# Octavia Bright

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{{Short description|English writer}}
{{Infobox person
| image        = 
| caption      = 
| birth_name   = Octavia Hilary Bright
| birth_date   = {{birth year and age|1986}}
| birth_place  = [Westminster](/source/Westminster), London, England
| alma_mater   = [University College London](/source/University_College_London) {{small|(PhD)}}
| occupation   = 
| years_active = 2013–present
| website      = {{URL|https://www.octaviabright.com/}}
}}
'''Octavia Hilary Bright''' (born 1986) is an English writer and broadcaster. She co-hosted the [NTS Radio](/source/NTS_Radio) podcast ''Literary Friction'' (2015–2023). Her memoir ''This Ragged Grace'' was published in 2023.

==Early life==
Bright was born in central London. She completed a [PhD](/source/PhD) at [University College London](/source/University_College_London) (UCL) in the Spanish department.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ucl.academia.edu/OctaviaBright|title=Octavia Bright|work=University College London – Academia|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref>

==Career==
In November 2013, Bright was invited to co-host the live talk show ''Literary Friction'' with agent Carrie Plitt on [NTS Radio](/source/NTS_Radio). In 2015, ''Literary Friction'' switched from a radio show to a podcast, still supported by NTS Radio. On the podcast, the duo recommended contemporary novels and interviewed various authors, including [Dolly Alderton](/source/Dolly_Alderton), [Sally Rooney](/source/Sally_Rooney), [Ocean Vuong](/source/Ocean_Vuong) and [Deborah Levy](/source/Deborah_Levy).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sonderandtell.com/2019/04/carrie-plitt-and-octavia-bright/|title=In Conversation with Carrie Plitt and Octavia Bright|work=Sonder & Tell|date=2 April 2019|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref> ''Literary Friction'' was nominated for Best Culture Podcast at the 2018 [British Podcast Awards](/source/British_Podcast_Awards),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2018/05/british-podcast-awards-2018-the-winners/|title=British Podcast Awards 2018 – the winners|work=RadioToday|first=Roy|last=Martin|date=1 October 2018|accessdate=31 May 2021}}</ref> while ''[Vogue](/source/Vogue_(magazine))'' named it one of the best podcasts of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/best-podcasts-of-2021|title=The Best Podcasts of 2021|work=Vogue|first=Liam|last=Hess|date=16 December 2021|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref> Garnering over a million downloads since its debut,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stranger-collective.com/all-work-and-no-playlist-octavia-bright/|title=All Work and No Playlist? - Octavia Bright|work=Stranger Collective|first=Hazel|last=Beevers|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref> ''Literary Friction'' came to an end in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/mic-drop-for-literary-friction-podcast-after-10-years|title=Mic drop for 'Literary Friction' podcast after 10 years|work=The Bookseller|first=Heloise|last=Wood|date=16 November 2023|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref> In addition, Bright recurrently presented episodes of the [BBC Radio 4](/source/BBC_Radio_4) programme ''[Open Book](/source/Open_Book_(radio))'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thelondonmagazine.org/interview-octavia-bright-on-selfhood-and-the-confessional/|title=Octavia Bright on selfhood and the confessional|work=The London Magazine|first=Katie|last=Tobin|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref> ran a blog titled ''Lobsters for Liberty'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artmatter.dk/artguide/calendar/octavia-bright-heathcliff-its-me|title=Octavia Bright: Heathcliff, It's Me 1 jul - 31 jul 2018|work=Art Matter|date=2018|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref> and wrote [libretto](/source/libretto)s with the likes of [Héloïse Werner](/source/H%C3%A9lo%C3%AFse_Werner).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.classical-music.com/listen/podcast/music-to-my-ears-podcast-composer-heloise-werner-and-librettist-octavia-bright|title=Music to my Ears Podcast: composer Héloïse Werner and librettist Octavia Bright|work=Classical Music|date=24 June 2021|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref>

[Canongate Books](/source/Canongate_Books) picked up the rights in 2021 to publish Bright's debut book and memoir ''This Ragged Grace: A Memoir of Recovery and Renewal'' in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/canongate-lands-brights-fiercely-brave-non-fiction-debut-1268881|title=Canongate lands Bright's 'fiercely brave' non-fiction debut|work=The Bookseller|first=Ruth|last=Comerford|date=12 July 2021|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref> The memoir details Bright's journey with recovery from alcoholism, which she was first told she had at age 27 when she was finishing her [PhD](/source/PhD), as well as delving into her father's [Alzheimer's](/source/Alzheimer's_disease) diagnosis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/this-ragged-grace-by-octavia-bright-review-9mbxm7trx|title=This Ragged Grace by Octavia Bright review — a memoir of drinking and overthinking|work=The Sunday Times|first=Marianne|last=Power|date=1 June 2023|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/14906/octavia-bright-this-ragged-grace-addiction-memoir-literary-friction|title=This Ragged Grace: Octavia Bright's Emotive Memoir About Recovery|work=AnOther|first=Kitty|last=Grady|date=1 June 2023|accessdate=8 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/culture/61766/this-ragged-grace-a-memoir-that-shakes-off-its-generic-constraints|title='This Ragged Grace': a memoir that shakes off its generic constraints|work=Prospect|first=Lucy|last=Scholes|date=14 June 2023|accessdate=8 October 2024}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* ''This Ragged Grace: A Memoir of Recovery and Renewal'' (2023)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bright, Octavia}}
Category:Living people
Category:1986 births
Category:Alumni of University College London
Category:British women literary critics
Category:British women podcasters
Category:British podcasters
Category:English librettists
Category:English literary critics
Category:English women memoirists
Category:Writers from the City of Westminster

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Octavia Bright](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_Bright) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_Bright?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.