London Writers' Salon

Curtis Chin, memoirist and filmmaker known for Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, shares practical publicity and touring tactics. He explains booking readings early to drive pre-orders. He details finding venues with simple cold emails, defining target communities, pitching from local to national press, and making high-volume tours financially sustainable.

Morgan Cooper, Los Angeles-based writer-director who turned a self-funded Bel-Air short into a Peacock series. He talks about embracing imperfect action to finish work. He explains finding a dramatic angle by stripping sitcom tropes and locating a story’s big question. He shares practical habits for staying creative and how writing a children’s picture book sharpened his economy and structure.

Erica Stern, an essayist and fiction writer whose debut hybrid memoir Frontier blends memoir, research, and a ghost-story thread. She discusses defining hybrid nonfiction and how a ghost strand emerged. She describes making multiple modes cohesive through long revision and reverse outlining. She talks about integrating research intuitively, treating weirdness as an asset, and practical paths to publishing genre-defying work.

Ruta Sepetys, award-winning writer who uncovers suppressed histories; Stacey Halls, novelist who builds plots with index cards and atmospheric research; Maggie O’Farrell, lyrical storyteller known for inventive, non-linear structures. They discuss turning archival research into living scenes. They explore non-chronological plotting, authentic-sounding dialogue, and treating research as idea-generation rather than homework.

Moira Buffini, Olivier Award–winning playwright and BAFTA-nominated screenwriter turned YA novelist (Songlight), talks about moving between theatre, film and fiction. She explains writing toward a feeling, using dramatist instincts to shape novels, and why “you are the audience” helps resist market pressure. She also reflects on balancing motherhood, routine, and sustaining a long creative career.

A lively walkthrough of prompts to shape your creative year using a two-word ritual and visioning exercises. They outline steps for identifying true desire, building a project bank, and picking a focused three-month season. Practical tactics include designing a sustainable writing practice, a 30-day plan, and a concrete 48-hour first move to jumpstart momentum.

Haleh Liza Gafori, translator, performance artist and educator known for her Rumi translations, discusses bringing music and fidelity to old texts. She talks about trusting sound and rhythm, why she began translating Rumi, and tests for whether a translation works. Conversations touch on Rumi’s teachings about attention, love as discipline, reconciling tough histories, and how translation shapes craft.

Mason Currey, a writer and editor known for his insights into artists' routines, shares valuable lessons on focus and discipline. He discusses how his Daily Routines blog turned viral, leading to his acclaimed books. Mason emphasizes the importance of unique, flexible routines tailored to individuals and reveals his method of 'double mornings' for productivity. He highlights the significance of small, consistent progress—dubbed 'Worm Zooms'—and offers practical tips for creating a sustainable creative life while balancing the need for financial stability.

Debut novelist and 2023 Reese’s Book Club LitUp fellow Allison King on blending history with magical realism, and what it takes to build a writing life while navigating the modern publishing landscape.We discuss:Allison’s early relationship with stories and the role her grandmother played in shaping it.The path from fan fiction and short stories to publishing a debut novel.The dual timeline and braided structure of The Phoenix Pencil Company, moving between WWII-era Shanghai and contemporary Cambridge.Building a magic system at the heart of the novel, and why its consequences matter more than its mechanics.Pragmatic outlining and structural tools (including reverse outlining) for managing timeline-heavy drafts.Researching family history without turning the book into an autobiography.Writing about Alzheimer’s with care, and what Allison learned in revision about emotional precision.Resources and Links:Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi ThorpeRedwall by Brian JacquesThe Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King Last Boat Out of Shanghai by Helen Zia LitUp FellowshipOnce Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan My Brilliant Friend by Elena FerranteA Tale For the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki About Allison KingAllison King is an Asian American writer and software engineer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In technology, her work has ranged from semiconductors to platforms for community conversations to data privacy. Her short stories have appeared in Fantasy Magazine, Diabolical Plots, and LeVar Burton Reads, among others. She is also a 2023 Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow. The Phoenix Pencil Company is her first novel. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

Neuroaesthetics researcher Susan Magsamen and Google design leader Ivy Ross on creativity as a biological necessity, intuition, and the aesthetic mindset for a good life.   You'll learn:Habits that Susan and Ivy turn to when they need to re-centre.What Susan and Ivy are trying to change in the world with their day jobs. The beginning of Susan and Ivy working together.Clear evidence that proved to Susan and Ivy that their work was needed.Advice for using your intuition to be more creative.How a writer might find their voice.Questions to ask yourself if you’re writing a similar book to Your Brain on Art.Principles that Susan and Ivy use to help them live a good life. The link between nature and neuroaesthetics.The transforming power of journaling.Resources and Links:📄Interview TranscriptYour Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform UsWebsiteNeuroarts Resource CenterAbout Susan Magsamen and Ivy RossSusan Magsamen is the founder and director of the International Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she is a faculty member, and she co-directs the NeuroArts Blueprint. Ivy Ross is Vice President of Design for hardware product area at Google, leading an award-winning team, and is also an arts grant recipient and recognised creative leader. For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!