The Dale Hurst Writing Show – Season 6

Season 6 of The Dale Hurst Writing Show began on 6 August 2026, continuing its association with The Bournemouth Journal by the MA Creative Writing and Publishing course at Bournemouth University.

In addition to its usual discussions with new guests from the worlds of writing, publishing and storytelling, this series also invited back some old friends to weigh in with their insights. Most notably, the podcast’s first-ever attempt at a round table discussion, coming later this year.

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56. Constructing Fantasy for Children (with Jacob North)

As a genre full of potential complexities, how do writers tackle the fantasy genre to make it accessible for younger readers? With lore, magic systems, world building, characterisation and scale to consider, among other things, how do we avoid the risk of patronising prose, accidental over-fluffy fairy tales, or overcomplicating the story for the audience?

Author of the Ice Apprentices series, Jacob North, joins the show to speak about his experiences.

57. The Western (with Nathanael Hummel)

This time, the podcast tackles the realm of sheriffs, saloons and (gun)slinging, as well as the less stereotypical elements of writing a Western, whether in prose or on screen.

Author and fellow writing podcaster, Nathanael Hummel joins us to lend us his understanding. You can follow him on Instagram for more information.

The Dale Hurst Writing Show is a fortnightly, seasonal podcast. To get in touch about topics and guests for future seasons, or for more author news and views, refer to Dale’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Also, to check our latest updates, head over to the blog page.