Overcoming a reading drought, with Alice and Charlotte
How can you create more space for reading in your life, and rediscover the joy of it?It’s the run-up to publication for Charlotte’s debut novel, Bring the House Down, and the post-publication glow for Alice’s latest book, Hark: How Women Listen, so today we’re talking about some of the weirdness that goes on the brain during the weeks before publishing a book, how we’re dealing (or not) with all of that, and how far away it all feels from the actual writing process.And speaking of things that aren’t writing, Char has a problem: she’s been finding it unusually difficult to read, often only getting to page nine or ten before abandoning the latest book on her bedside TBR pile. Alice, on the other hand, has been blessed by abundant rains of reading inspiration, and is powering through book after book with joy. Char is after some advice for how to get back to that place. Is it just a matter of putting away your phone, or is there more to it than that? How does what you read shape what you write? Plus, we find out the surprising book that Alice read while she was giving birth, and the most turgid book that Char has ever read when trapped in a holiday cottage.What do you do when you find yourself reading less? How do you rediscover the joy of reading?In Haste is presented by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe
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36:26
Writing motherhood with Helen Jukes
What does it meant to be a creative animal? Writing a book and having a baby can be oddly similar experiences: both take a long time and are not exactly pain-free. Alice and Charlotte have even done both at once, and in today’s episode we talk about what it’s like to bring a book and a baby into the world simultaneously, and to write about it along the way.We’re joined today by Helen Jukes, the author of Mother Animal, a memoir of pregnancy and birth and an unforgettably visceral exploration of the physical transformations of motherhood. Helen is an author and nature writer who has thought deeply about the complex physical experiences of mothering and writing. Mother Animal charts the diverse variations on mothering found in the animal kingdom, and sparks our discussion today on what else mothering can look like and what it can mean more deeply as a creative process.How important is community to the way we nurture new life? What do we mean when we talk about “natural” processes, and can a focus on nature blind us to the realities of toxicity and pollution? And how can we nurture the wild and animalistic sides of ourselves?How do you balance the different forms of creativity in your life?In Haste is presented by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie, and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions. Original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe
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38:41
Literature in translation with Lauren Elkin
Have we got over a cultural reluctance to read literature in translation?Alice and Charlotte have both been reading Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, and it’s got us thinking about the unique experience of reading literature from another culture. In today’s episode, we speak to the novelist and translator Lauren Elkin about what it’s like to render a book in a different language, the scourge of bad translations, and whether translators are finally beginning to get more respect and recognition.We also discuss the huge impact of Fitzcarraldo’s publishing on contemporary literature, the importance of good design in publishing, hip literary parties, and why some books become widely read in some languages but never find their audience in others.In Haste is presented by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie, and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe
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45:12
Hark: How Women Listen, with Alice Vincent
What could it mean to listen more deeply? Alice’s extraordinary new book, Hark: How Women Listen, is published this week, and in today’s episode of In Haste, Charlotte couldn’t resist the opportunity to ask her all about how it came into being.Alice turns interviewee as Charlotte finds out more about her evolution from passionate music journalist to author enveloped in the unfamiliar soundworlds of new life, in the wake of the birth of Alice’s first child.We discuss how Hark explores the mystery of phantom crying, the trauma of hospital sounds, the listening done by female spies and the thrill of musical connections between women as we dive into the book that Alice has been working on ever since In Haste began, following her journey to rediscover sound as something alive, vital and restorative.And, because this is In Haste, we also confront the realities of the writing process, and what it feels like to write about real life while in the middle of living it.Get your copy of Hark: How Women Listen by Alice Vincent here!In Haste is presented by Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runcie and is produced by Holly Fisher for Hasty Productions, with original music by Maria Chiara Argiró and graphic design by Alicia Fernandes. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe
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32:15
The difficult second novel, with Jennie Godfrey
Introducing the second season of In Haste! We are beyond delighted to be back on your airwaves.Today, Charlotte and Alice catch up on how their books, Bring the House Down and Hark: How Women Listen are getting on, now they are mere weeks away from publication.And, with two books about to be released into the wild, that means confronting what's next. Namely, the novel-in-progress that Alice has sent over the sea with her husband, and the “difficult second novel” that Charlotte is still trying to get on with. With some wisdom from a writer who has been there, friend of the show Jennie Godfrey makes a glorious return to discuss the incredible success of her debut, The List of Suspicious Things, and how she’s navigating its follow-up. Get full access to In Haste at inhaste.substack.com/subscribe
Ireland