The Waterstones Podcast

What is it that short stories can do that novels cannot? Why does it appeal to some writers and not others? In this episode we embrace the short form and talk to three female writers keen to engage with this unique form of storytelling. Zadie Smith straddles the Atlantic to look at the differences between story culture in the US, UK and beyond. Julia Armfield invokes body horror and genre as she plays with form and liberates herself. And Naomi Ishiguro joins us in the studio to share her journey from student to published author as she launches her debut story collection. Books mentioned: Escape Routes, Grand Union, Salt Slow, Friday Black, The Light Years, Difficult Women.

Books have provided the inspiration for countless films, plays, musicals, TV series, and other works of art. In Adaptation we speak to R. J. Palacio about seeing her best-seller, Wonder, transferred to the big screen. We hear from Neil Gaiman about the different ways he has adapted his own work into other forms and which he thinks have worked the best. And Margaret Atwood speaks to us about seeing The Handmaid’s Tale become a phenomenon and her own adaptation of the works of Shakespeare. Books mentioned: Wonder, The White Bird, The Ocean At The End of the Lane, Coraline, Good Omens, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments, Hag-seed, This Thing of Darkness, An Astronaut’s Guide To Life On Earth, Not The End of the World

At the start of a new year, and indeed a new decade, we’re taking the theme of Changes to allow us to talk to Dr Rangan Chatterjee about the simple ways in which we can genuinely change our health, happiness and fulfilment without having to take out a gym membership or clear the diary. We also hear from Emily Dean about how losing her sister, mother and father in the space of three years, forced a huge amount of change on her and how she coped with this bereavement. And Claudia Hammond tells us why rest is as important as sleep for human health and happiness and why reading might be the very best way to achieve it.  Books mentioned: Feel Better in 5, Everybody Died, So I Got A Dog, The Art of Rest, All Among The Barley, Queenie

Beware: this episode may make you hungry. We’re joined by gourmand Jay Rayner to look back at the life experiences that shaped his taste as he searches for the ingredients for My Last Supper. Michael Palin shares his experiences of eating around the world and how food can be a great unifier of people who may not even share a language. And Lara Williams talks about subverting the idea of appetite for her stunning debut novel about female friendship. Books mentioned: My Last Supper, North Korea Journal, Supper Club, An Echo of Scandal, An Apple A Day, The Best of A. A. Gill

Malcolm Gladwell brings fascinating anecdotes and insight to why humans are so bad at reading each other on first meeting, drawing on events that end in tragedy, wrongful conviction or compromised security. We also look at another meaning to meeting entirely: that between author and character. Sally Rooney talks about the absurdity of ascribing real psychology to figments of her imagination, people who may not exist and yet whom she feels she knows intimately. Arundhati Roy takes things even further by revealing the unique relationship she has with the characters she creates and the way in which they influence decisions about the books they inhabit. Books mentioned: Talking To Strangers, Normal People, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, 1913, The Psychopath Test, Just Kids.

Author and bookshop owner Ann Patchett joins us to talk about why a bookshop should be at the heart of any community and why book design is more important than ever. Jason Reynolds talks about what binds communities together and gives us his perspective on black culture and its influence around the world. And we also hear from an event around Pride in London at which Zing Tsjeng and Amrou Al-Kadhi interrogate whether corporate sponsorship of events like Pride is a good or bad thing. Books mentioned: The Dutch House, Long Way Down, Look Both Ways, Unicorn, Forgotten Women, Queer Intentions, Sanctuary, Under Milk Wood, Bold Girls.

Culture comes in many forms and we’ve tried to cram as much as we can into this week’s episode. Richard Ayoade takes us to the movies with his inimitable perspective on perhaps the best cabin crew dramedy ever filmed: View From the Top starring Gwyneth Paltrow. We get the chance to speak to cultural icon Debbie Harry, who shares what it was like to be in the New York of the 1970s involved in music, fashion, art and filmmaking. And essayist Jia Tolentino talks about the influence of the internet on our culture and why we should be very careful about what we give up to social media. Books mentioned: Ayoade on Top, Face It, Trick Mirror, A Field Guide To Getting Lost, The Lonely City, The Importance of Music to Girls.

Robert Macfarlane joins us in the studio to talk about the world outside, the climate emergency and how the landscape has shaped his writing and thought over the years. With climate strikes becoming a regular feature we also speak to veteran activist and essayist, Rebecca Solnit, about whether we should be hopeful about the future of the planet. And we actually head outside with the microphone to speak to Professor Shane O’Mara about why the act of walking is far more miraculous and fundamental to being human than we may have imagined. Books mentioned: Underland, Ness, Whose Story Is This?, In Praise of Walking, Modern Nature, Haunts of the Black Masseur, The Secret Garden.

You don’t start a new podcast season at this time of year without injecting some thrills and chills. Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being A Wallflower has made us wait 20 years for another novel but with Imaginary Friend he’s back with a bang. He spoke to us about where his idea for it came from and how he provokes reactions from readers. We also get to hear a genuine ghostly encounter from Jeanette Winterson who will have you checking the doors and windows before bedtime. And Andrew Michael Hurley shares his own fascinations with death and the afterlife and why we’re all a little bit obsessed with what happens next. Books mentioned: Imaginary Friend, Starve Acre, Frankissstein, Ghost Stories, Rivers of London, Thin Air.

For our final episode in season one we tackle our nearest (if not dearest). Jeanette Winterson talks about how being adopted has shaped her concept of family and why the future may not look great for its traditional form. A. M. Homes, another adopted child, talks about the differences of writing about family in fiction and memoir. And to finish off we hear from Emilie Pine about her honest and frank personal essay collection and how she managed to share the intimate details of her family life. BOOKS MENTIONED: Frankissstein, This Brutal House, The Mistresses’ Daughter, May We Be Forgiven, Notes To Self, The Unmumsy Mum, Never Mind, Educated.