In this episode we are listening to Rumaan Alam and Lloyd Sowerbutts discuss Rumaan’s recent novel Entitlement, which was recorded in October 2024, at Bloomsbury Publishing’s Headquarters in Central London.The discussion touches on money, the role of the state, the value attributed to commodities, canonical authors, and being outwitted by the intentions of a novel.Rumaan Alam is the author of four novels: Leave the World Behind, That Kind of Mother, Rich and Pretty, and Entitlement. He also hosts two podcasts for Slate.  Leave the World Behind was acclaimed by book critics and nominated for the 2020 National Book Award. It was later adapted as a 2023 film for Netflix with the same name.Libreria wishes to thank Bloomsbury Publishing for the opportunity to host this discussion.

In this episode we welcome Aamna Mohdin to discuss her memoir, Scattered: The Making and Unmaking of a Refugee.Aamna is the Guardian’s first community affairs correspondent, reporting on the social, political and economic experiences of the UK’s diverse communities, with a focus on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Aamna spent her early years in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, Saudi Arabia, Germany and the Netherlands, before arriving in the UK aged seven.Aamna is the winner of the British Journalism Award 2022 and her journalism has been shortlisted for the British Press Awards.Libreria wishes to thank Bloomsbury Publishing for the opportunity to host this interview for The Libreria Podcast.

In this episode we are listening to South London writer and storyteller Aniefiok Ekpoudom and bestselling writer, photographer and filmmaker Caleb Azumah Nelson, as they discuss ⁠the music and modern social history detailed in Neef's outstanding book; Where We Come From: Rap, Home & Hope in Modern Britain, published by Faber in 2024.Libreria wishes to thank Aniefiok, Caleb and Faber for the opportunity to host this live discussion at the bookshop, in April 2024.

In this episode we are listening to renowned poet, activist and icon Nikki Giovanni, who visited Libreria for an intimate night of readings and discussion with a small audience. In this first of two episodes, we are listening to the live readings of: Ego Tripping (from Re: Creation, 1970), Still Life with Apron (from Chasing Utopia, 2013) & Vegetable Soup (from Make Me Rain, 2020).We will follow this with the full recording of the special night Libreria was honoured to host, which was a celebration of a major new career-spanning selection of Nikki Giovanni’s poetry from 1968 to 2020, published by Penguin Classics. This is a comprehensive selection of her most important poetic works across 50 years and 15 collections, carefully curated by her long-term partner, writer and professor Virginia Fowler.Libreria wishes to thank Nikki Giovanni and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to host this evening of intimate conversation and readings at the bookshop.

In this episode we are listening to renowned poet, activist and icon Nikki Giovanni, who visited Libreria for an intimate night of readings and discussion with a small audience. In this second of two episodes, we are listening to Nikki share her thoughts and feelings about the world, her fascination with space travel, a love of jazz, food and Black women, and some laugh-out-loud anecdotes.This special night, which Libreria was honoured to host, was a celebration of a major new career-spanning selection of Nikki Giovanni’s poetry from 1968 to 2020, published by Penguin Classics. This is a comprehensive selection of her most important poetic works across 50 years and 15 collections, carefully curated by her long-term partner, writer and professor Virginia Fowler.Libreria wishes to thank Nikki Giovanni and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to host this evening of intimate conversation and readings at the bookshop.

In this episode we are listening to Ros Taylor discuss her book The Future of Trust, recently published by Melville House, as part of their FUTURES series.  We touch on the ideas of interpersonal and institutional trust, when events and public figures continue to undermine and erode them, but it’s not a doom-laden chat! Libreria wishes to thank Ros Taylor and Melville House for the opportunity to host this discussion.

In this episode we welcome Colum McCann, the National Book Award-winning author of Let the Great World Spin, and the Booker Prize-nominated Apeirogon, to discuss his first non-fiction book, American Mother. which tells the story of Diane Foley – mother of beheaded journalist James Foley – who has come face-to-face with her son’s killer and continues to campaign for the safety of journalists and revised government hostage policy.   Colum McCann’s seven novels and three collections of short stories have been published in over forty languages and received some of the world’s most prestigious literary awards and honours.Libreria wishes to thank Bloomsbury publishing and Colum McCann for the opportunity to record this conversation at Bloomsbury’s headquarters in London. 

In this episode we are listening to Benjamin Moser and Lauren Elkin discuss Ben’s recent publication The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters, which was recorded in October 2023, live in the bookshop. With the company of some of the finest artists known, Benjamin Moser discusses art, life, and death, with the passion of a knowledgeable guide who dismantles the hierarchical barrier that art can invoke in many of us. Benjamin Moser is a biographer and translator. His work Sontag: Her Life and Work won a Pulitzer Prize in 2020. Lauren Elkin is the author of Flaneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London, and Art Monsters: Unruly Bodies in Feminist Art. Libreria wishes to thank Allen Lane and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to host this live discussion at the bookshop.

In this episode we are listening to Marie Darrieussecq and Brian Dillon discuss Marie’s recent publication Sleepless, which was recorded in October 2023, live in the bookshop.Plagued by insomnia for twenty years, Marie Darrieussecq recounts her own experiences alongside those of fellow insomniacs, mostly fellow writers like Ovid, Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf, Marguerite Duras, Franz Kafka, and Georges Perec. With inimitable humour, which ranges between autobiography, clinical observation and criticism, Sleepless is a graceful, inventive meditation by one of the leading voices of contemporary French literatureLibreria wishes to thank the publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions for the opportunity to host this live discussion at the bookshop.

In this episode we are listening to Lars Iyer and Jon Day discuss Lars’ recent novel My Weil, which was recorded live in the bookshop in September 2023. My Weil is the third in a loose trilogy of novels, where significant continental thinkers are brought into contemporary academic scenarios that skewer academia, and the parochial ways of British life. Bordering on the unruly and brimming with satire – Lars’ novels are the work of a distinctive voice in British literature. Libreria wishes to thank publishers, Melville House for the opportunity to host this live discussion at Libreria bookshop.

In this episode Libreria welcomes Pulitzer Prize winner, MacArthur Fellow and esteemed sociologist, Matthew Desmond. Matthew is the author of Poverty, by America, and Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Libreria wishes to thank Allen Lane publishers of the Penguin Random House group for the opportunity to host a live discussion with Matthew Desmond at Libreria bookshop.

In this episode the microphone is passed on to Libreria bookseller Buitumelo, who has invited debut author Santanu Bhattacharya, to chat about his recent novel One Small Voice, which was published by Fig Tree. Santanu Bhattacharya’s debut novel One Small Voice introduces us to the epic tale of a young man's life and journey through India, starting in the early 90s. We bear witness to Shubhankar’s life from a boy - who witnesses a hate crime that no one around him addresses or wants to acknowledge - to a man nicknamed, Shabby - who is faced with his own fragility and yearning for a freedom that sometimes feels unattainable. This intimate, delicately narrated novel will hold each reader by the hand and heart. Bhattacharya is rightly deserving of one the Observers Best Novels for 2023.

In this episode Libreria welcomes Turkish writer and political thinker Ece Temelkuran, whose recent publications Together: A Manifesto Against a Heartless World and How To Lose A Country: The 7 Steps From Democracy to Dictatorship focus on fascism, rising populism, and morals in the 21st century. In this discussion, Ece and Lloyd talk about witnessing political changes, her desire to tell the global story of the rise in populism, and the choices we can make together to overcome these challenges.

In this episode Libreria welcomes John Grindrod, author of Concretopia and Outskirts. Together with Iconicon these books form a loose trilogy about how the British have planned, built, lived and worked over the last 80 years. During the conversation John mentions the following books and authors: The City and The City - China Miéville Capital - John Lanchester City of the Mind - Penelope Lively

In this episode Libreria welcomes established writer and poet JJ Bola ahead of the publication of his new novel, The Selfless Act of Breathing. In this wide-ranging and candid conversation, we jump off from JJ’s recent work to discuss masculinity, purpose, searching, discovery and failure.During the conversation, JJ cites the following books and authors:bell hooks - The Will to Changebell hooks - We Real CoolBessel van der Kolk - The Body Keeps the ScoreThomas E. Joiner Jr. - The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide 

In this episode Libreria welcomes writer, translator and lecturer Dennis Duncan. In his new book “Index, A History of the” Dennis enthuses about how the book index came to be, its uses and abuses - featuring the classic anecdote about Norman Mailer’s vanity - and the influence of the index on the internet and Google.

In this episode Libreria welcomes two legends in psychedelic research, the award-winning author Michael Pollan and the brilliant ethnopharmacologist Dennis McKenna, as we discuss how psychoactive plants impact our brain and culture.

In this episode Libreria welcomes Brazilian writer and editor Emilio Fraia and translator Zoe Perry. Emilio has been selected by Granta magazine as one of the best Brazilian writers of his generation, and is the first Brazilian writer to be translated into English for the New Yorker magazine. Zoe Perry’s translation of Emilio’s Sevastopol has been published by Lolli Editions. Zoe’s translations of contemporary Portuguese-language writers have appeared in The New Yorker, Granta and Words Without Borders.

Libreria is privileged to be joined by Franco Stevens, founder of Curve magazine, which was created to offer greater visibility of the queer and lesbian community. We chatted briefly about her life, work and legacy, which is the subject of the documentary, “Ahead of the Curve”. To learn more about The Curve Foundation’s work visit thecurvefoundation.org

Libreria is joined by Veronica O’Keane, Professor of Psychiatry and practicing Consultant Psychiatrist at Trinity College Dublin. Her book The Rag and Bone Shop distils a lifetime of practice and her understanding of memory, offering insights into psychiatry, neuroscience and literature.

Collective, the double Oscar-nominated documentary by Alexander Nanau follows a team of investigative journalists whose tireless work uncovers a shocking fraud, revealing the price of corruption and ultimately, the price of truth. Libreria and Second Home are joined by the director and Roger and James Deakins to discuss Alexander's film and its intentions. Made possible by Magnolia Pictures, Participant and Dogwoof.

Koa Beck, former editor-in-chief of Jezebel, is joined by Katrine Marçal to discuss how capitalism’s focus on the individual is inhibiting feminism’s progress towards true equality for the collective.

Lloyd Sowerbutts is joined by Danish prize-winning author Tine Høeg and translator Misha Hoekstra, to discuss Tine's free verse novel "New Passengers", published by Lolli Editions.

Kristen Roupenian came to prominence with the publication of her story ‘Cat Person’ in the New Yorker magazine back in 2017. Having caused quite a storm it is described as the first short story to go viral. Editor of Ladybeard magazine Madeleine Dunnigan caught up with the author down the line in the US.

Today’s guest won major plaudits for his 2009 novel Let The Great World Spin winning the National Book Award in the US. He’s also been nominated for an Oscar and was awarded the prestigious Chevalier arts prize in France. But today Paddy Butler caught up with Colum McCann down the line in New York to discuss Apeirogon, a breathtaking new work.

Today’s guest is a leading light in the vanguard of experimental fiction - announcing her credentials with her 2014 novel Dept. of Speculation, this year Jenny Offill followed up with a marvellously rich and comic tour de force. Her new novel Weather etches with droll precision the thinking, breathing mind of its central character, Lizzie.

Covering anthropology, literature, art, history and our propensity to use science to dominate space and place David Farrier describes some of the binding ideas behind his new work, Footprints - In Search of Future Fossils.

Paddy Butler interviews cultural critic Uwe Schütte (down the line in Berlin), on his layered little book, Kraftwerk, Future Music from Germany. They discussed the concepts behind such killer albums as Trans Europe Express and Computer World.

Superstar curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and the enigmatic auteur, David Lynch discuss painting, unrealised projects and the uncompromising pursuit of artistic endeavour.

We go off site for this episode to enter the world of sculptor Conrad Shawcross – At his studio of wonders the artist walked us through the evolution of his ideas.

Author of Adventures in the Anthropocene and the first woman to have been awarded the Royal Society’s prize for science writing Gaia Vince, discusses her new book.

Paddy Butler catches-up with the ever engaging and brilliant linguist David Adger to discuss his much praised new book, Language Unlimited: The Science Behind Our Most Creative Power.

Curator Madeleine Dunnigan is joined by tarot card reader Shy Charles, poet Nisha Ramayya and performance artist Joseph Morgan Schofield to discuss magic in contemporary culture.

Back in October we celebrated Black History Month at Libreria welcoming authors Inua Ellams, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi and founder of Libreria Ghana, Sylvia Arthur. For this podcast co-founder of Literanda Alessandra Bassey discussed African literary history with Jennifer and Sylvia.

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo is really making waves at present and, because of its subject matter, has opened up further important points of discussion about abusive relationships and vulnerability. Clémence Billoud of Second Home caught up with the author for a fascinating discussion.

Author of Multitudes, Lucy Caldwell and Dana Czapnik (The Falconer) were at Libreria for our New Nostalgias event back in September and we made a live recording of their chat. They discussed women writing about sport, John Updike and the last analogue generation.

For this extended episode we travelled to Marseille University to catch-up with physicist and author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics Carlo Rovelli.

For this special edition filmmaker Posy Dixon and experimental musician Glenn Copeland discuss Copeland’s extraordinary creative philosophy. At 75, and on his first tour, Copeland’s pioneering ambient music of the late 70s early 80s is finally getting the recognition it thoroughly deserves.

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ian Urbina cumulatively spent three years at sea documenting global injustices including trafficking, slavery and illegal fishing – the heroic author discusses his incredible book, The Outlaw Ocean.

How does our relationship with water play out in literature and what does this tell us about ourselves? Madeleine Dunnigan is joined by Sophie Mackintosh (author of The Water Cure), Lou Stoppard (writer & curator) and Edinburgh University research fellow Alexandra Campbell for the first edition of The Libreria Room.

Nell Zink, the incomparable author of Wallcreeper discusses generational discord and the effectiveness of punk as a form of protest.

Author of Let Me Not Be Mad, AK Benjamin, challenges our often narrow assumptions regarding mental health – and how institutions invariably fall short when dealing with employee welfare.

Curator Madeleine Dunnigan talks to author of Queer Intentions, Amelia Abraham and the author of Good as You, Paul Flynn about the importance of queer spaces in shaping their individual selves within the LGBTQ community

What does it mean to be human and how do we think about this in our digital age of turbo-charged capitalism? Paddy Butler speaks with the brilliantly forthright author of Clear Bright Future.

The punchiest of prose stylists talks to Paddy Butler about influences and his 2019 Booker long listed novel, Night Boat to Tangier.

Author and conceptual artist, James Bridle, joins Paddy Butler to discuss some of the luminous ideas from his magisterial, New Dark Age.

We discuss poet Carolyn Forché's fascinating new memoir, covering her journey to El Salvador in the lead up to the horrific civil war beginning in 1979. While Ellen Pearson was at the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize and caught up with artist Laia Abril, whose work tackles critical women's rights issues.