The Reading Ramble

In this episode, we are joined by Eve and Gemma from the Reading Agency to discuss the Reading Well collections of books selected by health experts and individuals with lived experience to assist in managing your health and wellbeing through reading.

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, we are joined by Lancashire author Iqbal Hussain to talk about his novel, Northern Boy.

Author Michael Davies joins us to discuss his new novel, Thin Ice, and the continued legacy of Desmond Bagley.

This episode of the Reading Ramble features Karen Esposito reading "New Preston 2152" by David Hartley from the Lancashire Stories anthology.

In this new episode of the Reading Ramble, we are excited to share this Lancashire Stories reading of "Welcome Back to Lancaster" by Yvonne Battle-Felton, read by LaNecia Edmonds.

In this episode of the Reading Ramble we have another audio story from the Lancashire Stories anthology. This time, Karen Esposito reads "Belvedere", by Neil White.

This episode of the Reading Ramble sees Karen Esposito read the beautiful "Proceed with all due caution" by Sarah-Clare Conlon, from the Lancashire Stories anthology.

The excellent Karen Esposito reads "The Club" by Nathan Parker, from the Lancashire Stories anthology.

The second part of our conversation with Lancashire Stories author Rob Bullock, who tells us all about his research into the black population of Lancashire in the 18th century.

Karen Esposito reads "Our Lancashire Lass" by Eve Ainsworth, from the Lancashire Stories Anthology

Lancashire Stories author Rob Bullock joins us to talk about his story, "Respect this lonely grave".

Lancashire Stories author Antonia Charlesworth Stack interviews the award winning Claire Fuller about her newest novel "The Memory of Animals", her writing process, and their joint interest in writing about Octopus's.

The excellent Karen Esposito reads "The Sage of Roggerham" by Susan Evans, from the Lancashire Stories anthology. @sueevans2 @KarenEspositoVO

Author Michael Davies joins us to talk about his new novel "Outback", as well as the work of Desmond Bagley.

The amazing Karen Esposito reads "Last Tram to Fleetwood" by Michael Davies, from the Lancashire Stories Anthology.@KarenEspositoVO @mrgdavies

The terrific Karen Esposito reads "The Hands That Touched Cotton" by Libby Ashworth, from the Lancashire Stories Anthology. @KarenEspositoVO @elizashworth

The fantastic Karen Esposito reads "The Call of the Sea" by Antonia Charlesworth Stack from the Lancashire Stories anthology. @KarenEspositoVO @antonia_mcs

The excellent Karen Esposito reads "Empire Day" by Naomi Kruger from the Lancashire Stories anthology. @KarenEspositoVO @NaomiKruger

The excellent Karen Esposito reads "Breach" by Sarah Schofield from the Lancashire Stories anthology. @KarenEspositoVO @saraheschofield

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, we speak to Brent Shore, author of novel 26-0, which tells the tale of the FA Cup tie between Hyde FC and Preston North End.  You can found Brent's books at www.brentshore.co.uk 

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk to author Peter Kalu about his writing career, his creative process, and his involvement in the Lancashire Stories project. 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk to author Sarah Schofield about her writing background, how she researches for her writing, and her contribution to the Lancashire Stories project. 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, we are joined by author Iqbal Hussain to discuss his background in writing, and to look at the story he has written for the Lancashire Stories project. You can find out more about Lancashire Stories by visiting https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries-and-archives/libraries/lancashire-stories/

On this episode of the podcast we're looking at the Lancashire Book of the Year "Meet the Author" event that took place at UCLAN in Preston on Friday 17th June. In the episode you will hear us discuss the event, as well as hearing from some of the authors on this years shortlist, and some of the judges of the award. You can find out more about Lancashire Book of the Year, and discover the shortlist, by visiting: https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries-and-archives/libraries/lancashires-book-of-the-year/

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk to children's illustrator and author Matty Long. Matty joins us to talk about the process of illustrating and writing, what his process looks like, and answers some questions from a podcast guest. 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, staff from Lancashire Libraries talk about some of the books that can be found on the Reading Agency and BBC Art's "Big Jubilee Read" booklist. 

Libraries exist in the centre of the communities that they serve. For Local and Community History Month, staff from Longridge Library have spoken to current and former library staff to find out what it has been like to serve their community over the course of the last 70 years. 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, we are joined by author Naomi Kruger to discuss her background in writing and to look at the story she has written for the Lancashire Stories project. 

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, we catch up with Lancashire Stories author Michael Davies, to talk about the writing of his short story, and learn more about his writing background. 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk to Antonia Charlesworth Stack about writing fiction, her hometown of Blackpool, and the fantastic story she has written for the Lancashire Stories project. 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, we continue our Lancashire Stories series, meeting author Yvonne Battle-Felton. 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk to Ines Gregori Labarta about writing in a second language, her love for Lancaster and the upcoming Lancaster LitFest, and of course, about the story she is writing for Lancashire Stories. 

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk to author Libby Ashworth, who is taking part in the Lancashire Stories Project. We talk to Libby about her writing background, what influences her, and what her Lancashire Story is going to be about. 

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk to writer David Hartley, who is taking part in the Lancashire Stories project as one of our featured authors.

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk to Blackpool author Nathan Parker, who is taking part in the Lancashire Stories project as one of our featured authors. 

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, with the help of colleagues, we're looking back at some of our favourite books that we read in 2021. 

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, we are delighted to be introducing a new project, called Lancashire Stories, which will run for the next 2 years. We'll be sharing more information soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, we celebrate non-fiction November by talking all about sports books! 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble we talk to John Meredith from Heritage Learning Lancashire about the Lancashire Schools Storytelling Festival. We discuss how stories are shared, the origins of folklore, and why it is important for people to be aware of their heritage and the stories that are influenced by it.  You can follow Heritage Learning Lancashire on Twitter @HLLancashire, and on YouTube by searching for "Heritage Learning Lancashire"

In this episode, ahead of the announcement of the winner of Lancashire Book of the Year 2021, we look back at the winner of last years award, Samuel Pollen, who won with his book, The Year I Didn't Eat. 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk all about audiobooks, from their beginnings on vinyl, cassette and then CD, to the streaming services and library lending platforms available today.

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk to Lancashire based writer Alan Veale, author of The Murder Tree and The Titanic Document. Alan joins us to talk about his path to becoming a writer, the inspiration behind his books, and how he developed the librarian character Billie Vane.  You can borrow The Murder Tree from Lancashire Libraries, find out more about Alan on his website www.alanveale.com, and listen to Alan's own podcast "Dummy Cabs" wherever you get podcasts from. 

This episode of the Reading Ramble features an interview that we conducted with author Willy Vlautin. As a member of the bands Richmond Fontaine and The Delines, Willy first found success as a songwriter and a musician, and has developed into an acclaimed writer of modern American fiction. His new novel, The Night Always Comes is available now. 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble we chat to Lancashire author Nick Oldham about his writing career, the process of writing his novels, how he names his characters, and the influence of Covid-19 on his new book. 

In the second part of our series looking at children's books and reading, we look at the importance of reading over the summer, and how our SCART scheme in Lancashire looks to address that. We also discuss our favourite children's books, and speak to some colleagues about their recommendations. 

In this episode of the reading ramble, we talk about the importance of reading to children from a young age, how Lancashire Libraries help introduce books and reading to young families, and talk about some of our personal favourite children's books. 

On this episode of the Reading Ramble, we talk all about Creative Writing. We speak to Patrick Wright of the Open University, Lancashire author Jenn Ashworth, as well as Alison and Natalie from Lancashire Libraries. Patrick Wright can be found on twitter @saturnineone. He is a poet, writer and a lecturer in literature and creative writing. He is the writer of Full Sight Of Her (2020), available from Black Spring Press. Jenn Ashworth is a Lancaster based writer and Professor of Writing at Lancaster University. Her latest novel Ghosted was released this year. @OU_writers @OpenUniversity

In this episode of the Reading Ramble, we celebrate Make Music Day by talking about some of our favourite music books. We hear from the Lancashire Music Service, as well as library staff about their favourite music books and what music means to them. @LancsLibraries @LancsMusic @LancsMusicHub

In this episode, we talk to Laurie Peake, the Director of Super Slow Way, about the Small Bells Ring project. We also catch up with author Sarah Schofield who was the first writer in residence on the boat!  @saraheschofield @Superslowway @STUDIO_MORISON @CanalRiverTrust @LancsLibraries

In this episode we look at what Lancashire Book of the Year is, how it works, and we reveal this years shortlist!