The Women’s Prize
A behind the scenes look at the lives of the people bringing the Women’s Prize to life.
For more on each interviewee, please click on the images above.
‘The more we shout about these authors, and the more hands their works are pressed into, the further the stories travel, the louder those voices are raised.’
What impact has the Women’s Prize had on literature and women in society as well as for you personally?
Claire: Every year, readers are offered a snapshot of our global preoccupations through a range of women’s voices and styles across 16 books – fiction from around the world, spanning all genres, that is excellent, original and accessible. With women’s writing consistently platformed in this way, the impact on the book world and society more widely is undoubtable. The Prize has made huge strides to achieve its founding vision of levelling the playing field for women writers – in terms of sales, pay, review space, reputation – but also, crucially, in showing that there are no limits on women’s imaginations or the types of stories women can tell.
For me personally, from the moment I learned about the Women’s Prize for Fiction, I totally fell in love with it as a trustworthy guide that opened me up to books I wouldn’t have otherwise discovered, and a brand that celebrates women. That was 20 years ago, when I was a keen bean committee member of the Society of Young Publishers, organising an event for Founder Director of WPF Kate Mosse’s fiction debut Labyrinth, and I am still blown away today by Kate’s optimism, energy and passion, and the variety of books that I am signposted to by the Prize.
Louise: Over the years the Women’s Prize for Fiction has played a unique and very significant role in amplifying women’s voices, championing female authors, and letting the world know about their incredible writing. It has been an enormous privilege and joy to be Chair this year. I have read books, authors, and genres that I might have never otherwise discovered, and which will stay with me forever.
Vick: During the summer we record some of the Women’s Prize podcast episodes in front of live audiences at festivals and events. It is always mind blowing just how many people pack out those tents, and who wait afterwards to ask for us to repeat the Bookshelfie recommendations, eagerly scribbling down the titles to seek out. The more we shout about these authors, and the more hands their works are pressed into, the further the stories travel, the louder those voices are raised. There is clearly an appetite for women’s literature, and the Women’s Prize not only sates it, but feeds it, encouraging more writers to put pen to paper, more publishers to invest and more readers to explore. The prize was so influential it served as my annual teenage reading list, and I’m sure it holds that same importance and value for many more girls and women than ever before.
Ruth: I’ve been supported by women and women’s institutions throughout my life and my career, and I’m fairly sure I would not have made films or written novels had it not been for this support. I suspect this may be true for many women writers and artists, which speaks to the literary and societal importance not only of the Women’s Prize, but of cultural institutions like it.
‘I felt like I was jumping off a cliff not knowing where or how I would land. I am proud of what I said and did.’
Something The FLIP and the Women’s Prize Trust have in common is our belief in the importance of raising women's voices in society and learning from those who have come before us. In that spirit, what has been your proudest career moment to date and why?
Vick: Oooh, that’s a tough one…they say variety is the spice of life, so I’d go for a selection of moments between the publication of my two children’s books, hosting the Amnesty International stage to lead the Women’s March in 2018, joining BBC Radio 1 as presenter of Life Hacks (formerly known as the Sunday Surgery, an advice show all about issues affecting young people, in which I found such solace growing up), rising up out of the stage and getting to say ‘Hello Wembley!’ to introduce acts to 80,000 people, or looking after Dictionary Corner on Countdown!
Louise: I think my proudest career moment was deciding to talk about menopause on BBC Breakfast in front of an audience of 6 million people about how it was affecting me both mentally and physically. At the time it was a risky, possibly career-ending decision given the taboos around menopause, and I felt like I was jumping off a cliff not knowing where or how I would land. I am proud of what I said and did, because I know that the resulting special programming changed many women’s lives for the better and continues to do so.
Ruth: The first novels I fell in love with were written by women: Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, the Brontës, and later Virginia Woolf, A.S. Byatt, Margaret Atwood, and so many others. I dreamed of joining this lineage, but it took me until I was in my late thirties to commit to trying. I think my proudest career moment was when, on the cusp of my 41st birthday, I printed out a full draft of my first novel. I had no idea what would happen to it, or to me, but I’d finished a draft, and I was ecstatic.
Claire: Something I feel proud of is the development of the Women’s Prize’s Discoveries programme, which we run in partnership with Curtis Brown, Curtis Brown Creative and Audible. 2023 is the third year of the programme, which aims to find and nurture women who haven’t had access or the opportunity to write. We’ve worked with 8,000 women so far, and half of the 32 writers who have been mentored are now agented; the first book deal was announced at Frankfurt last year (Olivia Ford’s Mrs Quinn’s Rise to Fame will publish with Michael Joseph in 2024). There is a generosity of spirit amongst these women, to each other as peers and to us as we evolve the programme, that is a pleasure to behold.
Which book by a woman have you read now that you would recommend to yourself aged 21 and why?
Ruth: A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara. It is gripping, engrossing, and has all the anguish and cruelty that would have appealed to me at that age, but the reason I would recommend it is because it is a big fat ambitious novel, written by a Japanese American woman writer, about four characters who do not share her cultural, ethnic, racial or gender identity. I wish I had known such a thing was possible when I was 21. When I was that age, Asian American women were not publishing novels, period.
Vick: Half Of A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Growing up I didn’t know or understand enough about my Nigerian heritage, or our country’s history. The stories my mum told of growing up during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war were from a child’s perspective, and this novel helped to fill in so many gaps for me, providing socio-political context while telling a poignant human story that felt so culturally familiar that it made me feel proud, validated and extra curious about my roots. It sparked a journey to explore and better understand where my family comes from.
Also honourable mentions must go to The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet (WPF shortlist in 2021) and Sorrow And Bliss by Meg Mason (WPF shortlist in 2022), which would have hugely helped 21-year-old me navigate my racial identity and mental health respectively, at a time when both felt like such insurmountably confusing and lonely issues to tackle.
Louise: Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg. By the age of 21 I was already concerned by what I could see was a discrimination, stereotyping and a lack of opportunity for women at work, and Sheryl’s book would have given me both the confidence and the practical tools to make sure that I got a seat at the important decision-making tables earlier and more effectively.
Claire: I am going to cheat and pick two: We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Lift as You Climb by Viv Groskop. I’m surprising myself in selecting non-fiction rather than novels but these two books have had a profound effect on me in terms of the belief system I now choose to live my life by personally and professionally, and I would have probably done some things differently had I read them as a 21-year-old. Both books observe that it is often daily occurrences and the seemingly insignificant choices that we make that matter when it comes to what being a woman, a feminist and an ally, means today.
‘I wish I had known such a thing was possible when I was 21.’
How do you curate your space (both physically and mentally) for creativity and inspiration?
Vick: Flowers, plants, fresh air, daylight. As much nature as possible, as often as possible.
Ruth: I take care of my mind with meditation, and I usually sit once or twice a day. Sometimes, when I’m writing fiction and I’m too much in my head, I’ll close my eyes, turn my attention inwards, and ‘drop’ into the body. I’ve found that this somatic awareness helps me move into a scene and write from a more embodied place.
As for my physical space, here’s what’s on my desk right now: A composition notebook. Two snow globes. Three fortune cookie fortunes and a poem by Emily Dickenson, taped to my monitor. A cup of black coffee, and another cup of pens and pencils. A pile of students’ manuscripts. A pile of advance copies of books I’ve been asked to read and endorse. A film script. A pile of receipts from a recent trip to India that are waiting to be sorted. A pair of noise-cancelling headphones to block out the incessant barking of the sad, neurotic pit bull who lives next door. A roll of blue masking tape. An envelope of thank you letters from high school students whose class I visited. A box of index cards with notes, a nail file, a spare mouse, and Bessie!
Louise: To be creative, and explore ideas and write, the first thing I do is carve out time and protect it. I am very strict with myself when I am writing. I take myself upstairs to my office, which is out of earshot from the family, the dogs and all the distractions of daily life. I time myself for 25- or 45-minute intervals during which I don’t reply to emails, don’t read Twitter, don’t post on social media. After that I have a mini-break and start again. I would call that intense creativity, but I also try to make space to dream and let my mind wander when I am walking, running, sitting on a train for example. I let my brain play out scenarios and ideas and most importantly, try not to forget them.
Claire: Carving out space for creativity and inspiration is something I am always working on, but I think that is a common challenge for a lot of women who are juggling a young family with busy lives, combined with being millennial workaholics, for better or worse. Flashes of crystal-clear clarity strike me most often in an early morning versaclimber class – as my team will attest to, from the myriad of emails I send afterwards.
Physically, I hop around a lot of different workspaces, but I can be productive in most environments. I find surrounding myself in my working day with female friends, mentors, mentees and collaborators to be galvanising, but also try to have a meeting-free day on my own every few weeks to recalibrate.
‘The day we find ourselves out of a job at the Women’s Prize Trust will be a happy one, but for now, we’ve got plenty of work to do.’
Why is the work of the Women’s Prize Trust even more vital now and what is the most exciting thing about the future of the Women’s Prize in general?
Louise: You only have to look at the recent figures released by the Women’s Prize for Fiction that highlighted the stark contrast in pay and publicity for non-fiction female writers compared to male writers to see there is still much work to be done. As a female non-fiction writer, I am incredibly excited that the Women’s Prize are extending their remit and have announced a prize for non-fiction. I cannot wait to read the Non-Fiction longlist this time next year.
Ruth: In addition to being a writer, I also teach fiction writing at a women’s college, where I help young women find their voices. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released some disturbing statistics about girls in the USA. Based on a national survey conducted in 2021, one in three teenage girls seriously considered attempting suicide; three out of five girls felt persistent hopelessness and sadness, double the rate of boys; and almost fifteen percent of the girls had been raped or forced to have sex, which represented an increase of 27 percent over the past two years. The federal researchers concluded that teenage girls in America are ‘engulfed in a growing wave of violence and trauma.’
This survey data shocked the country, making it clear that young women do not feel empowered to speak out, and when they do, they are not being listened to. Many people seem to think that feminism is no longer relevant and that the problems women face were all taken care of sometime during the last century. This is clearly not the case. The Women’s Prize Trust and the work they do are as vital and necessary as ever.
Claire: The day we find ourselves out of a job at the Women’s Prize Trust will be a happy one, but for now, we’ve got plenty of work to do. Our year-round day-to-day consists of content and communities, connecting booklovers and storytellers, but there are several bigger exciting projects coming up. We are starting to look ahead to the Women’s Prize for Fiction’s 30th anniversary, which is a moment to bring the hundreds of wonderful books in the Women’s Prize backlist to readers’ attention once again. We are continuing to develop the publishing talent pipeline through our outreach programmes, supporting readers and aspiring women writers particularly from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as wanting to do more to support women working in the trade. And we are ambitious in intending to replicate the Fiction Prize’s positive change with the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction too – elevating women’s voices and advocating for women as authoritative experts on the important topics of our time.
