The Writers’ Cafe

Welcome to The Writers' Cafe! Brought to you from the award-winning indie, Sevenoaks Bookshop!

This week's visitor to the cafe is the brilliant and perceptive Lola Jaye. Lola, a psychotherapist and author of several highly praised novels, including The Attic Child which was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize in 2023, joins us for the release of her latest historical fiction novel, The Manual for Good Wives. Lola was such a lovely and inspirational guest!

Bookseller review: “Lola’s The Manual for Good Wives is a love letter to perseverance. It is a dual narrative that follows two women, Temi and Landri centuries apart, but with equally engaging and empowering stories. You’ll find yourself immersed and swept up into the lives of these characters, and also relating to their trepidations. A story that inspires and strengthens! It will stick with me for a very long time."

If you are new to The Writer's Cafe pod: Inspired by our own in-shop cafe of the same name and the conversations about books, life, literature, and so much more every single day - as well as the literary salons of old where gossip thrived - this podcast seeks to highlight and celebrate the best writers and voices every episode with a warm, detailed conversation about their work and craft.

Lola's work can be purchased with us here:

The Manual for Good Wives https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/the-manual-for-good-wives-by-lola-jaye/

The Attic Child https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/the-attic-child-by-lola-jaye/

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Welcome to The Writers' Cafe! Brought to you from the award-winning indie, Sevenoaks Bookshop!

This week's visitor to the cafe is the absolutely lovely and warm Natasha Brown! We were absolutely delighted to have her with us for an evening event wherein we discussed her newest novel: Universality! An absolutely immersive read that will have you pondering just how much power language wields!

Bookseller review: "The novel begins with a journalistic piece in which we are told the story of someone who has been bludgeoned with a gold bar. However, as we delve deeper into the story, our perspective continually shifts as we get pulled in multiple directions, each character having their own version of "truth". Observant writing, encapsulating modern day Britain and hitting on race, class, politics, and wealth. Sleek, clever, and darkly funny.

If you like the sound of this, a live event, then more information can be found on our website, featuring all of our immensely exciting events coming up. Signing up to our mailing list is a great way to ensure you never miss out on the great writers coming through our doors: https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/join-our-mailing-list/

If you are new to The Writer's Cafe pod: Inspired by our own in-shop cafe of the same name and the conversations about books, life, literature, and so much more every single day - as well as the literary salons of old where gossip thrived - this podcast seeks to highlight and celebrate the best writers and voices every episode with a warm, detailed conversation about their work and craft.

Natasha's work can be purchased with us here:

Universality https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/universality-by-natasha-brown/

Assembly https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/assembly-by-natasha-brown-2/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Writers' Cafe! Brought to you from the award-winning indie, Sevenoaks Bookshop!

This week's visitor to the cafe is the insanely talented and insightful, Garrett Carr. Garrett joins us upon the release of his debut fiction novel, The Boy from the Sea. Join us as we discuss all things love/loss, resentment, fishing, and so much more. Garrett was such a lovely guest and is certainly welcome back to our cafe anytime!

If you are new to The Writer's Cafe pod: Inspired by our own in-shop cafe of the same name and the conversations about books, life, literature, and so much more every single day - as well as the literary salons of old where gossip thrived - this podcast seeks to highlight and celebrate the best writers and voices every episode with a warm, detailed conversation about their work and craft.

Garrett's work can be purchased with us here:

The Boy from the Sea https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/the-boy-from-the-sea-by-garrett-carr/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Writers' Cafe! Brought to you from the award-winning indie, Sevenoaks Bookshop!

This week's visitor to the cafe is the wonderful and brilliantly insightful, Oisín McKenna. This episode also marks the end of Series 1 of The Writers' Cafe Podcast, so a sincere and deeply felt thank you for listening to this truly brilliant, wise, and witty bunch of authors as they have joined us from across the globe to talk to us! It has been a pleasure.

Oisín joins us to speak all things, Evenings & Weekends, his debut novel set across one sweltering summer in London. An outstanding debut that takes place over the course of a sweltering weekend in London. Perfectly representing precarious social conditions, the buzz of possibility, sweaty parties, endless desire, and the dreams of a diverse population of city dwellers – McKenna has crafted a novel that you will not want to put down. Follow Ed, Maggie, Phil, and Rosaleen as they navigate their dramas, longings, and heartbreaks (all in different ways, mind!), and you will not regret it. Bonus points for the campy marine biologist who looks like Princess Diana, here punned upon as the Princess of Whales. Truly excellent.

If you are new to The Writer's Cafe pod: Inspired by our own in-shop cafe of the same name and the conversations about books, life, literature, and so much more every single day - as well as the literary salons of old where gossip thrived - this new podcast seeks to highlight and celebrate the best writers and voices every episode with a warm, detailed conversation about their work and craft.

Oisín's work can be purchased here:

https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/evenings-and-weekends-by-oisin-mckenna/

https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/

Again, from me, Harry, thank you. See you soon.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Writers' Cafe! Brought to you from the award-winning indie, Sevenoaks Bookshop!

This week's visitor to the cafe is the wonderful and brilliantly insightful, Jason Okundaye. Jason joins us to speak all things, Revolutionary Acts, his debut history of queer Black life in and around South London, expertly combining the social, the political, and the sexual with precision and warmth. It truly is a brilliant book. Join us as we discuss all things queer politics, Black history, Ariana Grande, Housing, and the process of oral historical work.

If you are new to The Writer's Cafe pod: Inspired by our own in-shop cafe of the same name and the conversations about books, life, literature, and so much more every single day - as well as the literary salons of old where gossip thrived - this new podcast seeks to highlight and celebrate the best writers and voices every episode with a warm, detailed conversation about their work and craft.

Jason's work can purchased with us here:

https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/revolutionary-acts-love-brotherhood-in-black-gay-britain-by-jason-okundaye/

https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Writers' Cafe! Brought to you from the award-winning indie, Sevenoaks Bookshop!

This week's visitor to the cafe is, without hyperbole, one of the greatest current writers of American letters, Percival Everett. Percival joined us a few months ago to celebrate the release of James, his retelling of Huckleberry Finn, which has just been shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024. We knew what a hugely exciting opportunity this was so recorded the event to bring to you, via this podcast. Percival's acclaim feels endless and deserved. His novel Erasure was recently adapted into an Academy Award winning film, American Fiction, starring Jeffery Wright. His novel The Trees was shortlisted for the Booker in 2022, as well! Aside from this, Percival is a Distinguished Professor in Literature in Southern California. We still cannot believe we had the honour of hosting Percival, and the joy of celebrating James, and now in bringing it to you, we hope to have captured some of the real magic of our live events.

If you like the sound of this, a live event, then more information can be found on our website, featuring all of our immensely exciting events coming up. Signing up to our mailing list is a great way to ensure you never miss out on the great writers coming through our doors: https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/join-our-mailing-list/

If you are new to The Writer's Cafe pod: Inspired by our own in-shop cafe of the same name and the conversations about books, life, literature, and so much more every single day - as well as the literary salons of old where gossip thrived - this new podcast seeks to highlight and celebrate the best writers and voices every episode with a warm, detailed conversation about their work and craft.

Percival's work can purchased with us here:

https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/?s=percival+everett&post_type=product

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Writers' Cafe! Brought to you from the award-winning indie, Sevenoaks Bookshop!

This week's visitor to the cafe is the wonderful and brilliantly insightful, Noreen Masud. Noreen joins us to speak all things, A Flat Place, her debut memoir exploring complex trauma and flat landscapes. A book so lauded and acclaimed, from the shortlist of the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, to the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year 2024, and the Jhalak Prize! Join us as we discuss all things landscapes, trauma, politics and place, racialised perspectives, cats, cocktails, and protests in and through literature.

If you are new to The Writer's Cafe pod: Inspired by our own in-shop cafe of the same name and the conversations about books, life, literature, and so much more every single day - as well as the literary salons of old where gossip thrived - this new podcast seeks to highlight and celebrate the best writers and voices every episode with a warm, detailed conversation about their work and craft.

Noreen's work can purchased with us here:

https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/a-flat-place-by-noreen-masud-2/

https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Writers' Cafe! Brought to you from the award-winning indie, Sevenoaks Bookshop!

This week's visitor to the cafe is the utterly brilliant, Allen Bratton. Allen joins us upon the release of his debut novel, Henry Henry. Join us as we discuss all things Shakespeare adaptation, terrible rich kids, bad families, love, pain, sex, and misguided reviews! Allen was a delight and is welcome back to our cafe anytime!

If you are new to The Writer's Cafe pod: Inspired by our own in-shop cafe of the same name and the conversations about books, life, literature, and so much more every single day - as well as the literary salons of old where gossip thrived - this new podcast seeks to highlight and celebrate the best writers and voices every episode with a warm, detailed conversation about their work and craft.

Allen's work can purchased with us here:

https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Writers' Cafe! Brought to you from the award-winning indie, Sevenoaks Bookshop!

This week's visitor to the cafe is the ridiculously talented and eternally wonderful, Julia Armfield. Julia joins us upon the release of her second novel, Private Rites. Join us as we discuss all things horror/genre writing, bad sisters, queerness, and so much more. Julia was a total treat and is welcome back to our cafe anytime!

If you are new to The Writer's Cafe pod: Inspired by our own in-shop cafe of the same name and the conversations about books, life, literature, and so much more every single day - as well as the literary salons of old where gossip thrived - this new podcast seeks to highlight and celebrate the best writers and voices every episode with a warm, detailed conversation about their work and craft.

Julia's work can purchased with us here:

Private Rites https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/private-rites-by-julia-armfield/

Our Wives Under The Sea https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/our-wives-under-the-sea-by-julia-armfield-2/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Writers' Cafe! Brought to you from the award-winning indie, Sevenoaks Bookshop!

Inspired by our own in-shop cafe of the same name and the conversations about books, life, literature, and so much more every single day - as well as the literary salons of old where gossip thrived - this new podcast seeks to highlight and celebrate the best writers and voices every episode with a warm, detailed conversation about their work and craft.

This first episode is brilliantly exciting as we celebrate Independent Bookshop Week 2024 by featuring a fellow indie, a new publisher of translated Mediterranean texts, Foundry Editions, with founder, Richard Village.

The Foundry Editions titles can be purchased with us online here:

Brandy Sour by Constantia Soteriou: https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/brandy-sour-by-constantia-soteriou/

Your Little Matter by Maria Grazia Calandrone: https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/your-little-matter-by-maria-grazia-calandrone/

Foundry Editions' website can be found here: https://www.foundryeditions.co.uk/

-- Credits --

Hosted and produced by Harry Edmundson

Cover artwork by Imogen Mott (Inspired by our real life cafe!)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.