{"podcast":{"title":"The Writing Life","slug":"the-writing-life-1076872","podcast_index_feed_id":1076872,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/writerscentre/feed.xml","website_url":"https://writerscentre.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/9244115/The_Writing_Life_icon_2023_yrya4h.png","author":"National Centre for Writing","episode_count":200,"summary":"We're a weekly podcast for anyone who writes. We talk to writers about their writing journeys and techniques, from early career debuts to self-publishers and narrative designers. We've featured Margaret Atwood, Jackie Kay, Sara Collins, Antti Tuomainen, Val McDermid, Sarah Perry, Elif Shafak and many more! The Writing Life is produced by the National Centre for Writing at Dragon Hall in Norwich.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-writing-life-1076872"},"episode":{"title":"Writing the self in memoir: Camilla Balshaw on Named","slug":"writing-the-self-in-memoir-camilla-balshaw-on-named","published_at":"2026-05-04T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-writing-life-1076872/writing-the-self-in-memoir-camilla-balshaw-on-named","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-writing-life-1076872","url":"https://writerscentre.podbean.com/e/writing-the-self-in-memoir-camilla-balshaw-on-named/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/g7hxq3kabfpxy97f/Camilla_x_Holly_FINALbflx1.mp3","summary":"In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Norfolk-based writer Camilla Balshaw shares insights into exploring themes of identity and belonging in her memoir, Named – an engaging and intimate investigation of what makes us who we are. Camilla Balshaw has written for the Guardian and the Observer. She holds an MA in Creative & Life Writing from Goldsmiths (Distinction) and is an Honorary Research Fellow in Name Studies at the University of Nottingham. Her memoir Named won the Biography & Memoir category winner in the East Anglian Book Awards 2025. She sat down with NCW’s Holly Ainley for a candid conversation about the origins of her memoir, which intertwines an exploration of names, global naming conventions and identity politics within a moving, personal narrative about the finding of family and self. They also touch on her approach to writing about real people, the impact of names on our sense of self, and the vulnerability involved in sharing personal stories with readers.","meta_description":"In this episode of The Writing Life Podcast, Norfolk-based writer Camilla Balshaw shares insights into exploring themes of identity and belonging in her m…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2739,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-writing-life-1076872/episodes/writing-the-self-in-memoir-camilla-balshaw-on-named/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-writing-life-1076872/writing-the-self-in-memoir-camilla-balshaw-on-named.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}