Bestselling writer Monica Ali, finishes off this season with an in-depth chat about the books that she loves, the responsibility she takes on as a writer and how she overcame a shattered self confidence. Monica Ali shot to fame with her literary phenomenon Brick Lane 20 years ago. She has since written four other books, Alentejo Blue, In the Kitchen, Untold Story and Love Marriage. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has been nominated for a long list of accolades including the Booker Prize and the George Orwell Prize. She is also the Chair of Judges for the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction. Monica is Patron of Hopscotch Women’s Centre, a charity that was originally set up by Save the Children to support ethnic minority families who had come to join their partners in the UK.  Monica’s book choices are: ** Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lingren ** Emma by Jane Austen ** Middlemarch by George Eliot ** The Bottle Factory Outing by Beryl Bainbridge ** The Group by Mary McCarthy Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Designer Kit Kemp MBE takes Vick on a literary journey from 1490 to 2022 and explains how she’s built her signature style, and her confidence.  Kit is a British interior designer and Founder and Creative Director of Firmdale Hotels and the Kit Kemp Design Studio. Kit’s signature style combines traditional elements with contemporary flair, resulting in spaces that are both inviting and visually striking. She is known for her blend of bold patterns, vibrant colours and carefully curated artwork and textiles; and for being a highly-respected champion of British art, craft and sculpture. Kit has won many awards including House & Garden's Hotel Designer of the Year and CN Traveller's Best Hotel in the World for Design.She’s also a published author of four books, including A Living Space and her latest book Design Secrets, which offers readers valuable inspiration and practical tips for bringing their own distinctive style into their spaces. Kit’s book choices are:  ** Precious Bane by Mary Webb ** The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier ** Wayward (Just Another Life to Live) by Vashti Bunyan ** Restoration by Rose Tremain ** The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Award-winning broadcaster Anita Rani tells Vick about finding a new confidence in her 40s, taking Woman's Hour to Glastonbury and why she needed to write her own story.  Well known as one of the lead presenters on BBC One’s Countryfile, and a range of shows for both Channel 4 and the BBC, Anita has covered topics from family budgets and waste plastic, to Bollywood and the Partition of India. Anita is also a familiar voice on radio, having worked for the BBC Asian Network and Radio 6 Music and is now the host of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour alongside Emma Barnett. Alongside her broadcasting work, Anita is a successful writer, publishing her Sunday Times bestselling memoir The Right Sort of Girl back in 2021 - and has recently branched out into fiction, with her first novel Baby Does a Runner now out. Anita’s book choices are: ** Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary by Anita Anand  ** Somebody Loves You by Mona Arshi ** Pessimism is for Lightweights by Salena Godden  ** How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran ** Wahala by Nikki May Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Editor-in-Chief of ELLE UK Kenya Hunt discusses her love of the essay, the multiplicity of motherhood and the importance of blazing your own trail.   Kenya is an award-winning American journalist who has now been working in the UK for a decade. Her career spans working for some of the most influential women's publications on both sides of the Atlantic, from her post-graduate days as an Assistant Editor at the seminal magazine, Jane, to her time as Deputy Editor of Grazia UK. Kenya is the author of Girl Gurl Grrrl: On Womanhood and Belonging in the Age of Black Girl Magic, and in 2021, she was recognised by The British Fashion Council for her work with a Global Leader Of Change Award.  Kenya’s book choices are: **All About Love by bell hooks **The Flagellants by Carlene Hatcher Polite **Against Interpretation by Susan Sontag **The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison **Creative Visualisation by Shakti Gawain  Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Actress Tanya Reynolds talks about why being an introvert is a superpower, her final Sex Education scenes and when books come into your life and act like medicine.  Tanya is perhaps known best for her scene-stealing role as Lily Iglehart in the Emmy award-winning Netflix show Sex Education, but has been gracing our screens with roles in Outlander, Death in Paradise and more recently 2020’s film adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Bill Nighy. Tanya was named  as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow in 2020, and has recently been treading the boards at London’s Almeida Theatre in critically acclaimed play A Mirror. Tanya’s book choices are: ** Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison ** Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë **  My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferante  ** Quiet by Susan Cain ** Everyone in this room will someday be dead by Emily Austen  Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Author, broadcaster, comedian and classicist Natalie Haynes joins Vick to chat about her love for Greek Mythology and why there’s an appetite for female-focused stories. Natalie is a Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020 shortlisted author for her novel In A Thousand Ships, which retells the story of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective. Her book Stone Blind tackles the story of Medusa through a feminist lens, and her latest book, Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth is a female-centred look at Olympus and the Furies. She is a  self-declared “classics nerd” who has made her career reinventing Greek myths for a modern audience through her books, stand-up, radio and television.   Natalie’s book choices are: ** The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper ** The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie **  A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki ** If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Anne Carson ** The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa   Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Scandal star Kerry Washington opens up about the revelations in her new memoir, why she’s ditching feelings of shame and how sharing your most vulnerable self is actually the most empowering thing you can do. Kerry Washington is a celebrated actor, director, producer, activist and a Shondaland superstar. Kerry received widespread public recognition for her role as Olivia Pope on the hit ABC drama Scandal, breaking barriers as the first Black woman since 1974 to headline a network TV drama. She’s also starred in the Little Fires Everywhere adaptation, and films including Django Unchained and Ray.  She’s a lifelong advocate and activist, using her voice to fight for justice and was honoured as one of Time magazine’s 2022 Women of the Year. And now, to add to that impressive list, she’s a New York Times best-selling author, thanks to her new memoir, Thicker Than Water - in which she gives readers an intimate view into both her public and private worlds - as an artist, an advocate, an entrepreneur, a mother, a daughter, a wife, and a Black woman.  Kerry’s book choices are: ** The Color Purple by Alice Walker  ** The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron **  Kindred by Octavia E. Butler ** The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion ** The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler   Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Naomi Klein reveals how she had to write herself into her new book to rediscover her voice.  Naomi Klein is a bestselling author, with nine critically acclaimed books which include The Shock Doctrine and This Changes Everything. In 2018 she was named the inaugural Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair at Rutgers University and is now Honorary Professor of Media and Climate at Rutgers. In September 2021 she joined the University of British Columbia as UBC Professor of Climate Justice and co-director of the Centre for Climate. Her newest book, Doppelganger is part memoir teamed with political reportage, and cultural analysis, in which Naomi grapples with her own doppelganger. Naomi’s book choices are: ** The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank **  House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende ** The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin ** Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver  ** Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

World famous classicist Prof Mary Beard covers ageism, feminism, university fees, the role of children’s books, why men are obsessed with the roman empire and of course, her favourite books. She is also a television and radio presenter, trustee of the British Museum and the author of more than 20 books on classical history, feminism and academic life, including the bestsellers Pompeii, SPQR and Women & Power. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2018. In 2022 she retired from a 40-year academic career at the University of Cambridge. Her new book, Emperor of Rome, looks at the facts and fictions around the Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar to Alexander Severus and is out now. Mary’s book choices are: ** Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit by Beatrix Potter **  The Emperor’s Babe by Bernardine Evaristo ** Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer ** Purity and Danger by Mary Douglas ** Poems and Fragments of Sappho Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell Horner discusses the history of girl power, Anne Boleyn and why her family are her proudest achievement. Geri is an accomplished singer, writer, producer and actress who is widely recognised for her iconic place in British pop culture as an original member of the record breaking girl group The Spice Girls. As ‘Ginger Spice’ Geri played a formative role in the band as they became one of the biggest selling girl groups of all time, with nine UK No 1 singles and more than 100 million records sold worldwide. In her solo career, she recorded a number of albums that collectively sold 45 million copies worldwide.  She’s released two bestselling autobiographies and a children’s book that sold a quarter of a million copies in five months. She’s also been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations and she has just published her first of a series of children’s books, Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen.  Geri’s book choices are: ** The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson **  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou ** Hamnet by Maggie O’ Farrell ** Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë ** The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Frazer Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Comedian London Hughes joins Vick from LA to discuss her new memoir, how she tried to climb into a TV set aged five and why she’s found greater success in America than the UK. London is a stand up comedian, TV writer,  presenter and now a rising star in Hollywood. You may have seen her as a guest on numerous TV panel shows, or in her Netflix special To Catch a Dick, which was based on her critically acclaimed Edinburgh show of the same name.  London’s refreshingly outspoken attitude to her sexuality paired with her confidence, exuberance and wit have earned her the respect of American comedy A-Listers Kevin Hart and Dave Chapelle. But it hasn’t been an easy journey.  In her hilarious memoir, Living my Best Life, Hun, which has just been published,  London catalogues the bullying she experienced throughout education and the many setbacks she’s faced on her journey to stardom as a fearless black female voice in an overwhelmingly white male industry.   London’s book choices are: ** The Bed and Breakfast Star by Jacqueline Wilson **  Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison ** Ugly by Constance Briscoe ** The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish ** You are a Badass by Jen Sincero Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Nadiya Hussein joins Vick at The Women’s Prize Live Festival  to talk about family values, fig trees and why she’s so open about her mental health.  Nadiya Hussein is a  renowned British TV chef, author, presenter, and baker. Of course she is known and loved as the winner of the sixth season of The Great British Bake Off in 2015. Since then, she has gone on to become a TV presenter, hosting her own cooking shows including Nadiya's British Food Adventure and Nadiya's Time to Eat. She is also a writer, having penned several bestselling cookbooks, including her latest book Simple Spices, which is out this September. In 2019 she was awarded an MBE. And as if that wasn’t enough, she’s also a talented illustrator and has written several children's books.  Nadiya’s book choices are:  ** You Are Not a Before Picture by Alex Light ** Joy Rider by Angela Scanlon ** People Person by Candice Carty-Williams ** The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak ** How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Barbara Kingsolver, winner of the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction discusses her winning novel, Demon Copperhead and also shares the books that have inspired her impressive career. Barbara Kingsolver is an American novelist, essayist, poet, and activist. She has published over a dozen critically acclaimed books, including the bestselling novels The Poisonwood Bible,The Lacuna, and Flight Behavior, and is the first author to win the Women’s Prize for Fiction twice - first in 2010 for The Lacuna and the 2023 Prize was awarded for Demon Copperhead, a reimagining of Dickens' David Copperfield set in poverty-stricken Virginia at the height of the opioid crisis.  She has received numerous other literary awards over the course of her career, including the National Humanities Medal and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. In addition to her writing, Barbara is a prominent activist and advocate for issues related to the environment, animal rights, and social justice. She has been involved in numerous campaigns and nonprofit organisations, including the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Center for Biological Diversity, and is the founder of the Bellwether Prize for fiction that addresses issues of social justice. Barbara’s book choices are: **Little Women by Louisa May Alcott **Children Of Violence Series, “Martha Quest” By Doris Lessing **Shiloh And Other Stories by Bobbie Ann Mason **Orlando by Virginia Woolf ** Middlemarch by George Eliot Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Alex Scott MBE joins Vick at The Women’s Prize Live Festival  to talk about her journey to self-acceptance, dealing with online trolls and THAT World Cup moment in Qatar. Alex is a former professional footballer, presenter, and broadcaster. The former Arsenal Captain and England Centurion is also one of the nation’s most beloved presenters. In 2021, Alex began her new role as host of BBC’s Football Focus, the first permanent female host in its 47-year history. Earlier this week, she was the co-host of UNICEF’s Soccer Aid and also lends her support to the domestic abuse charity, Refuge. In 2022, Alex published her Sunday Times Bestselling memoir, How (Not) To Be Strong,  in which she candidly shares the lessons and challenges that have shaped her.  Alex’s book choices are:  **Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton  **Becoming by Michelle Obama **A History of the World in 21 Women by Jenny Murray **Manifest by Roxi Nafousi **Untamed by Glennon Doyle Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Bestselling author Isabel Allende on her experiences of love, loss, gratitude and why we need to stay optimistic in uncertain times.  Isabel Allende is an author, philanthropist and activist. She is one of the most widely-read authors in the world, having sold more than 77 million books internationally. Born in Peru to Chilean parents, Isabel won worldwide acclaim in 1982 with the publication of her first novel, The House of the Spirits, which began as a letter to her dying grandfather.  Since then, she has authored more than twenty six bestsellers including Daughter of Fortune, Paula, and City of the Beasts. And her latest book The Wind Knows My Name is out now. Her writing blends magical realism with political and social commentary, exploring themes of family, love, loss, and social justice. She has been recognized with numerous awards and honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Foundation. Isabel’s book choices are: **The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer **Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar **Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario **Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser **Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

From home cook to food journalist and eventually chef and restaurateur, Ravinder Bhogal  reflects on her  own experiences as an immigrant in London and how it influenced  a ‘no borders’ kitchen in her own restaurant. Ravinder is a journalist, cook and owner of the incredible Jikoni restaurant in Marylebone, in west London. She started her career as a beauty writer for More magazine in the early noughties before a TV cooking competition completely changed her life. Ravinder beat off nine thousand other budding chefs to be crowned “The New Fanny Craddock” on Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word in 2007. It catapulted her to fame, including an award-winning cookbook and a number of TV appearances alongside the likes of Ramsay and Jay Rainer, as well as her own series. Her new book Comfort and Joy is out now.    Ravinder’s book choices are: The Awakening by Kate Chopin Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys How to Eat by Nigella Lawson Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in her Head by Warsan Shire The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Live from Bailey’s HQ, Louise Minchin, former BBC Breakfast Presenter, endurance athlete, writer and podcaster reveals how she coping with her kids flying the nest, finding time to judge the Women’s Prize and she discusses her new book, Fearless: Adventures with Extraordinary Women. Louise is someone whose warmth, empathy and journalistic prowess will be familiar to millions of people across the UK, she presented BBC Breakfast for almost twenty years, lighting up TV screens across the nation and negotiating the delicate balance of being both someone who can ask difficult questions to those in power and someone you'd actually like to have breakfast with. In 2021 she decided to finally give herself a lie-in, though hasn’t exactly slowed down. She’s a keen - and incredibly successful triathlete and fitness ambassador, presenter of the Push Your Peak endurance podcast and is the chair of this year’s Women’s Prize judging panel. Plus she’s written two books - Dare to Tri followed her journey from the BBC Breakfast sofa to team GB triathlete and her new book, Fearless: Adventures with Extraordinary Women, is published at the end of May.  Louise’s book choices are:  **Island of Adventure by Enid Blyton ** The House of the Spirits Isabel Allende ** Room by Emma Donohue ** The Beasts of Clawstone Castle by Eva Ibbotson ** The Salt Path by Raynor Winn Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Ruth Ozeki, winner of the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction discusses the power of meditation, the importance of writing beautiful lists and how novels eventually take on a life of their own.  Not only an award winning writer, Ruth is also a filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest. She is the author of five novels, The Book of Form and Emptiness, My Year of Meats, All Over Creation, A Tale for the Time Being, which was shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize and translated into 28 languages. She has also written a short memoir, Timecode of a Face. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she teaches creative writing at Smith College and is the Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities. Ruth’s books: ** The Pillowbook of Sei Shonagon  ** A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara  ** Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh ** Piranesi by Susannah Clarke ** A Writer's Diary by Virginia Woolf  Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

In this very special bonus episode, Vick sits down with this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlisted authors, Jaqueline Crooks, Louise Kennedy, Barbara Kingsolver, Priscillla Morris, Maggie O’Farrell, and Laline Paull. The locations of their books span the globe, from Renaissance Italy and Northern Ireland during The Troubles, to opioid-infested Virginia and even an underwater world populated with extraordinary creatures, and we’ll be finding out more about these phenomenal books and why they deserve a spot on your bookshelf during the episode. The 2023 winner will be announced on Wednesday 14th June. The shortlist: **Fire Rush by Jaqueline Crooks **Trespasses by Louise Kennedy **Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver **Black Butterflies by Priscillla Morris **The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell **Pod by Laline Paull Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Comedian Josie Long joins Vick to discuss internal monologues, her big move to Scotland and how ADHD is changing the way she sees the world and herself. She may be best known for her standup comedy but she is also a podcaster, playwright, co-founder of the education charity Arts Emergency, and now an author, with her very own debut book , Because I don't know what you mean and what you don't - a brilliant, richly-drawn collection of short stories. Josie started doing stand up at the tender age of  just 14 years old and by the time she was 17 - shortly before heading to Oxford University to study English - she won the BBC New Comedy Award. After graduating, she returned to the standup circuit and was named best newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2006. She’s since become the first woman to be a triple nominee for the Edinburgh comedy award. Josie’s book choices are: ** Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys ** Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit ** Experiments in Imagining Otherwise by Lola Olufemi ** New and Selected Poems by Mary Oliver ** Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Author, journalist and powerlifter Poorna Bell discusses love, loss, the depiction of South India in literature and female representation in the male-dominated world of sports. Poorna Bell is an award-winning journalist, author and powerlifter(!) who writes across mental and physical wellbeing, women and diversity. Poorna has published three works of non-fiction: Chase The Rainbow, In Search of Silence and Stronger, which is part memoir, part manifesto about women's strength and fitness. In 2019 she won Stylist's Rising Star award, Red magazine's Big Book Award and secured a Sunday Times Sports Book Accolade in 2022. Her debut novel In Case of Emergency is out now. Poorna’s book choices: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Beloved by Toni Morrison My Fight, Your Fight by Ronda Rousey Luster by Raven Leilani Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Author, podcaster and multi-hyphenate Emma Gannon shares her wisdom, her books and explains why we need to reframe our definition of success. Emma Gannon is a Times bestselling author, broadcaster, speaker, novelist and host of the recently retired Ctrl Alt Delete podcast. She has been a columnist for The Times, Telegraph and Courier magazine and can now be found over on her Substack page The Hyphen. In 2018, she was selected in the Forbes 30 under 30 list in media and is an ambassador for The Princes Trust and World Literacy Foundation. Emma has published five bestselling books to date, including The Multi-Hyphen Method; Sabotage and Disconnected, and her newest book The Success Myth, which unpicks society’s often problematic definitions of success, is out next month. Emma’s book choices are:  ** The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson  ** Floor Sample by Julia Cameron ** The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan  ** Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby  ** The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck  Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Join Vick Hope as she sits down with writer Irenosen Okojie to discuss wild imaginations and magical realism in literature and if imposter syndrome comes into play when you're a judge for the Women's Prize for Fiction. Irenosen’s intoxicating debut novel, Butterfly Fish, won the 2016 Betty Trask Award, and her highly acclaimed short story collections, Speak Gigantular and Nudibranch have both been nominated for countless awards and received praise from Bernardine Evaristo and Margaret Atwood to name just a couple. In 2021 she was awarded an MBE For Services To Literature. Irenosen is also a judge for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, and has previously judged the Women’s Prize Discoveries programme for new writers. Irenosen’s book choices are:  ** Jazz by Toni Morrison  ** Black Vodka by Deborah Levy  ** At the Bottom of The River by Jamaica Kincaid  **  I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O'Farrell  ** The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Mary Portas discusses books, poetry, her connection to nature and tells us what we can all do to help protect our planet and build our communities. Mary is one of the UK's most well-known and innovative people in business.She made her name turning Harvey Nichols into a global fashion destination, by the age of just 30 she was on the board of directors. At 37, she left corporate life to launch Portas, her own creative company, with the mission to turn businesses into brands, places and spaces people want in their lives. She has been a regular on our TV screens, advised the government on the future of high streets and developed a fashion label. She is the author of Shop Girl, Work Like a Woman and most recently Rebuild: How to thrive in the new Kindness Economy. Mary’s book choices are:  ** Angel by Elizabeth Taylor  ** The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs ** The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy **  Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver ** The Pocket by Pema Chodron Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 Six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Dancer Motsi Mabuse kicks off season six with all the glamour, energy and determination you’d expect from a Strictly judge but she also shares the books that have helped her manifest the life she enjoys today. Mosti Mabuse is a world-class professional dancer and has been bringing fun to the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom as a Judge since 2019. Originally from South Africa, Motsi started dancing at a young age. She studied Law at university, until she decided to dedicate her life to dance and moved to Germany.  She won the South African Latin American title eight times. In 2013 she became the German Latin dance champion with her now-husband whom she also runs a dance school with. Her book Finding My Own Rhythm documents the ups and downs, romances and heartbreaks, the obstacles and adversity, and the long hours that have led her to her success. Motsi’s book choices are:  ** Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert  ** The Secret by Rhonda Byrne ** You Got Anything Stronger by Gabrielle Union **  Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes ** Untamed by Glennon Doyle Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season six 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 six? Listen and subscribe now! This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.