For our season finale, I bring you the glorious Maggie O'Farrell. She is one of my favourite authors, and her books include the highly acclaimed novels After You'd Gone, The Hand That First Held Mine, Instructions for a Heatwave and the bestselling memoir I Am, I Am, I Am. Her most recent work of fiction, Hamnet, imagined the untold story of Shakespeare’s so ... Show More
Oct 8
Stephen Grosz - ‘Real love is going to hurt’
Warning: this episode may contain MIND-BLOWING moments. Stephen Grosz is a practising psychoanalyst and a personal hero of mine. He has worked with patients for more than 45 years and his first book, The Examined Life, drew on these experiences. When it was published in 2013, it ... Show More
52m 23s
Oct 6
Jilly Cooper: On Failure, Love, and Literature
Today, we remember and celebrate the extraordinary life of Jilly Cooper, who has sadly passed away at the age of 88. A literary icon, Jilly captured hearts and imaginations with her wit, warmth, and unmistakable voice. Her novels, especially beloved titles like Riders and Rivals, ... Show More
38m 7s
Oct 5
On Navigating Your 20s... With Phoebe Waller Bridge and Lily Allen
Welcome back to this How to Fail special where we journey through the archive to uncover insight and revisit powerful conversations. Each week, I hand-pick moments that speak to our shared challenges - hopefully offering comfort, clarity, and a renewed sense of perspective for wh ... Show More
17m 15s
Feb 2018
Interview with Maggie O'Farrell
Autumn and Kendra chat with Maggie O'Farrell about her first work of nonfiction, her memoir I Am, I Am, I Am. O'Farrell talks about why she wanted to write a memoir after seven novels and about her own relationship with mortality, which inspired her to share the stories her seven ... Show More
30m 35s
Jun 2023
Can We Make This Place Beautiful? with Maggie Smith
How do we live in a world that’s at least half terrible, and that is a conservative estimate?If you recognize that line, you already know Maggie Smith. This week on the show, we’re talking about writing, marriage, divorce, and why you didn’t need whatever happened to you in order ... Show More
51m 12s
Dec 2020
Books (with Louise Penny, Stacey Abrams, and Marley Dias)
Books: They can transport us, entertain us, show us who we can be, and even get us through hard times. In this episode, Hillary sits down with three fellow book-lovers: mystery novelist (and friend) Louise Penny; return guest Stacey Abrams in her capacity as romance writer (!); a ... Show More
47m 17s
Mar 2023
Congratulations, You’re a Failure! Stephen Marche on Enduring the Life of a Writer
Stephen Marche is the author of six books, has been a columnist at Esquire, has taught Shakespeare at the college level and has contributed to The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and many other publications. By any reasonable measure, his career is an unmitigated su ... Show More
1h 11m
Dec 2021
Interview with Denise Williams
In this week’s episode, Joce talks with Denise Williams about her latest novel, The Fastest Way to Fall, which is out from Berkley Romance. Check out our Patreon page to learn more about our book club and other Patreon-exclusive goodies. Follow along over on Instagram, join the d ... Show More
49m 10s
Sep 2023
Review: ‘The Fraud’, Zadie Smith
In more than two decades since Zadie Smith burst onto the literary scene with her debut novel, ‘White Teeth’, her books, essays and short stories have continued to enjoy commercial and critical success. Her latest novel brings to life the story of the Tichborne case – one of the ... Show More
29m 39s