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

We're wrapping up Season 2 with the awe-inspiring Derek Owusu!

Derek is one of Denise’s favourite writers, so it was a great honour to have him on for the last episode to chat about his latest novel: Borderline Fiction. Derek is an award-winning writer, poet and podcaster whose work explores identity, masculinity, and the nuances of Black British Life. His debut novel That Reminds Me won the Desmond Elliott Prize, and his follow-up, Losing the Plot, blends prose and poetry in a moving portrait of mother-son relationship. Beyond his books, Derek's openness has made him a vital, reassuring voice in conversations about mental health and the lived experience of BPD.

Join us in this episode as we delve into the inner realms of Marcus' life with BPD, flitting between Marcus at 19 and 25 as he navigates love, addiction, performance, and the shifting constancy of the self.

Bookseller Review: "Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. When talking with Derek, he said he hopes people notice how the book itself, from its very title, "is a symptom of BPD." There's a fracturing of the self throughout: we move quickly between Marcus at 19 and at 25, and the shifts in how he speaks, behaves, and carries himself is so intriguing. What drew me in most is how much this book is poetry in unstoppable motion. And then there's the written MLE in 19-year-old Marcus' voice! So clever, so familiar, so true to that age and environment! This is a book I'll cherish for a long time. Derek crafts his words with such precision and care that they feel unbreakable; each one feels placed with intention. It's firmly on my list of books I hope everyone reads at least once (or x200 times!!)"

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.

Derek's work can be purchased with us here:

That Reminds Me https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/that-reminds-me-winner-of-the-desmond-elliott-prize-2020-by-derek-owusu/

Losing the Plot https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/losing-the-plot-by-derek-owusu/

Borderline Fiction https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/borderline-fiction-by-derek-owusu/

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 lyrical and deeply contemplative Miranda Cowley Heller. Miranda is the bestselling author of The Paper Palace, a Reese's Book Club pick and long-listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction. Her debut poetry collection, What The Deep Water Knows, traces the arc of womanhood; it is a mediation on self-discovery, love and its losses; the complexity of family, and nature's quiet role in shaping memory and resilience. Join us as this episode as we delve into the inner realm of girlhood and womanhood illustrated through poetry; the nature of love, family, nature, and 'soul hunger'.

Bookseller review: “This poetry collection chronicles a woman's life in six parts. It is a collection I know I will hold dear for a long time, as it made me fall back in love with poetry. What The Deep Water Knows is beautiful, deeply vulnerable and terribly gut-wrenching at times. With wonderful, intimate reflections on love--familial, self, romantic-- I hope everyone gives it a read and comes away as in awe of Miranda's weaving of words as I was!"

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.

Miranda's work can be purchased with us here:

The Paper Palace https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/the-paper-palace-by-miranda-cowley-heller-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 thoughtful and cheerful William Rayfet Hunter. Will was previously a junior doctor in the NHS when they won the Merky Books New Writers' Prize back in 2022 for their novel Sunstruck. Their non-fiction has appeared in VICE, Dazed, and the Evening Standard. They've been named one of The Observer's best new novelists, and The Sunday Times called Sunstruck this summer's hottest read --- and honestly, they're right!! Join us as we delve into Sunstruck, a blistering novel that will have you sending ten million voice notes to your friends screaming over the characters! This episode we discuss all things desire, identity, race, sexuality, friendship and power.

Bookseller review: “Aaaaaahhhhh!!! What is there to do apart from scream myself hoarse over how much I LOVE this book!!! Reading this felt like watching a movie! Will’s prose is so exquisitely poetic and vivid, with a hint of melancholy! It’s beautiful and so immersive! Will explores desire, identity, love, power and belonging so so well!! Read thissss!!"

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.

Will's work can be purchased with us here:

Sunstruck https://sevenoaksbookshop.co.uk/shop/sunstruck-by-william-rayfet-hunter/

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