Welcome to Calibre Conversations, celebrating the best authors and the power of accessibility. You'll find in-depth author interviews every month throughout the National Year of Reading.

You can watch or listen to our interviews below.

Matt Cain is a writer, broadcaster and leading commentator on LGBTQ+ issues. He’s a patron of LGBT+ History Month, has received an honorary doctorate from Bolton University, addressed the Cambridge Union, and in 2025 was awarded an MBE for services to LGBTQ+ culture. 

 
Matt’s bestselling novels include The Madonna Of Bolton, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle and One Love. His latest, The Castle of Stories, will be published in June 2026. 

Swapna Haddow, who also writes as ‘Swapna Reddy’, is the award-winning children’s author of the Dave Pigeon and The Terrible Trio series. She loves writing about boisterous characters and madcap adventures and is working with Scholastic, Faber & Faber, HarperCollins, Magic Cat, Macmillan and Oxford University Press to bring stories to readers around the world, with her books currently translated into over thirty languages.

Ruth's debut novel, A Perfect Year?, was inspired by the round robin letters she receives every year and the stories they tell about our lives.

Sally is a multi-award-winning author and Carnegie Medal recipient. Sally has sold more than 3 million books worldwide.