Georgina Colby joins us in the studio to discuss our growing recognition of the punk writer Kathy Acker, an experimental late-modernist; Alev Scott on ‘Weinsteining’ in publishing and what we should do about it; Tove Jansson is best known as the creator of the Moomins, but there is a great deal more to her oeuvre than those strange hippopotamus-like creatures – TLS Arts editor Lucy Dallas visits a new retrospective of Jansson’s work. Available on Apple podcasts.
In 1997, legendary experimental writer Kathy Acker was sent by The Guardian to interview The Spice Girls. Acker, who emerged from the New York punk scene, was the author of Blood and Guts in High School, a work so extreme it was banned in several countries. The Spice Girls were at the height of their superstardom, with a number of chart-topping hits around the world and about to make their American television debut. What happened when these two seemingly incongruous artists met? Where did the worlds of Kathy Acker, whose work was drenched in sex and shock, intersect with the ‘Girl Power’ ambassadors and teen idols The Spice Girls? Hosted by Hayley Campbell. Produced by Dale Shaw. Available on BBC Sounds.
BBC World Service: Guest Interviewee on World Business Report, ‘The Future of Book Publishing’. 13th April, 2016. I spoke about the challenges that small presses face in the global book market today.
Georgina Colby 