Meet the Writers
Georgina Godwin in conversation with top authors. Explore their inspirations, writing processes, and the stories behind their books.
Latest Episodes
John L Williams
John L Williams is a biographer and novelist, as well as the co-founder and director of a literary and arts festival in Wales. Earlier in his career he was a music writer, working for publications such as ‘The Face’, ‘GQ’ and ‘NME’. His latest book is ‘CLR James: A Life…
Monocle Reads: ‘Words of Love’
Georgina Godwin speaks to Teymour Shahabi – author of the award-winning YA mystery thriller ‘The Secret Billionaire’ – about his new novel, ‘Words of Love’. The book is written entirely in text messages, emails, social-media posts and journal entries, and the genders of the two protagonists are never revealed.
John Happ
Georgina Godwin sits down with John Happ to discuss his new book ‘The Navigation Case’ about one of the greatest campaign victories in the history of the US air force.
Monocle Reads: ‘The Car’
Georgina Godwin sits down with award-winning journalist and author Bryan Appleyard to discuss his latest book, ‘The Car’. It tells the story of the cultural impact of the automobile and how it has informed our sense of mobility, possibility and imagination over the past 150 years.
Viv Groskop
Georgina Godwin meets journalist and comedian Viv Groskop, author of ‘The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature’ and ‘How to Own the Room: Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking’. Most recently, she has written about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s transition from actor to wartime leader.
Monocle Reads: ‘The Year the World Went Mad’
Georgina Godwin speaks to Mark Woolhouse, a professor of infectious diseases and epidemiology at Edinburgh University. They discuss his newly released scientific memoir ‘The Year the World Went Mad’, a confronting and fascinating look at the UK’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Okechukwu Nzelu
Okechukwu Nzelu’s debut novel, ‘The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney’, won the Betty Trask Award, as well as a host of other accolades. His second book, ‘Here Again Now’, is a compelling novel about lovers, fathers and sons, intimacy and generational trauma that asks how you can move forward when…
Monocle Reads: ‘The Lonely Hunter’
Georgina Godwin speaks to writer and performer Aimée Lutkin about her new book ‘The Lonely Hunter’. Part memoir and part social commentary, it explores the rise of singledom, the realities of loneliness and whether it is possible to detach from romance, sex and dating.
John Altman
Georgina Godwin speaks to one of the most prolific musicians and composers in the business. John Altman’s work includes ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ from Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian’ – which he arranged, conducted and whistled – and the score for ‘Goldeneye’. His new memoir, ‘Hidden…
Monocle Reads: ‘Death by Shakespeare’
This week Georgina Godwin speaks to author and chemist Kathryn Harkup about her latest book, ‘Death by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts’. It looks into the different ways the bard killed off his characters, as well as what actual events might have inspired him.
