Deep Read with Phoebe Lovatt

Feeld CEO Ana Kirova: Modern Dating (App) Culture, Love and Capitalism, New Definitions of Sexuality

Deep Reading Lists for each episode are available at phoebe.substack.com
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My guest today is Ana Kirova, CEO of Feeld –" a dating app for open-minded individuals". Founded in London in 2014, the app now has hundreds of thousands of users worldwide and offers over 20 Sexuality and gender identity options – making it the go-to for anyone seeking a connection beyond the heterosexual, cis-gendered end of the dating spectrum. I had a fantastic time talking to Ana about the way that our romantic, sexual, and familial lives are rapidly evolving – as well as how broader cultural and economic shifts play into the ways we have sex and fall in love. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
 
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@phoebelovatt
@phoebelovattpubliclibrary
@feeldco

Author Sheena Patel: The Shadow Self, Shame, Navigating ”The System”

Deep Reading lists for every episode are available at phoebe.substack.com
 
My guest today is the author Sheena Patel, whose debut novel I’m a Fan was published to widespread acclaim in 2022.
 
We had a wide-ranging conversation about her experience of writing her debut novel, her decision to spotlight the very darkest impulses of human nature, and why she hopes I'm A Fan will age badly. I hope you enjoy the conversation!
 
 
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@phoebelovatt
@phoebelovattpubliclibrary
@imightbesheenapatel

Isabella Burley: Creating Climax Books, The Value of Cultural Ephemera, Time Management for Modern Creatives

Deep Reading lists for every episode are available at phoebe.substack.com
My guest today is Isabella Burley, former Editor-in-Chief of DAZED, current CMO of Acne Studios and founder of Climax - a distributor of specialist materials.
We talked about the lightbulb moment that led to Climax, her thoughts on the growing value of rare books and cultural ephemera, and how she manages multiple projects without burning out. I hope you enjoy the conversation!
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@phoebelovatt
@phoebelovattpubliclibrary
@climaxbooks
 

Louise Chen: Using Music as a Language, Finding Freedom in London, Why She’s Quitting DJing (!)

Further Reading Lists are available at public-library.online
@phoebelovatt
@phoebelovattpubliclibrary
@chchchen
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My guest today is the DJ and promoter Louise Chen - who also happens to be my long-time friend! Born and raised in Luxembourg, Louise moved to Paris in her early twenties, where she co-founded the iconic club night, Girls Girls Girls. Since, then she’s built a thriving career DJing at clubs, parties, and festivals worldwide, as well as hosting a regular NTS radio show, CheNTS, from her new homebase of London. Anyone who has heard Louise DJ in a club knows she’s guaranteed to fill a dance floor in minutes, and anyone who has had a conversation with her knows she’s incredibly astute on topics from politics to fashion to her speciality genre, pop culture. My chats with Louise can and do go anywhere -and this one is just a small sampling of her range.
I hope you enjoy it!

Amy Key: Life Beyond Romantic Love, The Joys of Solitude, How Music Shapes Us

Further Reading Lists are available at public-library.online
@phoebelovatt
@phoebelovattpubliclibrary
@msamykey
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My guest today is the author and poet, Amy Key, whose debut novel, 'Arrangements in Blue: Notes on Love and Making a Life', came out last month.
Inspired by Joni Mitchell’s seminal 1971 album Blue, the book is a poignant exploration of what it means to live without romantic love. Writing with great honesty and vulnerability - and also, beauty -  Amy recounts her, often painful attempts to reconcile with her long-term single status in a world obsessed with coupledom. But Arrangements in Blue is also a celebration of the joys of solitude and a manifesto for the importance of decentering romantic love in our lives and pouring into all the other relationships and practices that sustain us.
I hope you enjoy our conversation!

Kieran Yates: Finding Home, Music and Memory, How we Fight Britain’s Housing Crisis

My guest today is Kieran Yates, a prolific cultural journalist and the author of a new book: 'All The Houses I’ve Ever Lived In’: Finding Home in a System that Fails Us' – a funny, poignant, and thoroughly-reported assessment of Britain’s chronic housing crisis, told through the lens of Kieran’s own experiences of housing precarity from childhood onwards.
I hope you enjoy our conversation.
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Further reading lists are available at public-library.online

Fran Burns: Becoming a ”Super Stylist”, The Joys of Image-Making, Life Beyond Burnout

My guest today is the acclaimed stylist, publisher, and creative consultant Francesca Burns (@franburns). We spoke about how fashion helped form her identity; her rise in the industry; her approach to getting dressed now; and her thoughts on being described as a "super-stylist".
I hope you enjoy the conversation!
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Further reading lists are available at public-library.online

ELIJAH: Making Art in a Technology-Driven World, Social Media as a Canvas, Privilege and Positivity

*DEEP READ-ing Lists for each episode are available at public-library.online*
 
My guest today is Elijah: DJ, producer, artist  manager and now founder of Yellow Squares - a vessel for ideas on how to build a creative career in today’s technology-driven world.
 
Originally conceived as an Instagram feed of punchy, Post It-style principles and questions  Yellow Squares has become an evolving medium for Elijah’s own creativity -  one that he has translated into live talks in locations from Tokyo to Sao Paolo and an album produced in collaboration with grime MC Jammz. Elijah’s optimistic but clear-headed philosophy has had a positive and expansive impact on the way I think about my own creative work, and I think it could do the same for yours. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Lou Stoppard: Writing vs. Curation, Obsessing over Weirdness, and Working with ”Fashion People”

*Deep Read-ing Lists for each episode are available at public-library.online*
My guest today is the writer, curator and broadcaster, Lou Stoppard.
Not long after completing a degree at Oxford University and an MA at Central Saint Martin’s, Lou was made editor at Nick Knight’s pioneering fashion platform SHOWStudio, where became known for her in-depth live interviews with the likes of Kanye West and Wolfgang Tillmans. Since then, Lou has written for The New Yorker, Aperture, and The New York Times, edited books on iconic fashion partnerships and the allure of swimming pools for Rizzoli, and curated exhibitions at London’s Somerset House and the Het Nieuwe institute in Rotterdam.
I really enjoy Lou’s curious, wide-ranging approach to her work, and it was a pleasure to learn more about the ideas and inspirations that have shaped her career.

Oliver Burkeman: Time Management for Mortals, Rethinking Productivity, Embracing Limitations

*Deep Read-ing Lists for each episode are available at public-library.online*
My guest today is the author and journalist, Oliver Burkeman.
I first interviewed Oliver back in 2019, when he was writing ‘This Column Will Change Your Life’ for The Guardian. Since then, he has become the best-selling author of ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals’ -which is a thoughtful and thought-provoking challenge to our futile modern obsession with 'getting everything done’.
Its core message - to embrace your limits, accept mortality, and give up on the belief that you will ever complete your to-do list - is a much-needed antidote to the productivity gospel that has dominated our culture for all too long.