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On this episode we meet up Vida Adamczewski and Catherine Prasifka.
First up, Vida to discuss Amphibian her vividly inventive short story collection. It is provocative storytelling infused with a radical compassion that finds voice in new places and reimagines the body as a territory, a swamp we are invited to wallow in by the cover. Amphibian is published by the wonderful Toothgrinder press - www.toothgrinder.co.uk - Do search out them out and get yourself a copy.Many of you will know Catherine Prasifka from her startling debut None of This is Serious. Her latest novel This is How You Remember It chronicles the rapid encroachment of technology into her unnamed narrator’s life. From seemingly innocuous video games and early teenage encounters with porn to the compulsive tyranny of social media it explores the impact of this technology on a generation that have known little of life before its emergence.
Thanks to Huw Marc Bennett and Ian Hawgood for the use of their music.
If you enjoyed the episode please hit the subscribe button or leave us a review.
Big love x
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On this episode of the Ramble we meet Richard Norris to hear about his memoir of a lifetime in music, Strange Things Are Happening. The book spans the entirety of Richard’s career from an early pivotal meeting with John Peel, via the birth of Acid House to Californian adventures with Joe Strummer. But Strange Things Are Happening is much more than a series of anecdotes.
At its heart are a series of reflections on forty years of creative practice, a lifetime of collaborations and innovations in music that have brought countless people together. It is written with a rare grace, never shying from accounts of relationships imploding or ideas that don’t make it. But above all else there is a deep sense of love here for the creative act and a gratitude for a life well lived.
Strange Things Are Happening is published by White Rabbit Books and is a huge recommend.
Richard Norris lived the 20th century and beyond like no one else and this is one of the truly great eyewitness accounts of the heroic years of the counterculture.'
David Keenan@fieldzine /
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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On this episode we speak to author Niamh Mulvey about her upcoming debut novel The Amendments. Many of you will know Niamh from her short story collection Hearts and Bones. (Head back to episode 6 of the pod if not to hear our interview with her shortly after H&B’s publication.) With The Amendments (published by Picador on April 11th) Niamh takes the titular story from the collection and crafts it into what is a beautifully wrought novel.
Set between London and Ireland The Amendments spans the lives of three generations of women, mapping the waining impact of powerful institutions on their lives. Although the plot is at stages particular to Ireland, there is a universal quality to the struggles Nell, Dolores and Brigid meet that is all too familiar.
Niamh’s is a rare voice. In a world that so often only speaks with unthinking certainty she writes bravely with rare nuance and compassion. The result is an unsparing, human and ultimately hopeful novel that asks us to embrace the world in all its contradictions and ambiguity. The Amendments is a huge recommend and one to watch through-out the year. If you’re close to any of these lovely places Niamh will be speaking there on these dates, so head along:
Foyles, Charing Cross Road 20th April (with Sinéad Gleeson and Elaine Feeney)
Phlox Books, London 24th April (with Tomiwa Owolade)
Waterstones, Manchester 25th April
The West Kirby Bookshop, 26th April
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On this episode we hear from Sinéad Gleeson about her upcoming debut novel Hagstone. Set on a rugged island somewhere in the wild Atlantic it centres around the life of Nel an artist who draws inspiration from the landscape, folklore and unexplained phenomena that surround her. The island is also home to a reclusive community of women, the Inions, who task Nel with the creation of a new artwork, a request that leads her to uncover truths both about them and herself.
If you’ve read Sinéad’s essays or know her work as an editor then Hagstone is exactly as you’d imagine. Thought provoking, unafraid and above all else a work of great story-telling. It was great to get the chance to sit down with her and hear how the novel came into being. And, along the way, we also had the chance to look back at her essay collection Constellations, discuss the incredible energy of the Irish literary scene and the enduring presence of Maeve Brennan.
Hagstone a huge recommend and is published in just a couple of weeks by 4th Estate on April 12th
@fieldzine /
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On this episode we meet Balsam Karam to hear about her latest novel The Singularity. Set in an unnamed coastal town the story follows the impact of one woman’s death on another. It is a study of loss, migration and motherhood and a book that remains with you long after you’ve put it down.
Through bold formal experimentation Balsam builds a language of post trauma, moving from separate narratives that co-exist on the same line to episodic, crystalline remembering. This is definitely a book for those who’ve read and loved Claudia Rankine’s Citizen.
At its heart are searching questions about who we choose and choose not to see in society. And at a time when violence is so breezily explained away in our wider public discourse, The Singularity asks us to consider the depths and complexity of a single life and lasting impact of its loss.The Singularity is published by Fitzcarraldo and is available now.
Thanks to Ian Hawgood (Tides) and Huw Marc Bennett (Y Gwydd) for the use of their beautiful music.
If you enjoyed our conversation with Balsam please leave us a review and subscribe where you get your podcasts to never miss an episode.@fieldzine /
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On this episode of the Ramble, an interview with Magogodi oaMphela Makhene in which we discuss her stunning, debut short story collection, Innards. Set in Soweto (where Magogodi was raised) her stories map the lives of a small group of residents living under and after apartheid.
By turns shockingly violent and deeply funny Innards is beautiful wrought from the first page. It is fiction that lays bare the enduring nature of trauma and celebrates the capacity of people to pursue life amid daunting realities.
There is so much to love about Magogodi’s work, but for us, above all else, it is her determination that the reader come to her. Every story is told in a blend of the languages of Soweto. They are transportive in the truest sense, boldly immersive and unsparing. A sprawling set of relationships, histories and politics that we are left to explore.
It was a huge pleasure to hear how this remarkable book came into being. So, next time you're staring undecidedly at some book shop shelves, definitely give this a go.
An unforgettable debut that hits with all the force of the sun. Junot Diaz
Innards is a wonder. Magnificent and haunting. NoViolet Bulawayo
A relay of fearless burning emblems Paul Harding
Huge thanks to Huw Marc Bennett for the use of his song Y Gwydd
Subscribe to Field Ramble to never miss an episode.@fieldzine /
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On this episode of Field Ramble, an interview with Aniefiok Ekpoudom to discuss his incredible work of narrative non fiction Where We Come From. Set between communities in South London, South Wales and the West Midland’s Neef’s book documents the rise of UK Rap and Grime. Beginning with the tenacious community hubs of Pirate Radio in Birmingham under the guiding hand of Cecil Morris to the emergence of artists such as Stormzy and Dave, Aniefiok documents the early years and emergence of the genres and the vital role that progenitors such as Cadet, Kano & Despa played.
At a time when public discourse around our social history can often feel so narrow Where we Came From is vital. It is a book that explores and celebrates the key role immigration plays in invigorating and progressing our shared cultural landscape. And one deeply in love with the music it chronicles. If you don’t believe us check out these recommends.
Guy Gunaratne ‘Phenomenal … like the heroes he chronicles, Ekpoudom acts as a torchbearer, his book a beacon, for the story that follows.’
Candice Carty-Williams ‘A stunning exploration of a genre, a movement and a world. It is every bit as lyrical as the rap Ekpoudom has documented.’
Further reading: Adèle Oliver’s excellent Deeping It is definitely a huge recommend for anyone looking for further reading in the subject. We’ll be catching up with Adèle over the next few weeks on the Ramble. So subscribe to Field Ramble now on iTunes or Spotify to not miss out.
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Field Ramble is back with award winning Irish novelist Mary Costello to hear about her latest short story collection Barcelona. It follows firmly in the footsteps of her debut novel Academy Street ( Novel of the Year 2014, The Irish Book Awards) and her first collection The China Factory in its fearlessness. Never afraid to shine a light on our darker side, Barcelona is unsparing in its exploration of cruelty and, in Mary's own words, our straining for consciousness.
In this bumper episode we also meet up with film maker, activist and novelist Feryal Ali Gauhar to discuss her latest novel An Abundance of Wild Roses. The book is set within a remote community in Pakistan's Karakoram mountains and centres around the discovery of a dying man and the repercussions that ensue.
Both Mary and Feryal are writing into spaces about connection, growing violence and the possibility of wider consciousness.
Barcelona is published on 07/03/24
An Abundance of Wild Roses is also published on 07/03/24
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January is grim, there’s no two ways about it. So here are two fantastic debuts to keep you tucked up indoors and out of whichever storm has just landed. First off a chat with Lottie Hazell whose novel Piglet is published on 25.01. An unrelenting story of compulsion and unfulfilled hunger, it majors on love, class and the lack at the centre of modern life. (It also has one of the most insane wedding scenes you’ll read this year.) Follow the link below to order a copy.
https://www.theportobellobookshop.com/9780857529565-sfThen, some time with Andrew McMillan to hear about his incredible debut novel Pity. Many of you will know Andrew from his poetry and Pity has a thread of gorgeous lyricism running through the heart of it. It is the story both of a community and of a couple Simon and Ryan who are in the early stages of their relationship. This is already a huge favourite at Field HQ, there is not a word out of place, it’s written with a poet’s economy & if you’re a fan of Max Porter or Claire Keegan then this is one for you. It also has to be a very early contender for cover of the year.
Piglet is published by Transworld Publishers on 25/01
Pity is published by Canongate on 08/02
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Happy 2024 people! In our first episode of the year we hear from author Ali Millar about her debut novel Ava Anna Ada. Many of you will know Ali from her incredible memoir The Last Days, a courageous and unsparing account of her upbringing in and break from the Jehovah’s Witness Cult. It was an incredible read and is a huge recommend if you’ve yet to get to it
Described by Ali as her 'strange little book,' her much anticipated debut novel braids together themes of climate chaos, social collapse, lust and the almost deific role of the screen in our lives. First written in those strange Covid days it is infused with that period’s sleepless fever. This is haunting, unfixed writing that stays with you long after you’ve put the book down.
In discussion Ali talks about the influence of Ted Hughes, using the real to create the unreal, working with memory and the corners where ghosts hide in a story.
Ava Anna Ada is published on the 18.01 by the good people at White Rabbit. It is available for pre-order all over the place now and please, please support your local independent book seller if you can.
Huge thanks as ever go to Ian Hawgood and Huw Marc Bennett for the use of their beautiful music and if you like what you hear please subscribe and leave us a review.@fieldzine /
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Field sees the year out with Mike McCormack and JP McHugh. John's short story collection was the find of the year at Field HQ a beautiful set of stories about the fragility and cut throat business of friendship. If you're doing some last minute Christmas shopping this is a huge recommend.
Mike McCormack needs little introduction. A multi award winning novelist, whose work is thrilling unconfined by genre. Mike's latest novel This Plague of Souls was published in October by Canongate and is part noir, part metaphysical thriller.
Huge thanks to both Mike and John for taking the time out to talk.
As ever thanks go to Ian Hawgood & Huw Marc Bennett for the kind use of their music. The little dash of Christmas at the end is a reworking of the old John Prine classic Christmas in Prison by Emmy the Great and Light Speed Champion.
Big love and hoping for peace.
Pick up John's book here: https://www.theportobellobookshop.com/9780008490645
Pick up Mike's novel here: https://www.theportobellobookshop.com/9781838859329@fieldzine /
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This month Field is joined by novelist Keiran Goddard to discuss his upcoming novel I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning. The book lovingly traces the relationships between a group of friends who have remained close since childhood. Central to the novel are thoughts on lost opportunity and fragmented community. Why is success measured by leaving the place we love? Why do those early relationships continue to exert such a grasp? And where can we still find hope? Keiran talks about finding inspiration in surprising places, the responsibilities he felt when building the fictional community of the book and the paramount importance of remembering that ‘you just never know’. I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning is published by Abacus Books in February 2024
The episode begins with a beautiful reading from poet Alycia Pirmohamed of her poem Where The Light Goes, which also happens to be the opener to this month's issue of the magazine. Huge congratulations to Alycia for being the very worthy winner of this year's Nan Shepherd Prize. Poet Nasim Rebecca Asl closes the episode with a reading of her wonderful poem AfterLight. Do follow the links below to find out more about their work.https://alycia-pirmohamed.com/books/
https://www.nasimrasl.com/
https://www.keirangoddard.com/As ever, huge thanks to Ian Hawgood for the use of his beautiful music.
https://bandcamp.com/tag/ian-hawgood@fieldzine /
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This month Field is joined by novelist Daisy Johnson from the depths of her writing shed to talk ghosts, hotels and the Fen. If you get to this time of year and fancy swimming in darker waters then look no further than Daisy's short story collections. From the opening line these are stories that beguile, disorientate and terrify. There are things in the walls of Daisy's buildings, her characters are rarely who we assume and her houses and hotels are definitely not places to hang about.
Also - another killer publication from Dead Ink Books! Matt Hill’s Lamb -a road trip through an England of the near future. A crumbling, menacing place where boundaries between memory and the land and the individual are all collapsing. Matt tells us about the inspiration behind his latest novel.Get hold of your copy here: https://deadinkbooks.com/product/lamb/
Listen to The Hotel here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000qhh8
As ever, huge thanks go to Huw Marc Bennett and Ian Hawgood for the use of their beautiful music.@fieldzine /
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This month’s episode of Field Ramble is a conversation I’ve been looking forward to for so long. Wendy Erskine needs little introduction. Author of two incredible collections Sweet Home and Dance Move, she is an unbelievable story teller and my go to when I’m asked for a book recommend. Wendy writes through the voices that surround her in her East Belfast home. In them we soon slip beneath the surface of day to day lives to meet abandoned children, paramilitary death squads, extortion, lost love, false accusations, obsession and murder. If you’ve yet to read either of her books get them on top of the pile. Both are collections to be savoured, each filled with characters that live on long after you’ve put the book down, characters you’ll care deeply for within just a few pages.
Huge thanks go to Huw Marc Bennett for the use of his music (Y Gwydd.) Find all of Huw’s music on band camp - his latest album Days Like Now is an absolute killer.
Please share the episode if you enjoyed it and give us a follow to get each episode dropped directly into your feed.
@fieldzine /
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This month Field sits down with author Rachelle Atallato discuss her latest novel Thirsty Animals as well as her new radio series Invasive Species , currently unfolding on Radio 4. Both are fantastic pieces of speculative story telling that pose compelling what ifs which live on long after you've put the novel down or turned the radio off.
Rachelle has also contributed a wide ranging essay on dystopian fiction to Dead Ink Books latest collection Writing The Future. (Following on from Writing the Uncanny it's another great book for writers working in the genre but also just a really good read.) We got to chat with editor Dan Coxon about bringing the project together and some of his favourite speculative fiction published in the past year.
Huge thanks to Huw Marc Bennett for the use of his beautiful music on this episode.
Get your copy of Writing the Future @ https://deadinkbooks.com/product/writingthefuture/
Get your copy of Thirsty Animals @ https://www.theportobellobookshop.com/search
Get Huw's music @ https://huwmarcbennett.bandcamp.com/
Help Field grow @ https://www.patreon.com/fieldmagazine@fieldzine /
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This month's pod is devoted entirely to an extended interview with author Guy Gunaratne, discussing his latest novel Mister Mister. Many of you will know Guy from his incredible debut In Our Mad and Furious City and Mister Mister is another compelling and provocative read (& a huge favourite at Field HQ.)
If you've yet to read it, don't push that Amazon button! Just click on the link below and head to the wonderful Hastings Bookshop where Charlie has kindly sorted a discount for all Ramblers.
Till next month, Big love x
https://hastingsbookshop.co.uk/products/guy-gunaratne-mister-mister@fieldzine /
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This month Field goes for a swim with David Roberts to discuss the rather beautiful The Way The Day Breaks and sits down with Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi to hear all about The Centre her incredible debut novel which is out this month.
We also have a performance from Syrian poet Dua Al Bostani Al Fattohi to start the show and of course more gorgeous soundscapes from musician Ian Hawgood.@fieldzine /
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Two more great interviews with two wonderful writers. Field heads to France to talk with Laurent Petitmangin about his latest novel What You Need From The Night. L 'Obs calls the book 'A tragedy of Unconditional Love' & Le Parisien 'As sublime as it is painful.'
Then we head to Charleston Festival on a sunny evening to talk Kim Moore about her incredible Forward Prize winning collection All the Men I Never Married.
Music on this episode is by Huw Marc Bennett. (Such a bassline.) Find him on Bandcamp at Albert's Favourites. And of course the beautiful sounds of Ian Hawgood are here too. Just search Home Normal and check out the beaut that is @_handstitched on instagram.
Tracks used on this episode were taken from the albums:
Huw Marc Bennett - Y Gwydd
Ian Hawgood - Field - Upward Eyes EP
If you like what you hear find out more about Field at www.fieldzine.com
You can subscribe and support Field's work via patreon at www.patreon.com/fieldzine. UK and Ireland just £5 per month.
Our goal, to be a platform for new and exciting writers and poets across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.@fieldzine /
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Two more great interviews with two wonderful authors. We talk to Martin Macinnes about his stunning, epic In Ascension. And the wonderful Kerri ní Dochartaigh about her incredible lockdown chronicles Cacophony of Bone.
Our beautiful music on this episode is all by Ian Hawgood. Find all his music on Bandcamp by searching Home Normal and check out the beaut that is @_handstitched on instagram.
Tracks used on this episode were taken from the albums:
Fields - Upward Eyes EP
For Distance Brings Us Closer - Upward Eyes EP
I'm Not Sure We Belong - Mysterious Shapes and Remembered Rhythms
If you like what you hear find out more about Field at www.fieldzine.com
You can subscribe and support Field's work via patreon at www.patreon.com/fieldzine. UK and Ireland just £5 per month.
Our goal, to be a platform for new and exciting writers and poets across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.@fieldzine /
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Field Ramble is back and we have two great interviews with Aidan Cottrell-Boyce and Niamh Mulvey. Aidan tells us what lies behind his incredible novel The End of Nightwork an absolute favourite at Field. Then we catch up with Niamh to discuss her beautiful collection of short stories, Hearts and Bones, published last year. If you've yet to read it, we'd echo Sinéad Gleeson's description of Niamh's work as panormaic, precise, stunning prose.
Huge thanks go to Ian Hawgood and Lisa O Neill for the use of the beautiful music in this episode. Find all their music on Bandcamp and be sure to give Lisa's beautiful new album All of This is Chance (Rough Trade) a listen.
Tracks used on this episode were taken from the albums:
Ian Hawgood - Echoes from the Edges of Time
Lisa O Neill - Pothole in the Sky.
If you like what you hear find out more about Field at www.fieldzine.com
You can subscribe and support Field's work via patreon at www.patreon.com/fieldzine. UK and Ireland just £5 per month.
Our goal, to be a platform for new and exciting writers and poets across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.@fieldzine /
www.fieldzine.com - Visa fler
