Lit Up

Join host Angela Ledgerwood as she chats to the authors she loves most about books, life, and what lights them up.<hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Christopher Bollen on writing likeable characters who do bad things

The city of Venice is the key character in Christopher Bollen’s latest novel A Beautiful Crime. Christopher joins host Angela Ledgerwood to discuss the summer internship that brought him to Venice for the first time, exploring power dynamics in romantic & platonic relationships and how he writes likeable characters who do bad things. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

03-26
46:21

Mira Jacob on drawing her family

Exhausted by writing, Mira Jacob used illustration to explore themes of family, love and race in her graphic memoir Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations. She joins host Angela Ledgerwood to discuss her parents’ love story, teaching herself to draw and the idea that love is the opposite of racism. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12-03
59:01

Veronica Roth on the consequences of fame

Veronica Roth’s latest dystopian novel, Chosen Ones, explores the negative side of fame. Veronica joins host Angela Ledgerwood to discuss building dystopian worlds in her novels, being critiqued in the media and how the unexpected success of her first novel, Divergent, lead her to undergo therapy in her early 20’s. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12-03
45:39

Kate Elizabeth Russell on power

It took 18 years for Kate Elizabeth Russell to write her debut novel, My Dark Vanessa, about a student who falls in love with her teacher. She joins host Angela Ledgerwood to discuss power dynamics within relationships, consent and how the Me-Too Movement influenced her writing.  Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

04-21
50:40

Dolly Alderton on being comfortable being alone

An 18-month break from dating forced UK journalist Dolly Alderton to learn to become comfortable being alone. Dolly discusses her debut book, Everything I Know About Love, with host Angela Ledgerwood, the intensity of female friendships and why her Australian therapist compared her to Donald Trump.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

02-19
45:39

Lauren Mechling on being out of Vogue

Losing her job at Vogue forced Lauren Mechling to create a new identity for herself outside of work. Lauren joins host Angela Ledgerwood to discuss her latest novel ‘How Could She’, the impact working in magazines had on her writing and why she has an Instagram dedicated to clogs. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

02-04
48:02

Leslie Jamison on turning animals into characters

A lonely whale named 52 Blue is a key character in Leslie Jamison’s new essay collection Make It Scream, Make It Burn. Leslie speaks with host Angela Ledgerwood about the different things the whale represented to her readers, the three themes she structured her essay collection around and where she gets her inspiration from. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

01-14
46:51

Jami Attenberg on dysfunctional families

Moving to New Orleans gave Jami Attenberg a new perspective on her characters. Her latest novel, All This Could Be Yours, follows one dysfunctional family in New Orleans who are coming to terms with their secrets. Jami joins host Angela Ledgerwood to discuss finding ideas in unexpected places, calling out the male gaze and how all readers see themselves in her different characters. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12-31
44:44

Vicki Laveau-Harvie on surviving her family

All families are nuts, according Vicki Laveau-Harvie and there was no better place to explore her family's eccentricities than her Stella Award winning debut memoir The Erratics. Vicki talks with host Angela Ledgerwood about her experience growing up with, and escaping, a narcissistic mother and creating a new life for herself in France & Australia with her chosen family. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10-30
59:00

Elaine Welteroth on having the perfect life

The perfect life is different for everyone and what we all dream of but sometimes it isn’t everything we think it is. Elaine Welteroth lifts the veil on the perfect social media life in her new book More Than Enough: Claiming Space For Who You Are and talks about finding those little clues in your earlier life full of enthusiasm to help you on your journey to doing what you love. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10-16
01:06:46

Courtney Maum on heeding your own instincts

Addiction to technology is hard to get away from, but author Courtney Maum is taking a break from the internet and returns to talk about the preservation of art in her new book Costalegre with Host Angela Ledgerwood. Courtney talks about deep diving into an idea rather moving quickly from one to the next. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10-10
56:59

Jia Tolentino on self-reflection

Self reflection is one of the hardest things we can do to ourselves and Jia Tolentino covers this in her new book of essays Trick Mirror: Reflections of self delusion. Host Angela Ledgerwood talks with Jia on what inspires her essays and how we can learn to sit within the knowledge of things we've done in the past without changing ourselves. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

08-07
57:40

Kathleen Alcott on searching for America

There were a lot of events that shaped America in the 1960’s – the Vietnam war, the first moon landing. Host Angela Ledgerwood talks with Kathleen on how she researched these events and the consequences of our actions for her new multi-generational novel – America was hard to find. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

08-01
47:07

Lisa Taddeo on the effects of past relationships

Our past is made up of relationships, both good and bad, and these relationships shape who we are. Lisa Taddeo reveals to host Angela Ledgerwood the real-life experiences that inspired the three main characters of her new book, Three Women, and what she has learned about desire. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

07-24
55:34

Ocean Vuong on inheriting our values

Ocean Vuong explores race, class and masculinity within his storytelling. Better known for his honest and beautiful poetry, Ocean speaks to host Angela Ledgerwood about his debut novel: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, and the power of breaking the silence for those less fortunate. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

07-17
41:31

Elizabeth Gilbert on exploring our desires and sexual freedoms

Eat. Pray. Love’s portrayal of the inner-struggles we deal with and the raw emotions that come with these struggles is part of what made her book hugely successful. Elizabeth shares with host Angela Ledgerwood how taking a deep dive into your own emotions and your own character and its’ flaws can help you form these relatable characters in books. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

07-04
54:13

Mickey Rapkin on writing a Hollywood hit

Getting a publisher to agree to print a book about the world of acapella singing groups was not an easy task for Author Mickey Rapkin, but he stuck with it and this risk let to the hugely successful trilogy of Pitch Perfect films. Host Angela Ledgerwood speaks to Mickey about where he got the idea from, how slow the process is when transitioning a book to a film and why he has chosen children's' books as his latest writing challenge. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

06-19
32:30

Ceridwen Dovey on the privilege and vulnerability of being a young woman

What does the relationships look like between an artist and their patron and what is expected of one from the other? Ceridwen Dovey speaks to host Angela Ledgerwood about the power, privilege and vulnerability of being a young, talented woman, how she found her voice as a writer and why she is exploring new voices. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

06-12
51:30

Stan Grant reflects on the privilege of nostalgia

How does a country's history weigh on its' people? Journalist Stan Grant exiled himself from Australia in order to seek to understand Australia, what it means to be Australian and his own struggle for belonging and identity as an indigenous Australian man. Stan speaks to host Angela Ledgerwood about his book 'Australia Day,' the moment in his childhood that changed his outlook on the world, and why he believes philosophers hold the key to understanding culture. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

05-29
43:38

Monica Tan on understanding Australia

A 30,000km trip around Australia was the journey Monica Tan took to discover who she was in relation to the country she lived in, Australia. From the role Chinese Australians played in colonisation to segregation in Australia in the 70s and how Australia history is taught now, Monica's novel Strange Country explores all facets of Monica's identity as a Australian Born Chinese person and she shares what she has learned with host Angela Ledgerwood. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

05-15
38:23

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