Ali McClary: 'This story started as a conversation between two young women'

Ali McClary: 'This story started as a conversation between two young women'

Author: Fictionable August 8, 2025 Duration: 15:15

We've already heard from AL Kennedy and Pete Segall in this summer series of podcasts, and we’ll be hearing from Sheyla Smanioto and Dafydd McKimm over the next few weeks. But this time we're summoning up Ali McClary and her short story Proper Magic.


McClary confesses that the intense friendship between Min and Hazel is drawn from her own experience.


"I hope that all girls, all women have these kinds of friendships," she says, "that feel a little bit magic, a little bit disgusting."


They may not always end well, McClary continues, "but for those brief moments or those long, hot summers, they're really beautiful, and they're the most important thing in people's lives".


The trauma buried at the core of Proper Magic emerged out of the writing process. And it was only when looking back at the story and starting to edit that the author says she realised "how dark and how heavy the secret at the heart of the story is".


"When grief hits," McClary explains, "or there's a big cataclysmic event in someone's life, I think it's fairly common that people slip out of reality a little bit. Everything becomes slightly unreal, they see everything with an entirely different lens because the world as they have known it for so long has been completely shattered."


We'll be looking beyond the real with Dafydd McKimm next time, and his short story The Nosebleed.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Fictionable is a space for those drawn to the compact power of short stories and the vivid narratives of graphic fiction. Each episode delves into the craft and culture surrounding these forms, featuring conversations with the writers and artists themselves. We explore the techniques behind compelling brevity, the unique challenges of visual storytelling, and the diverse literary scenes influencing work today. The discussion often extends to broader book chat, examining how these shorter pieces fit into the wider landscape of reading and creativity. It’s a podcast built for curious readers who find entire worlds in a few pages or panels, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the stories published in the Fictionable collection. You’ll hear about inspiration, process, and the personal connections that fuel these works, all sourced from a global community of creators. The aim is to deepen appreciation for the art form while celebrating the voices shaping it. This isn’t just analysis; it’s an invitation into the ongoing conversation between author, artist, and audience. Join us for a thoughtful and engaging exploration of narrative in its most concentrated and visually dynamic forms.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 59

Fictionable
Podcast Episodes
Robert Neuwirth: 'I wanted it to be plausible as a machine thinking' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:18
In this Winter series of podcasts we've heard from Linda Mannheim, Richard Smyth and Ariel Marken Jack. This time we welcome Robert Neuwirth and his short story The Disambiguation.Neuwirth tells us how his story started…
Ariel Marken Jack: 'The way I fight back is through my writing' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:47
We've already heard from Linda Mannheim and Richard Smyth in this Winter series, and now it's time for Ariel Marken Jack and their story The Bread Boy.Marken Jack tells us how their writing began in isolation, flat on th…
Richard Smyth: 'We all need an Otherland' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:58
Last week we heard from Linda Mannheim, who told us that the only way she can go back to the neighbourhood where she grew up is in fiction. This time we welcome Richard Smyth and his short story Karóly Bálint's Metaphor.…
Linda Mannheim: 'What is a happy ending?' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:06
In this Winter series of podcasts, we'll be hearing from Richard Smyth, Ariel Marken Jack, Robert Neuwirth and Liam Hogan. We start off with Linda Mannheim, who joined us down the line from Berlin.Mannheim explains how t…
Irena Karpa: 'Literature must entertain, especially in dark times' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:19
After hearing last week from M John Harrison, who discussed how he makes fiction from fragments of reality, this week we turn it up to eleven as we welcome Irena Karpa. Fuelled by the latest track from her band, Qarpa, s…
Sabba Khan: 'The terraced house is a big character in this story' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:55
This summer we've been hearing a little more from our amazing authors in an expanded series of podcasts. Joyce Carol Oates confessed she feels "like a fourteen-year-old girl" while Fiona Mozley admitted to an "awkward pe…