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The first job Angela Ledgerwood (BA 鈥�04 BCom 鈥�04) had in the United States was, fittingly, on the set of a film called The Jane Austen Book Club.

鈥淚鈥檇 just moved to LA and literally knew one person,鈥� she says over the phone from her home in New York City. 鈥淚 had no idea how to get a job in the States and my friend got me a gig as a wardrobe intern.鈥� The job was far from glamorous. 鈥淚听wasn鈥檛 allowed to hand any of the actors anything,鈥� Ledgerwood recalls. 鈥淪o I spent most of my time driving around, going to various Targets to get Spanx for the actresses.鈥�

While a career in film wasn鈥檛 on the cards for Ledgerwood (鈥淚 got bored very quickly!鈥�), the fact that the movie was about a book club was apt. Ledgerwood is now the host of the popular literary podcast, Lit Up. Since 2015, she has interviewed a different writer every week: Salman Rushdie, Roxane Gay, Ann Patchett, Jay McInerney, and many more.

In a world awash with podcasts, it seems almost foolhardy to launch a new one. But while watching The First Tuesday Book Club, Ledgerwood suddenly saw a gap in the book market, and knew she could fill it.

鈥淚 was covering books at [United States] Cosmopolitan at the time,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd the remit there was basically, 鈥楥hoose a few books coming out this month that the reader will like鈥�. There wasn鈥檛 any critiquing or judgement.鈥� Ledgerwood, who describes herself as the kind of bookish child who preferred to sit indoors and read while her mates played in the sun, jumped at the chance to create a platform for authors to speak about their books at length.

鈥淎s well as the books pages at Cosmo, I was interviewing a lot of amazing women 鈥� [actor] Julia Louis鈥慏reyfus, [Facebook Chief Operating Officer] Sheryl Sandberg, Senator Elizabeth Warren. I would speak to them for 40 minutes or so, knowing only a few paragraphs would make the magazine. I really wanted a way to have proper, long conversations with authors and notable people I loved and admired.鈥� And so, Lit Up was born.

Two years on, Ledgerwood has interviewed authors from acclaimed essayist Sloane Crosley to controversial Norwegian memoirist Karl Ove Knausgaard. Her guests are many and varied 鈥� there are fiction and non鈥慺iction authors, Americans and international writers, men and women, debut authors and听industry veterans.

The show is funny and illuminating, a testament to Ledgerwood鈥檚 ability to put her subjects at ease immediately. 鈥淚鈥檓 most interested in where people鈥檚 art or creativity intersects with their life and their experiences, maybe even more so than the writing process,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want to get to the illuminating parts of the authors鈥� lives that have shaped the issues they鈥檙e interested in or drawn to.鈥� Often, she says, this comes back to childhood and family.

Her own childhood was largely spent reading and watching old movies. "There was a joke in my family that I liked hanging out with Bill Collins (BA 鈥�56 DipEd 鈥�57 MEd 鈥�65), who introduced the Sunday afternoon movies, more than other kids!鈥�

It may have seemed obvious that she would pursue a career in the arts, but when it came time to choose her university degree, she faltered. 鈥淚 chose commerce because I thought I needed to be serious. I did arts, too, which I loved, but听I had little interest in my commerce subjects.鈥�

Ledgerwood, who resided at Women鈥檚 College for two years, recalls being hauled into the office by then鈥憄rincipal and CEO, Quentin Bryce (DLaws (Honoris Causa) 鈥�09), when it became obvious she was barely going to pass accounting. 鈥淪he听told me to get it together, basically,鈥� says Ledgerwood, laughing. 鈥淚 told her I hated accounting and she said that wasn鈥檛 really important. I鈥檇 chosen it 鈥� I had to give it my best. It was a听great lesson.鈥�

After uni, which included a year on exchange at Cornell University in the United States, Ledgerwood made her way back for that fateful job on The Jane Austen Book Club. From there, she drifted a little. Internships at small magazines, a job at an online recruitment portal, and a master鈥檚 degree in fine arts followed before Ledgerwood found her feet at Interview magazine, then Cosmopolitan, where she was working when she听conceived Lit Up.

As she started the job at Cosmopolitan, she was close to broke. 鈥淢y mum always said, 鈥榗ome home鈥� but I听felt like I couldn鈥檛 until I鈥檇 done something I was really proud of. I听just had听to keep going.鈥�

With the podcast, she says, she has created something she鈥檚 incredibly proud of. Does she get nervous interviewing big鈥憂ame authors, particularly ones whose work she admires? 鈥淪ometimes,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e admired Siri Hustvedt鈥檚 work for a long time and I was really nervous about interviewing her. But I鈥檝e learned that the interview is not about me; it鈥檚 about the other person, and that has been so freeing. I approach interviews with the idea that it鈥檚 my job to make this person be the best version of themselves for an hour 鈥� to let their work and their personality come through.鈥�

After two years interviewing literary luminaries, Ledgerwood still has plenty of potential authors on her wish list. 鈥淶adie Smith would be amazing,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd JK Rowling. I have so many questions for her.鈥�

There鈥檚 one interview she鈥檇 like to do over again 鈥� with fellow Aussie Richard Flanagan. That conversation made her cry. 鈥淲e听recorded right after he won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for The Narrow Road to the Deep North. I was a mess. That book hit a nerve with me; I loved it fiercely.鈥�

Putting the incident down to a mix of homesickness and a deep love of the book, Ledgerwood felt so bad about crying during the recording that she never uploaded it. 鈥淲e still have it,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e might run it one day. My producer told me the听crying was the best bit!鈥�

Written by Lauren Sams (BA(Hons) 鈥�07)
Photography by Natan Dvir

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