Ann Akinjirin is an actress, writer, director and producer working across screen and stage and is currently starring in the BBC’s new adaptation of Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five.  Ann is best known for her recurring roles in BBC 1 /HBO’s The Strike Series playing ‘DS Vanessa Ekwensi’ and ‘Dee’ in BBC Two’s Trigonometry. More recently, Ann played 'Bobbi' in Marvel Studios series Moon Knight on Disney+.  Ann set up her own theatre company Harts in 2010, of which she was Artistic Director until 2020. Ann is extremely passionate about creative accessibility within theatre and has worke ..read more

Award-winning British-Turkish novelist and 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlisted author Elif Shafak reveals the five books that have shaped her life and career. Elif has published 19 books, 12 of which are novels, including The Island of Missing Trees, shortlisted for the Costa Award, British Book Awards, RSL Ondaatje Prize and 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction.  Elif holds a PhD in political science and she has taught at various universities in Turkey, the US and the UK, including St Anne's College, Oxford University, where she is an honorary fellow. She also holds a Doctorate of Hum ..read more

Best-selling food writer, stylist, and author, Anna Jones explains how Nigella Lawson’s How to Be a Domestic Goddess gave her the confidence to just be herself in the kitchen.   Anna is the voice of modern vegetarian cooking and the author of the bestselling One: Pot, Pan, Planet, A Modern Way to Eat, A Modern Way to Cook and The Modern Cook’s Year. She’s a Sunday Times bestseller and the winner and nominee for multiple accolades for her work. A believer that vegetables should be put at the centre of every table along with the joy of food and its ability to affect change in our daily liv ..read more

Historian, author and broadcaster Suzannah Lipscomb shines the spotlight on women throughout history who are too often missed from books.  A distinguished historian, Suzannah is Professor Emerita at the University of Roehampton, Senior Member at St Cross College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Society of Antiquaries.  She has written and edited seven books, most recently, What is History, Now? with Helen Carr, and The Voices of Nîmes: Women, Sex, and Marriage in Reformation Languedoc. She has presents history programmes on the BBC, ITV, More4 and Chann ..read more

A New York Times bestselling author, Kristin Hannah’s books are beloved the world over and read by millions. Listen as she discusses the art of creating empathy with readers and the importance of putting women at the centre of stories.  Kristin is the author of 25 novels, including historical fiction masterpiece The Nightingale, which has now sold millions of copies worldwide and has been translated into 45 languages.  Kristin started her working life as a lawyer but decided to take writing seriously when she was bedridden in pregnancy and needed something to do. The decision total ..read more

Bestselling author Kiley Reid delves into her favourite books with Vick and discusses motherhood, morals and money. Kiley’s debut novel Such A Fun Age was an instant hit making the New York Times Best Seller list, and probably more excitingly, Reece Witherspoon’s book club reading list.   Despite this success, in her 20s Kiley had always thought of writing as just a hobby turning to other jobs such as nannying and sales. It wasn’t until she was accepted onto the Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop that she began to give her writing her full attention. It was here she discovered how uncomfortable w ..read more

Iconic, beloved children’s author and national treasure Dame Jacqueline Wilson kicks off series 7 of Bookshelfie with Vick Hope.  In her long and illustrious career Jacqueline has written over 100 books,  sold over 40 million copies in the UK alone and been translated into 34 languages. She has been the children’s laureate, winner of many awards and for years was the most borrowed author from British libraries.  Her work - including The Story of Tracy Beaker, which catapulted her to fame in 1991 - is known for tackling challenging issues, from being in care and adoption to men ..read more

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 Pr ..read more

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 ..read more

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, sh ..read more