The Exophonic Writer Podcast
Hi, I'm Zoe! 🙋♀️ I'm a Visual Linguist and Exophonic Writer based in Melbourne, Australia. Join me each episode while I podcast my quest to understand how exophony is changing the world.
Exophony (or the art of creative writing in a non-native language) is an old practice that's getting more and more prominence in recent years.
Some questions that keep me awake at night (which fuel this podcast) are:
✨Why do writers choose to write in a non-native language over their mother tongue? How does this choice impact their work?
✨Is the world welcoming the works of exophonic writers? Or are they treated as less good than native authors?
✨Are exophonic writers embracing our own imperfect styles or are we trying to appear as close to native as possible?
✨ What will normalising exophonic practices mean for global readers and literature?
If that sounds like what you need to hear right now, press play and embark with me in an exophonic creative journey! 🎧 SEASON 2, COMING AUGUST 1ST 2025! 🎧
The Exophonic Writer Podcast
11 - Bonus series: 🪄 Magical/Playful Fiction 🪄
Welcome and I hope you enjoy the topic of today:
fiction that is playful and magical and interactive and fun. 🌈✨
As I mention in the episode, this is not a category that already exists in libraries and bookstores, but a rather personal mix of my own.
These are the books and authors mentioned:
🪄Alice in Wonderland - By Lewis Carroll
🪄The Jabberwocky:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQos7-Vq8M
🪄The little Prince - By Antoine de Saint Exupery
🪄Lemony Snicket (Alter ego of writer Daniel Handler)
🪄Dailan Kifki - María Elena Walsh (legendary Argentinian singer-songwriter and storyteller)
🪄 Fortunately, the Milk - Neil Gaiman
🪄 Novels in verse by Sarah Crossan
🪄 Love that Dog - by Sharon Creech (also in verse)
🪄Calligram "The Apple" by R. C. Rigg
https://moodle.sd79.bc.ca/mod/book/view.php?id=50335&chapterid=40107
And what do all these books have in common?
Well, they are all for children AND for adults. Maybe carrying a different message for each group.
They make a particular use of repetition for comedic effect.
There's plenty of interaction with the readers and they feature very unusual narrators.
Long story short (ha!) they are more than the story they seem to be. They carry an extra shot of magic and surprise to razzle-dazzle their readers.
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider rating and reviewing the podcast to help other listeners find us!
Also, come and say hi on Instagram:
@the_exophonic_writer
I'll be thrilled to hear from you! :)
