Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE shares her life of relentless campaigning for justice for her son, Stephen Lawrence. She’s a multi-award winning campaigner and an author, but most importantly she’s a fighter. Her tireless campaigning led to the MacPherson inquiry, which described the Metropolitan Police as “institutionally racist”. In 2003, she was given an OBE for services to community relations and founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to promote community legacy in her son’s name. Her memoir, And Still I Rise, was published in 2007, and in 2020 she was appointed as race relations advisor for the Labour Party. Stephen Lawrence Day is marked officially in the British calendar every 22nd April, commemorating the anniversary of Stephen’s death. The day is an opportunity to celebrate Stephen’s life, to educate young people about the significance of his legacy and highlight the ongoing work of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation.   The Foundation, established amid unprecedented growing global awareness of racial inequality, and exists to inspire a more equal, inclusive society, and to foster opportunities for marginalised young people in the UK. The Foundation is the home of Stephen Lawrence’s legacy and has education at its core, focusing on three areas: Classrooms, Community and  Careers. Doreen’s book choices are:  ** The Color Purple by Alice Walker ** Beloved by Toni Morrison ** Becoming by Michelle Obama ** I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou ** Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season five of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.   Don’t want to miss the rest of Season Five? Listen and subscribe now!   This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Activist and author Scarlett Curtis celebrates Virginia Woolf and her brave and trailblazing attitude to mental health. Former Women’s Prize for Fiction judge, Scarlett, is co-founder of The Pink Protest which has helped change two laws: a bill to help end period poverty and another to include FGM in the Children’s Act. She’s curated two books, Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and Other Lies) and It’s Not Okay to Feel Blue (and Other Lies); the former is a National Book Award winner. Her podcast, Feminists Don’t Wear Pink, amassed over 1 million listens in only 25 episodes. Scarlett’s book choices are:  ** Girls in Love by Jacqueline Wilson ** I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith ** Dawn by Octavia Butler ** Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf ** The Accidental by Ali Smith Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season five of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.   Don’t want to miss the rest of Season Five? Listen and subscribe now!   This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campaigner, Gina Miller tells Vick Hope how she has taken adversity and turned it into power. Gina is a businesswoman and dedicated philanthropist who strongly believes in standing up for what she thinks is right, no matter the cost. She has shown this through her social justice work, her True and Fair Campaign, and through the legal challenges she launched against the government during Brexit. Her memoir, Rise, tells Gina’s remarkable story. Gina’s book choices are:  ** The Art of War for Women – adapted from Sun Tzu's Art of War - by Chin Ning Chu ** I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou ** The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood ** A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season five of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.   Don’t want to miss the rest of Season Five? Listen and subscribe now!   This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join this season’s new host Vick Hope as she talks to Gabby Logan MBE, sports presenter and former gymnast, about the three M’s – midlife, motherhood and her MBE.  Gabby is a broadcaster, prolific writer, podcaster and former gymnast. She became a familiar face on our TV screens in the 1990s, and since then has presented every major sporting event in the UK. In 2020 she received an MBE for services to sports broadcasting and the promotion of women in sport. Gabby tells us about the loves and losses in her life, through the books by women that have influenced her.   Gabby’s book choices are:  ** How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran ** The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ by Sue Townsend ** The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan ** This Book Will Save Your Life by AM Homes  ** Life after Life by Kate Atkinson Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season five of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors, kicking off with guest Gabby Logan. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and they continue to champion the very best books written by women.   Don’t want to miss the rest of Season Five? Listen and subscribe now!   This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special episode to mark International Women’s Day 2022, multi-award winning author, screenwriter and playwright Malorie Blackman OBE joins host Zawe Ashton to tell her why writing about black joy is so important to her.   After being discouraged from being a teacher because of the colour of her skin, Malorie went on to write over 70 children’s, YA and picture books (some of which have been adapted into hugely successful TV dramas and stage plays), and was the first black Children’s Laureate between 2013 and 2015. As she tells Zawe, the omission of black characters from the books she read as a child fueled her fire, and despite receiving over 80 rejection letters on her writing journey, she persevered. For many readers of colour, her work has allowed them to finally see themselves in literature, and her Noughts and Crosses series of six titles and three novellas are now considered one of the most substantial contributions ever to be made to young adult fiction.   Malorie’s book choices are:  ** Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë  ** Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier ** The Color Purple by Alice Walker ** The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison  ** The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor   Zawe Ashton, acclaimed actress, director, playwright and author, hosts this special edition of the chart-topping Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. The new Women’s Prize Podcast season continues to celebrate the best fiction written by women, by interviewing inspirational women about the books that have most influenced their life and career.   This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are closing the season with a bang as multi award-winning singer songwriter Emeli Sandé joins host Zawe Ashton to tell her how women’s writing supported her through her journey from quiet medical student to chart-topping megastar.    Emeli doesn’t really need an introduction, as you’ve undoubtedly heard of her, or her incredible music. She’s got an MBE, she performed at the London Olympics opening AND closing ceremonies, and she’s been making brilliant music for over a decade. She’s one of those artists who manages to be both other worldly and someone you really think you should be friends with all at once.    Emeli’s book choices are:  ** I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings  by Dr Maya Angelou  ** I, Born a Woman and Distressed by Edna St. Vincent Millay ** Half of a Yellow Sun  by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ** A Room of One’s Own  by Virginia Woolf  ** Maria Callas: The Woman Behind the Legend by Arianna Huffington   Zawe Ashton, acclaimed actress, director, playwright and author, hosts Season Four of the chart-topping Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. The new Women’s Prize Podcast season continues to celebrate the best fiction written by women, by interviewing inspirational women about the books that have most influenced their life and career.   This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist and writer Bim Adewunmi talks about why female desire needs to be brought out of the shadows and explains why women’s fiction is about more than pastel coloured covers and 3 for 2 tables at bookshops.   Bim is a producer at the infamous storytelling podcast This American Life but was thrust in to the spotlight through her own show, Thirst Aid Kit - a musing on female desire and lust - which she co-hosted with writer Nichole Perkins from 2017 to 2020. She’s a former Guardian columnist and Buzzfeed editor, and she’s written for Vogue, the New Statesman , Independent and Monocle magazine and various others, covering everything from popular culture to feminism and race. She’s an expert on crafting great storytelling, including as a gifted playwright. Her debut play, Hoard, a comedy about a Nigerian-British family in east London, premiered at the Arcola Theatre in May 2019.     Bim’s book choices are: ** I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou ** Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen ** The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank  ** Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel ** Circe by Madeleine Miller   Zawe Ashton, acclaimed actress, director, playwright and author, hosts Season Four of the chart-topping Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. The new Women’s Prize Podcast season continues to celebrate the best fiction written by women, by interviewing inspirational women about the books that have most influenced their life and career.   Make sure you listen and subscribe now, you definitely don’t want to miss the rest of Season Four.   This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor Jameela Jamil discusses body positivity, social media advocacy, and her book choices. She challenges beauty standards, critiques celebrities, and champions body acceptance. Her recommended books focus on body image, menstruation, transgender issues, and feminist humor.

Activist, playwright, novelist, critic, broadcaster and ‘searcher’ Bonnie Greer tells Zawe about the power of being on the outside looking in.    Bonnie is one of the UK’s most influential black cultural figures - having played a part in running numerous major institutions including the British Museum, the Royal Opera House, London Film School, RADA, Serpentine Gallery and Theatre Royal Stratford East. You may well have seen her on TV,  as a regular contributor to Newsnight Late Review, or a panelist on Question Time, where in 2009 she famously took down the BNP leader Nick Griffin in what is still one of the programmes most watched - and most controversial - episodes.    Bonnie has written numerous plays, musicals and operas which have appeared everywhere from Radio 4 to the West End, and is the author of five books, spanning fiction, non-fiction and memoir. She was awarded an OBE in 2010.    Bonnie’s book choices are:  ** Small Island by Andrea Levy ** Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston ** Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling ** Character Breakdown by Zawe Ashton ** Entropy by Bonnie Greer   Zawe Ashton, acclaimed actress, director, playwright and author, hosts Season Four of the chart-topping Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. The new Women’s Prize Podcast season continues to celebrate the best fiction written by women, by interviewing inspirational women about the books that have most influenced their life and career.   Make sure you listen and subscribe now, you definitely don’t want to miss the rest of Season Four.   This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Film director Nia DaCosta chats to Zawe Ashton about directing the new Marvel film -  The Marvels and why she’s proud of the label ‘black, female director’.    Nia is an American Director and Screenwriter. Her debut feature film Little Woods, which she wrote and directed, won her the Nora Ephron Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival and her ambitious update of the classic 1990s horror film Candyman was released earlier this year to critical acclaim, addressing issues such as racial justice, gentrification and black art.   She’s leading the charge bringing new stories - and faces - onto our screens, and showing the world that black narratives  don’t have to be dominated purely by pain and sadness.    Nia will be the first black woman to direct a Marvel film - The Marvels - out in 2022.     Nia’s book choices are: ** Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce  ** Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf ** Persuasion by Jane Austen ** The Bread Givers  by Anzia Yezierska ** White Teeth by Zadie Smith   Zawe Ashton, acclaimed actress, director, playwright and author, hosts Season Four of the chart-topping Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. The new Women’s Prize Podcast season continues to celebrate the best fiction written by women, by interviewing inspirational women about the books that have most influenced their life and career. Make sure you listen and subscribe now, you definitely don’t want to miss the rest of Season Four.   This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.