logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2022
33m 34s

#389 Sheila Heti: Art is the Opposite of...

Emma Gannon
About this episode

My guest today is the brilliant Sheila Heti, author of Motherhood and How Should a Person Be? In this episode we discuss her latest book Pure Colour, a new novel l about art, love, loss and time. It has been described as a galaxy of a novel: explosive, bright, huge and streaked with beauty. Sheila Heti has also been described as philosopher of modern experience - and I really enjoyed this conversation. Motherhood, her novel which grapples with the question of whether or not to have kids was a huge inspiration on me - and I think Sheila is one of the most talented artists of our time. Enjoy this conversation, I loved it and was on cloud nine after recording! 


  • My Substack! https://thehyphen.substack.com/
  • Sheila Heti's Pure Colour: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/153/9781787302808
  • Sheila Heti's books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/sheila-heti
  • My books: https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/emma-gannon
  • Books Mentioned On Ctrl Alt Delete Podcast: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/books-mentioned-on-ctrl-alt-delete-podcast
  • Twitter: Twitter.com/emmagannon
  • Instagram: Instagram.com/emmagannonuk



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jun 2023
The Success Myth Diaries: #3 Jeff Hamaoui on Midlife
Welcome back to The Success Myth Diaries! Today’s guest is Jeff Hamaoui, a seasoned teacher, master facilitator and Chief Innovation and Education Officer for Modern Elder Academy. The Modern Elder Academy is a program for people going through midlife transitions - they are on a ... Show More
31m 12s
May 2023
The Success Myth Diaries #2: Sian Clifford on Fame
To accompany the launch of my new book, I have interviewed some of my favourite thinkers on the topic of success, failure and creativity — and the most common success myths. Today’s guest is British actor Sian Clifford, probably best known for playing Claire in Fleabag (the toile ... Show More
32m 7s
May 2023
The Success Myth Diaries #1: Chelsea Fagan on Money
Welcome to the Success Myth Diaries! A brand new mini-series to accompany my new book The Success Myth: Letting Go Of Having It All which is out TODAY. My book unpicks the 8 success myths, from happiness to money to productivity to celebrity to the idea of ‘arriving’, looking at ... Show More
33m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2019
Ep 169: Books that mess you up in all the right ways
Meet Phimy Truong and Erika Thi Benjamin, best friends who share both a passion for work that creates positive change in the world AND practically identical reading taste (as you’ll hear, one of their favorites is shared). Today Anne, Phimy, and Erika chat about the book that tau ... Show More
54m 21s
Apr 2022
#381 Fearne Cotton: Finding Meaning in a Messy World
Fearne Cotton is one of the best-known and most popular broadcasters in the UK and is most recently known as the founder of the wellbeing brand and podcast, Happy Place. This came off the back of her first book Happy in 2017 which was a Sunday Times Bestseller. This was the first ... Show More
47m 8s
Jun 2018
Sheila Heti : Motherhood
“This book is going to change how we think about life and women forever; like ancient Greek philosopher level of describing reality in a way that creates it. So, go or don’t go, read the book or don’t—either way your life will be changed by this thinker. I’m being serious here.”— ... Show More
1h 28m
Mar 2018
Ep 123: Books that will totally make you cry (with laughter)
Today’s guest is a reader who loves to laugh. Rissie Lundberg wrote in to the show to tell us she’s been a listener from the very beginning, but has NEVER heard her favorite titles discussed on the air. We knew we had to have her on the show to remedy that situation as soon as po ... Show More
39m 41s
Apr 2022
#378 Clover Stroud: Writing About Life & Death (Part 2)
Welcome to part 2 of this conversation with writer and journalist Clover Stroud, as we discuss her third memoir The Red Of My Blood: a brutal, bold and brilliant artistic piece of life writing about family, survival, death and grief. I really felt like I lived this book as oppose ... Show More
28m 24s
Dec 2019
Ep 213: Art, fear, and discovering great books
Anne chats with reader and children’s book writer Kate DiCamillo about the books that inspired her to dream up stories, the hopeful work of writing for children, and what she learns from readers about her own books. She has so much to share about the value of friendship with othe ... Show More
55m 4s
Apr 2022
#379 Jamie Varon: How to Be Radically Content With Your Life (Part 1)
Hello and welcome back to Ctrl Alt Delete, my guest today is Jamie Varon: writer, designer, digital course creator, and creative consultant living in California. Today we are talking about her book Radically Content - Being Satifisied in an Endlessly Dissatisfied World. If you en ... Show More
31m 35s
Sep 2020
Ep 249: Who would read the dictionary for fun? (we would)
An encounter with The Baby-Sitters Club #4 Mary Anne Saves the Day launched today's guest into a lifelong love of reading AND a special fondness for middle grade novels. Afoma Umesi is a freelance writer, editor, and children’s book blogger living in Nigeria. Anne has her work cu ... Show More
54m 38s
Feb 2016
Ep 6: Books for book nerds, author backstories, and simple stories told well
Anne talks to Tsh Oxenreider about the importance of where she reads, author stories on and off the page, books for book nerds, and her love of simple stories well told. Click over to the podcast website for the full list of titles discussed in this episode, and leave us a commen ... Show More
39m 12s
Jul 2021
12 Postmodernism: Let’s Make the Art World a Better Place
If you enjoy rebelling against established institutions, you’ll enjoy some aspects of Postmodern Art and the work it inspires today. Host Klaire Lockheart will briefly review Modernism before explaining the Postmodernism movement. Discover the legacy of the Guerrilla Girls, and l ... Show More
34m 43s