Solid Gold Podcasts #BeHeard The Hidden Lives of Writers

S06 E01 Alistair Mackay

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Alistair Mackay is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of the dystopian novel IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY and the literary novel THE CHILD. His most recent release is a collection of short stories entitled THE LUCKY ONES.

Alistair joins Fiona Snyckers and Gail Schimmel to talk about what it means to write queer fiction and what it was like to live and write in New York City.

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Chapters
  • 00:01 Writing struggles and current projects
  • 04:53 Media consumption and linguistic questions
  • 09:27 Introduction of guest Alistair Mackay
  • 12:06 Audiobook recording experience
  • 15:40 Alistair's typical writing process
  • 17:51 Alistair's journey to becoming a writer
  • 21:51 Development of Alistair's published works
  • 24:29 Eco-narratives and dystopian fiction
  • 28:48 Personal exposure in writing
  • 33:00 Therapy in fiction
  • 35:52 Writing sex scenes
  • 38:24 World building in dystopian fiction
  • 41:08 Short story writing process
  • 46:01 Writing queer fiction in South Africa
  • 52:24 Generational changes in queer experience
  • 55:06 Future writing plans
  • 58:09 Reception and current media consumption
  • 01:02:29 Closing reflections
8 Sep 2025 English Explicit South Africa Books · Arts

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