18.1 Kit de Waal, Writer

<p>How do you find your authentic voice? Viv Groskop talks to the writer, Kit de Waal, who found success later in life with her book <em>My Name is Leon.</em> Kit tells Viv how she reconciled the different parts of her Birmingham childhood, born to an Irish mother and African-Caribbean father, in her recent memoir - <em>Without Warning and Only Sometimes: Scenes from an Unpredictable Childhood</em>. Not expecting to even make it into adulthood, Kit says that every day has been a bonus. Although she was brought up in the ‘oppressive and joyless’ Jehovah Witness religion, she tells Viv how it prepared her for one thing – and that was public speaking. Talking to a literary crowd was, however, another matter. Overcoming self-doubt and nerves, she shares her secret with Viv: know your subject, and the rest will flow.</p> <p>Find out more about Kit de Waal’s memoir: <em><a href= "https://uk.bookshop.org/books/without-warning-and-only-sometimes-scenes-from-an-unpredictable-childhood/9781472284839"> Without Warning and Only Sometimes: Scenes from an Unpredictable Childhood</a></em>.</p> <p>A new updated edition of Viv's book, <a href= "https://uk.bookshop.org/contributors/viv-groskop">How to Own the Room</a> is out now.</p> <p>@vivgroskop</p>