Octavia Bright

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Wikipedia

Octavia Bright
Born
Octavia Hilary Bright

1986 (age 38–39)
Westminster, London, England
Alma materUniversity College London (PhD)
Years active2013–present
Websitewww.octaviabright.com

Octavia Hilary Bright (born 1986) is an English writer and broadcaster. She co-hosted the NTS Radio podcast Literary Friction (2015–2023). Her memoir This Ragged Grace was published in 2023.

Early life

Bright was born in central London. She completed a PhD at University College London (UCL) in the Spanish department.[1]

Career

In November 2013, Bright was invited to co-host the live talk show Literary Friction with agent Carrie Plitt on NTS Radio. In 2015, Literary Friction switched from a radio show to a podcast, still supported by NTS Radio. On the podcast, the duo recommended contemporary novels and interviewed various authors, including Dolly Alderton, Sally Rooney, Ocean Vuong and Deborah Levy.[2] Literary Friction was nominated for Best Culture Podcast at the 2018 British Podcast Awards,[3] while Vogue named it one of the best podcasts of 2021.[4] Garnering over a million downloads since its debut,[5] Literary Friction came to an end in 2023.[6] In addition, Bright recurrently presented episodes of the BBC Radio 4 programme Open Book,[7] ran a blog titled Lobsters for Liberty,[8] and wrote librettos with the likes of Héloïse Werner.[9]

Canongate Books picked up the rights in 2021 to publish Bright's debut book and memoir This Ragged Grace: A Memoir of Recovery and Renewal in 2023.[10] The memoir details Bright's journey with recovery from alcoholism, which she was first told she had at age 27 when she was finishing her PhD, as well as delving into her father's Alzheimer's diagnosis.[11][12][13]

Bibliography

  • This Ragged Grace: A Memoir of Recovery and Renewal (2023)

References

  1. ↑ "Octavia Bright". University College London – Academia. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  2. ↑ "In Conversation with Carrie Plitt and Octavia Bright". Sonder & Tell. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  3. ↑ Martin, Roy (1 October 2018). "British Podcast Awards 2018 – the winners". RadioToday. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Hess, Liam (16 December 2021). "The Best Podcasts of 2021". Vogue. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  5. ↑ Beevers, Hazel. "All Work and No Playlist? - Octavia Bright". Stranger Collective. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  6. ↑ Wood, Heloise (16 November 2023). "Mic drop for 'Literary Friction' podcast after 10 years". The Bookseller. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  7. ↑ Tobin, Katie. "Octavia Bright on selfhood and the confessional". The London Magazine. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "Octavia Bright: Heathcliff, It's Me 1 jul - 31 jul 2018". Art Matter. 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  9. ↑ "Music to my Ears Podcast: composer Héloïse Werner and librettist Octavia Bright". Classical Music. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  10. ↑ Comerford, Ruth (12 July 2021). "Canongate lands Bright's 'fiercely brave' non-fiction debut". The Bookseller. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  11. ↑ Power, Marianne (1 June 2023). "This Ragged Grace by Octavia Bright review — a memoir of drinking and overthinking". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  12. ↑ Grady, Kitty (1 June 2023). "This Ragged Grace: Octavia Bright's Emotive Memoir About Recovery". AnOther. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  13. ↑ Scholes, Lucy (14 June 2023). "'This Ragged Grace': a memoir that shakes off its generic constraints". Prospect. Retrieved 8 October 2024.(subscription required)