Advertise on podcast: Making Trouble with Molly Naylor

This episode features the poet Ella Frears. A total bath person, Ella joins Molly in Sheffield for a chat about the future. How worried should we be about our artistic stability? Is there any way to protect ourselves from the precarious nature of the arts? Why isn't Molly considered a Cornish artist, and is there anything Ella wouldn't do for £100? Listen and find out! Ella's recent book Goodlord: An Email is a fictional memoir of habitation. It was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Poetry. Her first collection, Shine Darling, was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Chloe Petts! Chloe is a stand up comedian. You might have seen them on Have I Got News For You, Taskmaster or Mock the Week. They will be touring their new show, Call me by your Surname, from January 2027. Join Chloe and Molly for a chat about the trouble with knowing when to take responsibility versus when to complain about the system! We also touch on the relationship between the performer and the audience, Chloe's struggle to enjoy stand up when they first started out, and what happens when your favourite football team is... Crystal Palace. Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Poet, performer and novelist Salena Godden joins us today for a chat about overthinking. Why we do it, the impact it has, whether artists are particularly prone to it and what it does to our lives and our work. Salena is the author of the novel Mrs Death Misses Death, out now with Cannongate. Her newest poetry collection is Pessimism is for Lightweights, published by Rough Trade. Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's our final episode! Of season 3. Don't worry, there will be more Making Trouble - soon (ish). Please keep supporting the pod until then, (via Patreon, by sharing it, by posting/talking about it or rating/reviewing on your podcast app) it means everything and it helps us keep going! We sign off the season with a special listener questions episode. Musician and comedian Grace Petrie joins Molly to help provide As to your brilliant Qs. Check out Grace's music and merch here. There's a bit of death/grief chat during the first 20 minutes, so skip that if you're not in the right place for it. HUGE THANKS TO YOU FOR LISTENING - BE BACK SOON XXX Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s Troy Cabida (Neon Manila) day! Troy Cabida is a London-based Filipino poet. He is a former member of the Barbican Young Poets and the Roundhouse Poetry Collective. Join Molly and Troy for a conversation about collaboration. We talk about the highs, the lows, and the things we need to have in place to make it work. We discuss collaboration as making something that ends up being more than the sum its parts (if all goes well), and about collaboration as being in community with other artists. We unpack how we might approach navigating and sharing that creative space. Troy’s debut collection Neon Manila is published by Nine Arches Press, and is available now! This is the penultimate episode of season 3. Next week, we'll be doing a special Q & A episode. If you have a question you'd like us to discuss, please send it via Instagram direct message, or email it here. Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we welcome Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, A Spot of Bother, The Porpoise) to the podcast for a chat about people-pleasing. Find out where Mark's people-pleasing tendencies come from, what people-pleasing gives us versus what it takes away, and why artists might be particularly prone to it.  We also chat about the impact of having a keen sense of smell on dating, how to write for yourself as well as other people, and why the word 'playwright' is spelled like that. Mark talks about his struggle with long covid, and we discuss how he learned to breathe properly. You'll also find out who Mark thinks is the best person on Instagram, and why he likens them to a camp vicar.  Buy Mark's hilarious and heartbreaking new memoir (in full colour!) LEAVING HOME. Or wet your whistle with this Guardian extract. Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A treat for the ears! It's Anna Jordan (Yen, Lost Atoms, Succession, Killing Eve)! Anna made her name as a scriptwriter, but has now also published her debut poetry collection DECADE. She co-runs runs Support Playwrights with Morgan Lloyd Malcolm; a group of theatre artists finding ways to support playwrights and create community - which can be found on Substack. Join Anna and Molly for a conversation about CREATIVE FLOW. Find out what the optimum conditions are to find and help us figure out how to maintain it. Hear Anna's theory on 'us' writers versus 'them' writers. We also discuss alcohol, painting, approaches to planning and how to have a hobby over the age of 40. Lovely stuff! Enjoy! Buy Decade this week - it's brilliant. Generous, visceral and darkly comic. I love Anna’s huge-hearted writing — Sara Pascoe These poems of love, of loss, and of longing are at once extraordinarily moving and exhilarating. There is an energy in the language and a richness of feeling that consistently move you forward and lead you inexorably from poem to poem. It’s called Decade for a reason but this collection seems to encompass lifetimes. I found it totally compelling — Timberlake Wertenbaker Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Harry Baker day! Harry is a poet with a background in MATHS. His poems have been watched by millions of people online, and his new collection TENDER was an instant Sunday Times Best Seller. Join Harry and Molly for a chat about self belief. We need it as artists, even when we don't know where to get it or how to sustain it. What do we do when we're the only ones who believe in our work during those early days of being a maker? What do we do when others believe our work should be different to how it is in order to be more 'successful'? How do we sustain self belief in a light, easy way? All this and lots more. Buy Harry's book! Catch him on tour! Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Benedict Lombe (Shifters! Lava!) day! Bene is an award-winning Congolese British playwright and screenwriter. Her work includes the hit play Shifters, which transferred to the West End in Summer 2024, marking a ground-breaking moment as Benedict Lombe became the third Black British female playwright to have a play staged in the West End. Shifters went on to have another sell-out run at the Duke of York’s Theatre, earning two Olivier Award nominations in 2025, including an Olivier nomination for Best New Play - making Benedict Lombe the first Black British woman to be nominated in this category. Join Bene and Molly for a chat about isolation. How we balance the time we need to spend alone as makers with not going stir-crazy or alienating ourselves from community. We talk about how to bounce back from rejection, the impact of getting to be in the room where it happens, white chocolate and much more. Molly also reveals her biggest kink. PLEASE RATE THIS PODCAST ON YOUR PODCAST APP, IT MAKES SO MUCH DIFFERENCE IN THIS OVERSATURATED, UNDERPAID FIELD! THANK YOU! Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lizzy Stewart! Illustrator and writer! Molly's past collaborator! Maybe you've seen her pictures in there's a Tiger in the Garden, or Lights, Planets, People! Or perhaps you've read her book Alison? Her new book, The Wreck, is out NOW. It's a glorious genre-defying illustrated novel about the messy tangle of love, envy and desire that underpins our most precious relationships, and the difficult paths we must take to discover our true selves. Join Lizzy and Molly for a chat about STRUCTURE. Mainly as it refers to the notion of building a fulfilling, successful, functioning life as a maker, but we also touch on structure and planning in relation to specific projects. Learn about the magical joys of something called WEEKEND CLUB. Learn why Lizzy and Molly are terrified of group trips. Is living a creative life just about running full pelt up hills, or can they learn to ride the worms? All this and more. Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Jessie Burton! is the multi-million best-selling author of four novels: The Miniaturist, The Muse, The Confession and The House of Fortune – all instant Sunday Times bestsellers. Her novels have been published in 40 languages. The Miniaturist was adapted as a BBC One miniseries, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Romola Garai.  Join us for a chat about PERFECTIONISM. Where it comes from, what it feels like, how it helps and hinders our process and our lives. We also chat about ageing, mortality, Sylvanian Families and how writers are master manipulators (in a good way?). The book Jessie recommended was The Maps We Carry by Rose Cartwright. Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we welcome the scriptwriter, comedian and journalist Athena Kugblenu for a chat about getting older. Which is good, because Molly needed to hear all this. We also talk about procrastination, what you get out of having a day job, industry rudeness and where Athena gets her ideas from. You can buy Athena's latest children's history book History's Most Epic Fails here! The book she recommended was Heiresses by Miranda Kauffman. Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I'm delighted to welcome Tim Clare, writer of fiction and non-fiction, for a chat about focus. We talk about planning, fractured focus & intense focus, confidence, editing and the theory that attention is the purest form of compassion. Tim opens up about the specific pleasures and pitfalls of deep focus for neurodivergent people. We talk about experimental French literature group The Oulipo, we disappear up our own bumbles but we do come out again.  Tim's latest book is The Game Changers is published by Cannongate. He also wrote Coward, in which he explores all possible cures for anxiety. Check out his podcast Death of a 1000 Cuts, it's an amazing resource for writers! Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alice is an award winning comedy writer, Broadcaster, and performer. Listed in the Telegraph’s 50 Funniest Comedians of the 21st Century, her solo comedy shows have been commissioned as TV specials on Amazon Prime, NextUp and the ABC. She has made four documentaries for Audible: Meditation 101, Habit Change, Wellness and Work Life Balance. She also co-hosted BBC Radio 4 series Stranger Than Sci Fi, about ongoing conversations between science and science fiction. Alice recently published her first book A Passion for Passion: A Delirious Love Letter to Romance. It's a glorious homage to genre fiction, celebrating the solemn silliness of romance novels. She has an excellent Patreon, where she writes a brilliant blog. She also hosts creative retreats in Switzerland! Let's all go! Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Join Molly's mailing list Follow Making Trouble on Instagram Support the podcast on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.