This Podcast is Lit

Ruth applies her creative writing skills to that rather more lean and stark form of wordsmithery, Writing For A Purpose (ooh). In this episode, we discuss (again) the perfect structure for a piece of persuasive, journalistic writing, think about Orwell’s sage words of wisdom for journalists, and consider the efficacy of a well-placed anecdote. 

In this episode, she sits down with us to read some of her insanely good work as well as discussing the perfect structure for a piece of creative writing and joining our brand-new Improv Writing group to live-write an English Language Paper 5 response (spoiler alert: the character in the story is *not* called Bob)

James studied at St Andrew’s and Oxford and worked in Parliament, so he’s very sharp on issues of society and morality. He shares that- along with his understanding of the Presbyterian belief in predestination and the inner turmoil it creates- through an intense and often hilarious discussion of the words of Robert Louis Stevenson.

She sees the value of music in transforming text, and thinks about how she would write this as a modern opera, harnessing all the emotive power that music has to change hearts and minds and to suggest inner depths to the characters you thought you knew.

Hayley Shepherd, advertiser and stand-up comedian, has some strong opinions on this and wants to share them with you.

In this episode, we go deep into the emotions and personalities of these characters and the odd and often irrational ways in which they respond to one another.

But Jack Furness, Artistic Director of award-winning company Shadwell Opera, sees it as something much more complex.

In this episode, we ask if anyone is telling the truth at all- or if everyone’s just finding ways to tell lies while looking like they’re telling the truth…

How much of themselves do poets put into their work?

Are narrative voices just narrative voices, or are the outer projections of the inward mania of the creator?

Jen Wakefield, comedian and star of Channel 4’s Riot Girls, joins us to discuss these tensions- artistic and psychopathic- in our very heated discussion of Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess and Porphyria’s Lover.