Paper Places
Relay FM
Paper Places is the podcast that demystifies the journey to becoming a professional writer. Each episode, columnist-turned-author Kerry Provenzano sits down with an acclaimed writer who shares where their words have taken them. Hosted by Kerry Provenzano.
- 49 minutes 3 seconds20: The Creativity of Non-Fiction Writing, with Midge Gillies
Midge Gillies, author of 'Atlantic Furies: The Women Who Risked Everything to be the First to Fly', joins Kerry to discuss her impressive career as a non-fiction author, including celebrating your subjects and bringing their stories alive.
Guest Starring:
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay Membership
Subscribe to KL Provenzano on Substack
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'Rebecca' by Daphne Du Maurier
'The Island of Missing Trees' by Elif Shafak
Visit Midge's Website
Follow Midge on Instagram
Buy 'Atlantic Furies The Women Who Risked Everything to be the First to Fly' by Midge Gillies
Atlantic Furies celebrates the bravery, panache, and drive of these trail-blazing aviators, who showed the world that it wasn’t just men who could conquer the skies.
All Midge's Books
28 November 2025, 10:00 am - 58 minutes 45 seconds19: Writing Humour, with Silvia Saunders
Kerry is joined by Silvia Saunders, who won the Comedy Women in Print prize for her debut novel, Homesick. They discuss writing days, finding your voice and the importance of perseverance.
Guest Starring:
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay Membership
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Novel November | A 30-Day Writing Challenge
This is run by ProWritingAid, who have been a sponsor in the past, but are not sponsoring this episode.
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
'Homesick' by Silvia Saunders
Buy Silvia's book!
'Even if You Beat Me' | An Essay by Sally Rooney
Follow Silvia on Instagram
31 October 2025, 11:00 am - 51 minutes 29 seconds18: Finding Your Process, with Keith Houston
In this episode, Kerry sits down with Keith Houston to talk about the practicalities of writing alongside another job, finding your process and how deadlines are catalysts for getting your project completed.
Guest Starring:
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay Membership
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🎗 Relay for St. Jude
Each September, Relay rallies support for the life-saving mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. By joining us, you can make more cures possible.
Read the Shady Characters blog
Buy 'Face with Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji' by Keith Houston
26 September 2025, 9:00 am - 51 minutes 23 seconds17: "I Don't Plot My Novels," with Jo Morey
Kerry is joined by Jo Morey to discuss rediscovering writing after a corporate career, her experience in the Faber Academy and how competitions helped her get published.
This episode of Paper Places is sponsored by:
- Scrivener, from Literature & Latte: The #1 app for writers of all kinds. Use PAPERPLACES for 20% off.
Guest Starring:
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay Membership
Subscribe to KL Provenzano on Substack
Submit Feedback
Faber Academy | Creative Writing Courses
The Cheshire Novel Prize
'Beloved' by Toni Morrison
Follow Jo Morey on Instagram
Jo Morey's website
Buy 'The Night Lagoon' (UK) by Jo Morey
Buy 'Lime Juice Money' (USA) by Jo Morey
29 August 2025, 9:00 am - 51 minutes 8 seconds16: Finding a Five Month Flow State, with Celia Silvani
Kerry is joined by Celia Silvani, author of 'Baby Teeth'. They discuss toasties, the unusual way Celia wrote her novel and how dangerous online forums informed the characters in her book.
This episode of Paper Places is sponsored by:
- Scrivener, from Literature & Latte: The #1 app for writers of all kinds. Use PAPERPLACES for 20% off.
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay Membership
Subscribe to KL Provenzano on Substack
Submit Feedback
Send Kerry a message
Curtis Brown Creative Writing Courses
Sausage, Bean and Cheese bake from Greggs
If you go to Greggs, Kerry's recommendation is not this but a sausage roll and a pink iced doughnut.
'I Capture the Castle' by Dodie Smith
The National Literacy Trust
Buy 'Baby Teeth' by Celia Silvani
Medics warn of dangers of freebirths | BBC
Hannah Schofield | Literary Agent at LBA
reMarkable
Follow Celia on Instagram
25 July 2025, 9:00 am - 1 hour 2 minutes15: Blending Analogue and Digital Writing Systems, with David Sparks
In this episode, David Sparks joins Kerry to discuss his writing process for MacSparky Field Guides, the importance of reading and why it's essential to have analogue parts of your to-do system.
This episode of Paper Places is sponsored by:
- Scrivener, from Literature & Latte: The #1 app for writers of all kinds. Use PAPERPLACES for 20% off.
- TRMNL: Clarity, at a glance. Get $15 off for 1 week only.
- Yawn Email: Tame your inbox with intelligent daily summaries. Start your 14-day free trial today.
Guest Starring:
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay Membership
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Writing Memoir & Narrative Non-Fiction with Wyl Menmuir
The Curtis Brown Creative memoir course I took
Listen to David Sparks on Mac Power Users
Listen to David Sparks on Focused
MacSparky | Home of David Sparks' Field Guides
The Benefits of Writing Morning Pages
OmniFocus Field Guide | MacSparky
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
Focused | Episode 196: Focus & The Reading Life, with Maryanne Wolf
'Mac at Work' by David Sparks
Yours for the bargain price of £138.94
Day One | Your journal for life.
Interstitial journaling
Plotter Stationery
The Theme System Journal | Cortex Brand
Drafts | Where Text Starts
Giant Sticky Notes
The Productivity Field Guide | MacSparky
27 June 2025, 9:00 am - 1 hour 3 minutes14: Staying Balanced in the World of Publishing, with Kate Kemp
Kate Kemp joins Kerry to talk about the process of writing 'The Grapevine', moving from a career in psychotherapy to fiction writing and keeping a balanced view when you're on the publishing rollercoaster.
This episode of Paper Places is sponsored by:
- St Louis Pen Show: Join us June 26-29. Tickets on sale now!
- Kenro Industries: Esterbrook introduces the new Estie Coffee Monsterz Co pen. Click to buy now.
- Yawn Email: Tame your inbox with intelligent daily summaries. Start your 14-day free trial today.
Guest Starring:
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay Membership
Submit Feedback
Read my first newspaper column
Buy Kate’s book ‘The Grapevine’
The Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction
Follow Kate on Instagram
Follow Kate on X
Follow Kate on Bluesky
Curtis Brown Creative Writing Courses
reMarkable | The future of paper is here
Freewrite | Distration-Free Writing Tools
30 May 2025, 12:30 pm - 58 minutes 33 seconds13: Creating Multiple Streams of Writing Revenue with Poet, Laurie Bolger
In this episode, Kerry is joined by Laurie Bolger, the acclaimed English poet, stand-up and presenter. They discuss 'setting up shop', organisations to support working poets and the making of Laurie's new collection.
This episode of Paper Places is sponsored by:
- St Louis Pen Show: Join us June 26-29. Tickets on sale now!
- Kenro Industries: Esterbrook introduces the new Estie Coffee Monsterz Co pen. Click to buy now.
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay FM Membership
Submit Feedback
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Laurie's Workshops
Watergate Bay Hotel
The Arts Council
Apples and Snakes
Spread the Word
Roundhouse
Barbican Young Poets
Southbank Centre: New Poets Collective
The Poetry Society
'Lady' by Laurie Bolger
Laurie's new collection!
'Spin' by Laurie Bolger
'Makeover' by Laurie Bolger
'Box Rooms' by Laurie Bolger
Follow Laurie on Instagram
Follow Laurie on X
Laurie's website
Jen Nesbitt
Laurie's website lady
24 April 2025, 8:00 am - 1 hour 20 minutes12: Becoming an Organised Writer and Working for Hollywood, with Antony Johnston
Antony Johnston joins Kerry to talk about writing productivity, building a career as a multi-facted writer and how his graphic novel became a Hollywood movie starring Charlize Theron.
This episode of Paper Places is sponsored by:
- St Louis Pen Show: Join us June 26-29. Tickets on sale now!
Guest Starring:
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay FM Membership
Submit Feedback
The Wobble
My Substack post about what happened when I spoke to a literary agent.
Antony Johnston
Writing and Breathing
The Organised Writer by Antony Johnston
How to stay on top of all your projects and never miss a deadline.
The Organised Writer (The original blog post)
Getting Things Done by David Allen
The Coldest City
Watch the Atomic Blonde trailer
Antony being interviewed at the Berlin Premier of Atomic Blonde
Sally Rooney Doesn't Want Her Third Novel Adapted for TV
Can You Solve the Murder? by Antony Johnston
The Dog Sitter Detective Series by Antony Johnston
28 March 2025, 12:30 pm - 56 minutes 34 seconds11: Journalism 101 with Shahed Ezaydi
In this episode, Kerry is joined by Shahed Ezaydi, full-time writer at Stylist Magazine and author of 'The Othered Woman: How White Feminism Harms Muslim Women'. They discuss freelance vs in-house journalism and Shahed's process of writing her book.
Guest Starring:
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay FM Membership
Submit Feedback
Subscribe to Kerry's Substack (Paid and Free Tiers)
Shahed Ezaydi's debut, The Othered Woman: How White Feminism Harms Muslim Women
Shahed's articles for Stylist Magazine
Follow Shahed Ezaydi on Instagram
Subscribe to Shahed Ezaydi's Substack
28 February 2025, 9:00 am - 51 minutes 43 seconds10: From Writing in Lockdown to a Publishing Deal, with Kerry Downes
In this episode, Kerry Downes joins Kerry (the regular one) to discuss how one writing course, taken after delving into fiction writing during lockdown, lead to her career as a author.
This episode of Paper Places is sponsored by:
- ProWritingAid: The essential toolkit for every creative writer. Sign up for free today. Get 20% off annual subscriptions with code paperplaces
Guest Starring:
Links and Show Notes:
Support Paper Places with a Relay FM Membership
Submit Feedback
Pre-order Kerry's book, 'That Time Everything Was On Fire'
Writing Your Novel — 3 Months | Curtis Brown Creative
The course Kerry undertook to write her debut fiction novel.
'Notes to Self' by Emilie Pine
“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” — Toni Morrison
"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." — Ernest Hemingway
'The Midnight Library' by Matt Haig
Faber Academy | Creative Writing Courses
Follow Kerry Downes on Instagram
31 January 2025, 9:30 am - More Episodes? Get the App