Shelf Healing

In our first Shelf Healing interview we chat to Dr Paula Byrne, author and founder and CEO of ReLit: The Bibliotherapy Foundation. We discuss bibliotherapy, reading and mental health, and what literature Paula reaches for to improve her own mental health.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/shelf-healing/2020/12/01/dr-paula-byrne/  

Date of episode recording: 2020-12-01
Duration: 37:37
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Rebecca Markwick
Guests: Dr Paula Byrne
Producer: Rebecca Markwick (also Editor); Dr Samantha Rayner

In this Shelf Healing interview we chat to Giles Paley-Phillips, children's picture book author and podcast host. We discuss bibliotherapy, writing, and mental wellbeing, and what literature Giles reaches for to improve his own mental health.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/shelf-healing/2020/12/08/giles-paley-phillips/ 

Date of episode recording: 2020-12-08
Duration: 25:53
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Rebecca Markwick
Guests: Giles Paley-Phillips
Producer: Rebecca Markwick (also Editor); Dr Samantha Rayner

In this Shelf Healing interview we chat to Gyles Brandreth, author, actor, and broadcaster. We discuss bibliotherapy, where to read, memorising poetry, and what literature Gyles reaches for from his bedisde book trough. For all of Gyles' jumper wearing and poetry reading follow #poetryandjumpers and find Gyles on twitter.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/shelf-healing/2020/12/15/gyles-brandreth/ 

Date of episode recording: 2020-12-15
Duration: 40:01
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Rebecca Markwick
Guests: Gyles Brandreth
Producer: Rebecca Markwick (also Editor); Dr Samantha Rayner

In this Shelf Healing interview we chat to Cory Doctorow, science fiction author, activist, and journalist. We discuss therapeutic reading, writing, commonplace books, interesting use cases for CC licenced work, and what literature Cory reaches for to improve his own mental health. Cory's photograph by Jonathan Worth.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/shelf-healing/2020/12/22/cory-doctorow/ 

Date of episode recording: 2020-12-22
Duration: 32:04
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Rebecca Markwick
Guests: Cory Doctorow
Producer: Rebecca Markwick (also Editor); Dr Samantha Rayner 

In this Shelf Healing interview we chat to Ian Evans, UCL's Publishing MA and DIS reserach students' administrator. We discuss reading, graphic novels, the effects of lockdown on Ian's reading habits, and what literature he reaches for to improve his own mental health.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/shelf-healing/2020/12/29/ian-evans/ 

Date of episode recording: 2020-12-29
Duration: 18:57
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Rebecca Markwick
Guests: Ian Evans
Producer: Rebecca Markwick (also Editor); Dr Samantha Rayner

In this Shelf Healing interview we chat to Dr Radha Modgil, GP, mental health activist, and broadcaster. We discuss bibliotherapy, the rise of anxiety, the vitalness of therapeutic tools, and how important it is to care for one's mental wellbeing.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/shelf-healing/2021/01/05/dr-radha-modgil/ 

Date of episode recording: 2021-01-05
Duration: 30:27
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Rebecca Markwick
Guests: Dr Radha Modgil
Producer: Rebecca Markwick (also Editor); Dr Samantha Rayner 

In this Shelf Healing interview we chat to Deborah Alma, poet and founder of The Poetry Pharmacy. We discuss bibliotherapy, poetry, prescribing poems, and wellbeing, and what literature Deborah reaches for to improve mental health. This week I am joined by a guest co-host, Sara Cheraghlou.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/shelf-healing/2021/01/12/deborah-alma/

Date of episode recording: 2021-01-12
Duration: 25:50
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Rebecca Markwick and Sara Cheraghlou
Guests: Deborah Alma
Producer: Rebecca Markwick (also Editor); Dr Samantha Rayner

This week we chat to Professor Raymond Mar of the MAR Lab (York University, Canada). Raymond is a Professor of psychology and employs personality, social, and cognitive psychology along with neuroscience to study imaginative experiences such as engaging with fictional narratives across different forms of media. We talk all about the effects of narrative on social cognition, some surprising results of his psychology studies, and how this relatively new research area is full of interesting topics to explore.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/shelf-healing/2021/01/26/professor-raymond-mar/ 

Date of episode recording: 2021-01-26T00:00:00Z
Duration: 30:44
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Rebecca Markwick
Guests: Professor Raymond Mar
Producer: Rebecca Markwick (also Editor); Dr Samantha Rayner

This week Rebecca Markwick chats with Dr Samantha Rayner, Vice Dean of Wellbeing and Director of Publishing at UCL. T hey talk about how books affect our wellbeing and how they reach for different books for different reasons. They dive through historical fiction and make a quick stop in the world of mediaeval literature.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/shelf-healing/2021/02/23/dr-samantha-rayner/ 

Date of episode recording: 2021-02-23
Duration: 19:58
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Rebecca Markwick
Guests: Dr Samantha Rayner
Producer: Rebecca Markwick (also Editor); Dr Samantha Rayner

A brilliant episode in which Rebecca Markwick, Cat Mitchell, and Dan Holloway discuss the role of accessibility in the workplace, how those with disabilities should be included in decision making processes for accessibility, and how the pandemic has affected the accessibility of the workplace. We also chat about our worries of the disabled community being left behind as the country leaves lockdown, and how accessibility needs to be incorporated into many more things including job applications and workplace culture.

For more information and to access the transcript: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/shelf-healing/2021/04/15/work-life-cat-mitchell-and-dan-holloway-accessibility-and-disability-in-the-workplace/

Date of episode recording: 2021-04-15
Duration: 56:22
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Rebecca Markwick
Guests: Cat Mitchell and Dan Holloway
Producer: Rebecca Markwick (also Editor); Dr Samantha Rayner