Inua Ellams on poetry as freedom, theatre for the human spirit, the oral storytelling tradition in Nigeria and themes of immigration, displacement and destiny

Featuring: memories of childhood, the international hit 'The Barber Shop Chronicles', the pleasure of writing for television, the huge impact of the pandemic on artists, The National Theatre’s 'Three Sisters', adapting 'The Little Prince' into an Afro-futurist world facing ecological disaster, the process of drafting, The Midnight Run, 'The Half-God of Rainfall', a reading from the new book of poetry 'The Actual' and the audio documentary 'Nuskka Is Burning' on Nigeria’s first indigenous university that’s produced formidable voices like Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Adichie.

Om Podcasten

The Secret Life of Writers is a series of rambling conversations with some of the world’s most interesting and visionary writers and creative icons about how they got where they are, what they’re working on now, and how they balance art and life. These warm and personal interviews take you behind-the-scenes of the writing world. Hosted by Jemma Birrell, formerly of the Sydney Writers' Festival and Shakespeare & Company in Paris, and now the Creative Director at Tablo. Subscribe to hear a new episode (released on a Thursday every few weeks). For writers, readers and anyone who loves great life stories.