Bookshelfie: Women’s Prize Podcast

Writer, academic and broadcaster Emma Dabiri talks about identity, ghost stories and why she could make a whole podcast about Toni Morrison's books.  Emma’s first book, an essay collection called Don’t Touch My Hair, explores the way that colonisation, oppression and, ultimately, liberation are all expressed in Black women’s hair – and it gained critical acclaim from just about everyone. Emma’s second book - a Sunday Times bestseller - What White People Can Do Next: From Allyship to Coalition, is a longform essay looking at how support for anti-racism can be translated into meaningful, structural action. Emma’s book choices are:  ** Woman on the edge of time by Marge Piercy ** Quicksand by Nella Larsen  ** Paradise by Toni Morrison ** The Birds & Other Short Stories by Daphne du Maurier ** Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston 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.

Vick Hope speaks to the six brilliant authors who have been shortlisted for the 2022 Prize - Elif Shafak, Lisa Allen-Agostini, Louise Erdrich, Maggie Shipstead, Meg Mason and Ruth Ozeki. The winner of this year’s prize will be announced on June 15th.    The 2022 shortlist:  The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini The Sentence by Louise Erdrich Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki   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.

Presenter, broadcaster and author Laura Whitmore chats with Vick about their early MTV days, Love Island and why women should take up more space in a room. Best known for presenting shows like I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! NOW!, Survival of the Fittest and of course, Love Island, she has become a familiar face on our screens. But she’s also a regular voice on her own BBC Radio 5 Live series, The Laura Whitmore Show. She’s an actress, and she’s competed on Strictly and the Great Celebrity Bake-Off! Her self-help book, No One Can Change Your Life Except For You was an instant Sunday Times bestseller, and the paperback is coming out in July. Laura’s book choices are:  ** Animal by Sara Pascoe ** Against Love Poetry by Eavan Boland ** Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle ** Butterfly by Yusra Mardini ** The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré 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.

Actor, producer and director Adjoa Andoh covers everything from Bridgerton to reincarnation and tells us why she doesn’t care about fame.  Coined ‘the undisputed queen of audio and radio drama’ by Penguin Random House, Adjoa is now better known for her leading role as Lady Danbury in Bridgerton. For 30 years she was a BBC Radio actor, and was a welcome addition to popular TV shows like Doctor Who, Eastenders and Casualty. Her theatre credits are extensive, including Great Expectations and A Streetcar Named Desire, and her film credits include her role as Mandela’s secretary in Invictus. She’s recorded over 150 audiobooks, she is an Associate Artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company, Senior Associate Artist at The Bush Theatre, a Fairtrade Ambassador and runs her own  production company, Swinging the Lens. Adjoa’s book choices are:  ** Just William by Richmal Crompton  ** Green Darkness by Anya Seton ** A Question of Power by Bessie Head ** After Leaving Mr Mackenzie by Jean Rhys ** Beloved by Toni Morrison  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.

Singer and songwriter Joy Crookes talks about rude awakenings and the feeling of being ‘slapped in the face’ by books. Joy was initially recognised in 2013 for her cover of Hit the Road Jack which she posted on YouTube, gaining over 600,000 views (one of whom was to be her manager). Three years later, she released her debut single, New Manhattan, at just age 17. She went on to release her debut EP, Influence, with Speakerbox and Insanity Records, performing one of the songs on global music platform COLORS. Since then, she’s won two UK Music Video Awards, a Remarkable Women Award and performed at Glastonbury Festival. Her music focuses on themes of mental health, relationships and culture. Joy’s book choices are:  ** All About Love by Bell Hooks ** Salt by Nayyirah Waheed ** Girl Woman Other by Bernardine Evaristo ** To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ** I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai 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.

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.