Always Take Notes
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Always Take Notes
Always Take Notes is a fortnightly podcast from London for and about writers and writing. Hosts Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd speak to a diverse range of people in the industry on a variety of topics, from the mysteries of slush piles and per-word rates, to how data are changing the ways newspapers do...
Seneste episoder
243 episoder
Vicki Willden-Lebrecht on screens, the reading crisis and building a business around illustrated children's books
Rachel and Simon speak with the literary agent Vicki Willden-Lebrecht. Vicki set up The Bright Agency in 2003; today the company represents authors an...
Tom Rob Smith on his bestselling debut "Child 44", screenwriting for the BBC and FX, and taking a different approach in his new novel "Twenty Years Together"
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and screenwriter Tom Rob Smith. Tom wrote his first novel, "Child 44", about a serial killer in Soviet Russia...
Siri Hustvedt talks about her marriage to the novelist Paul Auster - and writing about him after his death in “Ghost Stories”
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist and essayist Siri Hustvedt. Born in Minnesota in 1955 to a Norwegian mother and American father, Siri grew up...
John Lanchester on his novelistic portrayal of London on the brink of a financial crisis in "Capital" and intergenerational strife in his new book "Look What You Made Me Do"
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and journalist John Lanchester. John has written six works of fiction including "The Debt to Pleasure", "Capi...
Kathryn Stockett on the success (and controversy) of "The Help" and taking 17 years to publish a follow-up novel, "The Calamity Club"
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Kathryn Stockett. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Kathryn moved to New York after university and spe...
Michael Morpurgo on how his novel about a horse in the First World War gained a spectacular second life on stage and screen
In an episode recorded live in Bristol, Simon and Rachel speak with the children's author Michael Morpurgo. A former primary-school teacher, Michael h...
Lauren Groff on book bans, artificial intelligence and what novels set in the past reveal about the present
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist and short-story writer Lauren Groff. Lauren is the bestselling author of the novels "The Monsters of Templeto...
Jason Burke on his career as a foreign correspondent and unravelling 1970s terror networks in his new book
Simon and Rachel speak to Jason Burke, the international security correspondent for the Guardian. Jason has been a foreign correspondent for almost 30...
Katy Hessel on making museums accessible, writing "The Story of Art without Men" and the value of an art-history degree
Rachel and Simon speak to the art historian and author Katy Hessel. While working at a London art gallery, Katy set up @thegreatwomenartists, an Insta...
Doug Naylor on creating iconic 80s and 90s TV, a hit novelty song and books for children
Simon and Rachel speak with Doug Naylor, who co-created the hit 1990s science-fiction comedy "Red Dwarf". After abandoning his university studies in p...
Mary Beard on "The Odyssey", "Gladiator 2" and why popular culture is always in dialogue with the ancient world
Rachel and Simon speak with the author and academic Mary Beard. Mary is a professor emerita of classics at Cambridge University and the Classics edito...
Jacques Testard on setting up Fitzcarraldo Editions, publishing fiction in translation and those blue-and-white covers
Simon and Rachel speak to Jacques Testard, the founder and publisher of Fitzcarraldo Editions, an independent house based in London that, since its es...
Nicole Vanderbilt on how Bookshop.org is taking on Amazon through recommendations, not algorithms
In this episode Rachel and Simon speak to Nicole Vanderbilt, managing director of Bookshop.org in the UK. She joined Bookshop - an online bookseller s...
Frank Close on the nuclear age, physics' forgotten figures and writing for a general audience
In an episode recorded live at EA Festival, Simon and Rachel speak with the science writer Frank Close. Frank is emeritus professor of theoretical phy...
#229: Moira Buffini, playwright, screenwriter and novelist
Rachel and Simon speak to the playwright, screenwriter and novelist Moira Buffini. After training as an actor, Moira started writing for the stage; he...
#228: Salman Rushdie, novelist
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Salman Rushdie, whose 17 works of fiction have been translated into over 40 languages. Salman's novels include ...
#227: Michelle Paver, novelist
In this episode, recorded live at Wimbledon BookFest, Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist Michelle Paver. Born in Nyasaland (now Malawi) to a South...
#226: Anthony Horowitz, novelist
In this episode Simon and Rachel speak to the prolific novelist Anthony Horowitz. Anthony is the author of the teen spy Alex Rider series, which has ...
#225: Susan Choi, novelist
In this episode Rachel and Simon speak to the American novelist Susan Choi. Born in Indiana to a Korean father and Jewish mother, Susan is the author...
#224: Dean Koontz, novelist
In this episode Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Dean Koontz. The author of over 120 books, Dean is published in 38 countries and has sold 500m...
#223: Sarah Perry, novelist
Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist Sarah Perry. Sarah is the internationally bestselling author of four novels - "After Me Comes the Flood" (2014)...
#222: James Alistair Henry, screenwriter and novelist
Rachel and Simon speak with the screenwriter and novelist James Alistair Henry. James first started writing while working as a bookseller. He joined t...
#221: Eimear McBride, novelist
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Eimear McBride. Born in Liverpool to Irish parents, Eimear studied acting before pursuing writing. Her debut...
#220: Anthony Cheetham, publisher
Simon and Rachel speak with the veteran British publisher Anthony Cheetham. Anthony began his career in 1966 at the New English Library, where his fir...
#219: Jacqueline Wilson, novelist
In this episode, recorded in conjunction with Hay Festival, Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Jacqueline Wilson. Born in 1945, Jacqueline wrote...
#218: Jesse Armstrong, screenwriter
In this episode, recorded live at the London Library, Simon and Rachel speak with the screenwriter Jesse Armstrong. Born in Shropshire and educated at...
#217: Hallie Rubenhold, historian
Rachel and Simon speak to the historian Hallie Rubenhold. Born in Los Angeles, Hallie moved to Britain as a graduate student; after completing an MA a...
#216: Viet Thanh Nguyen, novelist and academic
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and academic Viet Thanh Nguyen. Born in Vietnam, Viet came to the United States as a refugee in 1975. He comp...
#215: Jojo Moyes, novelist
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Jojo Moyes, live at Hay Festival. Jojo started her career as a journalist before publishing her debut novel, ...
#214: Ben Macintyre, journalist and author
Simon and Rachel speak to the journalist and author Ben Macintyre. Ben is the bestselling author of books including "A Spy Among Friends", "Agent Sony...
#213: Diana Evans, novelist and journalist
Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist and journalist Diana Evans. Born and brought up in London and Lagos, Diana started her career as a journalist....
#212: Andrew O'Hagan, novelist and non-fiction writer
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist and non-fiction writer Andrew O'Hagan. Born in Glasgow, Andrew is the author of seven novels – including "Be Ne...
#211: Dani Shapiro, novelist and non-fiction writer
Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist and non-fiction writer Dani Shapiro. Dani is the author of 11 books; her memoirs include "Slow Motion", "Devoti...
#210: Joshi Herrmann, founder, Mill Media
Simon and Rachel speak with Joshi Herrmann, the founder of local journalism startup Mill Media. Joshi founded The Mill, a newsletter covering Grea...
#209: Nnedi Okorafor, novelist
Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Nnedi Okorafor. Nnedi is a prolific writer of science fiction and fantasy for adults, young adults and childr...
#208: Ben Okri, novelist
Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Ben Okri. Born in Minna, Nigeria, Ben came to England as a child. He attended school in London before returning...
#207: Clair Wills, author and academic
Rachel and Simon speak to the author and academic Clair Wills. She is the Regius Professor of English Literature at the University of Cambridge and th...
#206: Tim Winton, novelist
Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist Tim Winton. Widely considered one of the greatest living Australian writers, Tim has written 13 novels; his w...
#205: Hannah Barnes, journalist and author
Rachel and Simon speak with the journalist and author Hannah Barnes. Hannah worked at the BBC for 15 years, specialising in investigative journalism f...
#204: Michael Lewis, journalist and author
Simon and Rachel speak with journalist and author Michael Lewis. Michael grew up in New Orleans and in the 1980s he worked on Wall Street. His first b...