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
-
100 | Where snark meets explosive laughter – a podcast retrospective
We made it to 100 episodes! In this celebration of books, reading and creative community, James and Ashley reflect on how the podcast came about, their favourite books and moments from the podcast, and how their lives, health and writing have changed… -
99 | Sianging at Home with Siang Lu, author of 'Ghost Cities'
'There are so many books in bookstores, how could it possibly be that, by complete randomness, someone would pick yours up?' Author Siang Lu joins us to discuss his second novel, Ghost Cities, and the multilayered inspirations behind his... -
98 | Come for the misophonia with Imbi Neeme, author of 'Kind of, Sort of, Maybe but Probably Not'
We've made it to episode 98! Author Imbi Neeme joins James and Ashley to discuss life with misophonia, a hypersensitivity to sounds that she describes as 'like a cheese grater against the brain'. Imbi speaks both about how she discovered that her... -
97 | Needing to know – Ashley discusses narrative drive
Throughout their careers, James and Ashley have each picked up some excellent writing tricks, plus developed a few of their own. Now, they’re each sharing a few of their most effective writing techniques (starting with - James’ shortcut to... -
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...