Making Trouble with Molly Naylor

Today I'm talking to poet and novelist Sophie Robinson. Sophie's debut novel Prairie Oyster came out last week. Buy it from your local bookshop, or from Bookshop.org who donate over 80% of their profit margin to independent bookshops. As well as being a writer, Sophie runs Devotion, a radical and inclusive writing workshop for people working at all levels.We talk about the concept of vulnerability, both in writing and in life. We also explore addiction, panic attacks, radical acceptance & surrender, chronic illness, becoming an accidental knitting influencer and ignoring the male gaze (but not the male gays).Read Sophie's poem Art in America here.

It's Josie Long! Josie is a stand-up comedian, writer and filmmaker. She has toured her live shows all over the world. She co-founded the charity Arts Emergency, helping young people get a fair start in the Arts and Humanities. Join us for a chat about Josie's struggles with output and productivity. We also talk about writing as an incantation, imbuing your life with the spirit of creativity, hallucinogenic revelations and how art teaches us what we don't know about ourselves. Buy Josie's brilliant book here!Learn more about Arts Emergency here!Follow her on Instagram!Buy one of her excellent hats!

Listen up troublemakers! From January 12th you're invited to join us for a refreshing, rejuvenating CREATIVE COURSE. Six weeks of prompts, activities and ideas designed to kickstart your practice for 2026. Episodes will drop every Monday as usual, but rather than an interview with an esteemed guest (we'll get back to that in season 3), you'll receive a short audio workshop for you to engage with at your own leisure. Light on homework, hopefully heavy on inspiration. THIS COURSE IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO PATREON SUBSCRIBERS. So head over to Patreon anytime before January and join as a paid member (not available to free subscribers). You can sign up for as little as £2.50 a month (you can cancel easily any time). You'll have access to the course for as long as you're a subscriber, and you'll also have access to the Patreon community page if you want to share your experience with other listeners. https://www.patreon.com/c/MakingTroubleCan't wait to see what happens!

In this season 2 finale, Molly is joined by Grace Petrie to answer your questions and respond to your creative dilemmas. Thanks for listening to this season of Making Trouble! We'll be back in 2026 with more trouble, more fabulous guests and more bath snacks. Until then, happy making!

Musician Kate Stables (This Is The Kit) joins Molly for a chat about saying no. Why it's hard to do in the moment, how to get better at it, what happens when we don't do it, and why we need to say yes to ourselves. Check out the music video for Bashed Out, which featured on Sex Education and Pretty Little Liars. This Is The Kit's website: https://titk.cargo.site/

It's the bard of Barnsley himself, Mr. Ian McMillan! Ian is a poet and broadcaster. He presents The Verb on BBC R3 and has been a regular on BBC Breakfast, Coast, Pick of the Week, You & Yours, Last Word and The Arts Show. He’s been a castaway on Desert Island Discs! Ian joins Molly for a chat about Time. How do we find more? How do we use it wisely? What should we spend less time doing, and what should we spend more time doing? You can read Ian's work on The Poetry Society website, or buy/order one of his many collections from your local bookshop.Check out the Maurice Dobson museum next time you're in Yorkshire.

It's Holly Williams! Holly is a novelist, journalist and theatre critic. This week she joins Molly for a meandering chat about priorities. How do we make time for the things we want to focus on most? What happens when self promotion takes up all of our creative energy? How do we work out what's a good use of our finite time? Plus, why was trying so embarrassing at (state) school? And how do we finally find a way to not assume everyone hates us? Holly's book THE START OF SOMETHING has been described as a sexy relay race. Buy it! Subscribe to Exeunt on Substack.

Molly chats with Maria about losing heart. What happens in the weird lull after you've released a major piece of work? How do we keep caring when we're the only ones who do? What happens when we play the character of ourselves on stage? And did Maria really run away to a lighthouse? You'll also learn about the best way to cook baked beans. Buy Maria's book SWELL. The poem referenced is In That Year by Kim Moore.See Molly opening for Grace Petrie on her UK tour now: https://www.gracepetrie.com/gigs