“I generally feel like everything is on the table for a writer, but the further away you move from your experience, the greater responsibility you have to do the work to close that gap.” – Nicola Dinan

Juno Dawson and Nicola Dinan are two powerhouse authors who are well-versed in the art of creating empathetic and entertaining stories. In this episode, the writers provide thoughtful insight into their craftsmanship. They sat down to discuss the different ways genre can facilitate creative freedom, how they incorporate lived experiences into their writing, and what makes a character authentic.

Juno and Nicola’s word of the day is RESPONSIBILITY.

Watch along with this episode here

About our contributors:

Nicola Dinan grew up in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur and now lives in London. She studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University before training as a lawyer. Bellies, her debut, was shortlisted for the Mo Siewcharran prize.

Juno Dawson is a #1 Sunday Times best-selling novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and a columnist for Attitude Magazine. Juno’s books include the global bestsellers, This Book is Gay and Clean. She won the 2020 YA Book Prize for Meat Market. Her first adult fantasy trilogy Her Majesty’s Royal Coven launched in 2022, becoming an instant best-seller.

You can find our list of resources here

#AnthemsTalks is a collection of intimate conversations between pairs of trailblazers, activists and creatives in honour of Transgender Awareness Week. It was Executive Produced by Bea Duncan, with Production from Talia Augustidis and Lucy Carr, video production from Thunder Video, video editing by Eleanore Bamber and Sound Engineering by Ben Williams. The artwork is by Eleanore Bamber and Mars West.

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