Shows
In HasteWhat keeps you writing?It's a bonus episode! Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie reflect on the first season of In Haste literary conversations, and, as always, discuss how their own writing is going.So far in 2024 we've been thinking about what stops authors from writing and what keeps them coming back to the page. In this special extra episode, Alice and Charlotte talk about how their own writing is fitting into their lives right now, and what they've learned.In Haste is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic d...2024-05-0726 min
In HasteHow should a book sound? with Caleb Azumah NelsonHow can a musical soundscape shape a novel?For the final episode in this first season of In Haste literary conversations, authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie meet novelist Caleb Azumah Nelson, author of Open Water (which won the Costa Book Award) and Small Worlds, to discuss his writing process, as well as faith, love stories, and the importance of place. Plus, Alice and Charlotte talk about how music influences their writing.This episode is made in partnership with Backstory, the new books magazine from the independent South London bookshop. To get your copy of...2024-04-2341 min
In HasteHow true is fiction? with Eliza ClarkWhy does it make us so uncomfortable when fiction feels like real life?Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie meet Eliza Clark, author of the gloriously dark and unforgettable novels Penance and Boy Parts, and a member of Granta's most recent selection of best young British novelists. Eliza takes us through a sharp and candid discussion about the publishing industry, authorial voice and veracity in fiction, writing about dark themes, and what happens when your book goes viral on TikTok.Plus, as always, Alice and Charlotte discuss how their own writing is going....2024-04-1634 min
In HasteHow do you grow a book? with Fiona WilliamsHow does the natural world around us shape who we are?Authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie have both found themselves drawn to writing about landscapes. Today they’re joined by the debut novelist Fiona Williams, author of The House of Broken Bricks, for a warm and inspiring discussion about Fiona's own relationship with books, gardens, food, and finding a sense of home in nature.The House of Broken Bricks is an immersive story of a family with twin boys, who are both of dual heritage, but who look strikingly different from one another. They al...2024-04-0926 min
In HasteCan stories help us reclaim trauma? with Emilia HartHow does fiction explore deep-rooted sources of pain through history?Today in the In Haste writing hut, Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie are joined by the international bestselling novelist Emilia Hart, author of Weyward.Weyward is an unforgettable supernatural story about witches, but it’s also about something all too real: the suffering and violence inflicted on women across history. It's a powerful and inspiring reclaiming of a historical narrative we think we know. We hear how Emilia came to write the novel, which was a remarkable process in strange times.Please note th...2024-04-0229 min
In HasteIs writing real life? with Cathy RentzenbrinkHow does reading and writing change you?Joining Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie this week is the author Cathy Rentzenbrink, who doesn’t like being described as an “acclaimed memoirist”, and would rather we described her as an “honest puzzler” - or something even less kind.But she has, in fact, written many excellent memoirs and novels, and there’s no getting around it. Her clear-eyed, truth-filled writing tackles subjects including profound grief, as well as her own very personal relationship with books and reading. In today’s conversation, we discuss the strange otherworldliness of writing, and h...2024-03-2631 min
In HasteWhat if writing is about waiting? with Rowan Hisayo BuchananCan books make us more patient?In Haste is back! This week, writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of three beautiful novels (The Sleep Watcher, Starling Days, and Harmless Like You) about teaching writing, learning about writing, whether writers tend to be dog people or cat people, and patience.“There are some writers I see who write something, and it isn’t quite what they imagined, and so they throw it out, and they write something new. They’re not able to sit with the discomfort of it not being...2024-03-1933 min
In HasteHow can fantasy change your reality? with Sunyi DeanWhat’s the relationship between fantasy literature and real life?Writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Sunyi Dean, author of the bestselling novel The Book Eaters, and co-host of the excellent Publishing Rodeo podcast.Sunyi discusses how she came to write the book and what was going on in her life at the time, as well as her somewhat stormy publication journey, in an episode that also touches on what makes us readers of fantasy — and what makes us think of ourselves as fantasy readers.Each episode of In Haste is acco...2024-03-0530 min
In HasteHow deep can a short story go? with Thomas MorrisHow do you expose emotion through writing?Writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Thomas Morris, whose short story suite, Open Up, was among the most widely admired literary publications of 2023.Thomas Morris is a Welsh writer who is the former editor of Stinging Fly and has been named as one of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists. In this episode, he talks about writing masculinity and articulating emotions, going further into a story and the pursuit of “knowing more”, and the strange lives of seahorses. Thomas also shares how reading defines his work as a w...2024-02-2731 min
In HasteWhat's it like to be a debut author? with Jennie GodfreyWriters Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie meet Jennie Godfrey, debut novelist and author of The List of Suspicious things.Jennie discusses how she wrote her novel, which has garnered a huge amount of buzz in the British publishing industry and beyond, and which has themes that draw on Jennie’s own childhood experiences growing up in Yorkshire during the strange and troubling time when the Yorkshire Ripper was at large. Alice and Charlotte share their own journeys to publication - from the rocky to the dreamlike - as well as speaking to Jennie about writing inspiration, crime fi...2024-02-2032 min
In HasteShould you write on holiday? with Sophie MackintoshCan a writer ever meaningfully take a break? And what’s it like to get the call saying you’ve been longlisted for the Booker Prize?Today on In Haste, writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie are joined by the novelist Sophie Mackintosh. Sophie is the Booker-longlisted author of The Water Cure, Blue Ticket, and Cursed Bread, and was named one of Granta's Best Young British Novelists of 2023.Sophie takes us behind the scenes into her writing process and life as an author, including discussing the myths and folk tales where she finds literary inspiration. Alic...2024-02-1329 min
In HasteWhy don't we have enough time? with Oliver BurkemanYou’d write a great book if only you had the time. Well, there are all sort of things we’d do if we had enough time. But what if you never have enough time? Would you try, anyway? What if, in fact, right now is the most time you’ll ever have?In this episode of In Haste, authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie speak to Oliver Burkeman, the journalist and internationally bestselling author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.Oliver joins Alice and Charlotte in the writing hut to discuss how author...2024-02-0632 min
In HasteCan your diary be a bestseller? with Amy LiptrotIt sounds like a dream: you write a diary, and one day it suddenly becomes a prize-winning Sunday Times Bestseller. It worked for Amy Liptrot. Could it work for us, too?This is episode one of In Haste, with authors Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie in conversation with Amy Liptrot. Amy is the author of two exquisite and prize-winning memoirs that have resonated with readers across the world: The Outrun and The Instant. The Outrun, Amy's account of her recovery from addiction while immersed in the vivid natural landscape of her native Orkney, has just been made...2024-01-3032 min
In HasteOh look, a podcast!In Haste is a new podcast about how great books really get written, from writers Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie. We’ll be asking award-winning and bestselling authors how they write, what gets in their way, how they overcome that, and what keeps them going. The first episode is released Tuesday January 30th, 2024.Subscribe to catch the first episode when it launches. Our first guest is the wonderful Amy Liptrot, who’ll be discussing her books The Instant and The Outrun – which has just been made into a film starring Saoirse Ronan. We’ll also be findin...2024-01-1602 min