'I wanted to find compassion for me and for any writer out there who's doing the best they can but it's not working out the way they planned.'

Author Laurie Steed shares how crippling anxiety affected both his literary career and his experience of fatherhood. Before he could address the anxiety, he first had to unlearn the lessons around masculinity that prevented him from expressing vulnerability. Working with a creativity coach, Laurie has developed new ways of thinking about his writing, his career, and himself.

Plus, James and Ashley discuss their own ongoing health challenges and how their approaches to discussing health have changed (or not) over time.

Laurie Steed is the author of You Belong Here, which was shortlisted for the 2018 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards, and Greater City Shadows, which was shortlisted for the 2022 Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. His debut memoir is Love, Dad: Confessions of an Anxious Father.

Get your copy of Love, Dad from Booktopia or your local bookshop.

Upcoming events

• James is in conversation with Benjamin Stevenson about his newest novel, Everyone on this Train Is a Suspect – Wednesday 6 December, 6.30pm at Warringah Mall, $5
• Ashley is teaching Online Feedback: Manuscript Development for Writing NSW starting 4 March, 2024

Books and authors discussed in this episode:

• You Belong Here by Laurie Steed
• Greater City Shadows by Laurie Steed (forthcoming)
• ZZ Packer
• Jack Kornfield
• The Disorganisation of Celia Stone by Emma Young
• Trapdoor by JP Pomare

Ashley's psychological thriller Dark Mode is out now! Learn more about it and get your copy.

James' novel Denizen is out now! Learn more about it and get your copy.

Get in touch!

• ashleykalagianblunt.com
• jamesmckenziewatson.com
• Twitter: @AKalagianBlunt + @JamesMcWatson
• Instagram: @akalagianblunt + @jamesmcwatson