Peter Coles

Podcast: Alice Haworth-Booth and Kate Ellis

In the fourteenth episode of the MIR Podcast, Peter J Coles talks with the winner of the Bricklane Bookshop short story prize, 2020 Alice Haworth-Booth, and the head of the prize, Kate Ellis. They discuss writing climate change and what it takes to run a big prize.

 


 

Show Notes:

Bricklane Bookshop

Bricklane Bookshop Short Story Prize

Arvon

Stoner by John Williams

The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields

The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Memorial by Bryan Washington 

No One Belongs Here More than You by Miranda July

The Metal Bowl by Miranda July

This podcast was produced and edited by Peter J Coles

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Peter Coles

Podcast: Golnoosh Nour

In the thirteenth episode of the MIR Podcast, Peter J Coles talks to writer Golnoosh Nour. They discuss her short story collection ‘The Ministry of Guidance and Other Stories,’ writing about queerness, and why we are reading Iran wrong.

 

 

Show Notes:

Golnoosh Nour

The Ministry of Guidance and Other Stories

Muswell Press

Sorrows of the Sun

The Mechanics’ Institute Review Issue 15

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

 

This podcast was produced and edited by Peter J Coles

Continue reading “Podcast: Golnoosh Nour” →

Peter Coles

Podcast: At Brick Lane Bookshop

In the twelfth episode of the MIR Podcast, Peter J Coles is in Brick Lane Bookshop with the winner of their short story prize James Mitchell, and the head of the prize, Kate Ellis. They discuss what it takes to craft a winning short story, issues surrounding writing the ‘other’, and helpful advice on entering the 2020 short story prize.

 

 

Show Notes:

Brick Lane Bookshop

Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize 2020

ASMR

Birkbeck MA Creative Writing

American Dirt Controversy

Judges: Chris Power, Harriet Moore, Kit Caless, Sharmaine Lovegrove

The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin

Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer

Weather by Jenny Offill

In the Dream House and Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

The Cut on Tuesdays – The Woman of Your Dreams

CivilWarLand in Bad Decline and Tenth of December by George Saunders

The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis

 

 

 

This podcast was produced and edited by Christina Carè and Peter J Coles

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Peter Coles

Podcast: The Secret Diary of Bloomsbury

In the eleventh episode of the MIR Podcast, Peter J Coles talks to Elizabeth Dearnley and Michael Eades about their project The Secret Diary of Bloomsbury. They discuss how the project came about, bringing the private into the public space, and keeping a diary. Oh, there is also the mystery of The Bird Man.

 

 

Show Notes:

The Secret Diary of Bloomsbury

School of Advanced Study

Being Human Festival

Bloomsbury’s Literary History

The Bloomsbury Coffee House

Two Trees Make a Forest by Jessica J. Lee

She by Rider Haggard

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Ministry of Fear by Graham Greene

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter

 

 

MIROnline Patreon

This podcast was produced and edited by Peter J Coles

Continue reading “Podcast: The Secret Diary of Bloomsbury” →

Peter Coles

Podcast: Julia Bell

In the tenth episode of the MIR Podcast, Peter J Coles talks to author Julia Bell about the republication of The Creative Writing Coursebook. They discuss how the coursebook came about, the perennial question of whether writing can be taught, and the influence of the digital on creative writing.

 

 

Show Notes:

The Creative Writing Coursebook

Julia Bell

Pauk Magrs

Marina Warner

UEA Creative Writing Course

Vicki Feaver – Judith

Flannery O’Connor – Mystery and Manners

Walter Benjamin and ‘aura’

Francesca Wade – Square Haunting

 

 

This podcast was produced and edited by Peter J Coles

Continue reading “Podcast: Julia Bell” →

Peter Coles

Podcast: Toby Litt

In the ninth episode of the MIR Podcast, Angèle Eliane talks to author Toby Litt about his latest novel, Patience. They discuss why the novel took 12 years to write, the importance of finding a voice, and coping with other peoples’ success.

 

 

Show Notes:

Toby Litt

Pre-order Patience

Extract of Patience

Timm Rautert

The Secret Lecture by Toby Litt

Christopher Nolan (author)

Wrestliana by Toby Litt

Hilary Mantel

Dead Kid Songs by Toby Litt

Sōtō Zen Mediation

The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier

 

 

This podcast was produced and edited by Peter J Coles

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Peter Coles

Podcast: Open Pen

In the eighth episode of the MIR Podcast, Peter J Coles talks to author Sean Preston and Joe Johnston about their literary magazine Open Pen. Sean and Joe explain how the magazine came about, why they’ll take a risk on new writers, and publishing the stories others might not.

 

Show Notes:

Open Pen

Sean Preston

Joe Johnston

Ninja Tune

Ian M Macdonald

MIR Podcast #6 w/ Mazin Saleem

Rob True

Xanthi Barker

Elmore Leonard

Pierre Buttin

Louise Hare

Open Pen Novelettes

Rachel Cusk

Katherine Mansfield

Walt Whitman

Barry Hannah

 

 

This podcast was produced and edited by Peter J Coles

Continue reading “Podcast: Open Pen” →

Peter Coles

Podcast: Rob True

In the seventh episode of the MIR Podcast, Peter J Coles talks to author Rob True about his debut collection of short stories, ‘Gospel of Aberration’. Rob talks openly about living with schizophrenia, learning to write stories at the age of 40, and gives his advice on writing good dialogue.

 

 

Show Notes:

Rob True

Gospel of Aberration

Burning House Press

MIR Podcast Episode 6 with Lily Dunn

The Long Dark Tunnel

Raymond Carver

Ann Quin

Anna Kavan

Denis Johnson

Xanthi Barker

 

 

This podcast was produced and edited by Peter J Coles

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Peter Coles

Podcast: Mazin Saleem on his debut novel ‘The Prick’

In the sixth episode of the MIR Podcast, Peter J Coles talks to author Mazin Saleem about his debut novel ‘The Prick’. They discuss what it means to be a terrible person, middle-class malaise, and the crisis of masculinity.

 

 

Show Notes:

Mazin Saleem

Open Pen

Strange Horizons

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Fight Club

The Cable Guy

At Swim, Two Birds by Brian O’Nolan

Les Murray

Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer

The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Open Pen Novelette Series

 

 

 

This podcast was produced and edited by Peter J Coles

Continue reading “Podcast: Mazin Saleem on his debut novel ‘The Prick’” →

Peter Coles

Podcast: Lily Dunn on A Wild and Precious Life

In the fifth episode of the MIR Podcast, Peter J Coles talks to author Lily Dunn about ‘A Wild and Precious Life: A Recovery Anthology’. They discuss how the anthology came about, writing addiction, and the ups and downs of alternative forms of publishing.

 

 

Show Notes:

A Wild and Precious Life: A Recovery Anthology

 

Lily Dunn 

Shadowing the Sun by Lily Dunn

Granta

The Real Story

Aeon

Hackney Recovery Service

Zoe Gilbert

Kerry Hudson, Lowborn

Leslie Jamison

Mary Oliver

Unbound

Common People

 

This podcast was produced and edited by Peter J Coles

Continue reading “Podcast: Lily Dunn on A Wild and Precious Life” →