The Hidden Lives of Writers

S04 E11 John van der Ruit

Spud is back! John van der Ruit is the record-smashing, best-selling author of the SPUD series of books, as well as an actor and playwright. John joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about what it was like finding the voice of an older Spud after all these years…

18 Nov 1 hr 03 min

S04 E10 Gareth Crocker

Gareth Crocker is a well known novelist, film maker, and television creator. His latest book NOW YOU SUFFER is garnering great reviews. Gareth joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he got an international deal for his first novel FINDING JACK, and why major Hollywood stars like…

11 Nov 54 min

S04 E09 Samantha Shannon

Samantha Shannon is the internationally bestselling author of the BONE SEASON series of urban fantasy novels, as well as the epic fantasy novel THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE. Samantha joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about why she is rereleasing the BONE SEASON series as 'the author's…

4 Nov 1 hr 15 min

S04 E08 Louisa Treger

Louisa Treger is the acclaimed author of four historical novels featuring remarkable women whose contributions to society have been overlooked or forgotten. Her most recent novel is THE PARIS MUSE. Louisa joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about why she pivoted from academic research to fiction writing, and…

28 Oct 1 hr 01 min

S04 E07 Vernon Head

Vernon Head is the author of THE SEARCH FOR THE RAREST BIRD IN THE WORLD - a piece of creative non-fiction that has recently been reissued, as well as A TREE FOR THE BIRDS, and the award-winning ON THAT WAVE OF GULLS. Vernon joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to…

21 Oct 1 hr 04 min

S04 E06 Alex Latimer

Alex Latimer is an author and illustrator of children's fiction and an author of books for adults. As Frank Owen, he and Diane Awerbuck wrote the dystopian novels SOUTH and NORTH. Alex also recently released the acclaimed collection of short stories LOVE STORIES FOR GHOSTS. Alex joins Fiona Snyckers and…

14 Oct 1 hr 08 min

S04 E05 Mphuthumi Ntabeni

Mphuthumi Ntabeni won the UJ Debut Novel Prize in 2019 for BROKEN RIVER TENT and is the author of the acclaimed 2021 novel THE WANDERES. He is also a journalist, columnist, reviewer, and cultural commentator. Mphuthumi joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he draws on the…

7 Oct 1 hr 11 min

S04 E04 Jarred Thompson

Jarred Thompson's stunning debut novel THE INSTITUTE FOR CREATIVE DYING won the UJ Debut Prize and has been shortlisted for the Sunday Times Fiction Prize. Jarred joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he structured his complex narrative and juggled the voices of his different characters. He…

30 Sep 1 hr 03 min

S04 E03 Nthikeng Mohlele

Nthikeng Mohlele is a prolific and critically acclaimed author of multiple novels and short stories - most recently 'Revolutionaries' House'. His novel 'Breasts' has just been shortlisted for the UJ Prize for Fiction. Nthikeng joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how music informs his fiction and how…

23 Sep 57 min

S04 E02 Shubnum Khan

Shubnum Khan is the author of the novel ONION TEARS which has recently been rereleased in paperback. She also wrote the collection of essays HOW I ACCIDENTALLY BECAME A GLOBAL STOCK PHOTO and the internationally successful novel THE LOST LOVE OF AKBAR MANZIL. Shubnum joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel…

16 Sep 1 hour

S04 E01 Barbara Boswell

Barbara Boswell is a distinguished academic and novelist whose latest work THE COMRADE'S WIFE has taken the literary world by storm. Barbara was a visiting fellow at Oxford University earlier this year where she conducted research in preparation for future life writing. Barbara joined Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to…

9 Sep 1 hr 04 min

S03 E10 Ivan Vladislavic

Ivan Vladislavic is a multi-award winning author, editor, and professor of creative writing. His new memoir The Near North is available now. Ivan joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how not having grown up in Johannesburg has made him more curious about the city and how the…

20 May 1 hr 09 min

S03 E09 Lynn Joffe

Lynn Joffe is a copywriter, a novelist, a short story writer, and an author of children's books. She is the author of the critically acclaimed picaresque novel, The Gospel According to Wanda B. Lazarus, published by Modjaji Books. Lynn joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how she…

13 May 54 min

S03 E08 Margie Orford

Margie Orford is a writer, academic, activist, and award-winning journalist. She is the author of the acclaimed Clare Hart series of crime novels. Her most recent work is a much-anticipated memoir, Love And Fury. Margie joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about the narrative choices one makes for…

6 May 1 hr 17 min

S03 E07 Fiona Snyckers - The Hidden

In this special episode of The Hidden Lives of Writers, Fiona Snyckers sits down with author, reviewer, and journalist Gus Silber to talk about her new novel THE HIDDEN, which is published by Pan Macmillan. Gus grills Fiona about her secret past as a child writer and whether her own…

29 Apr 41 min

S03 E06 Helen Moffett

Helen Moffett is a writer, an editor, and an award-winning poet. Her novel 'Charlotte' was released internationally to great acclaim. Helen joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how every writer needs to be edited and why the business of editing has remained untransformed for so long. Helen…

22 Apr 1 hr 05 min

S03 E05 Diane Awerbuck

Diane Awerbuck is the award-winning author of multiple novels and short story collections. Her latest book is Inside Your Body There Are Flowers published by Karavan Press. Diane joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about being published at a young age and what a young writer brings to…

15 Apr 55 min

S03 E04 Ron Irwin

Ron Irwin is the acclaimed author of Flat Water Tuesday and My Side of the Ocean, which was recently published by Pan Macmillan. He is a senior lecturer in Media Studies at UCT and teaches in the UCT Creative Writing Masters programme. Ron joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to…

8 Apr 1 hr 14 min

S03 E03 Shafinaaz Hassim

Shafinaaz Hassim is an author, activist, and sociologist. She has written extensively about GBV, human trafficking, and women's issues. Her latest novel, Darlings of Durban, has everyone talking. Shafinaaz joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how she built her literary career from the ground up and developed…

1 Apr 1 hr 05 min

S03 E02 Sven Axelrad

Sven Axelrad is a Durban-based writer whose debut novel Buried Treasure took the South African literary world by storm in 2023. Sven joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about how he balances his day job as an accountant with the demands of his lively literary imagination. He talks…

25 Mar 1 hr 06 min