Meet the Writers
Georgina Godwin in conversation with top authors. Explore their inspirations, writing processes, and the stories behind their books.
Latest Episodes
Sue Nelson and Wally Funk
As part of the Mercury 13, Wally Funk was one of the pioneering women of space travel, frequently outperforming male astronaut candidates in tests of endurance. But just one week before the final phase of training, the programme was abruptly cancelled. Politics and prejudice meant that Wally never flew into…
Monocle Reads: ‘Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees’
Conservation biologist Thor Hansen’s book ‘Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees’ outlines everything from the insects’ biology to their relationship with flowers, and discusses the threats posed to bees from climate change and pollution.
Dina Nayeri
Dina Nayeri fled Iran with her mother and brother at the age of eight. Her family eventually found their way to a rundown hotel in Italy before being granted asylum in the US. She tells us about the migrant experience, how taekwondo changed her life and describes the people she…
Monocle Reads: ‘The Clapback’
Elijah Lawal discusses his book ‘The Clapback’ with Georgina Godwin. It’s a non-fiction book that arms you with witty responses to harmful racist stereotypes. It examines the evolution of negative stereotypes towards the black community and gives you the tools you need to shut racism down with humour, historical context…
Markus Zusak
When Zusak’s parents arrived in Sydney they could neither read not write English – yet he has gone on to sell 16 millions copies of ‘The Book Thief’, which has spent more than 500 weeks on the ‘New York Times’ bestseller list and been made into a major film. After…
Monocle Reads: ‘The Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show, Circus and Victorian Age’
Georgina Godwin meets Dr John Woolf, a historian and researcher who talks about his book ‘The Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show, Circus and Victorian Age’. Revealing the dark truth behind the hit film ‘The Greatest Showman’, this is a radical new history of the Victorian era. Woolf…
Deborah Moggach
Georgina Godwin sits down with Deborah Moggach in the acclaimed author’s garden on the UK’s south coast to discuss her brilliant new novel, ‘The Black Dress’. It follows Pru, who becomes a serial funeral crasher in the hope of curing her loneliness after her husband leaves her out of the…
Monocle Reads: Dr James D Boys on the legacy of Bill and Hillary Clinton
Dr James D Boys is an expert on the political history of the US, its current politics, US ‘grand strategy’ and the country’s presidency – with a particular focus on Bill Clinton’s administration. Boys is the author of three books to date: ‘Clinton’s Grand Strategy: US Foreign Policy in a…
Armistead Maupin
Georgina Godwin talks to one of America’s finest storytellers Armistead Maupin, the man who gave us ‘Tales of the City’. In this interview, first aired after the release of his memoir ‘Logical Family’ and rebroadcast to mark the Netflix screening of ‘Tales of the City’, we examine books that paint…
Monocle Reads: ‘The AI Does Not Hate You’
Science journalist Tom Chivers talks to Georgina Godwin about the risks of AI, where it might lead us and his first book, The AI Does Not Hate You: Superintelligence, Rationality and the Race to Save the World.
