Reading the FUTURE
WITH THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION LONGLIST ANNOUNCED IN MARCH, WE MEET THE JUDGING PANEL – AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY LOVE MOST ABOUT BOOKS…
Louise Minchin is a writer and former BBC Breakfast presenter. Her 2018 book, Dare To Tri, charted her journey to the World Triathlon Championships. Her second book, Fearless (out 25th May), celebrates extraordinary women in sport. What are you most looking forward to about
being a judge? A deep dive into stories told by women across the world. To hear their voices and be entranced by the power of their creativity. Which female authors do you most admire? Alice Feeney, Daphne du Maurier, Margaret Atwood and Isabel Allende. Who is your favourite female character? Katniss Everdeen from Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. She is feisty and determined to stand up for herself and those she cares about.
Bella Mackie is the author of two books: Jog On, a memoir about running and mental health, and her number-one bestseller, How To Kill Your Family. How important is the Women’s Prize in championing female voices in publishing?
It can do wonders for the winning author and highlights female writers. There are many books I wouldn’t have picked up were it not for the prize. Who is your favourite female character? Dorothea in Middlemarch. She is so uniquely herself.
What are your all-time favourite reads? Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, Nobody Will Tell You This But Me by Bess Kalb and Maggie O’farrell’s Hamnet.
Irenosen Okojie wrote Butterfly Fish, which won a Betty Trask prize, and the short story collections Speak Gigantular and Nudibranch. How important is the Women’s Prize in championing female voices in publishing?
It’s incredibly influential. It gives women writers the value and confidence they deserve. It also changes careers by introducing books to wider audiences and fuelling the authors to keep writing. What will you be looking for as a judge? Bold voices that dare to take risks and centre the rich complexities of women’s lives in ways that feel fresh and illuminating. What is your favourite book? Jazz by Toni Morrison. I read it as a teenager and it changed my life.
Rachel Joyce is the author of five international bestselling novels,
including The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry and The Love Song Of Miss Queenie Hennessey. Her latest novel, Maureen Fry And The Angel Of The North, is out now. What will you be looking for as a Women’s Prize judge? Books that stay with me long after I’ve finished them, and that other most elusive of qualities, voice. There’s the story, and then there’s the way it’s told. Who is your favourite female character?
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout – she’s funny, difficult and curmudgeonly, yet capable of compassion and change. What’s your favourite read? Middlemarch, for its depth of characterisation, its skill in structure and the entirety of its world.
Tulip Siddiq is MP for Hampstead and Kilburn and shadow economic secretary to the Treasury. What are you most looking forward
to about being a judge? In my line of work, I tend to read reports, newspapers and briefings. It’s rare for me to spend time reading fiction, so this is a treat and a way to pay tribute to women who deserve to have their work recognised.
Who is your favourite female character? They tend to be relatable and realistic rather than flawless superhumans. I loved Rehana Haque, a widowed mother of two living through the Bangladesh Liberation War in Tahmima Anam’s A Golden Age.
What is your favourite read? I’ve been rereading Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azar Nafisi. It’s a story of resilience in the face of tyranny; like the brave young women in Iran risking their lives for freedom now.
The Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist will be announced on 26th April and the 2023 winner on 14th June. Visit womensprizeforfiction.co.uk