Through discussions and interviews with writers, artists and health professionals, author friends James McKenzie Watson and Ashley Kalagian Blunt explore the big questions: how do books get written? How do people navigate life with chronic illness? And just what are you reading?
Ashley Kalagian Blunt is the author of Dark Mode, an internationally published psychological thriller. Her earlier books are How to Be Australian, a memoir, and My Name Is Revenge, collected fiction and essays. Her writing appears in the Sydney Morning Herald, Overland, Griffith Review, Sydney Review of Books, and more. Ashley is an enthusiastic teacher of writing and creativity. Originally from Canada, she has lived and worked in South Korea, Peru and Mexico. Find her on Twitter and Instagram or visit her website.
James McKenzie Watson is the author of Denizen, which won the 2021 Penguin Literary Prize and was shortlisted in 2023 Ned Kelly Awards for Best Debut. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings and the Newtown Review of Books. He has appeared at events including the Sydney Writers Festival, Newcastle Writers Festival and BAD Crime Sydney. He works as a nurse. Find him on Twitter and Instagram or visit his website.
Sep 17, 2024
What's it like putting your creative work out in the world and discovering that some people hate it?
In episode 103 of James and Ashley Stay at Home, international bestselling author Robyn Harding joins James and Ashley to explore her extensive career in writing. She shares her experience of releasing her first book in...
Aug 27, 2024
'I wasn't even sure I was going to write a novel.'
Author Zahid Gamieldien joins us to discuss his debut novel, All the Missing Children. Zahid speaks about his start writing short stories, his decision to transition to novel writing based on the advice of a publisher, and how he sees the differences between prose and...
Aug 6, 2024
'I didn't believe that I'd stalked my partner.'
In episode 101, we speak with debut author Khin Myint about the multiple strands of biography he explores in his memoir Fragile Creatures. One of these is the sudden and extreme betrayal he faced from his ex-partner, who accused him of stalking her.
We also discuss the...
Jul 16, 2024
We made it to 100 episodes! In this celebration of books, reading and creative community, James and Ashley reflect on how the podcast came about, their favourite books and moments from the podcast, and how their lives, health and writing have changed over the four years since episode 1.
You'll also hear from a variety...
Jun 25, 2024
'There are so many books in bookstores, how could it possibly be that, by complete randomness, someone would pick yours up?'
Author Siang Lu joins us to discuss his second novel, Ghost Cities, and the multilayered inspirations behind his multilayered fiction, including Catch-22 and Paradise Lost.
We also discuss...