Podcasts, radio shows, writing and more by Alex Fitch
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Book List: Celebrating Ephemera
May 1, 2013
Covers of The Card by Graham Rawle, Brenda and Effie Forever / Vince Cosmos by Paul Magrs and Comic Book Babylon by Tim Pilcher
Celebrating Ephemera: Starting a new series of the bimonthly show on books, Alex Fitch talks to three authors whose work celebrates ephemera and pop culture detritus. ‘Graphic Novelist’ Graham Rawle discusses his latest novel The Card, which follows the journey of a man who believes he is being employed by the secret service to protect Princess Diana, via playing cards, bubble-gum cards and cigarette cards that are left in his path. Rawle is an author and University of Brighton lecturer who uses graphic design and typography in his work, including collage of text from magazines (Woman’s World) and photographic montages (Lost Consonants et al.). Also, Tim Pilcher talks about his crowd-funded memoir Comic Book Babylon which documents his time working at DC Comics’ London office in the 90s, meeting pop culture celebrities such as Grant Morrison, Jonathan Ross, The Spice Girls and Adam Ant; while Paul Magrs chats about his novels and audio plays set around the fringes of Doctor Who, including his latest release Vince Cosmos, Glam Rock Detective (more…)
Book List: Graphic albums and picture books
November 15, 2012
Covers of Neither here not there by Oliver Jeffers, The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, Empires by Robert Rankin, 45 and Blue Spear by Andi Ewington
Graphic albums and picture books: In advance of next week’s South Kensington Kids Festival which celebrates picture books and graphic novels for children, Alex Fitch talks to four creators whose work contains elements of each medium. Andi Ewington discusses his novella “45” which divides the text and illustrations of superhero comics onto separate pages and the spin-off comic Blue Spear, co-written by Com.x publisher Eddie Deighton; while, in an interview recorded at the London Film and Comic Con, novelist Robert Rankin talks about his first graphic novel Empires which moves his celebrated monochrome cover illustrations onto every page of a new steam-punk sequel to The War of the Worlds. Also, children’s illustrators Oliver Jeffers and Axel Scheffler talk about their recent picture books This Moose belongs to me and Superworm. Jeffers looks back at his parallel career as a fine artist, on display in the collection Neither here nor there, and Scheffler discusses partnership with writer Julia Donaldson on memorable books such as The Gruffalo and The Highway Rat. (more…)
Book List: Magical Realism
October 11, 2012
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Covers of Telegraph Avenue and Manhoof for Amateurs by Michael Chabon, The Boy who Sawm with Piranhas by David Almond and This Moose belongs to me by Oliver Jeffers
Magical Realism: In this month’s Book List, Alex Fitch talks to author Michael Chabon about his latest novel Telegraph Avenue and his collection of autobiographical essays, Manhood for Amateurs, which both display the writer’s love of collectables and ephemera from comic books to lego, Blaxploitation films to classic funk records.
Also in a Q and A recorded at Waterstones, Piccadilly, Sarah McIntyre talks to author David Almond and illustrator Oliver Jeffers about their collaboration on The Boy who swam with Piranhas and Jeffers’ latest picture book, This Moose belongs to me, which combines the artist’s use of painting, collage and word balloons to create a fable about collectivism for younger readers! (Originally broadcast 11/10/12 on Resonance FM) (more…)
Book List: Anthropomorphic Literature
August 13, 2012
Bryan Talbot talks about Kamandi (photo by Matthew Rees) / cover of Grandville vol. 3 / covers of Varmints by Helen Ward + Marc Craste / Cover and interior spread from Aesops Fables adapted by Ward
Anthropomorphic Literature: To complement this month’s series of Panel Borders on anthropomorphic comic books, the latest episode of Book List explores the use of animal characters with human characteristics in literature. In the first half of the show, we’re proud to present an extract from one of Bryan Talbot’s lectures on anthropomorphism in children’s books, cartoons and comics, and their relevance to his own graphic novels series Grandville. Alex Fitch also talks to Bryan about his interest in the subject, and to children’s writer and illustrator Helen Ward about her adaptations of Aesop’s Fables for modern audiences. (Originally broadcast 13/08/12 on Resonance FM) (more…)
Book List: Young Adult authors
July 23, 2012
Cover + interior illustration of Between the lines, cover of Wonder Woman: Love and Murder by Jodi Picoult / covers of Mortal Engines + Goblins by Philip Reeve, promotional art for Seawigs by Reeve + Sarah McIntyre
Young Adult authors: With many kids now on their summer holidays, Alex Fitch looks at two authors who are writing books aimed at the ‘tweenage’ audience. Philip Reeve discusses his award winning Mortal Engines series, his interest in steampunk fiction and his new novel Goblins!; Jodi Picoult talks about her first Young Adult novel, Between the Lines, co-written with her daughter Samantha Van Leer, as well as her interest in comic books as displayed in her novel The Tenth Circle and her short run on Wonder Woman. (Originally broadcast 23/07/12 on Resonance FM)
For more info about this podcast and a variety of other formats you can download / stream, please visit the home of this episode at www.archive.org (more…)
Book list: The problem with autobiography
March 8, 2012
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Covers of Interpreters and The Cloths of Heaven by Sue Eckstein, Billy, me and you by Nicola Streeten and Things to do in a retirement home trailer park by Aneurin Wright
The problem with autobiography: In a panel discussion recorded at the First Fiction festival (Sussex University, January 2012) author Sue Eckstein discusses the problems inherent in creating autobiographies with graphic novelists Nicola Streeten and Anuerin Wright and how creators can subvert and overcome these. Nicola’s book Billy, me and you and Aneurin’s Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park couldn’t be more different in their approaches, with the former combining cartoons, diary drawings and scrapbook montage and the latter depicting the author’s friends and family as anthropomorphic creatures in domestic settings. Recorded by Nicola Streeten, edited and introduced by Alex Fitch.
(Originally broadcast 08/03/12 on Resonance FM)
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Book List: Childrens book illustrators
January 31, 2012
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Mr Benn by David McKee, The Magic of Reality by Dave McKean and Richard Dawkins, and A Monster Calls by Jim Kay and Patrick Ness
Children’s book illustrators: In an hour long show about children’s book illustration, Alex Fitch talks to three generations of illustrators: David McKee, creator of Mr Benn, King Rollo and Elmer the Patchwork Elephant; Dave McKean, artist of graphic novels and picture books by Neil Gaiman, young adult books by David Almond, and Richard Dawkins’ first science book for children The Magic of Reality; and Jim Kay, illustrator of Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls and Toby Forward’s Flaxfield Quartet of novels about dragons.
Also includes an extract from Dave McKean’s presentation of his work from The Magic of Reality at the book launch in Foyles, September 2011.
(Originally broadcast 31//01/12 on Resonance FM)
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Book List: Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft
December 3, 2011
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Alex Fitch, Alice Duke, China Mieville, Denise Mina and Mark Stafford at SCI-FI-LONDON, photo by Fia Eamónn Wahlin
Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft: As everyone likes a good ghost story at Christmas, Alex Fitch chairs a panel discussion on Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, the two American heavyweights of classic horror and fantastic literature, with contributors including novelists China Miéville and Denise Mina, and illustrators Mark Stafford and Alice Duke.
2011 is the 85th anniversary of Lovecraft’s seminal story The Call of Cthulu, the 80th anniversary of the character first appearing in another writer’s fiction (Robert E. Howard’s The Black Stone) (more…)
Book list: Romance, thrillers and real life crime
October 26, 2011
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Covers of books by Fiona Harper, Ed Hillyer and Sean Cregan / John Rickards
Romance, thrillers and real life crime: A new, hour-long, six weekly show about authors, publishers and readers; in this first episode of Book List, Alex Fitch talks to Fiona Harper, author of Mills and Boon titles: Swept Off Her Stilettos, Three Weddings and a Baby, and Blind Dates and Other Disasters and to thriller writer John Rickards (a.k.a. Sean Cregan) about his new novel The Razor Gate. Also in an extract from a presentation of his book at Westminster Library, Ed Hillyer (a.k.a Ilya) talks about his novel The Clay Dreaming, which retells the true story of the traffic of felons and kidnapped aborigines between England and Australia in Regency and Victorian London. (more…)
