A Thread of One's Own with Theo Clarke

In this month’s episode, our host and bestselling author Theo Clarke speaks to writer and hedgelayer Paul Lamb about his book Of Thorn & Briar, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Wainwright Prize in 2025 and was an instant Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller.They discuss: the origins of the book; his writing process; the craft of hedgelaying; supporting wildlife and climate resilience; rural life, tradition and modern agriculture; the rhythm of seasonal work; writing memoir and nature writing; balancing practical craft with reflective storytelling; and how writing has influenced his relationship with the landscape. Paul also shares his top tips for writing a book and his literary influences.OF THORN & BRIAROf Thorn & Briar explores the craft of hedgelaying and a life lived close to the land. Following the rhythm of the seasons, the book reflects on the relationship between people, place and tradition, and considers the environmental and cultural significance of hedgerows in the British countryside.Buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thorn-Briar-Year-Country-Hedgelayer/dp/1398535036BIOGRAPHYPaul Lamb was born in 1976. Four years later, he emigrated with his parents to New Zealand. It was here he first developed a love for the outdoors, spending much time in the wild places of the North Island. He returned to Britain in his teens and found employment as an itinerant farm labourer. In his early twenties, Paul took an apprenticeship with a Dorset woodsman in an isolated coppice and began his journey into woodsmanship. Paul has earned his living from the woodlands and hedgerows of the West Country ever since. This enthralling book celebrates the benefits of hedgerows and a way of living that has all but disappeared in recent decades. Following the rhythm of the seasons, Of Thorn & Briar describes Paul Lamb’s life on the road and the practical aspects of his craft, as he travels the South-West caring for an important but often forgotten part of the British countryside.Follow @westcountry_hedgelayerABOUT THE HOSTTheo Clarke hosts ‘A Thread of One’s Own’ and the hit podcast ‘Breaking the Taboo’ which is in the Top 5% most listened to podcasts globally. She is the bestselling author of ‘Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma‘ which was shortlisted for the Westminster Book Awards. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won ‘Speech of the Year’ at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. She has been included multiple times in the Top 100 Women in Westminster list. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

In this month’s book club, our host and bestselling author Theo Clarke, speaks to journalist Helen Chandler-Wilde about her latest book ‘Lost & Found’. They also discuss advice on writing non-fiction, blending memoir with journalism and share top tips for writing, including the Pomodoro technique, and how to balance being an author with a day job too.LOST & FOUNDWhy do we buy and keep the things we do, and how can we live a less cluttered life? Journalist Helen Chandler-Wilde dives deep to explore, explain, and guide us on the path to liberation from the tyranny of “too much.”On New Year’s Eve of 2018, journalist Helen Chandler-Wilde lost everything she owned in a storage unit fire in Croydon, where she had stowed all her possessions after a big break-up. She was left devastated, and forced to re-evaluate her relationship with owning material things.A mix of memoir, self-help and journalism, Lost & Found explores the psychological reasons for why we buy and keep the things we do, and explains how we can liberate ourselves from the tyranny of ‘too much’. Helen interviews people from all walks of life, including behavioural psychologists on the science of nostalgia, a nun on what it’s like to own almost nothing and consumer psychologists on why we spend impulsively, to help us better understand why we’re surrounded by clutter and what we can do to change it.This smart-thinking book explains the sociological quirks of human nature and the fascinating science behind why we buy and hold onto things. By the end of it, your relationship with your belongings will be changed forever.Read here: Lost & FoundBIOGRAPHYHelen Chandler-Wilde is a news and features journalist at Bloomberg and formerly for The Telegraph, where she writes stories about the real people behind the headlines. She covers a range of topics, from celebrity interviews to in-depth stories about housing in the UK.She studied economics and languages at university, before completing a master’s degree in journalism.Follow Helen Chandler-Wilde onInstagramABOUT THE HOSTTheo Clarke hosts A Thread of One’s Own and the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo which is in the Top 5% most listened to podcasts globally. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won ‘Speech of the Year’ at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. She has twice been listed among the Top 100 Women in Westminster (2024 & 2025).Follow Theo Clarke: @theoclarkemp This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

In this month’s episode of A Thread of One’s Own - a book club-style podcast on creativity, writing, and living - our host and bestselling author Theo Clarke speaks to non-fiction writer, editor, and books journalist Caroline Sanderson about her recent memoir Listen With Father: How I Learned to Love Classical Music, published by Unbound in 2025. The episode explores memoir writing, creative nonfiction, music, and memory, and how books help us understand family, loss, and identity.They discuss what it means to write a memoir; how music can act as a channel for remembrance; questions of art versus artist; the place of classical music in contemporary culture; Caroline’s nonfiction writing process and research methods; and book recommendations for readers interested in memoir, music writing, and literary nonfiction.LISTEN WITH FATHERListen With Father: How I Learned to Love Classical Music explores memory, loss and inheritance through music. Moving between childhood listening, adult reflection and travel, Caroline Sanderson traces her evolving relationship with her father and the composers he loved. The book considers how music can hold memory, shape identity and offer connection across time.BIOGRAPHYCaroline Sanderson is a non-fiction writer, editor, and books journalist. Caroline is well-known in the book trade and beyond for her author profiles and her non-fiction previews for The Bookseller which she has compiled each month for over 20 years. She has been among the earliest champions during this time of such stellar non-fiction debuts as H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald; East West Street by Philippe Sands; and Educated by Tara Westover. She also writes reviews, features and interviews for a wide variety of other publications including The Express, Mslexia, The Observer and The Mail on Sunday.Caroline has written six non-fiction books of her own, including A Rambling Fancy: In the Footsteps of Jane Austen and Someone Like Adele, a biography of the superstar singer. Programme Director of Stroud Book Festival, Caroline regularly chairs events at book festivals and in bookshops, most recently for Hay Festival, Edinburgh International Book Festival, and Cheltenham Literature Festival; and for Waterstones, Daunts and Toppings. Caroline has judged many book prizes, including categories at the British Book Awards. She has served as chair of the 2022 Judges for the prestigious Baillie Gifford Prize, the UK’s premier prize for non-fiction. Caroline is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund. Read her Substack ‘What to Read Now’ here.ABOUT THE HOSTTheo Clarke hosts A Thread of One’s Own and the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo, which is in the Top 5% of most listened-to podcasts globally. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo previously served as the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won “Speech of the Year” at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. She has twice been listed among the Top 100 Women in Westminster (2024 & 2025).Follow @theoclarkemp This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

In this month’s episode, our host and bestselling author Theo Clarke speaks to novelist and award-winning poet Robin de Rosario about his new book Coyote, published by Lucent Dreaming.They discuss the current relevance of race, belonging and sovereignty in his new novel; the craft of writing fiction; advice and writing tips for new authors; the importance of mentoring and peer support; the role of creative writing courses; and the emotional threads at the heart of Coyote, including identity, otherness and inherited loss.COYOTECoyote explores racial identity in the context of colonialism in early America. Through the story of a mixed-race protagonist navigating competing histories, cultures and expectations, the novel follows his search for belonging as the world around him shifts. Drawing on themes of identity, otherness and the legacies of the past, Coyote examines how people find their place within — and against — the forces that try to define them.Buy the book:https://lucentdreaming.com/product/coyote-by-robin-de-rosario-paperback-2024/https://www.waterstones.com/book/coyote/robin-de-rosario/9781916632066BIOGRAPHYRobin de Rosario is a novelist and award-winning poet whose work has appeared in The North, Poetry Wales, The American Journal of Poetry, The Bangalore Review and other journals worldwide. His writing touches on themes of race, identity and neurodivergence. He lives on the Sussex coast with his wife — author and performance storyteller Xanthe Gresham Knight.https://www.robinknightwriter.com/robin-de-rosarioABOUT THE HOSTTheo Clarke hosts A Thread of One’s Own and the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo, which is in the Top 5% of most listened-to podcasts globally. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma.Theo previously served as the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won “Speech of the Year” at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. She has twice been listed among the Top 100 Women in Westminster (2024 & 2025).Follow @theoclarkemp This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

Our host and bestselling author Theo Clarke speaks to Emma Simpson, author, wild swimmer and tea sommelier, about her debut book Breaking Waves: Discovery, Healing and Inspiration in the Open Water, published by Icon Books in 2025.Together they discuss what it means to discover creativity later in life, finding healing in nature from grief, and how storytelling can help us reclaim our voice. Emma also shares insights from path to publication, and how writing has transformed her everyday life.BREAKING WAVESA warm, reflective and uplifting memoir about healing wounds, reclaiming a voice and discovering freedom through the open water. To the uninitiated, wild swimming represents mystery and risk — but for Emma Simpson, the open water became a sanctuary. After a period of deep grief and disconnection, she found solace, strength and a profound sense of belonging in rivers, lakes and seas.Through the stories of women around the world and her own journey, Emma explores the power of water to renew and reconnect us - touching on loss, resilience, body confidence and the courage to begin again. Breaking Waves is both a love letter to womanhood and the natural world, and a celebration of community, creativity and going with the flow.BIOGRAPHYEmma Simpson is an award-winning author, wild swimmer and tea sommelier. Her debut book, Breaking Waves, was published in March 2025 to 5-star reviews, and explores the unique relationship of women with water around the world. Her second book: The Purple Vine Teahouse is currently in progress and is rooted in her passion for tea. Blending memoir and cultural history, it is a modern love story with a twist.Emma lives in the South of England with her fire-fighter husband, two teenage daughters, a rescue greyhound and a sixty-year-old tortoise. She can generally be found swimming in rivers in a bikini in the snow, drinking tea with friends or embarrassing her children with her compulsion to talk with anyone she meets.🌊 www.emmasimpsonauthor.com📸 Instagram & Substack: @emmasimpsonauthorABOUT THE HOSTTheo Clarke hosts the podcast A Thread of One’s Own and the Top-5 UK hit podcast Breaking the Taboo. She is also the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. The former Member of Parliament for Stafford, Theo won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards in the UK and has twice been listed among the Top 100 Women in Westminster (2024 & 2025).Follow @theoclarkemp This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

Our host and bestselling author Theo Clarke speaks to Amy Gray, author of Red Duchess: Kitty Atholl, A Rebel in Westminster, published by The History Press in August 2025.Together they discuss the fascinating life of the Duchess of Atholl MP - a woman who defied expectations and challenged convention in politics and beyond. Amy also shares the story behind writing her first book: from discovering the idea, to long hours in archives, to balancing research, writing, work and family life. She also talks about finding a publisher without an agent, the importance of writing the kind of book she wanted to read, and why her next project will be fiction.RED DUCHESS: KITTY ATHOLL, A REBEL IN WESTMINSTERA pioneering female politician who thought women didn’t need the vote; a conservative who shared platforms with communists; a shy public speaker who travelled the world speaking for Spanish refugees - the formidable Duchess of Atholl was full of contradictions.Born into an ancient Scottish family and married to a philandering duke, Kitty rose above the constraints of class and convention to become a tireless advocate for women and children. By her election as the first Scottish female MP in 1923, she was already one of the most prominent women in Scotland – and that was before she shocked Westminster with outspoken rebellions against her own government.She stood with Spanish refugees and challenged fascism, visited war zones and campaigned with her political opponents, criticised tyrants and wrote her own political playbook. In Red Duchess, Kitty Atholl’s extraordinary life is brought into the spotlight she has long deserved – a compelling story of courage, conviction and a woman who refused to play by the rules.BIOGRAPHYAmy Gray is the author of Red Duchess: Kitty Atholl, A Rebel in Westminster, published in August 2025. She has spent fifteen years working in public affairs and politics and has stood for Parliament twice. After a brief stint as a teacher, she now balances freelance work, writing, and family life. Amy splits her time between Cambridge and Scotland with her husband and two children.🖋️ Instagram & Bluesky: @amygraywritesABOUT THE HOSTTheo Clarke hosts A Thread of One’s Own and the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won Speech of the Year at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. She has twice been listed among the Top 100 Women in Westminster (2024 & 2025).Follow @theoclarkemp This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

In this month’s episode, our host and bestselling author Theo Clarke, speaks to author Professor Lucy Easthope about her latest book Come What May: Life-Changing Lessons for Coping with Crisis, published by Hodder Books. They also discuss advice on being a non-fiction author and writing memoir.COME WHAT MAYWe all know that at some point in life, we will experience pain, uncertainty and loss. Widowhood, redundancy, a life-changing diagnosis, pregnancy loss, or a global pandemic. So how can we weather the storms, and cope with whatever comes next?No one can answer this better than Lucy Easthope, an emergency planner whose job is to support survivors of major disasters. She has been there after countless earthquakes, fires and floods. Time and again she has watched how people rebuild: the work, the pitfalls and the fragile joy. In Come What May, she distils for us what she has learned about how to carry on during and after terrible times.Through poignant stories and hard-won wisdom, she offers a roadmap for resilience in the face of adversity. She explains what shape the recovery journey might take, how to triage your life in an emergency, how to plan for ‘the slump’ (also known as the lasagne phase), how to take stock of what has happened to you, how to watch out for ‘learned helplessness’, and what good (and bad) help looks like.This is a book for all of us existing in ‘the after’ who want not just to survive, but to live and unleash strengths we never knew we had.BIOGRAPHYLucy Easthope is the UK’s leading authority on recovering from disaster. She has been advisor on nearly every major disaster of the past two decades, including the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, 9/11, the 7/7 bombings, the Salisbury Poisonings, Grenfell. She has most recently has been advising the Prime Minister’s Office on the Covid-19 pandemic.Lucy grew up in Liverpool and has a degree in law, a PhD in medicine and a Masters in risk, crisis and disaster management. She is a Professor in Practice of Risk and Hazard at the University of Durham and Fellow in Mass Fatalities and Pandemics at the Centre for Death and Society, University of Bath.Her book When The Dust Settles: Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster was released in March 2022 and was a Sunday Times bestseller.https://whatevernext.info/about/Follow @whenthedustsettleslucyABOUT THE HOSTTheo Clarke hosts A Thread of One’s Own and the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo which is in the Top 5% most listened to podcasts globally. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won ‘Speech of the Year’ at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. She has twice been listed among the Top 100 Women in Westminster (2024 & 2025).Follow @theoclarkemp This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

In this month’s episode, our host Theo Clarke speaks to author Caroline Montague about her latest novel ‘The Pieces of Us’, published by Orion, and shares her advice on being a historical novelist. This episode is brought to you in association with the Sandon Literature Festival.The Pieces of UsMarina and Hugh were once madly in love. But after the loss of their beautiful little daughter, grief has created a distance between them that feels impossible to bridge. Marina knows leaving Italy is the only way they will be able to move on, but Thorncliffe Hall, Hugh’s family home in England, is so grey and unwelcoming.Just when life feels like it may never regain colour, Marina and Hugh come across a striking china coffee pot in a London shop window, adorned with a fox flying through the night sky. The coffee pot comes attached with a mystery, one that is connected with Hugh’s own family many years ago.By digging into the past, Marina is about to discover a story far beyond her wildest dreams. But will the past help her heal the present?BIOGRAPHYCaroline Montague lives with her husband at Burnt Norton House in the Cotswolds made famous by TS Eliot in the first of his four quartets. She is also a designer and mother to seven children and step-children. She divides her time between England and Italy.ABOUT THE HOSTTheo Clarke hosts A Thread of One’s Own and the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo which is in the Top 5% most listened to podcasts globally. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won ‘Speech of the Year’ at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. She has twice been listed among the Top 100 Women in Westminster (2024 & 2025).Follow @theoclarkemp This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com

‘A Thread of One’s Own’ is a monthly podcast on writing, creativity and living. Host Theo Clarke interviews a guest author to talk about their work and the stories behind them. For more content, make sure to subscribe to her Substack page and join the conversation.ABOUT THE HOSTTheo Clarke hosts A Thread of One’s Own and the hit podcast Breaking the Taboo which is in the Top 5% most listened to podcasts globally. She is the bestselling author of Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk About Birth Trauma. Theo was formerly the Member of Parliament for Stafford and won ‘Speech of the Year’ at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards. She has twice been listed among the Top 100 Women in Westminster (2024 & 2025).Follow @theoclarkemp This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theodoraclarke.substack.com