The Invisible College

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Episode

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20150504

Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents a series of little lessons in creative writing with help from a ghostly array of great novelists, poets and playwrights.

In episode one, Maya Angelou faces dragons, Ted Hughes wrestles goblins, Charles Bukowski interrupts, Susan Sontag gets drunk on books, and Elizabeth Bowen catches a bad case of Henry James.

Original music by Joe Acheson

Produced by Cathy FitzGerald
A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4.

Maya Angelou faces dragons, Ted Hughes wrestles goblins, and Charles Bukowski interrupts.

Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.

20150511

Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents a series of lessons in creative writing with help from a ghostly array of great novelists, poets and playwrights.

Episode Two features mini-lectures on character, plot and style. Graham Greene has a sore thumb, Baroness Orczy meets the Scarlet Pimpernel on a tube platform, and Ray Bradbury fires a (metaphorical) gun.

Original music by Joe Acheson

Producer: Cathy FitzGerald
A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4.

Mini lectures on character, plot and style, featuring Graham Greene and Baroness Orczy.

Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.

20150518

Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents a series of lessons in creative writing with help from a ghostly array of great novelists, poets and playwrights.

Episode Three features mini-lectures on routine, concentration and time off. Ian Fleming goes on holiday, W.B. Yeats invites everyone to the pub, and Gertrude Stein draws inspiration from cows.

Original music by Joe Acheson.

Producer: Cathy FitzGerald
A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4.

Mini lectures on routine, concentration and time off, with Ian Fleming and WB Yeats.

Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.

Inspiration

20170522

Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents series two of lessons in creative writing made from archive recordings of great novelists, poets and playwrights talking about their craft.

In the first of three episodes:

Lesson One - Find your Story

Inspiration isn't always a divine spark; often an idea has far more prosaic origins. In this lesson, we hear how the speaking clock inspired Beryl Bainbridge, how Roald Dahl's children tricked him into creating James and the Giant Peach, and how Ray Bradbury found a story in a pair of tennis shoes.

Lesson Two - Listen Up!

Tips on developing an ear for dialogue, featuring an archive recording of the New York poet and writer Grace Paley reading her warm and funny story The Loudest Voice.

Lesson Three - A Workshop with Allen Ginsberg

How often do you get to take a creative writing lesson from one of the Beats? In this extraordinary recording of a lecture given in 1982, American poet Allen Ginsberg explains what he learned about writing from novelist Jack Kerouac.

Presenter and Producer: Cathy FitzGerald

A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2017.

Beryl Bainbridge, Roald Dahl and Ray Bradbury on inspiration.

Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.

Place And Character

20170529

Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents a second series of lessons in creative writing made from archive recordings of great novelists, poets and playwrights talking about their craft.

In the second of three episodes:

Lesson Four - Place

How do we capture the soul of a place in words? Tips from poet laureate Ted Hughes, diarist and novelist Christopher Isherwood, and author of Lolita and Pale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov.

Lesson Five - In Search of a Character with Graham Greene

In this wonderful archive recording, novelist Graham Greene describes his research trip to a leper colony in the Congo in 1959. Hear how the resulting novel, A Burnt-Out Case, takes shape.

Lesson Six - Write and Repeat

Poet and novelist Maya Angelou describes the slow, careful and sometimes excruciating process of sharpening her prose - refining her observations and making her words ever more precise. 'Easy reading,' she says, 'is damn hard writing'.

Presenter and Producer: Cathy FitzGerald.

A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2017.

Short lessons in creative writing from great novelists, poets and playwrights.

Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.

Dealing With Critics

20170605

Dr Cathy FitzGerald concludes her second series of lessons in creative writing made from archive recordings of great novelists, poets and playwrights talking about their craft.

In the last of three episodes:

Lesson Seven - Dealing with Critics

If you're going to put your work out in the world, sooner or later someone's going to tell you what's wrong with it. In this lesson, we hear tips on dealing with critics from the author of The French Lieutenant's Woman, John Fowles, and poets Edith Sitwell, Philip Larkin and John Betjeman.

Lesson Eight - What I Learned from James Baldwin

Contemporary writer Caryl Phillips analyses a passage written by his friend and literary mentor, the American novelist James Baldwin. How does Jimmy handle back-story and perspective? Featuring rare archive recording of James Baldwin reading from his 1962 novel, Another Country.

Lesson Nine - Block

A lesson on that trickiest of ailments - writer's block. With tips from the author of Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov, and sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury, along with an extraordinary recording of Truman Capote reading from his novel Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Presenter and Producer: Cathy FitzGerald

A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017.

Little lessons in creative writing from a ghostly array of great novelists and poets.

Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Comments
01	01		20150504	Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents a series of little lessons in creative writing with help from a ghostly array of great novelists, poets and playwrights. In episode one, Maya Angelou faces dragons, Ted Hughes wrestles goblins, Charles Bukowski interrupts, Susan Sontag gets drunk on books, and Elizabeth Bowen catches a bad case of Henry James. Original music by Joe Acheson Produced by Cathy FitzGerald A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4. Maya Angelou faces dragons, Ted Hughes wrestles goblins, and Charles Bukowski interrupts. Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.
01	02		20150511	Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents a series of lessons in creative writing with help from a ghostly array of great novelists, poets and playwrights. Episode Two features mini-lectures on character, plot and style. Graham Greene has a sore thumb, Baroness Orczy meets the Scarlet Pimpernel on a tube platform, and Ray Bradbury fires a (metaphorical) gun. Original music by Joe Acheson Producer: Cathy FitzGerald A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4. Mini lectures on character, plot and style, featuring Graham Greene and Baroness Orczy. Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.
01	03		20150518	Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents a series of lessons in creative writing with help from a ghostly array of great novelists, poets and playwrights. Episode Three features mini-lectures on routine, concentration and time off. Ian Fleming goes on holiday, W.B. Yeats invites everyone to the pub, and Gertrude Stein draws inspiration from cows. Original music by Joe Acheson. Producer: Cathy FitzGerald A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4. Mini lectures on routine, concentration and time off, with Ian Fleming and WB Yeats. Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.
02	01	Inspiration	20170522	Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents series two of lessons in creative writing made from archive recordings of great novelists, poets and playwrights talking about their craft. In the first of three episodes: Lesson One - Find your Story Inspiration isn't always a divine spark; often an idea has far more prosaic origins. In this lesson, we hear how the speaking clock inspired Beryl Bainbridge, how Roald Dahl's children tricked him into creating James and the Giant Peach, and how Ray Bradbury found a story in a pair of tennis shoes. Lesson Two - Listen Up! Tips on developing an ear for dialogue, featuring an archive recording of the New York poet and writer Grace Paley reading her warm and funny story The Loudest Voice. Lesson Three - A Workshop with Allen Ginsberg How often do you get to take a creative writing lesson from one of the Beats? In this extraordinary recording of a lecture given in 1982, American poet Allen Ginsberg explains what he learned about writing from novelist Jack Kerouac. Presenter and Producer: Cathy FitzGerald A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2017. Beryl Bainbridge, Roald Dahl and Ray Bradbury on inspiration. Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.
02	02	Place And Character	20170529	Dr Cathy FitzGerald presents a second series of lessons in creative writing made from archive recordings of great novelists, poets and playwrights talking about their craft. In the second of three episodes: Lesson Four - Place How do we capture the soul of a place in words? Tips from poet laureate Ted Hughes, diarist and novelist Christopher Isherwood, and author of Lolita and Pale Fire, Vladimir Nabokov. Lesson Five - In Search of a Character with Graham Greene In this wonderful archive recording, novelist Graham Greene describes his research trip to a leper colony in the Congo in 1959. Hear how the resulting novel, A Burnt-Out Case, takes shape. Lesson Six - Write and Repeat Poet and novelist Maya Angelou describes the slow, careful and sometimes excruciating process of sharpening her prose - refining her observations and making her words ever more precise. 'Easy reading,' she says, 'is damn hard writing'. Presenter and Producer: Cathy FitzGerald. A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2017. Short lessons in creative writing from great novelists, poets and playwrights. Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.
02	03	Dealing With Critics	20170605	Dr Cathy FitzGerald concludes her second series of lessons in creative writing made from archive recordings of great novelists, poets and playwrights talking about their craft. In the last of three episodes: Lesson Seven - Dealing with Critics If you're going to put your work out in the world, sooner or later someone's going to tell you what's wrong with it. In this lesson, we hear tips on dealing with critics from the author of The French Lieutenant's Woman, John Fowles, and poets Edith Sitwell, Philip Larkin and John Betjeman. Lesson Eight - What I Learned from James Baldwin Contemporary writer Caryl Phillips analyses a passage written by his friend and literary mentor, the American novelist James Baldwin. How does Jimmy handle back-story and perspective? Featuring rare archive recording of James Baldwin reading from his 1962 novel, Another Country. Lesson Nine - Block A lesson on that trickiest of ailments - writer's block. With tips from the author of Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov, and sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury, along with an extraordinary recording of Truman Capote reading from his novel Breakfast at Tiffany's. Presenter and Producer: Cathy FitzGerald A White Stiletto production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2017. Little lessons in creative writing from a ghostly array of great novelists and poets. Cathy FitzGerald presents creative writing lessons, aided by the ghosts of writers past.