Neil Hanson spends his diary week reflecting on subjects as diverse as the subtle art of ghostwriting, SAS men who spend three days hiding in a hedge, and what a big fire really leaves behind.

Livi Michael speaks with Frances Byrnes about the longstanding appeal of the epic, and of the writer’s need for courage.

Robyn Bolam, Alex Martin, Lyn Webster Wilde and Peter Forbes each describe their favourite author, and explain why.

Mick Jackson speaks with James McConnachie about the Creative Writing MA that launched his career, the creative role of the conscious and unconscious mind, and the threads uniting his diverse oeuvre.

Jane Adams notes how crime fiction hasn’t kept pace with real crime investigation, and gives us a whistlestop tour.

Sally Pomme Clayton explores the oral storytelling tradition, and its own explanations for where stories might come from.

Jonathan Tulloch introduces the first in a series of four seasonal gustatory delights, the wine gums of spring, in a Proustian recollection of lost dogs, sugar sweats and an absence of moral redemption.

Babs Horton and Jon Mayhew share their life-changing literature.

Sanjida O’Connell speaks with James McConnachie about her roots in science, blurring genre boundaries, and the opportunities and constraints of broadcast media.

Menna Elfyn finds time in her hectic schedule to share a writing life where the language is rich, the international is celebrated and the political is unavoidable.

David Spencer, who has written intense dramas in Halifax dialect even while living and working in Berlin, speaks with Geoff Hattersley about his playwriting career, life in a different language, and remaining true to the speech of his characters.

Rahila Gupta tells George Miller: 'I have a British passport but I’ve always felt like an immigrant'. Their conversation explores the background to that statement, touching on some of the political causes that Rahila has been involved with and how her writing has served those causes.