James and Ashley Stay at Home
By James McKenzie Watson and Ashley Kalagian Blunt
Through discussions and interviews with writers, artists and health professionals, author friends James McKenzie Watson and Ashley Kalagian Blunt explore the big questions: how do books get written? How do people navigate life with chronic illness? And just what ARE you reading? Hosted by James McKenzie Watson, winner of the 2021 Penguin Literary Prize, and Ashley Kalagian Blunt, author of 'Dark Mode.'
Latest episode
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96 | Living to tell the tale with Tracy Sorensen, author of 'The Vitals'
'The doctors were telling me, "We’re going to take your greater omentum out" … I had no idea what these terms meant.' In episode 96, author Tracy Sorensen joins us to discuss her remarkable novel/cancer memoir, The Vitals, narrated by her... -
95 | 'I'm Tom Cruise in Bulgaria' with Liz Nugent, author of 'Strange Sally Diamond'
‘I had thought I was going to be like Harper Lee. I was going to write one book, it was going to be a massive global success, and then I would go into hiding.’ Hear from award-winning Irish author Liz Nugent, whose novel Strange Sally... -
94 | Cloning, shame and principles – James shares tips on writing character
Throughout their writing careers, James and Ashley have each picked up some excellent writing tricks, plus developed a few of their own. In the coming months, they’ll each share a few of their most effective writing techniques, starting with... -
93 | Tricking yourself into writing with Adele Dumont, author of 'The Pulling'
’I kept this condition very, very secret from everybody.’ Adele Dumont's remarkable new memoir, The Pulling, details her life with trichotillomania — a mental health condition that, at times, has consumed her life. In this episode, she discusses... -
92 | How to save a life with Kylie Ladd, author of 'I'll Leave You With This'
'The whole concept of transplantation still blows me away. There is something a bit magical about it. But as with most things people do, it can also find ways to blow up in people’s faces.' Author and neuropsychologist Kylie Ladd joins us to... -
91 | Bonus ep! Learn how to run a writers group with Ashley Kalagian Blunt
If you listen to James and Ashley Stay at Home, you know that both Ashley and James credit much of their skill development to their writers group. And they're not the only ones! You can hear talk about what he learned from the group, as well... -
90 | 'I was going to ask this privately, but...' - James and Ashley at the Boorowa Literary Festival
The tables are turned! Recorded live at the Inaugural Boorowa Literary Festival, festival director, book lover, and all-round excellent human Jeremy Clarke interviews James and Ashley. Learn more about the Absolutely Superb... -
89 | The Bed on a Plinth Awards: The best books we read in 2023
It's books wrap-up season! James and Ashley are getting on the bandwagon and discussing their favourite reads from 2023 in the first annual 'Bed on a Plinth Awards.' Books and authors discussed in this episode (warning: spoilers!): Dark Mode by... -
88 | Books galore: the best book recommendations of 2023
Our most popular episode of the year is back! James has gathered the best 'What Are You Reading?' segments from 2023 into a comprehensive summary of book recommendations from our guests. We discuss a huge variety of books, including... -
87 | How to climb a ladder covered in butter with Laurie Steed, author of 'Love, Dad'
‘I wanted to find compassion for me and for any writer out there who’s doing the best they can but it’s not working out the way they planned.’ Author Laurie Steed shares how crippling anxiety affected both his literary career and his...
