Rippling Pages: Interviews with Writers

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

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 

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

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

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 

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