For Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak, home isn't a physical place; it lives in the stories we tell.
Elif is an award-winning novelist, celebrated for writing about the lives of people on the margins. She has spent much of her life moving between countries, cultures and languages. Yet she feels most at home in the world of books, stories and imagination – a place she calls ‘Storyland’.
In this conversation, we talk about the loneliness that first drew her to stories, and what it means to write in a language that isn’t your mother tongue.
She also tells me about being forced to write with her right hand as a child, her experience of postpartum depression, and why it’s so important that we talk openly about our mental health.
This is a conversation about stories, exile and belonging – and how home can be found beyond the physical.
Guest Info:
Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist, whose work has been translated into fifty-eight languages. Her new novel
IN ONE BRIEF MOMENT ALL ETERNITY is published on
15 October 2026 and available in all good bookshops. Her previous novel,
THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY, was the UK’s bestselling literary hardback novel of 2025, selling over 500,000 copies.
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@homingwithmattContact: Email us at
hello@mattgibberd.comMatt Gibberd’s book,
A Modern Way to Live, is available here:
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/320176/a-modern-way-to-live-by-gibberd-matt/9780241480496Music by
@simeonwalkermusicIdentity & design by
@lena.winkler.creative.officeProduced by
@podshoponline
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What is Homing?
The Homing podcast explores the importance of home in shaping who we are.
Join Matt Gibberd, author and co-founder of The Modern House, as he takes listeners inside the homes of inspiring guests to examine what really happens inside our walls – how they influence our emotions, creativity and sense of self.
Featuring leading voices from art, film, wellbeing and beyond, Homing is a thoughtful journey into remarkable homes and the minds that shape them.
Be prepared for tears, laughter, and everything in between.
"The Best Podcasts To Listen To" – Vogue
Homing is produced by Podshop, with music by Simeon Walker.
Homing is an independent podcast and operates as a separate venture from The Modern House Limited. While Matt Gibberd is a co-founder of The Modern House, all opinions expressed on Homing are solely those of the host and his guests.