In this special City of Fremantle Hungerford Award podcast, Jay Martin and Julie Sprigg get to grips with writing narrative non-fiction

We’re celebrating 30 years of the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award this year by bringing together Jay Martin, author of Vodka and Apple Juice: Travels of an Undiplomatic Wife in Poland, and Julie Sprigg, author of Small Steps: A Physio in Ethiopia. Jay won the Award in 2016 and Julie was shortlisted for it in 2018.

Speaking about her debut book, out this month, Julie says she wasn’t prepared for the culture shock of living in Ethiopia, where she had to relearn how to do everything from the way she brushed her teeth to how she ate her dinner. She said she was naïve enough to believe that her experience of backpacking alone in London and South America as well as working extensively with asylum seekers would prepare her for her time in Africa.

The pair talk about the genre of travel memoir, and how their novels fall into the category of ‘narrative non-fiction’, a book that’s based on truth but adapted into the flow of a novel. Jay and Julie end the podcast with great advice for those starting out on the writing journey, and have provided a list of resources in the show notes.

The full show notes are available here: https://www.fremantlepress.com.au/c/news/11821-podcastsmallsteps2020

Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from The Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.

Producer: Claire Miller

Mastered and edited by: Aidan d’Adhemar

Show Notes

Other Episodes

Episode 8

Rebecca Higgie talks to children's fantasy writer HM Waugh and about world building, NaNoWriMo and balancing kids and creativity

Episode 0

Maria Papas presents: Meet the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award shortlisted writer Marie O’Rourke

Episode 0

Meet Fiona Wilkes, shortlisted for the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award