Scottish Book Trust Audio Podcast

Paul Gallagher is joined by journalist Chitra Ramaswamy to review Scottish writer Sue Peebles' debut novel The Death of Lomond Friel. The story centres on Rosie Friel, an Edinburgh Radio presenter and minor Scottish celebrity, and how her life, and the lives of her family members, are affected when her dad Lomond has a stroke.

Paul Gallagher is joined by The Scotsman features writer Lee Randall and freelance journalist and books blogger Nicola Balkind to discuss Jennifer Egan’s 2011 Pulitzer Prize-winner A Visit from the Goon Squad, as well as choosing some related reading recommendations.

John Burnside is a Scottish novelist and poet of considerable acclaim – he won the Forward poetry prize for his collection Black Cat Bone in October this year, and his latest novel, A Summer of Drowning, is on the shortlist for the current Costa Fiction prize. Book Talk's Paul Gallagher sat down with him to discuss themes and ideas in his novel Glister, and the far-reaching discussion that followed covers Burnisde's politics, perspectives on faith, writing, reading and much more.

Paul Gallagher is joined by The Skinny magazine's books editor Keir Hind and BookRiot.com founding contributor Edd McCracken to discuss John Burnside's 2008 novel Glister, a dark and imaginative novel, rooted in Scottish identity and full of ambiguity. It's an engaging, opinionated discussion - let us know whether you agree or disagree with our guests' perspectives by adding your comments to this page.

PODCAST CONTENTS:

00:00-15:17 Introduction; Glister discussion  

A family saga, a continent-spanning narrative and a backdrop of huge cultural and political change. Leila Aboulela's award-winning novel Lyrics Alley goes under the Book Talk microscope this month, as host Paul Gallagher is joined by Roland Gulliver and Anna Burkey to discuss and dissect the book, as well as suggesting their related recommendations. 

Download the podcast (mp3) 

Listen to host Paul Gallagher and guests Pauline McLean and Rachel McCabe discussing The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai, and suggesting their related recommendation titles. Join the conversation and add your own thoughts on Book Talk's Twitter and Facebook pages.

Podcast contents:

Jason Donald's debut novel Choke Chain, which tells the story of two boys growing up in '80s South Africa, received widespread critical acclaim when it was published in early 2009. In this interview with Scottish Book Trust's Olivier Joly, recorded as part of our Online Teacher in Residence project, Jason talks about how his own background and experiences fed into the novel, and offers his personal perspective on what the book is about.

35 minutes of inspiration, discussion, ideas and tips for teachers and other learning professionals.

Renowned creative learning consultant, author and speaker Eric Booth interviews Scottish Book Trust Online Teachers in Residence Michael Stephenson and Lucy Young on their plans for the year and ideas for best implementing Curriculum for Excellence with literature and literacy.

The Intersection of Literature, Literacy and Creative Learning by Eric Booth, hosted by Scottish Book Trust.

In this 13 minute presentation creative learning consultant, author, and speaker Eric Booth speaks about the importance of nurturing an intrinsic motivation within pupils to read, write, and create. He also discusses the responsibility that educators have as 'guides’ to the ‘creative act’ of reading and interacting with text.

A 48 minute recording of the recent Scottish Book Trust’s Online Teachers in Residence launch.

First, listen to creative learning consultant Eric Booth speak about the importance of nurturing an intrinsic motivation within pupils to read, write, and create. He also discusses the responsibility that educators have as 'guides’ to the ‘creative act’ of reading and interacting with text.