Bookshelfie: Women’s Prize Podcast

The UK’s bestselling poet, Donna Ashworth, joins Vick to discuss why ‘Instapoetry’ should not be dismissed, finding herself in the words of Sylvia Plath and the power of a midlife muse. 
Donna started her social media accounts in 2018 in a bid to create a 'safe' space for women to come together and connect, but her love of all things wordy quickly became the focus, and a past love for poetry was reignited. Over 10 books and nearly 2 million followers later, Donna has made it her daily mission to shower the world with words and bring poetry back into focus. Her bestselling books include To the Women, Wild Hope, Words to Live By: A Journal, Growing Brave, I Wish I Knew, Love, Loss, Life and an illustrated book of children's poetry, Words Can Fly.
Donna’s book choices are
** The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path
** In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women by Alice Walker
** Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding
** Menopausing: The Positive Roadmap to Your Second Spring by Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter
** Enough by Dawn French
You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org – every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. 
Every week on Bookshelfie, Vick Hope is joined by inspirational women to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize for Fiction, the greatest celebration of female creativity in the world, is run by the Women’s Prize Trust, the charity building a better future by championing women’s writing. 
Don’t want to miss the rest of season nine? Follow or subscribe now!
This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Award-winning poet, playwright, and novelist Kiran Millwood Hargrave makes a confession about her book “borrowing”, and explains why a 50 year old book about photography should be mandatory reading for young people before they join social media. 
Kiran’s first novel for adults, The Mercies, became an instant Sunday Times bestseller. It won a Betty Trask Award, was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize and was named among the New York Times 100 Most Notable Books of 2020. Her bestselling works for children include The Girl of Ink & Stars. Her new book, Almost Life, a queer love story that spans decades, is out now. 
Kiran’s book choices are
** Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin
** On Photography by Susan Sontag
** The Wild Iris by Louise Glück
** Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
** The Carrier Bag of Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin
You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org – every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. 
Every week on Bookshelfie, Vick Hope is joined by inspirational women to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize for Fiction, the greatest celebration of female creativity in the world, is run by the Women’s Prize Trust, the charity building a better future by championing women’s writing. 
Don’t want to miss the rest of season nine? Follow or subscribe now!
This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Skins and Game of Thrones star Hannah Murray talks about the journey to writing her new memoir, early acting fame and why a love story with a merman had her spellbound to the end.
Hannah worked as an actor for over a decade, cast as Cassie in E4’s Skins at the tender age of 16, and later as Gilly in HBO’s Game of Thrones, alongside numerous other roles for theatre, TV and film. During her early acting career, Hannah studied English at Cambridge University and later Creative Writing at UEA, and is about to release her first book, The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness – an autobiographical account of her involvement in a wellness cult, which will be published on 28th May.
Hannah’s book choices are
** The Secret History by Donna Tartt
** How Should a Person Be? by Sheila Heti
** In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
** The Pisces by Melissa Broder
** Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan
You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org – every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. 
Every week on Bookshelfie, Vick Hope is joined by inspirational women to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize for Fiction, the greatest celebration of female creativity in the world, is run by the Women’s Prize Trust, the charity building a better future by championing women’s writing. 
Don’t want to miss the rest of season nine? Follow or subscribe now!
This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Pioneering businesswoman Emma Grede defends the work-life balance honesty which has ignited recent online debates, and shares her passion for getting more women talking about money and power. 
Emma is the Co-Founder and CEO of Good American, a B-Corp certified brand setting new standards for inclusivity in fashion, and a Founding Partner of SKIMS, now valued at $4 billion and recognised as one of the world’s most influential apparel brands. She also serves as Chairwoman of The Fifteen Percent Pledge, leading real systemic change to support Black-owned businesses. She’s the first female judge of colour on ABC’s Shark Tank, a guest investor on the UK’s Dragon’s Den and host of her incredibly successful podcast Aspire with Emma Grede.
Emma also invests deeply in young people in the UK, recently announced as an ambassador for The King’s Trust, joining their Destination Unknown campaign to help young people into employment. Earlier this year, she visited her old school in East London and hosted a workshop with Milk Honey Bees, inspiring young Black girls through creativity, entrepreneurship and self-expression.
Her debut book, Start With Yourself is a bold, no-BS guide to building meaningful success on your own terms. Part memoir, part playbook, it’s packed with the mindset and tools that helped Emma defy the odds to become a serial entrepreneur, co-founder of culture-defining global brands, and non-profit champion – all while raising four children.
Emma’s book choices are: 
** The Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton
**Mindset by Carol Dweck
**What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey
**Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
**Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org – every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. 
Every week on Bookshelfie, Vick Hope is joined by inspirational women to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize for Fiction, the greatest celebration of female creativity in the world, is run by the Women’s Prize Trust, the charity building a better future by championing women’s writing. 
Don’t want to miss the rest of season nine? Follow or subscribe now!
This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Holly Jackson – aka the “Taylor Swift of books” – tells Vick about how she laughs at her bad reviews, her love of funny books about murder and what fans can expect from the second series of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
Holly is a superstar of crime fiction. She has sold over 10 million copies of her books worldwide, with translations in 45 different languages, a loyal following and a highly engaged global fanbase. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has spent over three years on the New York Times bestseller list and the series is now a major BBC and Netflix production, with season two due for release in late May. Holly’s other novels include Five Survive and The Reappearance of Rachel Price, and the paperback of her adult fiction debut, Not Quite Dead Yet, is published on 7 May.
Holly’s  book choices are:
**The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
**Beloved by Toni Morrison
**Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
**My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
**The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 
You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org – every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops. 
Every week on Bookshelfie, Vick Hope is joined by inspirational women to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize for Fiction, the greatest celebration of female creativity in the world, is run by the Women’s Prize Trust, the charity building a better future by championing women’s writing. 
Don’t want to miss the rest of season nine? Follow or subscribe now!
This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.