My Path to Writing with Lara Pawson

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Perception Podcast with me your host Caroline Partridge. In this episode, I talk with the brilliant writer and author Lara Pawson about current perceptions that surround writing, and she describes the fascinating and unconventional approach she had to writing her latest genre-defying work 'Spent Light'. We interrogate the idea of failure and what it means, and discuss solidarity and belonging, in light of Lara's latest review of the National Theatre production 'Grenfell'.

Please join me as we look at life through a different lens.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

There is no right or wrong way to write. Try things to stretch yourself creatively. Take risks. Try new things. That is where the gold is. The written word, plays, films, and art are galvanizing. You may feel that individually we can't have an impact, but lots of voices together make a difference. We all need to make an effort, stand up, and use our voices.

BEST MOMENTS

‘You have the freedom to create what you want to create.’

‘What we see with our eyes isn't actually what our brain tells us we're seeing.’

‘People aren´t swayed by facts they are swayed by emotion.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Lara Pawson is a writer. Her third book, Spent Light, will be published by CB editions in January 2024. If it fits a genre, it is an ambiguous one. It follows her fragmentary memoir, This Is the Place to Be, which was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize, the Bread & Roses Prize, and the PEN Ackerley Prize. Her first book, In the Name of the People: Angola's Forgotten Massacre, was a work of investigative journalism, travel, and memoir. Published in 2014, it was longlisted for the Orwell Prize, shortlisted for the Bread & Roses Prize, and was a runner-up for the Royal Africa Society Book of the Year. It came out of her work for the BBC World Service, in particular, her time as a correspondent in Angola from 1998 to 2000. Lara now lives in London with her husband and her dog.

Socials & Links:

Twitter: @larapawson

Insta: @larapawson

Threadz: @larapawson

Website: https://unstrunglarapawson.com

In the Name of the People by Lara Pawson - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1780769059/

This is the Place to Be by Lara Pawson - https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Place-Be-Lara-Pawson/dp/1909585211/

Grenfell Play & Lara´s Review

Corey Fah Does Social Mobility by Isabel Waidner

Show Me the Bodies by Peter App

ABOUT THE HOST

Caroline Partridge is a unique and creative individual. She is an actress, puppeteer, educator, and artist with funny bones. She loves a story and is an expert at conveying wit and wisdom with warmth, understanding, and empathy.

CONTACT METHOD

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/caropartridge

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-partridge-03131520

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/partridge_caroline

The Perception Podcast

Where can you listen?

Episodes