A Reading Life, A Writing Life, with Sally Bayley

Latest Episodes:

Froggie and the Golden Ball Sep 23, 2023

Show notes

‘For all the Froggies of the World...'

Inspired by her amphibian lifestyle, Sally offers an everyday fable of the writer. Froggie and the Golden Ball is a cautionary tale of the writerly career and the lure of acclaim, interspersed with reflections on nature, Emily Dickinson, and hairdressing.

Dickinson’s poem about the frog is available here: https://poets.org/poem/im-nobody-who-are-you-260

The producer of this episode is James Bowen.

The extra voice in this episode is Emma Fielding.

The beautiful piano music heard in the opening section is written and performed by Paul Clarke.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. Special thanks go to Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

The Farrier Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

Sally has just finished a lesson with a student who is writing a story in the vein of Thomas Hardy about a young man on a farm. Searching for visual references, they latch on to a painting of a farrier, shoeing a horse. Now the image, haunted by a spectral figure, has lingered in Sally's mind and she reflects on how visual and physical memory can inspire writing; and how writers are like ghosts, absent-present in the scene.

In a heat haze, the sound of a dog barking prompts her to think about the importance of creating barriers against the noise of the world.

The producer of the podcast is Andrew Smith: https://www.fleetingyearfilms.com

The extra voice in this episode is Emma Fielding.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. Special thanks go to Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

A Field Guide to Reality Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

Sally is reading A Field Guide to Reality, the debut novel by the Granta Best of Young British author Joanna Kavenna, originally published in 2016 and set in a surreal, quantum alternative Oxford University.

Sally will be in conversation with Joanna Kavenna and fellow writer Elizabeth Lowry at Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford, from 6pm on September 5th. They will discuss many of the themes of the podcast; reading, writing and the intersection with life and living - and it's free to attend! More details here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/s-bayley-e-lowry-and-j-kavenna-a-reading-life-a-writing-life-tickets-688044298017

You can find out more about Joanna's writings here:

http://www.joannakavenna.com/

And Elizabeth Lowry here:

https://elizabethlowry.co.uk/

The Chosen Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

Starting a new book is like starting a new relationship, and Sally is reading Elizabeth Lowry's The Chosen, a ghost story and a love story about Thomas Hardy and his estranged wife.

Sally will be in conversation with Elizabeth Lowry and fellow writer Joanna Kavenna at Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford, from 6pm on September 5th. They will discuss many of the themes of the podcast; reading, writing and the intersection with life and living - and it's free to attend! More details here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/s-bayley-e-lowry-and-j-kavenna-a-reading-life-a-writing-life-tickets-688044298017

Elizabeth Lowry's The Chosen has been shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. You can find out more here:

https://elizabethlowry.co.uk/

You can find out about Joanna Kavenna, who is also appearing in the event, here:

http://www.joannakavenna.com/

Sally talks to Will Self Part Two Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

This is the second half of the chat between Sally and Will Self, held at Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford, in which they discuss the German emigré writer WG Sebald, their reading and writing habits, parenthood, children and eccentric families.

Sally is hosting another evening of literary chat with friends and fellow writers Joanna Kavenna and Elizabeth Lowry, also at Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford, from 6pm on September 5th. They will discuss many of the themes of the podcast; reading, writing and the intersection with life and living - and it's free to attend! More details here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/s-bayley-e-lowry-and-j-kavenna-a-reading-life-a-writing-life-tickets-688044298017

Our thanks to Will Self and to Blackwell's Bookshop. You can find out more about Will Self's book here: https://will-self.com/why-read/

A short announcement and a live event Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

Just a short announcement by Sally about an exciting event coming up - recorded with the help of Magnificent Maeve Magnus.

Mrs Robinson Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

This episode is a meditation, inspired by the themes and characters of Sally's latest book, The Green Lady; it's Sally's elegy for Mrs Robinson, a woman who was shut out of life, not seen or heard; but Sally knew her, and remembers her.

You can find out more about The Green Lady here: https://sallybayley.com/

The producer of the podcast is Andrew Smith: https://www.fleetingyearfilms.com

The extra voice in this episode is Emma Fielding.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. Special thanks go to Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

The Exquisite Melodrama of the Writer Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

It's the launch day for Sally's new book, The Green Lady, and Sally is feeling the pressure, especially as her neighbours have left her alone on the boat. In the middle of the night, she reads an 18th century classic, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, finding commonality in its psychological upswings and downswings, the melodrama, the despair and the comforts, of its narrator, who has turned to writing in his journal to cope with his lonely castaway life. Brought back to the world by the sound of children playing outside, Sally has to rely on the kindness of a Girl Friday neighbour to refill her water tank. She reflects on the importance of willpower, determination, and the practice of paying attention.

Robinson Crusoe, published by Daniel Defoe in 1719, is often said to be the first English novel; a form of spiritual autobiography and the beginnings of realistic fiction in English.

I Am is a poem written by John Clare in 1844 or 1845, while the author was a patient in the Northampton General Lunatic Asylum. Clare (1793 to 1864) was the son of a farm labourer and struggled for most of his life to earn money for his family while pursuing his literary ambitions, living for some time as a vagrant. I Am is his most famous poem, expressing his deep sense of isolation from society and his family as he struggled with his mental health.

The producer of the podcast is Andrew Smith: https://www.fleetingyearfilms.com

The extra voice in this episode is Emma Fielding.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. Special thanks go to Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Sally talks to Will Self: Part 1 Jul 23, 2023

Show notes

Something different for this episode - Sally interviews writer Will Self about his latest book of essays, Why Read. They discuss not just why we read, but how we read; digital reading versus physical books; and Will discusses the writers who had a formative effect on him, including Lewis Carroll, Franz Kafka and W.G. Sebald.

The event took place at Blackwell's Bookshop in Oxford. Our thanks to Will and to Blackwell's.

You can find out more about Will Self's book here: https://will-self.com/why-read/

Haunted Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Sally reads extracts from her forthcoming book, the Green Lady, released next week. The Green Lady is the third part of a literary coming of age story that began with Girl with Dove, a combination of memoir and storytelling from the perspective of a child in search of a way of expressing herself. The book is a tribute to the women who raised Sally, and the often unappreciated and unnoticed teachers, nurturers and maternal spirits of history and the present day.

The Green Lady is published on July 20th, 2023, and you can find out more about it here: https://sallybayley.com

The producer of the podcast is Andrew Smith: https://www.fleetingyearfilms.com

The extra voice in this episode is Emma Fielding.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. Special thanks go to Violet Henderson, Kris Dyer, and Maeve Magnus.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

A Reading Life, A Writing Life, with Sally Bayley

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected