The Writing Life

In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, debut novelist Jem Calder shares insights into developing the complex central relationship in his novel, I Want You to Be Happy – a sharp-eyed tale of two people searching for meaning and connection in modern times, missing the mark maybe, but trying.

 

Jem Calder was born in Cambridge, and lives and works in London. His fiction has been published in The Stinging Fly and Granta, and his debut short story collection, Reward System, was published by Faber in 2022. I Want You to Be Happy is his debut novel.

 

He sat down with NCW’s Lucy May to discuss his approach to crafting the novel’s relationship, from shaping two distinct characters to exploring the dynamic that unfolds between them. Their conversation also covers writing with the reader in mind, the appeal of writing about writers, and his advice for creating convincing relationships in fiction.

In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Singapore-based writer Sithuraj Ponraj shares how he balances his dual life as an international cyber-policy specialist and a multilingual writer.

 

Sithuraj Ponraj’s work includes novels, short stories, and poetry. He has won the Singapore Literature Prize for prose and poetry twice, in 2016 and 2020. His residency was supported by the National Arts Council of Singapore.

 

He sat down with novelist and mentor Andrew Cowan to discuss his journey into writing, the influence of Tamil and English on his work, and the challenges and opportunities that come with writing across different genres and for different audiences.

In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Norwich-based writer Anna Goldreich reflects on the personal and creative journey behind her debut novel, The Leveret – a bruisingly tender and lyrically haunting hymn to queer love and the power to rebuild from the wreckage of a relationship.

 

Anna Goldreich is a writer based in Norwich. She holds a Creative Writing Prose Fiction MA from the University of East Anglia and her writing has been shortlisted for the Bridport Short Story Prize 2022 and was awarded the Mslexia Short Story Runner-up Prize 2025. She is the co-founder of Queer Birders Norfolk.

 

She sat down with NCW’s Lucy May, a friend and former classmate on UEA’s Creative Writing MA, for an open conversation about the excitement, uncertainty, and vulnerability that come with publishing a debut. Together, they discuss writing contrasting characters, expanding a short story into a full-length novel, and the advice she offers emerging writers.

On this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Hannah Murray shares the experience of writing her debut book, a memoir called The Make Believe: A memoir of magic and madness.

Hannah worked as an actor for over a decade, starring in E4’s Skins and HBO’s Game of Thrones. She studied English at Cambridge University and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. The Make Believe is a deeply intimate and honest memoir about acting, fame, mental illness and the struggle to leave a cult-like organisation whose belief in magic shattered Hannah’s reality.

Hannah met up with Steph just a few days before her book’s release to discuss her fascinating journey from acting into creative writing. together they dive into the unique structure and focus of her memoir, the creative challenges of portraying a fractured reality in a way that feels logical for the reader, and how the process of revisiting and reshaping difficult memories into a narrative ultimately helped her reclaim her personal story.

In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Norwich-based writer Ashley Hickson-Lovence discusses experimenting with narrative, form, and structure in his latest novel, About to Fall Apart – a thrilling kaleidoscope of thoughts, failures, disappointments and hope.

 

Ashley Hickson-Lovence earned his PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of East Anglia. He has lectured English and Creative Writing at Brunel University, Arts University Bournemouth, University of East Anglia and the University of Suffolk. He is the author of the poetry collection Why I Am Not a Bus Driver, the acclaimed novels The 392 and Your Show, and the 2024 prize-winning YA novel in verse Wild East.

 

Set across one weekend, About to Fall Apart is the exhilarating story of a man of mixed heritage – living on the Irish border – as he tries to stay positive, reconnect with his children and maybe, even, find his own birth mother.

 

He sat down with fellow writer Sophie Yan Yee Lau, who he mentors through the Escalator New Writing Fellowships, for a candid conversation about the freedoms and constraints of setting a novel within a tight timeline. They also explore writing from personal experience, using poetic techniques in prose writing, and creating characters inspired by real-life people.