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National Centre for Writing

The Writing Life

In this festive episode of The Writing Life Podcast, crime writer Nicola Upson delves into the themes and appeal of crime novels set at Christmas.

 

Nicola Upson’s debut, An Expert in Murder, was the first in a series of crime novels to feature Josephine Tey — one of Britain’s finest Golden Age crime writers – and was dramatised for BBC Radio 4. Several of Nicola’s novels have been listed for the CWA Gold and Historical Daggers, and Sorry for the Dead was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. Praised as a ‘perfect Christmas crime story’ by Elly Griffiths, her latest novel The Christmas Clue was published in September 2025.

 

She sat down with NCW’s Caitlin Evans to discuss The Christmas Clue, and how she tackled balancing festive cheer with page-turning twists and deceptive characters. Together, they touch on writing fiction inspired by real people, what drew her to writing a Christmas crime novel, and how to develop the ideal festive setting for a murder mystery.

Writing festive thrillers: Nicola Upson on The Christmas Clue

In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Singapore-based writer Clara Chow delves into the world of 'experimental fiction' and why she takes on projects that push against the grain.

 

Clara Chow works across genres of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her strange experiments under Hermit Press include obscure prose chapbooks such as The Melancholy of Broken Bollards. She has been a resident at the University of Iowa, Toji Cultural Center, Asean Literary Festival and Shanghai Writers’ Programme. Her residency in the Dragon Hall Cottage was supported by the National Arts Council of Singapore.

 

She sits down with writer and mentor Megan Bradbury to discuss how she defines ‘experimental fiction’, and the importance of prioritising fun with your creative writing. Together, they touch on her month-long residency in Norwich UNESCO City of Literature, writing as a collaborative project, and the role bilingualism plays in her creative work.

What is ‘experimental fiction’?: Clara Chow on travelling, writing about taboo subjects, and having fun

In this Halloween-flavoured episode of The Writing Life Podcast, we’re resharing an illuminating discussion between writers Lisabelle Tay and Heather Parry on writing grief and the monstrous body.

 

Heather Parry is a Glasgow-based writer and editor, originally from South Yorkshire. Her debut novel, Orpheus Builds a Girl, was shortlisted for the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year Award and longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize. She is also the author of a short story collection, This Is My Body, Given For You, and her first nonfiction book, Electric Dreams: On Sex Robots and the Failed Promises of Capitalism, was released in 2024 as part of 404 Ink’s Inklings series.

 

Lisabelle Tay is the author of Pilgrim (The Emma Press, 2021). She writes poetry, fiction, and screenplays. Her work appears in Bad Lilies, Sine Theta Magazine, and elsewhere, and she was part of the 2023 Black List Feature Lab.

 

They sit down with Yan Ge, author of Strange Beasts of China, to explore how the body and the bodily serve as powerful lenses for examining trauma, grief, and the experience of inhabiting perspectives and bodies beyond our own.

 

This event, supported by the National Arts Council of Singapore, was recorded in May 2025 for The Global Page. The Global Page is a unique series of online global conversations featuring internationally acclaimed and emerging writers and translators. You can find more conversations like this on our website at nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk

Writing grief and the body: Lisabelle Tay & Heather Parry in conversation with Yan Ge

In this episode of The Writing Life, acclaimed British author and academic Sarah Moss (known for Ghost Wall and Summerwater) joins us to discuss her latest novel, Ripeness, ‘a breathtaking story of love and the search for belonging, from 1960s Italy to present-day Ireland.’

Sarah reflects on the novel’s dual structure, which follows Edith both as a young girl and as an older woman, and explores how dance, movement, and the body shape the story’s emotional core. She also talks about her fascination with flawed characters and considers what it means (or doesn’t mean!) to be a ‘political’ writer.

Sarah Moss has written several novels including the Sunday Times top ten bestseller Summerwater (being adapted for television by Channel 4) and Ghost Wall, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize. She has also written two works of memoir, Names for the Sea, an account of her year living in Iceland, and My Good Bright Wolf which will also be published in Spring 2025. Sarah Moss was born in Glasgow and grew up in the north of England. After moving between Oxford, Canterbury, Reykjavik, west Cornwall and the Midlands, she now lives in Dublin.

Writing flawed characters: Sarah Moss on Ripeness

In this episode of The Writing Life, poets Erica Hesketh and Jenny Pagdin share insights into the poetry of motherhood, and how they each share their ‘emotional truth’ in their writing.

 

Erica Hesketh is a poet and editor, originally from Japan and Denmark, now based in London. Her poetry has been commissioned by the Royal Festival Hall, Spread the Word and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2016 to 2024 she was Director of the Poetry Translation Centre. Her debut collection, In the Lily Room, is published by Nine Arches Press and explores early motherhood. Her poem ‘Night feed’ was highly commended in the 2025 Forward Prizes.

 

Jenny Pagdin wrote The Snow Globe (Nine Arches 2024) and Caldbeck (Eyewear, 2017), about postpartum psychosis. The Snow Globe won the East Anglian Book Awards poetry category in 2024, and her work has been shortlisted for the Mslexia pamphlet competition, highly commended and shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, and longlisted for the Rebecca Swift Foundation's 2018 Women's Poetry Prize.

 

Together, they reflect on how their experiences of motherhood have shaped their poetry and the creation of their debut collections. Touching on everything from how poetry fits into their lives as working mothers to the power of connecting with others by giving voice to experiences of illness and mental health, this is an honest and insightful conversation about recovery, language, and craft.

The poetry of motherhood: Erica Hesketh and Jenny Pagdin on language, recovery, and balance

In this episode of The Writing Life, poet, editor, and literary activist Vanessa Bell discusses the journeys she has taken as a writer, both literally and figuratively, and her recent book tour around the UK.

 

Based in Quebec City of Literature, Vanessa Bell is co-director of CONTOURS and director of the poetry collection at Éditions du Quartz. Her debut collection of poetry, De rivières, was published by La Peuplade in 2019. She co-edited Anthology of contemporary poetry by women in Quebec 2000-2020 (Anthologie de la poésie actuelle des femmes au Québec 2000-2020) and MONUMENTS and won the 2021 Félix-Antoine-Savard Prize. She was selected as a 2022 Writers’ Trust Rising Star by Nicole Brossard.

 

She sits down with NCW’s Chief Executive Peggy Hughes to discuss how her travels have transformed her as a writer and as a person. Together, they touch on her work in Quebec, the many ways a project can evolve and change over time, and how professional mentoring has uplifted her work.

A writer’s journey: Vanessa Bell on book tours, friendship, and revisiting old projects

In this episode of The Writing Life, illustrator Hayley Wells delves into the importance of representation in children’s books.

 

Hayley Wells is an Essex-based illustrator with an MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art. Their work has been shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards, featured on television, and published worldwide.

 

They sit down with NCW’s Ellie Reeves to discuss The Spectacular Suit, a picture book which celebrates individuality, identity and self-expression. Together they touch on the relationship between writer and illustrator, their advice for people wanting to develop ideas for a children’s book, and the value of representing yourself and your experiences in your art.

Representation in children’s literature: Hayley Wells on The Spectacular Suit

Content warning: Mentions of rape, sexual assault, and war.

 

In this episode of The Writing Life, bestselling author Pat Barker shares insights about the art of retellings, and the craftsmanship and research needed to write reimaginings of classic literature.

 

Pat Barker was born in Yorkshire and began her literary career in her late thirties, when she took a short writing course taught by Angela Carter. She has published sixteen novels, including her masterful Regeneration Trilogy which includes the Booker Prize-winning The Ghost Road. The Silence of the Girls was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction and won an Independent Bookshop Award 2019. The Women of Troy was a number one Sunday Times bestseller. The Voyage Home continues the series.

 

She sits down with NCW’s Holly Ainley to discuss her Regeneration Trilogy, and how retellings can bring stories to new audiences. They touch on offering fresh perspectives to Greek mythology, finding inspiration in unexpected places, and how reimaginings can make stories accessible to readers through contemporary language and references.

Reimagining classics: Pat Barker on the Regeneration Trilogy

In this episode of The Writing Life, award-winning writer Val McDermid shares insights on writing contemporary crime fiction, and the importance of learning patience as a writer.

 

One of the UK’s most accomplished and respected novelists, Val McDermid has sold over 19 million books to date across the globe and is translated into more than 40 languages. She is perhaps best-known for her Wire in the Blood series, featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan, which was adapted for television starring Robson Green and Hermione Norris. She has written four other series: private detective Kate Brannigan, journalist Lindsay Gordon, cold case detective Karen Pirie, whose debut appearance in The Distant Echo is now a major ITV series. The second in the series, 1989 was published in paperback in February 2023. Val has also published several award-winning standalone novels, books of non-fiction, short story collections and a children’s picture book, My Granny is a Pirate. Val returns to Karen Pirie with her latest book, Past Lying.

 

She sits down with NCW's Chief Executive Peggy to discuss her writing career, and how her research process and routine have changed over time. Together, they discuss Val’s Harriet Martineau Lecture at Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2025, her journey into new genres and styles, and what readers can expect from the next book in her Inspector Karen Pirie series.

Writing contemporary crime fiction: Val McDermid on Past Lying

In this episode of The Writing Life, writer and Dragon Hall Cottage resident Wen-yi Lee shares insights into building a writing career, and the process of taking a project from conception to completion.

 

Wen-yi Lee likes writing about girls with bite, feral nature, and ghosts. She is the author of historical fantasy When They Burned the Butterfly and YA horror The Dark We Know, and has also published speculative fiction and essays in venues like Lightspeed, Uncanny, Strange Horizons, Reactor, and various anthologies. A University College London alum, she is currently based at home in Singapore. In February 2025, she completed a residency in our Dragon Hall Cottage.

 

She sits down with writer and mentor Kate Worsley to discuss her journey as a multi-genre writer, and the importance of representation in literature. Together, they touch on navigating queer storylines, finding a writing community online, and striking the balance between vulnerability and protection when exposing parts of yourself in your writing.

Becoming a published author: Wen-Yi Lee on representation, writing residencies, and building a readership

Ed Parnell is on the pod to talk about his first non-fiction book, Ghostland. He discusses his obsession with structure, how to pitch a non-fiction book and how he switched from fiction to non-fiction.

Simon and Steph also dive into the pod archive to pick out their favourite episodes of the year:

Outer Wilds with Kelsey Beachum: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/the-writing-challenges-of-outer-wilds/

Jon Ingold from Inkle Studios: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/how-to-write-interactive-narratives-for-games/

Elif Shafak & Bidisha: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/elif-shafak-talks-metoo-identity-politics-libraries-and-inequality/

Life of Bookseller with Joe Hedinger: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/life-of-a-bookseller/

Val McDermid & Sian Cain: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/article/val-mcdermid-sian-cain-on-the-publishing-landscape-for-lgbtqi-writers/

Hosted by Steph McKenna and Simon Jones.

Find out about our work: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/

Music by Bennet Maples.

Structuring non-fiction with Ed Parnell

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