Bookshelfie: Women’s Prize Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Bookshelfie: Emeli Sandé Dec 22, 2021

Show notes

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.

Bookshelfie: Bim Adewunmi Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

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

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.

Bookshelfie: Jameela Jamil Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

Actor, presenter and advocate Jameela Jamil tells Zawe why we need to own the narrative around women’s bodies.

Jameela started out on T4 in 2009, before becoming the first solo female presenter of the Radio 1 Chart show. But it was her move to the States in 2016 which really propelled her into the international spotlight. Taking on acting for the first time, she landed a role in the NBC series The Good Place, she’s appeared in numerous films and TV shows and has recently been cast by Marvel. All the while being an honest, raw and outspoken voice on social media. She’s not afraid to call out the beauty, fashion or media industries for their unrealistic expectations of women, she’s publicly criticised various celebrities for the impact their words and actions can have on their fans, she’s campaigned to get social media platforms to better protect teenagers and her instagram feed and podcast I Weigh have become a movement to encourage everyone to feel good about their bodies.

Jameela’s book choices are:

** Hunger: A Memoir of my Body by Roxanne Gay

** Period Power by Maisie Hill

** The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye

** The Vagina Bible by Dr Jennifer Gunter

** Everything’s Trash but it’s OK by Phoebe Robinson

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.

Bookshelfie: Bonnie Greer Nov 25, 2021

Show notes

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

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.

Bookshelfie: Nia DaCosta Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

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

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.

Bookshelfie: June Sarpong Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

TV presenter, executive and author June Sarpong tells Zawe Ashton how storytelling has played a central role in her life.

June must be one of the most well known faces on TV - but more recently she’s become known as an opinion maker and author who’s not afraid to engage in politics, and speak her mind. Alongside being a key voice in the Remain campaign, an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust and co-founder of the business platform, Women: Inspiration and Enterprise, she’s also written three books, and her memoir, The Only One in the Room, is due for release in 2022. In addition to this, June is Director of Creative Diversity for the BBC, ensuring diversity is embedded in the organisation, both in front of and behind the camera.

June’s book choices are:

** Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

** I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Doctor Maya Angelou

** Women Who Run With The Wolves: Contacting the Power of the Wild Woman by Clarissa Pinkola Estes (with an honourable mention for Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss)

** Until Today by Iyanla Vanzant

** White Teeth by Zadie Smith

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.

Bookshelfie: Edith Bowman Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

Radio DJ and TV presenter Edith Bowman talks to Zawe Ashton about their shared teenage obsession with Marilyn Monroe, being part of the early days of MTV UK, and how Alice Walker’s The Colour Purple changed her life.

Over her long and impressive career in broadcasting, Edith has acted as a touchstone and a guide into music, cinema and the media world for so many people. From her early days on Hit List UK for MTV, to bringing the nation together for huge communal events like Glastonbury or The Baftas - and now through her music and film podcast, Soundtracking.

Edith’s book choices are:

** The Marilyn Scandal by Sandra Shevey

** The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

** Sarah by JT Leroy (Laura Albert)

** Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

** This is Not a Pity Memoir by Abi Morgan

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.

Bookshelfie: Claire Danes Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Iconic actor Claire Danes talks to our new host Zawe Ashton about the messy female protagonists that have had a positive impact on her life.

Claire Danes is one of the most celebrated actors working today - and the winner of multiple Golden Globes, Emmys and an Oscar. From her portrayal of a totally fresh and cool Juliet in Baz Luhrmann’s legendary adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, to her Emmy-winning performance in the 2009 film Temple Grandin, or her 9 year run as CIA agent Carrie Mathison on HBO’s Homeland. The range of work that Claire has produced is nothing short of exceptional - every single performance a reflection of her talent, intelligence and complexity.

Claire’s book choices are:

** Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

** A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

** Anagrams by Lorrie Moore

** Autobiography of a face by Lucy Grealy … and... Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchet

** The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm

Zawe Ashton, acclaimed actress, director, playwright and author, will host the new season of the chart-topping Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast, launching with a double episode release: a conversation with award-winning actress Claire Danes, and a conversation with bestselling novelist Candice Carty-Williams. The new Women’s Prize podcast season continues to celebrate the best books 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.

Bookshelfie: Candice Carty-Williams Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of Queenie, talks to our new host Zawe Ashton about how groundbreaking fiction can help decolonize British literature.

Candice and her debut novel Queenie made history smashing every glass ceiling going when it was published back in 2019. The novel was conceived when Candice was just twenty-six. It went on to win Blackwell’s Debut Book of the Year 2019, was shortlisted for Book of the Year by Waterstones, Foyles and Goodreads - and longlisted for the Women’s Prize. It also won Book of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2020, making Candice the first black British woman to win the prize in its history. Candice's latest novel Empress and Aniya is out now and can be purchased here.

Candice’s book choices are:

** Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

** Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

** Character Breakdown by Zawe Ashton

** Citizen by Claudia Rankine

** Keisha the Sket by Jade LB

Zawe Ashton, acclaimed actress, director, playwright and author, will host the new season of the chart-topping Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast, launching with a double episode release: a conversation with Emmy award-winning actress Claire Danes, and a conversation with bestselling novelist Candice Carty-Williams. The new Women’s Prize podcast season continues to celebrate the best books 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.

Bookshelfie: Katherine Ryan (Live at Latitude) Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

Recorded in front of a live audience at Latitude festival, comedian and writer Katherine Ryan tells Yomi why no-one should be scared to be disliked.

Katherine is a stalwart of all the big TV comedy panel shows, she’s presented numerous other programmes, and last year she wrote, starred in and executive produced her own sitcom, The Duchess, about a single mum living in London, which leapt to the top of the Netflix charts.

She’s also toured sold out venues across the world with her stand-up shows, she hosts the chart-topping candid conversation podcast, Telling Everybody Everything AND she’s also found time to write her first book - The Audacity - a hilarious autobiography where she details her journey from a naïve ex-Hooters waitress fresh off the boat from Canada to comedy megastar. It’s out on September 30th and you can pre-order it here: https://bit.ly/KRAudacity.

Katherine’s book choices are:

** How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

** Bossypants by Tina Fey

** Yes Please by Amy Poehler

** Everybody Died So I Got a Dog by Emily Dean

** Jessica Simpson‘s autobiography Open Book

Every week, join journalist and author Yomi Agedoke, and inspirational guests, including Elizabeth Day, Sara Pascoe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as they celebrate the best books written by women. The Women’s Prize for Fiction is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and has been running for over 25 years, and this series will offer unique access to the shortlisted authors and the 2021 Prize winner.

This podcast is produced by Bird Lime Media.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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