"Books are the closest thing to magic." Chief Exec of the National Centre for Writing Chris Gribble is back on the podcast for episode #50, celebrating not only a year of the podcast but also the first full year of the Centre re-opening after the refurbishment of Dragon Hall in 2018.

Inside this very podcast you will find out which two books changed Chris' life, his favourite books of the last year and who would win in a fight: Jane Austen or George Eliot.

Also: the 10-year journey to bring the NCW to life, why we're based in Norwich, what the literature world can do to reduce its carbon footprint and why Dragon Hall is a bit like Marsten House in Salem's Lot (but not really).

Find out more about the work we do on our website: http://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk