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Literary Friction

by Literary Friction

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Latest episodes

Year in Review 2025 (and mother of all catch-ups)

December 8, 2025 · 1 hr 45 min

So it turns out, we missed talking to each other about books, and we missed you! And thanks to some vital sponsorship from our friends at Faber Books, we are BACK, baby, for this extra long one-off Year in Review episode. This show is…
Literary Friction - Year (and Decade) in Review 2023

December 19, 2023 · 1 hr 21 min

It's time for our usual Year in Review show, but seeing as this is also our last EVER episode (sob!), we're shaking things up a little to bring you a bit of a decade in review as well, so we can look back over our highlights from ten…
Literary Friction - A Life of One's Own with Xialou Guo

November 30, 2023 · 59 min

What does it mean, to pursue a life of your own? And what is art and literature's role in figuring out what that might look like? This month we're delighted to be talking to writer and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo, whose latest book Radical: A…
Minisode Forty-Five: Friendship

November 16, 2023 · 47 min

Our theme this month was suggested by our patron Maral, who asked us to do an episode about our friendship, because she’s interested in how our (very!) different personalities align. We thought it might be a little self-indulgent to spend…
Literary Friction - Desire with K Patrick

November 2, 2023 · 60 min

How do the people and things we desire shape our identities? And how do you render the physical intensity of desire on the page? Author K Patrick joins us in thinking about desire this month - we spoke to K about their debut novel Mrs. S…

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Minisode Forty-four: Parenthood

October 19, 2023 · 47 min

Last year we made a minisode about mothers, and one about fathers, both of which began an ongoing conversation about parenthood and literature that we wanted to pick up this month. Is fiction a good form for exploring the experience of…
Literary Friction - Doppelgangers with Naomi Klein

October 5, 2023 · 59 min

What is it about doppelgangers that's so endlessly compelling? Who better to answer this question than the one and only Naomi Klein, who joined us to talk about her latest book, Doppelganger. This riveting and intellectually rigorous…
Minisode Forty-Three: Sad Girl Novels

September 21, 2023 · 46 min

Our theme this month was suggested by our patron Mary, who asked us to talk about so-called 'sad girl novels', and it turns out we have some strong opinions! So, listen in as we get to grips with what the term 'sad girl' really means - is…
Literary Friction - Short Stories with Arinze Ifeakandu

September 7, 2023 · 1 hr 2 min

What makes a brilliant short story? Are they better read as part of a collection or as a sharp shot on their own? How do you render fully formed characters in very few words? We're thrilled that this month, Arinze Ifeakandu joined us to…
RE-RUN: Author Special with Ocean Vuong

August 10, 2023 · 57 min

We first aired this episode back in July 2019, and it was recorded in the studio when Ocean was on the international tour for his novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. It’s a really rich and beautiful conversation, full of the kind of…
Minisode Forty-Two: Artificial Intelligence

July 31, 2023 · 48 min

Are you a techno-optimist or a techno-pessimist? Or even a total Luddite? Does Chat GPT excite you or completely freak you out? Our theme this month was suggested by our patron Elisse, who asked us to talk about Chat GPT in particular. We…
Literary Friction - Dark Comedy with Lorrie Moore

July 20, 2023 · 59 min

Dark humour - do you love it or hate it? Do you find it cathartic or macho? Can humour ever be too dark, and is it a useful political tool? This month our guest is the one and only Lorrie Moore, who joined us to talk about her latest…

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About the show

A monthly conversation about books and ideas on NTS Radio hosted by friends Carrie Plitt, a literary agent, and Octavia Bright, a writer and academic. Each show features an author interview, book recommendations, lively discussion and a little music too, all built around a related theme - anything from the novella to race to masculinity. Listen live on NTS Radio www.nts.live