Something a little different for the first pod of 2021: Lochlan and Jaimie get together (remotely) and have a couple of drinks to celebrate the launch of Jaimie's debut novel 'Siphonophore' - which is out now through Valley Press. The chat covers Jaimie's approach to writing, a bit of his history, sacrilegious suggestions of cuts to Finnegans Wake and a discussion of the fundamental weakness of analogies highlighting unnecessary cruelty to both cats and frogs. If you are interested in reading Si...
Feb 04, 2021•47 min•Ep. 36
In this month's episode, we caught up with John Englehardt, author of 'Bloomland' (2019, Dzanc Books). John has also written for Vol.1 Brooklyn, Sycamore Review, The Stranger, Seattle Review of Books, Conium Review, Monkeybicycle , and elsewhere. Bloomland deals with the lead-up and fall-out of a college shooting through three separate narratives, told in the second person. Spanning two decades, Bloomland interrogates the social roots of the shooting and its effect on a community struggling to u...
Nov 18, 2020•51 min•Ep. 35
In this month's episode we took a wild ride with David Keenan. David was born in Glasgow and grew up in Airdrie, in the west of Scotland, in the late-70s and early-1980s. He is the author of three novels, the cult classic This Is Memorial Device, which won the Collyer Bristow/London Magazine Award for Debut Fiction 2018 and was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize, For The Good Times, which won the Gordon Burn Prize in 2019, and Xstabeth. We travelled far and wide in this episode, covering, amo...
Oct 14, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 34
In this month's episode we speak to Gabriel Josipovici. Gabriel's first novel was published in 1968 and his writing career spans over twenty works of fiction, numerous works of criticism and non-fiction, and regular articles in the TLS. Continuing our current coronavirus set-up, Gabriel joined us remotely from Sussex and our discussion covered how his writing has developed over six decades, the perils of writing an unexpectedly backlash-provoking book on Modernism, the creative possibilities rev...
Sep 23, 2020•56 min•Ep. 33
“What you push against is as important as what you reach towards” On this month's episode we speak to Irish-Canadian author Anakana Schofield, author of Malarky (2013), Martin John (2016) and Bina (2020). Anakana joined us from the West Coast of Canada to discuss representations of older women in fiction, the musical score of the novel and missing out on multiple Christmases to complete her work, plus much else besides. In the UK, Anakana has written for the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com...
Jul 15, 2020•56 min•Ep. 32
Something a little different this month as Lochlan and Jaimie pause to review how the COVID-19 lockdown has impacted their reading and writing, and to take a look back at the teenage reading paths that led them to experimental/innovative fiction. We'd love to hear about your lockdown reading and writing and the reading path you've taken through the fiction forest. Contact us through Twitter, or email us at: unsoundmethodspod@gmail.com Find us on Twitter: @UnsoundMethods - @JaimieBatchan - @Lochl...
Jun 17, 2020•58 min•Ep. 31
In episode 30, we speak to writer, translator and musician, Jen Calleja, author of the short story collection 'I'm Afraid that's All We've Got Time For' (2020, Prototype). We (remotely, respecting social distancing!) discuss bus travel as fertile ground for creativity, writing across different forms - from translation to poetry, novels and short stories, and the insight gained from working with writers whose work you are translating - and plenty more besides. *** There is a very slight technical...
May 13, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 30
In episode 29, we speak to writer and broadcaster Hamid Ismailov. Hamid joined us pre-Covid-19-lockdown, on his way to the Faversham Literature Festival. Hamid's novels include 'the Devil's Dance' and 'of Strangers and Bees', both available through Tilted Axis Press in the UK. More info at: https://www.tiltedaxispress.com/hamid-ismailov As a writer who works in Uzbek, Russian and English, our discussion took us on a Eurasian tour of societies, cultures and languages. Hamid outlined his 'writing ...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 29
This episode is a little different to our usual output as we speak to Jonathan Simons: publisher, writer, editor, musician, occasional translator, and the person behind the Analog Sea Review. The Analog Sea is an 'offline publisher of printed books', but there's much more to it that that - as you will hear, Jonathan's entire approach involves shunning the online world, almost as a revolutionary act. We discuss the reasons behind this approach, the insights it provides and the contradictions that...
Mar 18, 2020•56 min•Ep. 28
In episode 27 we speak to Caleb Klaces, poet, academic and author of 'Fatherhood' (2019, Prototype). Caleb is also the author of 'Bottled Air' (2013), winner of the Melita Hume Prize and an Eric Gregory Award, as well as two chapbooks: 'All Safe All Well' (2011) and 'Modern Version' (2018). He is Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and English Literature at York St John University, and runs the York Centre for Writing Poetry Series. Fatherhood is available here: https://prototypepublishing.co.uk...
Feb 12, 2020•50 min•Ep. 27
In Episode 26, we speak to Vesna Main, author of Good Day? (Salt, 2019) which was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize last year. Vesna has previously published A Woman with No Clothes On (Delancey Press 2008) and The Reader the Writer (Mirador, 2015). Temptation: A User’s Guide , a collection of her short stories, was published by Salt in January 2018. https://www.saltpublishing.com/collections/author-vesna-main Vesna is on Twitter @VesnaMain Find us on Twitter: @UnsoundMethods - @JaimieBatchan...
Jan 22, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 26
In episode 25, we speak to Tony White, author of ‘The Fountain in the Forest’ (Faber, 2018) as well as ‘Road Rage’, ‘Satan Satan Satan’, ‘Charlieunclenorfolktango’, ‘Foxy-T’, ‘Shackleton’s Man Goes South’, the non-fiction title ‘Another Fool in the Balkans’, and many other short stories, novellas and collaborations. He was writer in residence at the Science Museum, and his novella with artists Blast Theory, ‘Zombies Ate My Library’, was shortlisted for for best novella in the Saboteur Awards 201...
Nov 13, 2019•59 min•Ep. 25
In Episode 24, we speak to Yara Rodrigues Fowler, the author of Stubborn Archivist (Fleet, 2019). We spoke to Yara about publisher demands to make her novel at least twice as long, the power of white space, developing a two-headed bildungsroman, the challenges facing contemporary Brazil and how writers are facing them. You can buy Stubborn Archivist via this page: https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/yara-rodrigues-fowler/stubborn-archivist/9780708899076/ Yara is on Twitter @yazzarf Instagram @y...
Oct 16, 2019•51 min•Ep. 24
In Episode 23 we speak to Mazin Saleem, the author of 'the Prick', published as part of Open Pen's series of novelettes. We speak to Mazin about discovering that you're not really a night-owl, using software to improve your writing productivity, and the freedom of jumping around the manuscript while editing to keep things fresh. You can buy the Prick here: https://www.openpen.shop/store/p9/theprick.html You can find out more about Mazin and his writing at: www.mazinsaleem.com The online poetry m...
Sep 18, 2019•48 min•Ep. 23
In episode 22, we speak to Shiromi Pinto, the author of 'Plastic Emotions' (2019, Influx Press) and 'Trussed' (2006, Serpent's Tail). You can order Plastic Emotions here . We spoke to Shiromi about her use of real letters to produce fiction; what she does with her writing offcuts; how far 500 words a day can get you; and losing faith, spiking a project, and then finding the courage to pick it up again to drag it all the way to publication. Shiromi is on Twitter @blimundaseyes As are we: @Unsound...
Aug 21, 2019•50 min•Ep. 22
In episode 21 we sit down with Mathias Énard, winner of the Prix Goncourt, to speak to him about his process, the line between history and fiction and the benefits of a good pair of slippers. Mathias' work includes the novels ‘Zone’, ‘Compass’, ‘Street of Thieves’ and ‘Tell them of Battles, Kings and Elephants’ which he was promoting when we spoke to him towards the end of last year. All of these novels have been published by Fitzcarraldo Editions and can be purchased here: https://fitzcarraldoe...
Jul 17, 2019•43 min•Ep. 21
This month we speak to Norwegian author and artist Edy Poppy. Edy's debut novel Anatomi. Monotoni. won the Gylendal Prize in 2005 and was recently published in English as Anatomy. Monotony. by Dalkey Archive. Tr. May-Brit Akerholt. Anatomy. Monotony. is available at Dalkey Archive Press, who will also publish the collection Coming. Apart. (containing the 'Dungeness' short story that we discuss) More information about Edy and her writing is available at: https://eng.gyldendal.no/Gyldendal/Authors...
Jun 19, 2019•52 min•Ep. 20
In this episode we speak to novelist, bookseller and publisher Samuel Fisher. Sam's debut 'the Chameleon' was published by Salt in 2018. You can buy the Chameleon here: Salt - the Chameleon As we mention at the beginning, there were some technical issues with the sound on one of the microphones in this episode - apologies, but it should sound ok if you're listening on earphones/headphones. You can follow Sam on Twitter: @fishersamuk To find out more about the podcast, follow us on twitter @Unsou...
May 15, 2019•53 min•Ep. 19
In episode 18, we speak to Marc Nash, most recently author of 'Three Dreams in the Key of G', published by Dead Ink in 2018. Marc joined us in London to discuss choosing the playlist to write to, intense bursts of writing during the summer holidays, using the editing process to add material rather than remove, playing through language, writing across gender and plenty more. You can follow Marc @21stCScribe on Twitter To find out more about the podcast, follow us on twitter @UnsoundMethods or go ...
Mar 13, 2019•44 min•Ep. 18
Welcome all to the first Unsound Methods of 2019! This month, we are delighted to be joined for a second time by Eimear McBride. In episode 12 we spoke to Eimear alongside Noémi Lefebvre but we didn't have much time to speak to them before that evening's event, so Eimear was kind enough to come to the studio for a more extended chat. Among other subjects in this episode we discuss Eimear's process, experimental fiction and the role of the novel in modern life. Thanks again to Eimear for her gene...
Jan 16, 2019•46 min•Ep. 17
No guest this month (don't worry, more fantastic writers will be appearing here starting again in January). In this Xmas '18 special edition, Lochlan and Jaimie get tanked up on port and mince pies to conduct a brief dissection of the first year of Unsound Methods as well as a review of what they've learnt before getting stuck in to a couple of most commonly quoted lists of writing advice from Messers Vonnegut and Orwell. Full of the Christmas spirit, this episode contains many swears… Thank you...
Dec 12, 2018•57 min•Ep. 16
This month we speak to Tom Lee award-winning short fiction writer and author of The Alarming Palsy of James Orr. We talk about Tom's approach to writing and how he finds new ideas, the impact of ill-health on his writing as well as the difficulties in moving from short stories to longer form fiction. Tom's work has appeared in The Sunday Times, Esquire and Prospect in the UK, The Dublin Review in Ireland and in Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope All Story in the United States, among others. In 2012...
Nov 14, 2018•50 min•Ep. 15
In this month's episode we speak to Lars Iyer, weaver of fiction in blog-form, novelist and erstwhile philosopher. Among many other things we talked to Lars about turning blogs into novels (as he did with his first three novels 'Spurious', 'Dogma' and 'Exodus'), his path to being a serial producer of trilogies and making the most of your spouse as your first reader and editor. Post-interview, Lars confirmed for us that 'Nietzsche in the Burbs' will be coming out next year on Melville House. You ...
Oct 17, 2018•46 min•Ep. 14
Welcome to the second series of Unsound Methods. In this episode we speak to Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi, the author of Call Me Zebra from Alma Books (in the UK). Azareen's debut novel was Fra Keeler. Topics covered in our chat included research, working with editors and the paths that reading can take while putting a novel together. Thanks to Burley Fisher bookshop for providing us with the recording space for this episode. You can find Call Me Zebra here: https://almabooks.com/product/call-me...
Sep 28, 2018•40 min•Ep. 13
This is the audio recording of the event at the Institut Francais that followed our chat with Noémi Lefebvre and Eimear McBride. The Institut Francais have kindly shared the audio of this event which took place on 17th May 2018. Thanks to: Nicci Praca, Cecile Menon, Sophie Lewis (who hosted the event), Axelle Oxborrow (translation) and Lucie Campos.
Aug 20, 2018•45 min•Ep. 12
This episode was recorded at the Beyond Words Festival at the Institut Francais on Thursday 17th May 2018. We sat down with Noémi Lefebvre, the author of 'Blue Self-Portrait' (available from Les Fugitives: http://www.lesfugitives.com/books/#/blue-self-portrait/ ) and Eimear McBride, author of 'A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing' (Galley Beggar Press/Faber) and 'The Lesser Bohemians' (Faber). It was hot, and there was a lot of noise in the street, so the sound is not 100%, but we found it very interes...
Aug 15, 2018•31 min•Ep. 12
We speak to Olga Tokarczuk and Jennifer Croft, fresh from winning the International @ManBookerPrize for the superb 'Flights', out now on @FitzcarraldoEds - https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/books/flights Among other things we discuss the whirlwind of prize-winning, composing constellation novels, suppressing your first published book, and the challenges of translating a title. You can find Jennifer on twitter: @jenniferlcroft Photo credit: Janie Airey...
Jun 20, 2018•40 min•Ep. 11
In this week's episode we speak to novelist and essayist, Joanna Kavenna. We talk about beginnings, finding a voice in fiction and taking a Wittgensteinian view of reality, as well as how to deal with Polar Bears while conducting research and the ways in which literature can help us understand and limit technology before the machines destroy us. Joanna is the author of the Ice Museum: In Search of the Lost Land of Thule and A Field Guide to Reality (riverrun, 2016) as well as three other novels ...
Jun 06, 2018•46 min•Ep. 10
This week we speak to Patrick Langley, author of Arkady from Fitzcarraldo Editions. With a background in art criticism and radio production, Paddy talks to us about drafting and structuring a work, finding inspiration from the urban backwaters of London and the problem with building elaborate memory palaces… You can find Arkady here: https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/books/arkady And follow Paddy on twitter: @PaddyLangley Follow us @unsoundmethods or unsoundmethods.co.uk...
May 23, 2018•42 min•Ep. 9
This week we speak to novelist, poet and teacher, Will Eaves. We discuss his approach to structuring a novel, turning notes into a finished work and capturing the dream-like state of the unconscious in prose. Will was Arts Editor of the TLS from 1995 to 2011 before moving to Warwick, where he is now Associate Professor. Most recently he is author of the Murmur from CB Editions.
May 09, 2018•51 min•Ep. 8
