Liam Bishop curating the best writers to help you with your writing
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
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
Saturday Jun 06, 2026
Saturday Jun 06, 2026
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
Thursday May 28, 2026
Thursday May 28, 2026
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
Thursday May 14, 2026
Thursday May 14, 2026
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
Sunday May 03, 2026
Sunday May 03, 2026
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
Thursday Apr 30, 2026
Thursday Apr 30, 2026
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