
Wednesday Aug 13, 2025
S11E2 The Place of Tides: James Rebanks ventures into pastures new
“ In my head, it's not a departure from the writer that I think I am.” ~James Rebanks
You probably know him for his wildly successful books exploring his long family history farming in the Lake District - but James Rebanks has decided to turn his hand to something different this time.
The Place of Tides is a departure from the work that has made him famous, namely bestsellers The Shepherd’s Life and English Pastoral. But to James, this is just an evolution of the writer he knows himself to be. This new book charts James’ journey to a remote Norwegian island, where he takes part in a centuries old trade that’s being kept alive by a single woman.
During this conversation, James explains what first brought him to the island - and why he decided to make a return visit to write the book. He explores his unorthodox - but incredibly effective - writing style. And he explains his obsession with finding “the perfect metaphor”.
In this episode, you will learn:
- Why you should immerse yourself in the location that you’re writing about
- The passage readers most love from James’ work
- What it means to fully committing to your craft
Find out more about James here.
Your host is inkjockey founder Mark Heywood.
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You can view the full transcript here.
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