Episodes

  • Greg James: All The Best For The Future

    Greg James: All The Best For The Future
    May 7 2026
    Greg James has been a presenter for BBC Radio 1 since 2007 where he now host the coveted breakfast show. He is also a children’s author, known for the Kid Normal series he writes with Chris Smith, and now his memoir is here. It’s called All The Best For The Future, and it’s a meditation on life and all its trimmings. My first ever job was at a plastic factory, and when I worked there I used to always listen to Radio 1 and my favourite radio DJ, Greg James. Listening to how he hosted his show made me want to be in this world, so today this is very full circle moment for me to be introducing Greg to the Inklings Book Club podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Charlie Porter: Nova Scotia House

    Charlie Porter: Nova Scotia House
    May 1 2026
    This month we have been reading Nova Scotia House by Charlie Porter. I totally fell in love with this book which follows a gay couple called Johnny and Jerry in the 90s, as Jerry lives his final days. He is a victim of the AIDS crisis, and this book is both a celebration of his life. We continue to follow Johnny in the present day after Jerry has passed, with a few appearances from Gareth, Jerry’s best friend. We see what Jerry’s life could have been like if he had survived, like Gareth, and what his life could’ve been like if we was born a generation later, like Johnny. It’s moving and it’s so heartfelt, but also experimental in its writing style. For me, this book was a total triumph, I utterly adored it and I’m thrilled to be talking to Charlie Porter, its author today. Charlie is also a fashion journalist and the author of two non-fictioj title. His book Bring No Clothes explores the clothing choices of the Bloomsbury Group from a philosophical perspective, while What Artists Wear examines the clothes of various artists. Nova Scotia House is his debut novel, so please welcome to the Inklings Book Club, Charlie Porter! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Seán Hewitt: Open Heaven

    Seán Hewitt: Open Heaven
    Apr 29 2026
    Today we’re joined by poet, lecturer, and literary critic Seán Hewitt. Seán is the author of three original poetry collections, a memoir, and several curations of other poets’ work, from wood engravings to tales of love from the ancient world. His debut novel, Open, Heaven, was published last year and I utterly adored it. A man returns to the small village in which he first fell in love, which summons up memories of the charismatic and impulsive Luke. There’s gorgeous nature writing, and plenty of yearning, but also that perfect literary alchemy that happens when a poet writes a novel. I interviewed Seán at Waterstones with a bunch of you wonderful people – so, here’s what happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 mins
  • Charlotte McConaghy: Wild Dark Shore

    Charlotte McConaghy: Wild Dark Shore
    Apr 21 2026
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    42 mins
  • Benjamin Wood: Seascraper

    Benjamin Wood: Seascraper
    Apr 15 2026
    Benjamin Wood is the author of five novels, the first of which – called The Bellwether Revivals, was shortlisted for the 2012 Costa Book Awards and Commonwealth Book Prize. His fifth novel, Seascraper, won the Nero Book Award for fiction and was longlisted for both the Booker Prize and the Walter Scott Prize. Seascraper is a portal to the seaside where we follow a young man called Thomas who works a pretty archaic job as a seascraper, which his family rely on him to do. He dreams, however, of becoming a folk singer, and longs to perform at his local pub. One day he comes home to find a man called Edgar waiting for him – Edgar is a Hollywood producer who wants to shoot a film on the beach, and asks for Thomas’ help and expertise. The book is atmospheric and moving, at times capturing the isolation and monotony of the work and his aspirations to be anywhere else, and at other times fast-paced and intense – reminding us of the extreme danger of such a job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    41 mins
  • Kaveh Akbar: Martyr!

    Kaveh Akbar: Martyr!
    Apr 11 2026
    Hello and welcome back to the Inklings Book Club podcast and our March book of the month!!! This month we read Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar, and I’ve loved reading all of your insights on the Fable app. You sent in thoughtful, astute, and perceptive questions, and today I had the privilege of posing them to Kaveh Akbar, the author of Martyr! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Rachel Khong: Real Americans and My Dear You

    Rachel Khong: Real Americans and My Dear You
    Apr 7 2026
    Rachel Khong started out as the executive editor of Lucky Peach Magazine, before turning her eye to novel writing. Her debut, Goodbye, Vitamin, was released in 2017 and won the California Book Award for First Fiction. Her second novel, Real Americans, became an instant New York Times bestseller, following three generations of a family, spanning 80 years. It explores themes of Chinese-American identity, genetic engineering, inheritance, and the way that our heritage shapes our lives. Today we’ll mostly be discussing her new short story collection, My Dear You, which uses supernatural elements to explore human concerns around race, destiny, and mortality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • Julia Armfield: Our Wives Under The Sea and Private Rites

    Julia Armfield: Our Wives Under The Sea and Private Rites
    Mar 31 2026
    Today we’re joined by the incredibly talented novelist Julia Armfield. Julia wrote one of my favourite books ever, called Our Wives Under The Sea. It’s about a woman who returns from a disastrous deep-sea dive, and her wife who is now looking after someone she barely recognises. It’s so lyrical and beautiful, she is such a talent. We met to discuss her debut, as well as her newest release Private Rites, a similarly wet novel. In Private Rites, the world is drowning after so much rain. Three sisters are navigating love and loss in this new reality, and the book is actually a reimagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear. Unfortunately we don’t have the video for this episode, the footage somehow got lost, so this episode is audio-only. Please welcome to the Inklings Book Club, Julia Armfield. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 mins