Beyond the Books

An LLC podcast that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at research and the people who make it happen. Researched, curated, edited and presented by PhD students Emma Aviet (2021 to 2022) and Ellen Davis-Walker (2020).

Series 2 - 2021 to 2022

Host - Emma Aviet

Photo of Emma in her home studio — Emma in her home studio

"During my time as an undergraduate, I often found myself really fascinated by and yet really afraid of academics. Although I had many questions for them, I was often too scared to speak up, thinking I’d be out of my depth. When I came to the University of Edinburgh, I realised how much these sorts of conversations can and should be encouraged.

I finally felt comfortable having real discussions not only about research, but about academia. I want this podcast to be a place where people can see what some of these conversations look like so that they feel encouraged to go out and have their own."

Emma is a PhD candidate in English Literature

Meet your host

Meet Emma Aviet, the host of Beyond the Books - Series 2. In this minisode, Emma tells us how she left Silicon Valley for student life in Edinburgh (firstly to do an MSc, latterly a PhD in literature), why she applied to be our host, and what she hopes you'll take away from Beyond the Books.

Episode 1

In this first episode of Beyond the Books - Series 2, Emma Aviet talks to Wilson McLeod, Professor of Gaelic in our department of Celtic and Scottish Studies, and recent recipient of a Saltire Society Fletcher of Saltoun Award, about diversity, technology and more.

Read our interview with Wilson about his Fletcher of Saltoun Award

Episode 2

In this episode, Emma Aviet talks to Anna Kemball, a fourth year PhD candidate in English Literature. Positioned within the Medical Humanities, Anna’s research focuses on a range of indigenous writers across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.

Episode 3

In this episode, Emma talks to Dr Youngmi Kim, Senior Lecturer in Korean Studies and Director of the Centre for Korean Studies. They discuss Youngmi's personal journey to becoming an academic and her research on the rise of polarization, inequality and political contention in South Korea.

Episode 4

In this episode, Emma talks to talks to Dr Isabel Seguí, a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies. Together they discuss the fascinating research Isabel is conducting on Women’s Nonfiction Filmmaking in Peru, as well as her journey into academia and to securing a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship for 2020-2023.

Episode 5

In this episode, Emma talks to Bahar Fayeghi, a second year PhD student in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Together they discuss Bahar's work as an intern with the United Nations and her current research on Afghan women refugees in Iran and how they help their families survive and thrive, despite enormous difficulties.

Series 1 - 2020

Host - Ellen Davis-Walker

Photo of podcast host in studio — Ellen in the LLC studio

"I never thought I’d end up studying in Edinburgh, let alone doing a PhD. When I started, it struck me that a lot of people had a similar story. We all come to research for different reasons, and in a myriad of different ways.

Every episode we sit down with a new guest to find out more about their academic journey, and how their research has changed their view of the world. When we move beyond the books, what do we have in common, and what can we learn in the process?"

Ellen is a PhD candidate in French and Francophone Studies

Trailer

Listen to our trailer for Beyond the Books, where host Ellen Davis-Walker introduces the podcast and explains what it's about, who she talks to in the first series (2020), and why she got involved.