippling Pages Bookshop - 21.45 - Writing key smalls scenes - 27.00 - Writing tension - 32.25 - Ned's relationship with his wife. - 37.30 - Writing about tennis! -

Alice Hattrick on creatively writing about history and embroidery and mother daughter relationships

I had the absolute pleasure hosting Alice Hattrick up in Leeds for a special edition of the Rippling Pages at Leeds Literature Festival. I'm a huge fan of Alice's first book, ILL FEELINGS (Fitzcarraldo Editions), so I was obviously really excited to get stuck into their next book, FANCY WORK (Fitzcarraldo Editions), for this special live edition of the Rippling Pages. That book indeed weaved (auto)biography, science art history, reportage, and polemic to explore the impact of chronic illness on theirs and their mother’s lives. Alice applied some of these innovative techniques to FANCY WORK. Alice explores the life and work of the incredibly influential Morris family and the arts and craft movement. Alice finds and traces evidence and ephemerality related to the life and work May Morris and their gender non-conforming partner, M.F. Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Chapters 0.15 - Introduction to the event 02.15 - How Alice was enjoying Leeds 03.00 - What is the book about? 05.00 - Who are the Morris Family? 9.00 - How the Morris's went back in history. 13.10 - Embroidery as labour 14.50 - Alice's reading. 22.45 - Why write history in this way? 26.05 - Making money from embroidery/writing 28.05 - How to uncover history 34.45 - Alice writing about feelings 40.00 - Alice's relationship with their mum. 43.00 - Alice's mum is an embroider 47.00 - Love in Alice's novel 47.30 - Rippling Pages Patreon Prize. Reference Points Walter Benjamin Judith Butler Ill Feelings (2021: Fitzcarraldo Books) - Alice Hattrick Feeling Backward: Loss and the Politics of Queer History - Heather Love (2007:Harvard University Press) Queering the Subversive Stich (2020: Bloomsbury Publishing) - Joseph McBrinn José Esteban Muñoz The Subversive Stitch (1984:Bloomsbury Publishing) - Rozsika Parker The Log Books (2026: Faber) - Tash Walker and Adam Zmith

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Ask the Host - Liam on origins of the podcast, literary salons, and a summer books preview

Welcome to an episode of Ask the Host, i.e. with me, Liam! This the podcast where writers get real about writing, but today, we’re getting real about podcasting! In today’s episode of Ask the Host, we’re finding out: - What’s the difference between the live coffee conversations and remote interviews> - My summer book preview and reading list? - Where have we been for Leeds Lit Fest? What is the hottest new literary salon on the scene? And looking forward to my event with Alice Hattrick - What’s the origin story of the podcast? Enjoy and let me know if you’ve got any questions when you leave a review of my show! Tickets to the Rippling Pages Live at Leeds Literature Festival with Alice Hattrick https://www.leedslitfest.co.uk/events/alice-hattrick-fancy-work/ Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Books Jan Carson Raoul de Jong John Eyck Neil Griffiths Alice Hattrick Stu Hennigan M. John Harrison - The end of everything Hanna Nordenhök - Caesaria Agnes Lidbeck Fernanda Melchor Sara Mesa Jake Morris Campbell - A journey onto the salt and ash Flann O’Brien The Rickard Sisters Keith Ridgway - Dooneen C.D. Rose Guillermo Stitch - The Coast of Everything Saskia Vogel Katie Whittemore Alice Evelyn Yang - A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing

Nicholas Royle on writing about his love for second hand books and bookshops (archive re-release)

Let’s dust off the archives again and celebrate some of the guests we’ve had on the Rippling Pages This time, we’re going back to a conversation that was had in 2022 with the writer, editor, and all around bookish good guy, Nicholas Royle. I spoke to Nicholas about his wonderful book about book collecting, WHITE SPINES:THE CONFESSIONS OF A BOOK COLLECTOR Chances are, if you’ve a penchant for second-hand books, you’ll have been or known about one of the many bookshops Nicholas visited to find the Picador books that he coveted. We’re also celebrating Leeds Literature Festival. The book features Leeds bookshops, and Nicholas is in Leeds talking about the art of the short story with Alice Jolly and Naomi Booth. Get your tickets below Tickets to me in conversation with Alice Hattrick. https://www.leedslitfest.co.uk/events/alice-hattrick-fancy-work/ Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Reference Points Writers and Books AJ Ashworth Andrea Ashworth The Lake John Foxx (Nightjar Press) M. John Harrison Anna Kavan - Ice (Picador: 1967) Alberto Manguel (editor) Black Water: The Anthology of Fantastic Literature (Picador: 1983) Livi Michael - The Lake (Nightjar Press) Alison Moore Nicholas Royle - First Novel (Vintage: 2013) Nicholas Royle - Counterparts (Penguin: 1995) Nicholas Royle - Ornithology (Confingo: 2017) Nicholas Royle - An English Guide to Bird Watching (Myriad Editions: 2017) Nicholas Royle - Uncanny (Manchester University Press: 2003) Per Wahlöö - The Lorry (Picador: 1972) Conrad Williams Artists Paul Delvaux Salvador Dali Chapters 3.00 - when did he first see the white spines? 7.00 - what was special about the books 9.00 - why write this book 12.15 - Writing a quest 14.45 - is it about confession or obsession 18.10 - giving second life to writers 19.35 - second hand bookshops 24.55 - tactile nature of books 26.09 - sharing names and uncanniness 28.15 - two Nicholas Royles 30.30 - dreams and realities of being a writer 34.45 - nightjar press

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Stu Hennigan on writing in vernacular and sympathetic truthful portrayals of the north

The podcast for the world’s most interesting writers is going a little closer to home; we’re visiting Leeds and the North of England for a conversation about with Stu Hennigan about his novel, KESHED. Not only is it lovely to speak about some of the places I know really well, but also a bittersweet too, as Stu’s novel reminds of me of the people and places I’ve moved away from. What I loved about Stu’s novel, is its sheer vividness of its writing, combining, artfully, the vernacular and the obscene. It’s evocations of northern town and cities that are close to me, but also its unflinching approach to troubling subject matter. Stu Hennigan is a writer, poet, editor, and musician based in Leeds, UK. His acclaimed book, Ghost Signs: Poverty and the Pandemic, became notable for its powerful documentary fo the city's most deprived communities during COVID-19 lockdown. KESHED, published by Ortac Press, is his first novel. *this episode features strong language and discussion of sensitive themes!* Tickets to me in conversation with Alice Hattrick. https://www.leedslitfest.co.uk/events/alice-hattrick-fancy-work/ Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Stu’s Substack: https://stuhennigan.substack.com References Writers Martin Amis Jenn Ashworth Charles Baudelaire Naomi Booth James Clark Owen Jones Alice Jolly Alice Murphy-Pyle Ben Myers Annie Proulx Music Arab Strap Jimi Hendrix Film and TV The Royle Family Ken Loach Chapters 1.45 - Uncategorising KESHED 6.15 - What is KESHED about 8.45 - why is Sean in Leeds. 9.55 - Is Sean a flaneur? 16.05 - Sean’s voice 19.20 - The importance of reading 20.10 - On truth 25.25 - Liam’s personal response to the book. 27.45 - Patreon shoutouts! 28.45 - Who is Mandy? 31.20 - Getting feedback on writing women 36.00 -the hard work of writing 37.30 - Assuming readers are smarter than you 38.45 - Language is not a barrier 40.15 - The market of writing

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Amber Medland on overcoming writers block and writing with George Saunders

Amber Medland is here to tell us about what it’s like to be in an anthology with George Saunders, overcoming writers block, and telling us whether it’s magic or mechanics that makes a story. Amber has been collated in one of the most select short story anthologies likely to hit the shelves this year. Magic and Mechanics (Scratch Books) features some of the most talented short story writers short stories alongside interviews about those stories. The anthology about the art and craft of the short story features writers such as George Saunders, Claire-Louise Bennett, Mark Haddon, Camilla Grudova, and Colin Barrett. Amber tells me about her story, Mr Blythe Esq. Amber’s debut novel, WILD PETS, was published by Faber and Faber, and her book of non-fiction, ATTENTION SEEKER:THE TRUTH ABOUT ADHD, her exploration of the history of ADHD, was published by Dialogue Books. She has an MFA from Columbia University. Links to heighting your Rippling Pages Experience Tickets to me in conversation with Alice Hattrick. https://www.leedslitfest.co.uk/events/alice-hattrick-fancy-work/ Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages 2.20 - what's it like being in the anthology with George Saunders 4.05 - is writing magic more mechanics? 6.10 - what is Amber's story about? 8.30 - the relationship between the two 10.00 - what is left out of a story? 12.50 - who is Mr Blythe? 14.15 - Power dynamics and musicality 17.30 - sentences on the ear 20.10 - taking creative writing MFAs 21.55 - writer's block 26.00 - Taking the weight from writing. 27.38 - Rippling Pages Bookshop 28.40 - what does it mean to have confidence as a writer. 33.00 - food in Amber's writing. 35.00 - Amber writing about ADHD 39.55 - writing about attentiveness Referenc Points Writers Claire-Louise Bennett Lucy Caldwell George Saunders Joy Williams Films Fantasia Musicians Harry Styles

Polly Barton on writing about knotty linguistic concepts and loving language (Archive Re-Release)

Let’s dust off the archives and celebrate some of the guests we’ve had on the Rippling Pages. This is a re-release of a previous episode with Polly Barton. Over the years, we’ve been proud to feature emergent writers on the Rippling Pages and speak to them in the early stages of their careers. One of those writers is Polly Barton, who’s just released her debut novel, WHAT AM I, A DEER? with Fitzcarraldo Editions. I spoke to Polly five years ago about her Fitzcarraldo Essay Prize winning, FIFTY SOUNDS. Polly is a writer and translator from Japanese. Translations include Butter by Asako Yuzuki, Hunchback by Saul Ichikawa, and Where the Where the Wild Ladies Are by Akko Matsuda. Her essay, Porn: An Oral History was also published by Fitzcarraldo Editons. In our conversation, we picked out knotty debates about language, her time in Japan, and what it means to love and love in language Enjoy! If you fancy hearing another Fitzcarraldo essayist, why not buy tickets for my event with Alice Hattrick at Leeds Lit Fest: https://www.leedslitfest.co.uk/events/alice-hattrick-fancy-work/ Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Chapters 3.00 - What are the Fifty Sounds 5.40 - what is the philosophy behind the bok 10.00 - Wittgenstein 14.30 - Embarrasment, error and comedy 16.15 - Binaries 20.15 - Outsiders and immersion 21.45 - Language games 24.14 - Structuring the book 28.00 - Japan as a man 31.45 - Loving language and people Reference Points Ludwig Wittgenstein

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Camille Bordas on finding detail in small objects and writing in different languages

Camille Bordas likes miniature objects. It’s how they remind her of her childhood in Mexico and show off little details. In fairness, it might once have been a lighter for Camille, but she still has them all. This is bonus content on the Rippling Pages where we ask a writer to provide us with an object that has been with them during their writing process. You’re also going to hear a snippet of the Patreon close-reads podcast for subscribers. If you like the sound of it, you can sign up for exclusive member benefits, including the full close read podcast for Patreon subscribers. Do that here: https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi You’ll also hear a little more about Camille’s experience of writing in French and English. Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Tickets for live in conversation with Alice Hattrick at Leeds Lit Fest: https://www.leedslitfest.co.uk/events/alice-hattrick-fancy-work/ Chapters 2.20 - Objects of influence; miniature objects 7.50 - Patreon preview 9.25 - Camille writing in French and English

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Camille Bordas on making difficult topics funny and crafting sharp dialogue

Camille Bordas is one heck of an exciting literary talent, and she’s joining me on the Rippling Pages to discuss her story collection, ONE SUN ONLY (Serpent’s Tail). What I loved about these stories is their wonderfully dry humour, empathetic narratives of flawed characters, and deeply woven observations, within the stories, about how fiction works. Plaudits for Camille have come from George Saunders, Zadie Smith, and Percival Everett. She’s a regular contributor to the New Yorker. Other useful links to heighten your Rippling Pages experience Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages 1.30 - bad backs and teaching 4.00 - writing and talking about death 8.45 - creating character dynamics 11.10 - camille’s sociology background 12.45 - experimenting in stories and novels 15.10 - writing in French and English 17.40 - Rippling pages Patreon 19.55 - animation and jokes 22.15 - what animates a language 24.30 - writing dialogue 26.30 - misunderstanding ourselves 28.45 - illness and self growth 30.15 - plotting 33.30 - how sopranos helps with plotting 36.35 - recreating scenes from the sopranos 39.00 - acting and writing Reference Points Donald Barthelme Delphine Horvilleur Karl Ove Knausgård Gwendoline Riley Katharina Volckmer TV The Sopranos

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Bonus! Lucy Caldwell on annotated Hamlet and Easter Eggs

It's Easter - and it's easter egg time. In this bonus content, you're going to hear a lot about Easter Eggs, but not the chocolate kind. Instead, we’re talking those little secret insights to Lucy's work, both past, present and future. This is bonus content and our objects of influence segment where we ask a writer to provide us with an object that has been with them during the writing of the book. It's also a little Easter Egg from the Rippling Pages too. You're going to hear a snippet of the Patreon close-reads podcast for subscribers. If you like the sound of it, you can sign up for exclusive member benefits, including the full close read podcast exclusive to subscribers. Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Other useful links to heighten your Rippling Pages experience: Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Chapters - Close Read Patreon Preview 1.45 - Objects of Influence - 3.55 Reference Points Anton Chekhov Hamlet Taylor Swift

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Lucy Caldwell on writing transcendent psychic moments and finding meaning in life

Oh wow! It was my pleasure to have a coffee with and speak to the writer Lucy Caldwell about her new short story collection, DEVOTIONS (published by Faber and Faber). That's right, we were live and in person having a coffee talking about Lucy's new collection I revelled in a theatre troupe performing a choose your own version of Hamlet; I had a wry smile watching Christopher Plummer ponder on whether he really did love Julie Andrews, and among the many other stories, continued to marvel at Lucy's capacity to meditate on death, existence, light and love. Lucy is from Belfast. She lives in Kent, but we had our conversation in London. Other useful links to heighten your Rippling Pages experience Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Chapters 2.00 - is 'master' the right word? 7.15 - Devotions forming a single whole 9.15 Lucy's relationship with her editor 12.50 - writing in real-time 16.50 - Choose your own adventure stories. 18.10 - Hamlet. 21.10 - Writing about love 26.05 - Devotions easter egg! 28.35 finding meaning in the here and the now. 32.20 - Patreon shoutouts! 33.50 - inspired by James Joyce 37.26 - writing great psychic movements. 42.00 - Special writing from Lucy. 46.45 - Finding meaning in the darkness 51.25 - Suffering as a portal. Reference Points Sebastian Barry Elizabeth Bowen Willa Cather Anton Chekhov Dante Ram Dass John Donne T.S. Eliot Anne Enright Wendy Erskine bell hooks Kazuo Ishiguro James Joyce Claire Kilroy Rosamond Lehman Louis MacNeice Alice Munro Cardinal Newman Edna O’Brien Frank O’Hara Rumi Helen Simpson John Updike Sylvia Townsend Warner Virginia Woolf W.B. Yeats Lucy’s Work Being Various: New Irish Short Stories (edited by Lucy, Faber, 2021) Multitudes (Faber, 2016) Intimacies (Faber, 2021) Leaves (Faber: 2007) Where They Were Missed (Faber: 2005) Plays Hamlet Music Ludwig van Beethoven Van Morrison Taylor Swift Films The Sound of Music (1965: Robert Wise)

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Bonus! Why a letter knife told Leon Craig everything she needed to know about her characters’ desires

Welcome to this bonus content with Leon Craig. We’re talking about how Leon found an old letter knife in a shop which helped her understand her characters desires. PLUS! You’ll hear Leon talking about plagues, the pandemic, and why she left the UK to write her novel about the UK. Leon was here to discuss THE DECADENCE (Sceptre), a novel about a group of friends who find shelter in an old abandoned home, but encounter more than they bargained for. Leon Craig, whose previous collection of short stories, PARALLEL HELLS, was also published by Sceptre, is a graduate of the Birkbeck MFA Creative Writing course. Her work has been published by Hazlitt, the Sunday Times, the London Magazine and others and is forthcoming in Nulla magazine and Berlin Babel anthology. Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages

Leon Craig on misunderstanding ghosts and getting what we want

I’m looking forward to diving into the crumbling and the haunted this week with Leon Craig. We’re discussing Leon Craig’s THE DECADENCE. And you the listener picked Leon as one of the rising stars of literature that you wanted me to interview. Have you ever walked past an old abandoned house and wondered what kinds of lives were lived there? Have you ever dared to explore one? Perhaps you wanted to escape and hide in the house. Or perhaps you wanted to use it for something a little more nefarious. Leon Craig, whose previous collection of short stories, PARALLEL HELLS, was also published by Sceptre, is a graduate of the Birkbeck MFA Creative Writing course. Her work has been published by Hazlitt, the Sunday Times, the London Magazine and others and is forthcoming in Nulla magazine and Berlin Babel anthology. Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Episode Chapters 1.30 - rising literary stars poll 3.30 - The crumbling haunted house 6.30 - the ensemble cast 7.25 - early hauntings. 10.10 - misunderstandings and humour 11.50 -embracing imperfect characters. 14.25 - secret passageways 16.05 - sexual elements to hauntings. 19.10 - colonial legacies and trespassing 22.55 - Rippling Pages Patreon 24.20 - on beauty 27.00 - getting what we want. 29.50 - desire and disgust 32.00 - The country housegenre 37.15 - Leon’s next novel Reference Points House of Leaves (2000, Mark Z. Danielewski). Saltburn (2023, dir. Emerald Fennell) Beowulf The Great Gatsby (1925, F.Scott Fitzgerald) White is for Witching(2009, Helen Oyeyemi) Brideshead Revisited (1945, Evelyn Waugh)

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Ana Schnabl on using childhood locations and memories in stories about unpleasant people

We’re going to the Slovenian coast this week during the final years Yugoslavia with Ana Schnabl. Dunja has finally launched her literary career, but the shadow and spectre of her brother’s death haunts both her and her family. What happens when she returns to investigate her brother’s death? And what happens when the truth becomes stranger than the fiction she writes? Ana Schnabl’s novel is published by Divided Publishing. Ana is a Slovenian writer, and this is her second novel to be translated into English, by Rawley Grau. Her first novel to be translated into English was The Masterpiece, that time by David Limon. In Slovenia, she is a winner of Slovenia’s prestigious literary prize, the Kresnik award. She’s also a regular contributor to the journal The Guardian, writing on Balkan politics and culture. Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Episode Chapters 1.30 - Ana's based in Slovenia 2.35 - Fake crime novels 3.50 - Djuna's relationship with her dead brother. 5.30 - Why has Djuna returned? 7.30 - Family dynamics. 9.00 - Rockstars and the Slovene transition 10.35 - Michael Jackson 13.30 - a fake crime novel 15.00 - Rippling Pages Bookshop 16.00 - Not liking modernist novels 19.45 - Writing cerebral characters 21.00 - Sentimental feelings about home 24.15 - Ice cream and the Adriatic coast 27.30 - Not believing in legacies. 30.30 sitting with unpleasant people. 31.50 - who helps Djuna. 33.45 - Smoking Reference Points Agatha Christie Marcel Proust Virginia Woolf

• Chapters

Eva Meijer live in Leeds and panoramic crisis fiction based on personal experience

What a lovely time I had speaking and sitting with Eva Meijer, the Dutch Author, in Leeds to discuss their novel SEA NOW. A government who seems slow to respond to a rapidly encroaching crisis. Marketing executives exploiting ways to make quick cash. A missing Prime Minister. Leavers and remainers conflicted about the right course of action. It all sounds like a playbook for our recent political crises. But when the dams start bursting in the Netherlands and the country rapidly begins to flood and be subsumed, what happens when people are faced with the unthinkable in this new waterworld. These are the questions at the heart of Eva Meijer’s, SEA NOW, translated by Anne Thompson Melo, and published by Peirene Press. Other useful links to heighten your Rippling Pages experience: Get exclusive subscriber benefits from the Rippling Pages. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Check out the Rippling Pages Bookshop and buy all the books featured on the Rippling Pages: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Chapters 2.25 - what is the novel about 4.25 - a human and animal story 7:45 - how people respond to the crisis in the book 11.15 - is the novel represent human experience 13.45 - widescreen viewpoints 17.45 - why is the sea so powerful 21.20 - the Rippling Pages Bookshop 23.10 - why do characters stay? 25.40 - is there hope in the novel 27.15 - endings and new beginnings and grief 30.30 - objects of influence 36.40 - Patreon subscriber shoutout! Reference Points Don DeLillo

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Bonus - Madeleine Dunnigan and Farah Ali on their favourite books and writing beyond the surface

Happy New Year! I’m delighted to bring you some more unedited and bonus content from my Christmas and New Year special with Madeleine Dunnigan and Farah Ali. There was just so much good stuff in our craft and curation special, that I wanted to bring you a little more to start the year. These books are going to be spoken about in literary circles in January. In Pakistan, a young woman grapples with a strange, indefinable illness against a backdrop of political upheaval. In England, a teenager tries to make sense of his intense emotions during one hot summer at boarding school. Farah Ali’s TELEGRAPHY, published by CB Editions, is her second novel. Originally from Pakistan, Farah has been anthologised for the Pushcart Prize and is the reviews editor at Wasafiri. JEAN is the debut novel by London-based writer Madeleine Dunnigan, published by Daunt Books. She was a Jill Davis Fellow on the MFA programme at New York University. Support the Rippling Pages on a new Patreon with exclusive crafted subscriber benefits. https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages Reference Points Tom McCarthy John McGahern Gerald Murnane