Episode One

Dealing with Rejection, with Catherine Cho

Literary agent Catherine Cho talks with TLC’s Nelima Begum, tackling the topic of rejection and how to deal with it. An experienced agent at Madeleine Milburn Ltd, Catherine is building a list of fiction and non-fiction. She is also the author of a memoir, Inferno (Bloomsbury 2020). Catherine talks us through the reasons for manuscripts not getting picked up, what they mean and how they can redirect your writing. We learn more about the relationships between writers, agents and publishers, and the editing and re-drafting process. Catherine also shares valuable advice on the mindset needed to approach your writing, and how to remain resilient throughout the submissions process.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Two

Writing, Wellbeing and the Narrative of Self, with Dawn Estefan

Psychotherapist Dawn Estefan talks with TLC’s Nelima Begum about the intersection of writing and wellbeing. Dawn draws on her experience of working with creative industry professionals, thinking about why creative artists are particularly vulnerable to imposter syndrome, and why writing helps us to form a recognisable sense of self. We also explore how writer’s block is a powerful symptom of anxiety, how the superego plays the role of the inner critic, and how we can try to rebuild our narrative of self through our creative practice. Dawn works both within the public and voluntary sector. Her core clinical expertise is embedded within the area of trauma, working with those from marginalised communities. She describes her two main career drivers as ‘creativity’ and ‘fearlessness’. She has previously worked in the entertainment and music industry.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Three

How to Write & Finish Your First Book with Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

In this episode of the Being A Writer podcast, Nelima Begum sits down with award-winning author Rowan Hisayo Buchanan to discuss how to write and finish your first book. Rowan Hisayo Buchanan is the author of Harmless Like You and Starling Days. She has won The Authors’ Club First Novel Award and a Betty Trask Award and been shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award. Her work has been a New York Times Editors’ Choice, an NPR Great Read, and recommended by Oprah Magazine’s best spring books. In this episode, she talks us through the early stages of the writing process, working through various barriers like fatigue and writer’s block, and how to push your work over the finish line.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Four

How to Balance Work, Family and Writing with Nikesh Shukla

In this episode of the Being A Writer podcast, Nelima sits down with author and screenwriter Nikesh Shukla to discuss the topic of balancing work, family and writing. They talk Spiderman, parenthood, and taking pride in past work, as well as sharing top tips for our listeners. Nikesh is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Meatspace, the Costa shortlisted novel Coconut Unlimited and the award-winning novella The Time Machine. He is the editor of the essay collection, The Good Immigrant, where 21 British writers of colour discuss race and immigration in the UK, and the co-editor of The Good Immigrant USA. The Good Immigrant won the reader’s choice at the Books Are My Bag Awards and was shortlisted for Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. His first book for teenagers, Run, Riot, was nominated for the Carnegie Medal, shortlisted for a Specsavers National Book Award and longlisted for the Branford Boase Award. His second YA, The Boxer, was published in June 2019. Nikesh also writes for TV, and wrote the short film Two Dosas and the Channel 4 sitcom Kabadasses.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Five

How to Find Inspiration in the Everyday with Gemma Seltzer

In this episode of the Being a Writer podcast, we speak to Write and Shine founder, and author, Gemma Seltzer, about finding inspiration in the everyday. She talks us through her creative practises in the early hours of the day, finding and building a writing community that works for the individual and how to reinspire yourself when feeling overwhelmed, fatigued or demotivated. Gemma is interested in different forms of storytelling. Her work includes The Guardian‘s award-winning virtual reality film “Songbird”, fictional blog “5am London” and online flash fiction series “Speak to Strangers”, subsequently published by Penned in the Margins. She has written for BBC Radio 3, performed her work at the Venice Biennale and runs Write & Shine, a programme of morning writing workshops. Gemma’s short fiction collection “Ways of Living” is forthcoming from Influx Press in 2021.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Six

Writing the Truth with Damian Barr

In this episode of the Being a Writer podcast, we sit down with writer, broadcaster, and journalist, Damian Barr to discuss ‘Writing the Truth’. A thought-provoking conversation, Damian shares how writing the truth varies depending on its format, how to maintain an authentic voice and explore the urgency for writing, and the importance of giving ourselves permission to write, as well as being bold and brave in pursuit of the truth and making our voices heard. Damian Barr is an award-winning writer and columnist. Maggie & Me, his memoir about comingof age and coming out in Thatcher’s Britain, was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week and Sunday Times Memoir of the Year, and wonthe Paddy Power Political Books ‘Satire’ Award and Stonewall Writer of the YearAward. Damian writes columns for the BigIssue and High Life and oftenappears on BBC Radio 4. He is creator and host of his own Literary Salon that premieres work from established and emerging writers. You Will Be Safe Here is his debut novel.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Seven

The Power of Coaching with Dominique De-Light

In this episode of the Being a Writer podcast, we sit down with certified coach Dominique De-Light (Well Balanced Coaching). Dominique talks us through the coaching journey and more importantly, how to get the most out of it. We discuss self-reflection, coaching in relation to creative practice, how to create the prime environment for coaching to thrive, and how to deal with any barriers that might be faced along the way. Dominique has twenty years’ experience of working creatively with people who face complex mental, social and physical issues, enabling them to transform their lives. One of the founders of Creative Future, an arts charity supporting underrepresented artists and writers, she established the Creative Future Writers’ Awards to give opportunities to those traditionally ignored. During her eleven years as Creative Future’s Director she mentored many artists and facilitated hundreds of writing workshops. She is an expert in inclusion, engagement and encouraging creativity. She has worked as a professional mentor for Lapidus, supporting those who use writing therapeutically, for themselves or others. As a coach, Dominique understands the many pressures on people’s lives and specialises in supporting people’s health, wellbeing and creativity. Dominique works 1:1, delivers a wide range of wellbeing and creative coaching workshops, and runs peer coaching training for those wanting to establish a sustainable peer coaching support group. Access your BAW member discount on Dominique’s one-to-one services here.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Eight

How to Protect Your Energy and Deal with Overwhelm with Penny Pepper

In this episode of the Being a Writer podcast, we sit down with writer, performer, and activist Penny Pepper to discuss the topic of creative energy and how to deal with overwhelm. Penny shares her methods for coping with burnout, and in doing so, discusses the importance of distancing yourself from your work, having a good support network around you, and engaging with other mediums of creative expression to further develop your own writing. Penny Pepper is an acclaimed author, poet, performer & disability activist. A genre-defying and versatile writer, her work focuses on the examination of difference, inequality and identity. She tells stories we haven’t heard, making others see life differently, always with humour and wisdom. Her champions include Jake Arnott, Margaret Drabble and Liz Carr. Penny published her groundbreaking memoir, First in The World Somewhere with Unbound and a poetry collection, Come Home Alive, with Burning Eye Books. She is now signed to The Good Literary Agency where she is represented by Abi Fellows who is immersed in taking Penny’s extraordinary novel to publishers.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode One and Two

Guided Meditations with Roz Goddard

In these Guided Meditations, Roz Goddard introduces you to the session, and then leads you through a sessions on ‘Creating Spaciousness’, ‘Simple Body Awareness’ and ‘Connecting with the Earth and Heart’. Roz Goddard is a poet and teacher. She is a former poet laureate of Birmingham. She has taught poetry extensively in schools, prisons, libraries and for literature festivals. Her poetry has been commissioned by a number of organisations including, BBC R3, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, The Ledbury Poetry Festival and West Midlands Travel. Her most recent poetry collection, Lost City, was published by The Emma Press in 2020. She is currently training for ordination in the Triratna Buddhist Order. Roz would like to acknowledge two particular books which have helped her create the following meditations: Mindful Emotion (a short course in kindness) by Dr Paramabandhu Groves & Dr Jed Shamel and The Myth of Meditation by Paramananda both published by Windhorse. Previous pamphlet collections have been published by Nine Arches Press (The Sopranos Sonnets and Other Poems, 2010) which featured on BBC R3’s The Verb, and Spill, 2018, pub, Flarestack. She is a poetry mentor for The Poetry Society.

An Introduction to Guided Meditation. Press ‘Play’ below to listen now.

Creating Spaciousness. Press ‘Play’ below to listen now.

Simple Body Awareness. Press ‘Play’ below to listen now.

Connecting with the Earth and Heart. Press ‘Play’ below to listen now.

Episode Three

How to be a Writing Entrepreneur, with Judy Piatkus

In this episode, we sit down to speak with publishing legend, author, and business coach, Judy Piatkus. As the Founder of Piatkus Books, and more recently Conscious Café, Judy offers a wealth of insight into the world of business. From turning your passion into a successful business venture, to creating a healthy work culture. Judy Piatkus is an entrepreneur, publisher and business coach specialising in conscious leadership. She founded Piatkus when she was in her 20s and grew the company to become an international brand, before selling it in 2007, just before the global financial crash that she had shrewdly foreseen. She is now a keynote speaker, an angel investor, and a coach and mentor to start-ups. In 2011 she founded Conscious Café, a network that brings people together for connection and discussion. Find out more at: judypiatkus.com 

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Four

The Art of Perseverance, with Courttia Newland

In this episode, we speak with screenwriter and novelist Courttia Newland to discuss the Art of Perseverance. In this conversation, Courttia takes us through his own writing journey and the lessons in perseverance he’s learned along the way. We discuss having distance from a project, cultivating your writing over a period of time and finding inspiration in many mediums of creativity. Courttia has published eight works of fiction including his debut, The Scholar. His latest novel, A River Called Time, was published in 2021 by Canongate (UK) and Akashic Books (US). Newland’s short stories have appeared in many anthologies, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and included in Best of British Short Stories 2017. He has been awarded the Tayner Barbers Award for science fiction writing and the Roland Rees Bursary for playwriting. He was previously associate lecturer in creative writing at the University of Westminster and is completing a PhD in creative writing. As a screenwriter he has co-written two feature length films for the Steve McQueen BBC series Small Axe, of which Lovers Rock was jury selected for Cannes, and opened New York Film Fest 2020. Small Axe won the LA Critics Circle award 2020 for Best Picture. Impact, an original feature, and The Future Isn’t What It Used to Be, a science fiction short, are currently in development with Film Four. A forthcoming collection of speculative fiction stories, Cosmogramma, will be published this year.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Five

How to Write for Journalism, with Saima Mir

In this episode of the Being A Writer podcast, we sit down with journalist and author Saima Mir to discuss writing for journalism. Saima tells us about her roots and how she came up in the world of journalism, going on to write for The Telegraph and Argus, The Guardian and BBC, and also shares advice for budding journalists. Saima’s debut crime novel, The Khan, was published earlier this year and we also explore what representation means as well as how writing for fiction varies from journalism. Saima Mir is an award-winning journalist. She started her career at the Telegraph & Argus and went on to work for the BBC. She is a recipient of the Commonwealth Broadcast Association’s World View Award, and has written for numerous publications including The Times and The Independent. Saima’s essay for the Picador book It’s Not About The Burqa appeared in Guardian Weekend and received over 250,000 hits over two days. Her debut novel The Khan is out in hardback and published by Point Blank.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Six

Writing to Make a Difference with Joelle Taylor

In this episode of the Being A Writer podcast, we’re joined by poet, activist and mentor Joelle Taylor to explore the topic of Writing To Make a Difference. Joelle recounts her roots in writing, taking us back to the music and culture that inspired her to put pen to paper and the communities she hopes to reach and encourage to do the same. Having performed across the UK as well as internationally, she also talks to us about the art of performance, from preparing a piece to plugging into the atmosphere on stage. An insightful conversation which promises to inspire, Joelle emphasises the impact of passion and creativity, and using the power of writing to engage with and uplift the communities around us. Joelle Taylor is the author of 4 collections of poetry. Her newest collection C+NTO & Othered Poems (June 2021) was the subject of a Radio 4 arts documentary Butch. She is a co-curator and host of Out-Spoken Live resident at the Southbank Centre, and the current editor of Out-Spoken Press.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Seven

The Writing Self in the World with Jessica J. Lee

In this episode of the Being A Writer podcast, we’re joined by writer, environmental historian and founding editor of the Willowherb Review, Jessica J. Lee to discuss the topic of The Writing Self In The World. Jessica shares her motivations for delving into the world of creative non-fiction and the questions of home and belonging that motivated her to explore her identity further. She also gives us an insight into her writing process and the lessons she’s learned along the way with more experience. As we discuss her relationship with place, Jessica takes us on a journey, one that helps us see beyond ourselves and inspires us to seek our place in the world. Jessica J. Lee is a British-Canadian-Taiwanese author, environmental historian, and winner of the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature, and the RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writer Award. She is the author of two books of nature writing: Turning (2017) and Two Trees Make a Forest (2019), which was shortlisted for Canada Reads 2021. She has a PhD in Environmental History and Aesthetics and was Writer-in-Residence at the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology in Berlin from 2017–2018. Jessica is the founding editor of The Willowherb Review and a researcher at the University of Cambridge.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode Eight

Writing for Younger Readers with Steven Camden

In this episode of the Being A Writer podcast, we round of Season 2 by sitting down with spoken word artist, author, poet, playwright and screenwriter Steven Camden, also known as Polar Bear. Steven shares his insights and experiences around writing for younger readers and in doing so, recounts his roots where storytelling in his household was magic, how he gets to know the characters he’s writing, and how working with young people continues to inspire him and give him stories to write. Steven encourages us to find the teenager in us all, and capture those moments of impact that stay with us for a lifetime. Steven Camden is an award winning poet, novelist and playwright, as well as being one of the UK’s most acclaimed spoken word artists. Alongside writing for stage, page and screen, he teaches storytelling and leads creative projects all over the place. He has performed and taught all around the world from Manchester to Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur to California. He moved to London for a girl, but Birmingham is where he’s from. He also has a thing for polar bears.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now, or access the transcript here.

Episode One

Prioritising Your Writing with Julia Forster

In this episode of the BAW podcast, we sit down with poet, novelist, development specialist and Write Club Plus facilitator Julia Forster to explore the topic of Prioritising Your Writing. We discuss how Julia prioritises her own writing, and how her approach to the matter has changed throughout the years in line with varying time, space, projects and genre. Julia also shares her own tips for prioritising writing, from using short burst of time, to finding a network that can offer a space for freedom of creativity and support. Best of all, Julia shares with us the most vital lesson that life happens, and that writing is there to supplement the changes and help us grow. Julia Forster is a novelist, poet and writer development specialist who has worked in publishing since 1999. She joined TLC as a Reader in 2017, and with Aki Schilz, she co-devised Being A Writer, TLC’s digital membership. She has overseen year-long one-to-one mentoring of several writers on the TLC Chapter and Verse scheme. Julia has a Diploma in Spiritual Development from the Brenda Davies UK School is currently training with the Wise Goose Coaching School. Her passion is for creating the conditions for writers to explore their inner qualities which enable them to write without barriers. In 2023, she is opening a writer-in-residence and writer retreat on the edge of Snowdonia, mid-Wales.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Two

A Debutante’s Survival Guide with Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

In this episode of the Being A Writer podcast, we get a first-hand look at A Debutante’s Survival Guide with writer and former TLC Pen Factor competition winner Lizzie Damilola Blackburn. Lizzie shares with us her experience of writing her debut novel, Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband, and everything she learned along the way. From fleshing out a short story, to entering competitions and finding ways to nourish her creativity, Lizzie talks us through her journey of being a writer and seeing her debut out in the world. We discuss agent-writer dynamics, editing, how to invest in your writing and how to calm the inner critique to allow yourself to sit bit back and enjoy your craft. Lizzie Damilola Blackburn is a British-Nigerian writer, born in Peckham, who wants to tell the stories that she and her friends have longed for but never seen – romcoms ‘where Cinderella is Black and no-one bats an eyelid’. In 2019 she won The Literary Consultancy Pen Factor Writing Competition with the early draft of Yinka, Where is your Huzband?, which she had been writing alongside juggling her job at Carers UK. She has been at the receiving end of the question in the title of her novel many times, and now lives with her husband in Milton Keynes. Her debut Yinka, Where is your Huzband? will be published by Viking Books, Penguin and is out this March.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Three

How to Build a Writing Network with Farhana Shaikh

In this episode of the Being a Writer podcast, we’re joined by writer, publisher, editor and marketer Farhana Shaikh to explore the topic of How to Build a Writing Network. Farhana tells of the spark she had with writing in childhood, and how it was later rediscovered when she became a mother, searching for a place within the writing community. Since then, she has become the Editor of The Asian Writer, an online magazine, and a publisher of Dahlia Books, an independent press she founded shortly after. Farhana works within a number of writing networks, creating a sense of belonging for many, and shares her journey with us, as well her top tips for finding community as a writer. Farhana Shaikh is a writer and publisher born in Leicester. She is the editor of The Asian Writer. In 2010 she set up Dahlia Books to publish regional and diverse writing. In 2017 she won the Penguin/Travelex Next Great Travel Writer competition. She was longlisted the Spread the Word Life Writing Prize in 2018. She is the author of From Imposter to Impact: Arts Leadership in the 21^st Century. Her first short play, Risk was produced by Kali Theatre and performed at Curve theatre. Farhana lives in Leicester but can be found on Twitter talking about books and publishing @farhanashaikh.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Four

How to Deal with Anxiety with Tim Clare

In this episode of the Being a Writer podcast, we sit down with author, poet and host of the Death Of 1,000 Cuts podcast, Tim Clare, to discuss How To Deal With Anxiety. Having experienced severe anxiety and panic attacks for over a decade, Tim set out to find a solution and in doing so, found the topic for his latest book, Coward. Coward follows Tim’s journey of research, trying and testing almost every means for managing and coping anxiety including medicine and beyond. We discuss his journey of finding a way to cope, and the process of writing the book itself, as well as how writers can come to terms with dealing with anxiety in their craft. Tim Clare is the author of THE HONOURS, THE ICE HOUSE, and WE CAN’T ALL BE ASTRONAUTS (winner Best Biography/Memoir – 2009 East Anglian Book Awards). He presents the creative writing podcast DEATH OF 1000 CUTS for anyone who wants to know how to write a novel, write great fiction, and get published. His Couch to 80k Writing Boot Camp and 100 Day Writing Challenge are free writing courses by podcast. Tim is a stand-up poet with several award-winning 5 star shows under his belt.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Five

Writing and Motherhood with Winnie M Li

In this episode of the Being A Writer podcast, we’re joined by American writer, novelist and activist Winnie M. Li to discuss Writing & Motherhood. Winnie shares with us how she went about her writing journey while pregnant and transitioning to motherhood; she touches on the joys and moments of difficulty of both, and how she manages to strike a balance between her craft and raising her child. We’re also given a detailed insight in her new novel Complicit and how her approach was different to her debut, Dark Chapter. Winnie also shares triumphs that she’s experienced as a writer and a mother, and advice on how to carve out time and space to enjoy both. Winnie M Li is an author and activist, who has worked in the creative industry over three continents. After earning an MA with Distinction in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, she now writes across a range of media, including fiction, theatre, journalism, and memoir. Her debut novel, Dark Chapter, won The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize in 2017, was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, and was shortlisted for The Author’s Club Best First Novel Award. Translation rights for this novel have sold in nine territories.Winnie is also Co-Founder of the Clear Lines Festival, the UK’s first-ever festival addressing sexual assault and consent through the arts and discussion. Winnie’s next book, Complicit, will be published by Orion in Spring 2022.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Six

The Art of Research with Michael Langan

In this episode of the Being A Writer podcast, we’re joined by novelist, editor, writing tutor and one of our very own TLC readers, Michael Langan to explore The Art of Research. We’re able to pull back the curtain on the early stages of Michael’s writing projects and learn exactly how much work goes into them before pen is even put to paper. We learn about the tools, technique and vision for research as well as how to tailor the approach to accommodate the ever-changing nature of the writer’s journey. Michael shares his methods and advice as well as how his other interests like art, film and teaching inform and inspire his creative writing endeavours. This episode truly goes between the act of writing itself and provides tremendous insight into the bare bones of how to create a solid foundation for your project. Michael Langan has worked as an editor, writer, and teacher for over twenty years, currently facilitating writing workshops and courses at various locations in Lisbon, where he lives. He was Programme Leader of Creative Writing at the University of Greenwich from 2002 – 2012, where he specialised in short story writing and the novel. He has a PhD from Liverpool John Moores University in contemporary creative writing and a background in performance poetry and public speaking. His debut novel, Shadow is a Colour as Light Is, was published by Lume Books in September 2019 and he is currently working on his second. His short stories and poetry have been anthologised and published in magazines, journals and online. As Arts Editor of the online LGBT culture journal Polari he wrote about visual arts, film and literature and, in 2016, was a Contributing Editor to the Paris-based Seymour magazine, writing a series of essays about creative process. Michael has a particular interest in contemporary literary fiction as well as historical fiction. Michael lives with his husband, an artist.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Seven

The Role of an Agent with Abi Fellows

In this episode of the Being A Writer podcast, we sit down with Abi Fellows of The Good Literary Agency to discuss The Role of An Agent. In this candid, behind the scenes look, Abi pulls back the curtain on what a day in the life looks like, the relationships with writers and editors and the process of developing a manuscript alongside its author in the early stages. She provides clarity and insight into the industry landscape and shares her own tips for writers on how to deal with rejection and what an agent is looking for in a submission. Abi joined TGLA in March 2019 and works across both fiction and non-fiction, for children and adults. Abi has very broad experience in the industry having been a literary agent at Georgina Capel Associates prior to becoming a scout and having also worked as a bookseller at Blackwell’s, on the sales team at Faber and Faber and as a literary scout at RRLtd. Abi has a BA in English Literature from Bristol University and an MA in English Literature: Issues in Modern Culture from University College London.
Abi’s clients include Saima Mir, Musa Okwonga, Hafsa Zayyan, Penny Pepper and Lizzie Huxley-Jones.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Eight

The Private Joys of Writing with Okechukwu Nzelu

In this month’s episode of the Being A Writer podcast, we’re joined by author and creative writing lecturer Okechukwu Nzelu. This episode takes a candid look at Okey’s writing craft and his journey throughout his career. We talk about how writing changes his life, about internal moments of wonder, and what working with other writers and students has taught him about his own work, and himself. Okechukwu Nzelu is a Manchester-based writer. In 2015 he was the recipient of a Northern Writers’ Award from New Writing North. His debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney (Dialogue Books, 2019), won a Betty Trask Award; it was also shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Polari First Book Prize, and longlisted for the Portico Prize. In 2021, it was selected for the Kingston University Big Read. His second novel, Here Again Now, was published by Dialogue Books in March 2022. He has made several appearances on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and is a regular contributor to Kinfolk magazine. He is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

BONUS Episode Nine

Being a Writer, Writers’ Roundtable with Barry Norton, Sally-Anne Lomas and Mark Blackburn

In this very special season finale of the Being a Writer Podcast, we host a Writers’ Roundtable to sit down and speak with members of the Being A Writer platform. We’re joined by Barry Norton, Sally-Anne Lomas and Mark Blackburn to discuss all things writing, from picking up the craft later in life to the imposter syndrome around calling yourself a writer; the highs of being playful with your work to finding the writing process that works for you and finally, finding a sense of community and discovering what it really means to be a writer.

A researcher by day, and writer by night, Barry Norton’s switch from academic writing to fiction is relatively recent. He has three short stories in print anthologies and a novella on submission. He writes about queer identities, both in a future posthuman/AI context and in a near-past Northern English working class setting. He has yet to decide which he prefers. Barry lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he runs a research lab with a focus on AI applications and ethics. While his past education resulted in a PhD in Computer Science, he is now studying towards an MA in Creative Writing at the University of Lancaster.

Sally-Anne Lomas’ debut novel Live Like your Head’s On Fire, published in 2021, was selected as one of The Financial Times’ Best Summer Reads for Young Adults. The sequel Love like Your Heart’s On Fire will be published by Story Machine Books in June 2023. Sally-Anne leads Writing and Movement workshops and is the Creative Director of The Cloth of Kindness, a textile arts health and wellbeing project using the sewn word. She writes a weekly blog on The Writing Life and lives in Norfolk. https://sallyannelomas.substack.com/  https://sallyannelomas.co.uk/ https://www.clothofkindness.co.uk Twitter: @LomasSal

Mark Blackburn was a shoe seller in London and is now a writer in Somerset. He was the runner-up in this year’s Ruth Rendell Short Story Prize and his current work-in progress is a full-length piece of creative non-fiction about airports and bigamy. Extracts have already been published in print and online, and won him a prize trip to Sydney. This book was also shortlisted for the 2022 TLC Pen Factor Prize. He’s also had numerous short stories and other pieces published and shortlisted for prizes. He regularly appears and reads at events across the South West.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode One

Going Beyond the First Novel with Vaseem Khan

We kick off Season 4 of the Being a Writer Podcast with award-winning crime series writer Vaseem Khan to discuss the topic of Going Beyond The First Book. Having authored two brilliant crime series, Vaseem shares with us his many insights on how to approach writing again after your first project; we explore his long and extensive career as a writer, from submitting his first manuscript at just 17 to finding success with the The Baby Ganesh Detective Agency series much later. We also talk about prioritising finding the truth you’re trying to tell in your story and caring for your wellbeing as you approach later projects. Vaseem pulls back the curtain on his own experiences as a published author to provide some candid industry insights, and offers a wealth of practical advice for writers to use for their second book and beyond. Vaseem Khan is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India. His debut, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020. In 2021, Midnight at Malabar House, the first in the Malabar House novels set in 1950s Bombay, won the Crime Writers Association Historical Dagger, the world’s premier award for historical crime fiction. Vaseem was born in England, but spent a decade working in India. Vaseem co-hosts the popular crime fiction podcast, The Red Hot Chilli Writers. His website is www.vaseemkhan.com  

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Two

An Indie Perspective with Kevin Duffy

In this episode of the Being A Writer Podcast, we’re joined by writer and co-founder of Bluemoose Books, Kevin Duffy to explore An Indie Perspective. Kevin recounts his earliest experiences with books, landing his first job in publishing and how the industry inspired him to take a leap and start an indie publisher alongside his wife Hetha. Kevin shares what an extensive career in publishing has taught him about the industry, the Bluemoose Books editorial process, how they approach marketing and PR and what writers should know when considering an indie perspective for publishing their work. Kevin Duffy has been working in publishing for 36 years starting out as a sales representative for HEADLINE in London. He has worked in commercial, academic, business and non-fiction publishing before setting up Bluemoose Books with his wife Hetha, in 2006 after re-mortgaging their house. The mission of Bluemoose is to find and develop writers from backgrounds that find it virtually impossible to have their books seen and published. Our authors have won and been short listed for national and international literary prizes, sold in over 40 countries and translated into 13 languages

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Three

The Art of Performance with Jet Moon

In this episode of the Being A Writer Podcast, we’re joined by writer, performer, director and producer, Jet Moon. Jet produces politically engaging work that includes events and collaborations in a push for change, re-evaluation and empowerment, and speaks to us about the Art of Performance. Jet recounts their earliest memories of performance, the collaborative approach taken to art overall and how the idea of performance has changed over time. Jet also pulls back the curtain on the many experiences that have shaped their performances and artistic endeavours, what they’re working on now and what budding artists need to know. From underground clubs in Berlin, to running clandestine festivals in Serbia, to moonlit forests hidden from the Belarusian secret police, Jet Moon is a multi-disciplinary artist who writes, performs and collaborates on fierce work for radical social change. Collaborating for many years with the LGBTIQ, kink, sex worker, disability and survivor communities they belong to, creating intimate spaces of sharing, visibility and resistance. 

Content warning: suicide, abuse, strong language.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Four

Writing & Music with Doug Johnstone

In this episode of the Being a Writer Podcast, we’re joined by novelist, musician and TLC reader Doug Johnstone to talk all things Writing & Music. Doug shares with us his early experiences with music and how writing, which began as something he did for fun, soon became a brilliant career of noir fiction. He walks us through the creative process for each one and shares a treasure trove of writing advice. We talk about A.I, how less is more, how feedback can be transformative for a writer’s career, the perks of forging a community and finding genuine fulfilment in the creative process. Doug Johnstone is the bestselling author of fifteen novels, most recently The Space Between Us (Orenda). Three of his books have been shortlisted for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year, while one was longlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year. He’s won the Fiction Uncovered Award and been shortlisted for Capital Crime’s Independent Voice. He’s taught creative writing or been writer in residence at festivals, libraries, universities, schools, prisons and a funeral directors. He’s also a journalist, songwriter and musician, plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, and is a co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Five

Asking the Big Questions with Jeffrey Boakye

In this episode of the Being a Writer Podcast, we’re joined by author, broadcaster, educator and  journalist, Jeffrey Boakye to explore the topic of Asking Big Questions. Jeffrey walks us through his writing career, from being an English teacher of 15 years to diving into writing books of his own. We discuss his love of literature from early on, how teaching has informed much of his work and the bigger questions that he has sought to answer throughout his writing journey, signifying pivotal moments in his life and helping him to navigate his identity while contextualising the world around him. Jeffrey also shares how every person has a story and how to ask the big questions that help them surface.

Jeffrey Boakye is an author, broadcaster and educator with a particular interest in issues surrounding race, masculinity, education and popular culture.
Jeffrey taught English to 11- to 18-year-olds for 15 years and now provides training for schools,
universities and businesses on race, identity, masculinity and education. He is also Senior
Teaching Fellow at the University of Manchester’s Institute for Education. Jeffrey’s published books are: Hold Tight: Black Masculinity, Millennials and the Meaning of Grime, Black Listed: Black British Culture Explored, What is Masculinity? Why Does it Matter? And Other Big Questions (co-authored), Musical Truth: A Musical Journey through Modern Black Britain and I Heard What You Said. Jeffrey co-hosts BBC Radio 4’s double award winning Add to Playlist. He received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Leicester in January 2023.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now or access the transcript here.

Episode Six

Writing as Healing with Farzana Khan

In this episode of the Being a Writer Podcast, we’re joined by Writer, Social Sculptor and Exec Co-Director at Healing Justice Ldn, Farzana Khan to discuss the topic of Writing as Healing. Farzana shares the origin story of Healing Justice London and how grounded the work is in supporting and uplifting communities around them. She also shares her own thoughts on writing as a creative and healing practice, and how we can turn to that mode of expression to help us make sense of ourselves and the world around us. 

Farzana Khan (she/they) is a writer, cultural producer and curator.  Farzana  is co-founder and Executive Director. Her practice works on building community health, repair and self-transformation rooted in disability justice, survivor work and trauma-informed practice working with communities of colour and other marginalised peoples. Farzana has a years of background in Youth and Community work particularly focused on arts-based education projects both in the UK and internationally. Farzana is the former creative and strategic director at Voices that Shake, bringing together young people, artists and campaigners to develop creative responses to social injustice. She ran this working at Platform London, a climate and social justice organisation working across arts, education, research and activism. Farzana latest artistic residency was at an East London nature reserve Phytology, where she writes on loss, trauma, connectivity, land, healing and aliveness. You can see an installation at the site is a piece named ‘We Extend Ourselves Towards Each Other’s Aliveness’

Farzana is a trustee of International Curatorial Forum and Stuart Hall Foundation. She also sits on the advisory board of Kids of Colour. 

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now.

Episode Seven

Setting up a Literary Prize with Jamie Hale

In this episode of the Being a Writer Podcast, we’re joined by poet, writer and performer Jamie Hale, to talk all things on Setting Up a Literary Prize. Jamie shares their own experiences of moving through the world of poetry and performance, putting together pieces during times of difficulty and how it inspired them to serve a larger community of disabled writers, providing access to the literary landscape in a way that previously hadn’t been done. Jamie also takes us behind the scenes of what really happens in putting a prize together, what writers need to know and plans for the future in making space at the table for all kinds of writers. 

Jamie Hale is a poet, multidisciplinary writer, and performer, whose work narrates the agency and urgency of living as a disabled person in the world, connecting nature, body, mortality and universality. A 2021-22 Jerwood Poetry Fellow, founder of award-winning organisation CRIPtic Arts, and co-founder of the Disabled Poets Prize, Jamie also won the London Writers’ Awards for Poetry in 2018, and the Evening Standard Future Theatre Fund Director/Theatremaker of the Year in 2021. Their  pamphlet, Shield was published by Verve Press, and they have platformed their solo show, NOT DYING internationally. Their work has appeared from the Guardian to the Rialto, MAGMA, and many more, and they have performed and keynoted in venues including the Tate Modern, the Southbank Centre, the Barbican Centre, and at Newcastle Poetry Festival. Jamie is currently working on their first full poetry collection, a book of essays, and screenwriting and theatre projects.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now.

Episode Eight

Writing Outside the London Bubble with Maisie Chan

Our season finale of the Being a Writer podcast features award-winning children’s author Maisie Chan who talks to us about Writing Outside the London Bubble. Maisie walks us through her earliest memories of growing up in Birmingham and finding writing as a means for forming identity and expressing more about reconciling her Chinese heritage with western culture. She also explores the ideas of hope, fun and playfulness in being a children’s author as well as being based in Scotland away from the traditional publishing scene, covering everything from inspiration and resilience throughout the writing process to connections and community building.

Maisie Chan is children’s author whose debut novel DANNY CHUNG DOES NOT DO MATHS won the Jhalak Prize and the Branford Boase Award in 2022. Her latest novel KEEP DANCING, LIZZIE CHU is out now with Piccadilly Press. She also writes the series TIGER WARRIOR. She has written early readers for Hachette and Big Cat Collins, and has a collection of myths and legends out with Scholastic. She runs the Bubble Tea Writers Network to support and encourage writers of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) descent in the U.K. She has a dog called Miko who has big eyes. She lives in Glasgow with her family.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now.

*BONUS EPISODE*

Free Reads Special with Writers Block North East, Fly on the Wall Press, Emma Press and CRIPtic Arts

For this month’s Special Edition of the Being a Writer Podcast, we’re very excited to feature some of our brand new partners on our Arts Council-funded Free Reads Scheme.

The TLC Free Reads scheme is the only nationally funded programme offering professional writing development bursaries in partnership with all of the country’s literature development agencies. It is co-ordinated by TLC, the UK’s longest standing editorial consultancy, to support low-income, talented writers writing across all genres and formats in the English language.

In this special edition of the Being a Writer podcast, we asked three of our new partners to tell us a little bit more about who they are, what they do, and what Being a Writer means to them. You’ll hear more from the Emma Press, Fly on the Wall Press, CRIPtic Arts and Writers Block North East in this podcast.

You can find out more about the TLC Free Reads scheme and all of our 26 regional partners on the TLC website HERE.

We are actively looking at how to expand and develop the scheme to reach even more writers and are excited to connect with prospective sponsors and corporate partners. If you are interested in having a conversation with us about this, please get in touch.

Press ‘Play’ below to listen now.