Literary Friction

Latest Episodes:

Minisode Five: Let's Hear It For The Beach Reads! May 29, 2019

Show notes

Isn’t this beautiful weather we’re having? Doesn’t it make you feel like running sand between your fingers and toes? Now that summer is very much on the horizon, we’re dedicating this minisode to the joys of beach reads, so stay tuned for some optimistic fantasising about long, sunny days with nothing to do but read and snooze and swim and eat, and our thoughts about what makes the perfect - or the worst - beach read.

Literary Friction - The Science Of Bias With Jennifer Eberhardt May 15, 2019

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We know that literature - like all culture - is biased, but can books also be a way of recognising and combating stereotypes? Our guest, Dr Jennifer Eberhardt, is widely considered one of the world’s leading experts on racial bias, and her new book Biased is a comprehensive look at the science of unconscious bias and how it affects our society. With this show, we’re continuing our conversation about race and literature that we started with Reni Eddo-Lodge and Kishani Widyaratna in 2017 (you can find that show in our archive). Specifically, we're looking at racial bias: what it is, how it damages our society, and if there's anything we can do about it. So, join us for the next hour as we try to further decolonise our minds. Email us: litfriction@gmail.com Tweet us and find us on Instagram: @litfriction Recommendations on the theme, The Science of Bias: Octavia: Swing Time by Zadie Smith https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/565/56513/swing-time/9780141036601.html Carrie: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2016/invisible-man-by-ralph-ellison/ General Recommendations: Octavia: Whereas by Layli Long Soldier https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/layli-long-soldier/whereas/9781529012804 Carrie: Three Women by Lisa Taddeo https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/lisa-taddeo/work/three-women Jennifer: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/224792/just-mercy-by-bryan-stevenson/9780812984965/

Literary Friction - Minisode Four: Guilty Pleasures Apr 30, 2019

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On Minisode Four we're thinking about our literary guilty pleasures - those books we might not want people to know we read, because we fear their judgement, or maybe we even judge ourselves a little for enjoying them. Basically it’s all about shame! Have you ever hidden the cover of what you’re reading so no one will know? Is there anything you’ve been embarrassed to buy in a bookshop? Are there books on your shelves that you hide when people come round? Listen in for some secrets and revelations, plus some cultural stuff we've been into lately. Recommendations: Fleabag https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p070npjv/fleabag The Dropout http://abcradio.com/podcasts/the-dropout/ Uh https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/tracks/n5xv42 The Other Side of the Sea https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/contemporary/heloise-werner-the-hermes-experiment/

Literary Friction - Poetry With Hannah Sullivan Apr 17, 2019

Show notes

In the words of celebrated Canadian poet Anne Carson, “if prose is a house, poetry is a man on fire running quite fast through it”. Whether you’re into Frank O’Hara or Emily Dickinson, Audre Lorde or e. e. cummings, Walt Whitman or Sylvia Plath, we’ve got something for you in this poetry-themed show. Our guest is poet and academic Hannah Sullivan, who joined us to talk about her evocative debut collection, Three Poems, which explores the intimacies and intricacies of life, from sex and love and being young in New York, to the birth of a son, and the death of a father. So, come get lyrical with us and we might even drop some rhyming couplets over the next hour on Literary Friction. Email us: litfriction@gmail.com Tweet us and find us on Instagram: @litfriction Recommendations on the theme, Poetry: Octavia: Witch by Rebecca Tamás http://www.pennedinthemargins.co.uk/index.php/2019/01/rebecca-tamas/ Carrie: Meditations in an Emergency by Frank O'Hara https://groveatlantic.com/book/meditations-in-an-emergency/ General Recommendations: Octavia: My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/my-sister-the-serial-killer/ Carrie: Terrific Mother by Lorrie Moore https://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/product/view/id/7029/s/9780571351831-terrific-mother/ Hannah: A Compass Error by Sybille Bedford https://www.dauntbooks.co.uk/product/book/a-compass-error/

Literary Friction - Minisode Three: Red Flags Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

The writer Laura Relyea recently tweeted the question ‘What books are automatic red flags for you with people?’ and it got over 12,000 likes and 4,100 responses. We thought we'd stick our oars in as well, so join us for Minisode Three, in which we get into red flags, literary snobbery, books as cultural capital, and whether it's ever ok to judge a person by their reading habits.

Literary Friction - Migration With Valeria Luiselli Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

In a world increasingly dominated by xenophobia and wall-building, this month we wanted to look to the books that cross borders instead. So our theme for this show is migration in literature, from the novels of John Steinbeck to Zadie Smith. We've been wanting to talk about this for a while, and we waited for the perfect author guest to explore this with us. We spoke to award-winning Mexican author Valeria Luiselli, whose latest novel Lost Children Archive is about both a road trip one family takes across America, and child migrants on the US/Mexico border. So, come and tear down walls with us for the next hour on Literary Friction.

Literary Friction Special - Yelena Moskovich Live At Jewish Book Week Mar 19, 2019

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We're thrilled to bring you this podcast special: a recording of our live interview with author Yelena Moskovich at Jewish Book Week. We talked about Yelena’s second novel, Vituoso, queer identities, crossing boundaries and disobedient women of the ex-Soviet diaspora, amongst many other topics. Enjoy!

Literary Friction - Minisode Two: Literary Crushes Mar 05, 2019

Show notes

We’re very pleased to report that Minisode One went down really well so we're back with another one for your pleasure. Last time we talked about books we hated, so this month we decided to get into characters we love. But, like, love love: we explored our literary crushes - from Behemoth the cat to Virginia Woolf - and the intimacy of reading. So tune in for chat about literary desire, and to hear what other cultural things got our pulses racing lately.

Literary Friction - Brothers With Claire Adam Feb 20, 2019

Show notes

From Cain and Abel, to the Brothers Karamazov, to Fred and George Weasley, the pages of literature have been filled with memorable brothers. This month, we’ll be talking about our favourite fraternal pairs, and thinking about why siblings, with their love and rivalries, remain so evocative in books. As usual, our theme is inspired by our guest, Claire Adam, whose first novel Golden Child is a thrilling story about twin brothers growing up in Trinidad, and the very different paths their lives take. So, stay with us for the next hour for some brotherly love!

Literary Friction - Minisode One: Books We Hate Feb 05, 2019

Show notes

Welcome to our first ever minisode! We’ve wanted to bring you more literary friction for a while, so thought we’d follow the lead of some of our favourite podcasts and put out a mini episode in between full shows. This month things got a bit salty as we talked about books we hated. We also moved beyond the literary realm and recommended other cultural things that have filled us with joy. So, if you fancy a little more informal chat, then just push play.

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