The Alternative Book Club

This is a very special author episode where we spoke to musical performer, improviser AND author, the exceptional Pippa Evans! Pippa talks to us about her book Improv Your Life and how improv can be a used for fun and showstopping musicals but how we also use improv every day in all aspects of our lives. You can find more from Pippa on Twitter: @IAmPippaEvans and on Instagram: @iampippaevans. You can find out more about her courses on her website: www.pippaevans.com and you can buy her book right now from all the places you usually buy books. & you can follow Alt Book Club on fb or instagram (@altbookclub) for news about our comedy nights and writing workshops.

This episode we're joined by comedian and art curator, it's Verity Babbs! Verity talks about embracing giving up on books or reading books and remembering nothing. Shirley tells us about the funniest, goriest Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus You can find more from Verity on her Instagram @veritybabbsart and you can watch her Art Laughs series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTylnKFr4Dpu9YQ8ssI1AvQ & follow Alt Book Club on fb or instagram (@altbookclub) for news about our comedy nights and writing workshops.

This episode we're joined by comedian and creator of Science Showoff, Dr Steve Cross AND comedian and host of the Masterpiece Bookshelf podcast, Gregory Akerman. Steve brings in the This Is Not My Hat series by Jon Klassen and Greg explains the highs, lows and pure fantasy of the iconic American outlaw from Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride by Michael Wallis. *This episode was recorded in Feb 2021 & has taken forever to edit alongside teeny baby management. You can find more about Science Showoff on the website: scienceshowoff.org or on instagram @scienceshowoff. AND you can find Steve Cross @steve_x on twitter. You can find more about Masterpiece Bookshelf by following the twitter: @MPBookshelf and you can also find Gregory Akerman on twitter @gregory_akerman. Follow Alt Book Club on fb or instagram (@altbookclub) for news about our comedy nights and writing workshops.

This episode we're joined by comedian and founder of Objectively Funny, Martin Willis. Martin talks about the best book he's read this century - as well as The Rock's autobiography - and Shirley explains the major sex appeal of creepy Restoration poet, Andrew Marvell. TW: some discussion of violence against women. *This episode was recorded in Feb 2021 & has taken a bloody long time to edit alongside teeny baby management. You can find more about Objectively Funny & read the zine on their website: www.objectivelyfunny.com or on instagram @objectively.funny. AND you can find Martin Willis @martinvwillis. Follow Alt Book Club on fb or instagram (@altbookclub) for news about our comedy nights and writing workshops.

This week we're joined by Be Her Lead Co-Founder, Edith Johnson. Edith explains that she hasn't reread Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt but loved it as a teen, while podcast host, Shirley Halse, describes her teen romance with the sparkly vampires of Twilight. TW: some discussion of disordered eating. You can find more about Be Her Lead on their website: www.beherlead.com or on social media @her_lead. The Be Her Lead conference is taking place on Saturday 20 March and you can get tickets now: www.eventbrite.com/e/be-her-lead-conference-2021-tickets-138624239833 Follow Alt Book Club on fb (@altbookclub) for news about our comedy nights and writing workshops.

This week we have a very special extra episode for you. It's a Q&A with Comedian and "Benefit Scum" Tom Mayhew ahead of his radio 4 debut! We discuss his brilliant and important 2019 Edinburgh show I, Tom Mayhew which transferred to the Soho Theatre in 2020 and now has been adapted for radio. You can listen to episode one of Tom Mayhew Is Benefit Scum on Radio 4 this Wednesday 3 March at 11pm and the three successive episodes on the following three Wednesdays. He's on Twitter @TomMayhew. And you can find Alt Book Club on fb (@altbookclub) for news about comedy nights and writing workshops.

This week we're joined by podcaster and Doctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford, Chelsea Haith. Chelsea talks us through Spectulative Fiction, while podcast host, Shirley Halse, explains a little about Old English poem, The Dream of the Rood.  You can find Chelsea online @chelsea_haith and her podcast is Narrative Futures with @ThinkFuturesNow. And find Alt Book Club on fb (@altbookclub) for news about comedy nights and writing workshops.

In this episode, award winning comedians Nick Page and Laura Lexx discuss their love of The Wayfarer Series by Becky Chambers, and Laura reviews the Gentleman Bastard Series by Scott Lynch. Nick and Laura are on Twitter @nickpagecomedy and @lauralexx. Plus, find Laura's virtual tour dates on her website: lauralexx.co.uk Join Alt Book Club on fb @altbookclub for news about comedy nights and writing workshops. If you'd like to support us, you can send us a coffee: ko-fi.com/altbookclub

This week we're joined by comedian and author Mr James Crawley. James reviews his year of reading books that are also films, while podcast host, Shirley Halse, gives some key insight into the history of art. You can follow James on Twitter @JamesCrawley and follow his podcast Conversations with a Vicar. And you can also join Alt Book Club on fb @altbookclub for news about comedy nights and writing workshops.

This week we're joined by comedian, PhD student and part of the 2020 Talent Factory cohort, Zoë McGee. Zoë talks us through the different and baffling critical takes on Jane Austen. Meanwhile podcast host, Shirley Halse, explains five memorable reads from this weird year. You can follow Zoë on Twitter @theZHM and keep an eye out for her podcast: Live, Laugh, Lovecraft. Join us on fb @altbookclub for news about comedy nights and writing groups.

This episode we are joined by comedian and improviser Dan Squire who joins us to talk about how he feels when people say Harry Potter is their favourite book. Host, Shirley Halse, also gives us a quick run-through of Far From the Madding Crowd. Check out Dan on Twitter @DanSquire007 & search 'Oxford Imps' in your podcasts app to find him doing improv. You can find Alt Book Club on fb @altbookclub

Welcome to the Alt Book Club podcast, hosted by Shirley Halse. Each episode features talks from friends and comedians about an eclectic range of books. We'll also get the chance to interrogate our guests about what they love and hate to read.   Episode 1 arriving Sunday 29 November.