100 voices for 100 years: Recent Episodes
100 voices for 100 years
Over 100 days 100 female storytellers tell stories of achievement, to commemorate 100 years of Votes for Women in the UK
For Black History month, 100 Voices brings you one of our newest contributors, Natalie Twum-Barima who shares her poem Windrush. In it, Natalie voices the people behind the journey - from Africa, via the Middle Passage and to Britain in a moving piece about family, heritage and remembrance.
Women's Prize longlistee Yvonne Battle-Felton shares a sneak peak of her piece for the 100 voices book, now funding on Unbound.
"I knew I had to do it. Even if it felt like I had nothing to contribute, I would have to think of something. "
Writer and editor of the 100 Voices for 100 Years project, Miranda Roszkowski realises how hard it is to talk about achievements, and pays tribute to the 99 contributors who have gone before her.
"Life continues to throw challenges and obstacles at me. But I know I can deal with them."
For Louise Houghton her path was very clear from the age of four - she was destined to be in front of the camera. Her ambition, drive and a bit of luck have got her a long way. In this uplifting piece about being true to yourself Louise tells her story and inspires us along the way.
"If you just teach one person something positive, then it's worth it."
When costume coordinators Amy Trend, Hannah Monkley and Amy Towle dressed as Suffragettes for the Women's March in 2017 they didn't expect the fantastic response they got, or how it would lead to a whole new mindset. In an exclusive for 100 Voices for 100 Years the team behind the popular podcast Same Shit Different Century talk about the birth of the podcast, how they are inspired by the generations of women who have gone before them and how some problems are really still the same.
"A desert country seemed the place that best reflected our emotions."
After losing their daughter, writer Sandra Arnold and her husband took to travelling to process their grief and found themselves Oman. For 100 Voices for 100 years Sandra shares her story The Stone, inspired by one of the moments from their time in the desert. A beautiful piece about the moment when hope returns.
"I felt worthless, stupid and incapable. I can’t apply those words to myself anymore. "
Elisabeth Alain shares her story Bruise, and explains how she has let the wounds of a past relationship heal through her writing.
"Mr Smith begrudgingly wrote ‘Good Effort’ at the bottom of the paper. I thought nothing of it."
Miriam Elin Jones didn't have a habit of speaking up, until a particularly bitter injustice in sociology class changed her whole attitude. A funny and charming piece for 100 voices for 100 years about learning how to speak up and how we all need a little bit of Nora Davies every now and then.
"You’re never too old to become a fighter."
Jane Riekemann is... a writer, a co-founder of a short story prize and a teacher. She didn't ever think she would add campaigner to that list but two years ago she became one. In a warm piece she talks about how her activism has brought her into many interesting situations (and a few unpleasant ones) but whatever happens, there is no going back.
A wonderful piece that reminds us to keep fighting for what we believe.
“I was going to try. One last time.”
Emily Garside could never shake the idea that September meant new starts. So in September 2017 she took a huge leap into the unknown.
For 100 voices for 100 years, she shares the story of what happens after you give everything up. An inspiring piece about ups, downs and taking chances.
"Not a superwoman. Just a single mum."
Writer Lesley Traynor reads a storming poem about the things she has achieved, as an "ordinary" woman.
"She picks up the phone and screams “Good morning my friend” before she knows who’s calling."
For performer and writer Jessica Hayles there is one person who she knows inspired all of her own achievements. In a glorious piece for our Bank Holiday 100 voices for 100 years and 90th voice, Jessica pays Nanny B a tribute.
"I hid for a while, a satisfied Gollum, behind my precious pen."
Writer and erstwhile actress Eloise Williams has always hated the sound of her voice. She has gone out of her way to hide it, choosing a literary career where she thought she was safe...
A funny, lovely piece about learning how to make people listen, however you sound.
"She was my biggest champion. She loved and cared for me enough to be brutally honest about my work."
When writer Debbi Voisey lost her friend Donna, she lost a soul mate. But it started a process of self-discovery for Debbi which she talks about in this heartfelt piece for 100 voices for 100 years, where she reads her short story Ma Chroi, dedicated to her friend.
“I found people who were eager to tell stories, not just perform.”
Beth Stevens set up her blog All The Worlds A Stage at the age of 18 but it was during a production of Blue Stockings she found a community of female theatre makers that inspired her to start her own feminist enterprise. An uplifting and hopeful piece about what can happen when inspiring women get together.
"No one is going to walk down the streets of your council estate and see your inner brilliance, and whisk you away. Don’t worry, you’ll save yourself."
Alex Keelan gives herself some life lessons in a letter to her younger self, and in doing so teaches the rest of us some things, too. A funny, human and uplifting piece about finding your own way.
"I’ve often gained confidence in things I find difficult to do by organising events around them."
When Jude Higgins retired at 60 it didn't remotely occur to her to stop creating opportunities to get people together and share stories. In a beautiful, warm piece for 100 voices for 100 years, Jude explains how she was inspired to get involved in running the Bath Short Fiction Award and how she has built a whole family from this community. A piece about the threads that bind us together.
"I knew I had something to contribute."
Sarah Jones was a student, coming to terms with a future as a teenage single mum when she became inspired to enter politics. She went on to become the first female MP ever in Croydon. She shares her story and encourages others to take a stand, and stand for election.
"It’s not unusual to go through a phase of intense imaginative play - but my phase continues today, and I’m 35. "
For performer, producer and Co-Director of Croydon Cycle Theatre Vanessa Hammick, performing has been her life-blood since she was a tottering acrobat on a chair in her living room. In this uplifting piece, she talks about the highs and lows of her choice and how for her, the play is always the thing.
"I’m sure you’ve heard the expression Life Imitates Art..."
Writer Rebecca Rouillard was thrilled when she won a prestigious award for a book in which one of the main characters has a degenerative condition. When she woke up with a numbness in her body, she wondered what was going on....
An optimistic and honest piece about coping with Bells Palsy (and the rest of life) and how, with a bit of help from Flannery O'Connor, it's possible to stay positive.
"I'm just a mum."
In a moving, honest and occasionally tongue in cheek poem, poet Antonia Seaward considers what it is to be "Just A Mum."
“In teacher training you’re encouraged to create a persona - turned out mine was Mary Poppins."
After years as a jobbing actor, Olivia Chappell decided to get a Real Job. She excelled at it; and then she was transferred to a new school...
A story about putting yourself out of your comfort zone and how stepping away can make you come back stronger.
"It still troubles me whether it's a story I have the right to tell."
When Helen Rye created a piece of flash fiction adapted from a painstakingly researched monologue in a community theatre piece she’d written she didn’t suspect it would catapult her into the literary world. Now she considers that story, its success and the people that inspired the tragic title. A humble, thought provoking piece that explores how our achievements are sometimes hard to accept.
"I had nowhere to escape to."
In the months following her daughter's death, writer Diane Simmons' family gradually began to return to their normal lives, but Diane didn’t seem able to move on. She couldn't write — though the image of a grieving mother at a river bank kept returning to her. She reads the story that grew out of this.
“The shorter pieces come from something more visceral.”
Author Louise Mangos knows sometimes a creative job is like a marathon, but she wouldn’t have made it as far as she has without her training in short pieces of fiction. In her piece for 100 Voices For 100 Years Louise reads her story ‘Two Hundred Years Ago We Would Have Been Dead By Now’ a powerful piece about womanhood, desire and the life that gets in the way.
“Recovery is not a win or a failure.”
Playwright Emily Holyoake was never really one for cross-country; at school it more ritual humiliation than part of a healthy lifestyle. But when her father fell ill, she signed up for a 10k. And that’s where things started to go wrong.
A humorous and heartfelt piece about how Emily took the steps needed to get back in the race.
"Experts thought running would make a woman's uterus fall out..."
To celebrate the London Marathon, writer and journalist Sophie Haydock shares her own experience of crossing the finishing line after 26.2 miles. Amid the sweat, aches and exhaustion, Sophie tells of her joy at being free to go the distance, when many women before her were prohibited from doing so.
"We can choose to recognise all we have done... the mad paddling that goes on under water to create even the sleekest, smoothest glide on the surface."
Writer Laura Windley has always been good at going into battle. Using her anger, her strength and most importantly building up resilience has allowed her to keep on keeping on. In a piece for the eve of the 75th day of 100 voices for 100 years she gives us all a reminder that whatever we're doing, we have to go on doing it, for ourselves.
"I know how important voice is, but how can we define it?"
Writer Jacqueline Haskell was taught that her voice was one of the most important things to get right when she started her literary career. In a heartwarming piece she talks about what it took for her to understand what that meant for her.
"Writing's not for me, I'd say. I can't do it."
"It feels like there’s a rubber band around your chest. Every day it gets a little bit tighter, and tighter, until you feel like you can’t breathe at all."
A year and a half ago, Susanna Bowen stopped writing. Affected by feelings of
inadequacy and self doubt, her words were the first casualty in a battle with anxiety. In her piece Susanna shares her story Walnut Way and tells us how small steps got her back on track.
“On a Sunday afternoon, I’d put a wash on, read the papers and make lists. Colour coded.”
Writer and performer Ceri Ashcroft loved nothing more than making elaborate lists about, well, everything. When everything changed, the lists went from indulgence to indispensable.
"I had to find an alternative route... peeling away the layers of the onion to get to the real me."
Lucy felt joyless when she lost her creativity during a long battle with IVF and chronic fatigue syndrome. Then, after finally getting pregnant, she returned to making. When the opportunity to share a studio with other creative women arose she didn't look back. A glorious story of resilience.
"Year after year, I refused to put my head under..."
Author Sarah Alexander has had a murky relationship with water her whole life; from an element to be feared in her school days, it eventually inspired her successful first novel, The Art Of Not Breathing. In this open and touching piece for 100 voices for 100 years, Sarah shares the story of her struggle with the Blue, and how the water has brought both tragedy and redemption.
"In the hospital they have some papers they want me to sign. They are explaining what the papers mean.
- Just give me the pen, I say."
Writer and performer Joanna Howard's second pregnancy was a little different. In a comic, warts-and-all piece for 100 voices for 100 years she shares her story of surviving twins...
"It was a fairly quiet afternoon in the x-ray department, so I took the opportunity to have my annual mammogram..."
Being a Doctor had its perks for Sarah Burnett, including having access to some excellent healthcare facilities. But when she actually got sick, it didn't seem quite so convenient after all. A humorous and heart-felt piece about learning that the most important patient is sometimes you.
"We were anarchy, we were challenge and laughter and freedom. "
Every day is a school day with 100 voices for 100 years, but not quite like the one Sharon Eckman ran... In a joy filled pieced, performer and writer Sharon Eckman explains what happened when she and her band of fellow artists took over schools in North Wales. A great piece about the positive power of creativity.
"I made it. All those years when I thought I wouldn't. But I did."
In a raw piece about the darker side of creativity and difficult relationships for 100 voices for 100 years, playwright and performer Sophie Olivia Ali shares her story of survival. She made it, and so will we.
"The grainy photo shows a woman and her bike at the turn of the century... 100 years later a photo of me shows a similar picture..."
To Ros Ball, the woman she called Aunty Min was a kindred spirit, though she was over 90 when Ros was born. In a heartwarming piece, author and broadcaster Ros talks about how both women were enabled by their love of cycling and how much, or little else has changed in the 100 years that separate the women.
"I looked at the blue packet on the floor and almost heard it calling me... Go on! Stand up for yourself."
Young writer Della Darvill's taste in crisps wasn't the only thing that marked her as an outsider and a target for bullies. When it came to the crunch, her favourite snack came in handy
"I wrote it first, then I said it in my head, and finally I said it out loud."
When author Emma Flint wrote her first book inspired by Agatha Christie, aged 10, she became a writer, although she didn't quite know it. In her piece for 100 voices for 100 years, Emma shares the story about how she dared to believe in herself. A piece that will inspire you to do the same.
"I am brilliant at Street Fighter. I have watched Neighbours for over 30 years..."
There are so many things to be proud of. Here, writer, playwright and theatre maker Sharon Kanolik lists a handful of her accomplishments, each shedding a little light on the key moments of her life. A glorious piece which sums up the ethos of 100 voices for 100 years - everyone should have this list and read it out, frequently.
"I had never seen blonde hair before..."
Arriving in England with her family, Usha was confronted with a totally new culture. In a gorgeous piece of memoir about the time following her family's expulsion from Uganda, writer Usha Rowan remembers who she was trying to impress the first time she learned to use a Fork and Knife.
“A gem stone is made after millions of years of pressure … rarely flawless, sometimes marked…”
Maya Kay is made of strong stuff. In her piece “How To Be A Strong Woman” part poem, part self-motivation, Maya explores the choices she’s had to make and how her strength is built on a bedrock of support. With some noir humour and a rousing ending, this is a real feel good piece for a Friday at 100 voices for 100 years.
"There was a time in my life when I felt I couldn't, or I wasn't or I didn't know how..."
Amie Taylor knew she was creative - she just didn't know how to put her voice out there. In a warm, charming piece, Amie talks about how meeting a group of inspiring artists gave her the confidence to think she could have a go herself...
"I can’t really say sorry you know because that would be too easy. " Seven years after Jeffrey had raped me he said this.*
100 voices for 100 years aims to celebrate the process we have made towards equality over the last 100 years. It is also about the female voice and asks who controls the stories we tell. In a warm, human and daring piece, artist Emma Berentsen talks about her rape and how she is taking her story back.
This piece discusses rape and may disturb some listeners.
"As I read something happened. The story stopped being mine..."
Writer Anne Summerfield started writing nearly 40 years ago, but it was when she finally read her work out loud that she discovered her voice as an author. In this inspiring piece for 100 voices for 100 years, Anne shares her story, and reveals what has kept her going for so long.
"I was in love with the sight of city lights in the darkness, thousands of bulbs lighting the night."
Ciara McVeigh moved to Manchester from a small town in Ireland, having never even visited the city. 3000 days afterwards, Ciara shares a story of home, and how sometimes a leap in the dark helps you find your path. A warm story for a slow Bank Holiday Monday
"By the time we met, I knew her better than anyone."
Writer Louise Taylor's writing career started with her pen friend. Over the years they shared their most intimate secrets and their burgeoning writing talents. In this moving piece for 100 voices for 100 years this Easter Sunday, Louise Taylor talks about her loss after her pen friend's death and how, eventually it inspired her to pick up her pen, again.
"A teeny tiny bean shaped thing, had so much love already."
Melangell promised to be the best auntie ever. Six years later she looks back on her relationship with her nephew and how it has changed her life.
"What a great feeling - to be so open not just with others, but also yourself. Isn't that where your first healthy relationship should start?"
As a gay teenager it wasn't always easy for Christabel Johanson. Years later, as a married woman, she is thrilled to hear a young women telling her about the exploits of female lovers in the park... In a romantic and invigorating piece for 100 voices for 100 years, Christabel celebrates love and the freedom to chose how you express it.
"You have to drop yourself over the edge, free fall and hope you don't break any bones."
Freya was fearless as a six year old, until she faced the Death Slide. Would it defeat her?
A charming piece about what it takes to overcome your fears, by a fantastic young writer, Freya Kelly, for the 100 voices for 100 years project.
"My face tells people things at times that I don’t want them to know."
Writer and performer Robyn Addison has always been aware of her face and how others have reacted to it. When a period of introspection made her lose confidence and question her identity, her friends offered her a much more helpful reflection than the mirror. In a challenging piece for 100 voices for 100 years,, Robyn Addison talks about her anxiety over her face and how she is learning to stop hating it, and even love it?
"I scribbled it in the radiotherapy waiting room."
Writer Emily Devane was inspired to write her flash fiction piece The Hand That Wields The Priest while looking at another patient's angling magazine in hospital. The story has won several prizes and is quiet story with dark undertones about a child and their father as they go for a fishing expedition that changes everything.
In an honest and warm piece for the 100 voices for 100 years project, Emily talks about the time of writing it and how the story's success has helped chart her progress into recovery.
"I wanted to say Yes! Of Course. But it made me think..."
Arts practitioner Viv Buckley considers her own life, 100 years after women first got the vote - as a successful theatre maker, a teacher and an advocate for young people - and asks what it would take to take up the call to arms.
"The writers group talked about the characters as if they were real."
When writer Kate Ellis shared Lazy Legs with her group it was a surprise to see that having effectively outed herself via the story, the only comments they had were on the quality of the work. Kate reads this quietly political and beautiful short story for the 100 voices for 100 years project.
"I didn't think I had achieved anything..."
Sakina came to the UK age 6 and after mastering the cultural differences, becamee the first woman in her family to go to University. Now she runs her own business, and helps other women find their voices. She nevertheless finds it hard to talk about achievement. In a warm and gentle piece Sakina galvanises us to use our voices.
"How much of a license do we give ourselves to do what we want to do?"
Playwright and author Tamara wrote a play that was about cycling, but there was far more behind her choice of the central relationship; the idea of the bond between mothers and daughters. In this charming piece she talks about her own mother and how her parents taught her to break the rules.
"Like someone else's life being played through my body."
For writer Felicity Goodman, the birth of her second child provoked a period of PTSD. In an insightful and heart-breakingly honest poem she describes the joy and the pain of those few months and how she is coming to terms with being a mum, her way.
"To win was everything to me."
Stefanie's hobby growing up gave her a taste for sequins and success. When her twenties weren't quite what she expected she took a whole new tactic - to disappear. In a funny and cockle warming piece Stefanie tells us how she has learned to accept her vulnerabilities. She still has the sequins.
Like. Like. Like-like-like-like-like.
Where are you in all this?
In the next episode of 100 voices for 100 years, writer Aliyah Keshani asks us to look hard at the pixelated versions of ourselves we put online and wonders if perhaps, our best side is somewhere else entirely. An uplifting story about unlocking our hidden hopes and desires and showing our true selves.
"I had never felt such a redneck in my life."
Angela Wallis was told early on that she wouldn’t make it to her dream job of working at the BBC. So after years as a Social Worker it was quite a surprise when she found her self with a one-time shot at her dream.
A life-affirming story about how resilience can pay off.
"My A-Level could not prepare me for colloquial French in a Dordogne accent..."
Kerri thought she was going on a 4 month ski holiday in the Alps passed off as an educational experience, but her time as a chambermaid at the age of 18 taught her much more than she'd expected. A wonderful coming-of-age story.
"We run because it makes us feel like heroes."
The 100 voices for 100 years welcomes writer Elinor Johns, who has been running for 8 years now. In the build up to her first Marathon she muses on how running can empower women, giving us a whole new perspective on what body-beautiful really is. Elixir shares a powerful message with her daughters and all of their generation, celebrating a different type of womanhood.
"I don't think this is the course for you, he said. Unfortunately I believed him."
Writer Gaynor Jones talks about how she overcame the grip of an oppressive anxiety condition to return to writing after she thought she had given up.
In a vulnerable and effecting piece, Gaynor encourages others to pick up the pen, even when it feels like it takes herculean strength to do so.
"Immediately after our wedding, I joined my husband on a six month long voyage in an oil tanker - the perfect opportunity for me to begin my lessons..."
Though it didn't take long for her to give up the pre-dawn watch, author Susmita Bhattacharya's epic journey opened her eyes to the world. Still, it was learning the language of her new family that made her realise she was home. A glorious tale about language, literature and love.
"I think 12 year old Sarah Kosar would think my life was pretty cool, besides not spending as much time with the Spice Girls as she anticipated I would.”
Playwright Sarah Kosar knows how hard it is to acknowledge your own achievements, but in her rollicking, uplifting piece she encourages us to stand hand-on-hip with a slight smile on our lips and say "I'm proud of what I've achieved."
"Everyone else on the course was a man..."
100 voices for 100 years often celebrates tenacity and today's piece is no exemption! Production editor Alice had always dreamed of having her own motorbike, but it was only in her late twenties that she got her certificate and bought her first bike, Ruby Red. Despite nearly driving it into her neighbours fence on their first journey, it was only a matter of time before Alice felt the urge to upgrade...
A charming tale of how you have to fall off a few times to really master your steed.
"I don't usually think about my achievements..."
Occupational therapist and mentor Anne Carter takes us on a journey back in time to her first ventures into public life and how the joy of organising a great party set her up for the next big step, and the next... A beautiful story about how each challenge can empower us to take on the next.
"The kind that feels like razor blades in your stomach..."
To Amy J Kirkwood, being confronted with life's choices can sometimes make her feel frozen like one of those living statues. But as she tells the students she teaches, only those who do nothing never make mistakes.
"It celebrates the coming together of communities"
In a joyous piece for 100 voices for 100 years, singer and songwriter Angela Martin sounds a rallying cry - with a killer beat, as she introduces her song Wake Up. The song is about togetherness, inspired by among other things, the Women's March and is a great piece for International Women's Weekend.
"I found myself on a stage at the age of 25 with a piece of paper in my hand, shaking like I was connected to the core of the earth..."
Renowned writer and playwright Sabrina Mahfouz offers her warm and funny contribution to the 100 voices for 100 years project. In her warts-and-all piece Sabrina explains how she used to think that the only people who could pick up the mic were men. Until she did it.
"My sister is a fighter, and a winner."
In a rousing and celebratory piece, writer Sogol Sur talks about how her sister has influenced her; gifting her a love of literature, the English language and constant inspiration. Now, despite living thousands of miles apart, they are growing ever closer.
"Our beds are 30 millimetres apart - thats the size of the top half of your thumb."
In a departure from previous 100 voices for 100 years a more adult piece for you on day 29.
Stevie Tyler discovers Anne Summers wasn't what it used to be and wonders exactly how much you can hear through those walls. In a hilarious piece by writer and entrepreneur Stevie, she explores the taboo of the things you're meant to ignore and smashes through that with joyful glee.
"Imagine you are a woman, I tell them, living in 1868..."
A month into the 100 voices for 100 years project, academic Dr Maureen Wright brings us back to the beginnings of the project; the anniversary of the Representation of the People Act. She gives a brief introduction to the women that inspired her to forge a whole new career in her 40s, and how she hopes to pass her knowledge onto the next generation.
"I learned that as well as scary, people could be riveting."
The 100 voices for 100 years project is entering its second month this week and to celebrate we have a beautiful piece of self-discovery by Stella Klein.
Her mother thought she might be a late developer, but Stella's early fascination with words and characters was perfect training for the challenges of being a writer. In her enchanting piece, writer Stella Klein examines how she came to find her voice as an artist.
On the day of the pre-International Women's Day March4Women, as part of 100 voices for 100 years Grace Pilkington delivers her blistering poem Boys Will Be Boys Grace Pilkington. In it, she exposes some uncomfortable truths and asks whether we've really got it right as a society when it comes to sexual violence against women as well as giving a rallying cry to us all.
"You've read every book in here. You'll have to write your own... "
Louise wrote her first novel in primary school, complete with stickman illustrations. But she was told it wasn't a proper job. It wasn't until she came out of the "car crash" of her thirties that the spark of inspiration returned.
"People don't like labels..."
Julia Woolams didn't set out to be a blogger, but maybe it was there all along. She talks about the tags that make up (some of) her identity and how her home town inspires her.
"Nothing else gives you the sense of powering your own life forward."
In the next instalment of 100 voices for 100 years we meet Isabelle Clement, Director of cycling charity Wheels for Wellbeing whose discovery of the power of wheels was a slow one. It was only at university when she "came out" as a disabled person.
She talks about her journey, inspired by several inspiring women, both from history and in her own life, to take up her hand cycle.
"As a woman, as a writer, you can pick those underwritten stories from history, and give them new life."
Jane Roberts always loved the classics, but the more she learned the less she saw the lives of women in the epics. So she set about writing their stories herself. In this beautiful poem, Jane breathes life into the silent washer women of Troy.
"My comfort zone used to follow me around like a giant hula hoop..."
In the 22nd episode of 100 voices for 100 years we meet writer and photographer YL Huang. In this charming piece, she explains how she finally broke out of her comfort zone when she resolved to try 4 new things a month...
“It took me a while to realise I wrote a lot about being mum.”
Becoming a mature student on a Masters writing course was a dream come true for Sarah Hegarty. In May 2006 she submitted her dissertation and eagerly awaited the results. But by September she found herself at a hospital bedside and not the writers desk.
"She gave birth to most of us in the room above the door. We called it the Boudoir."
To writer Tamara Pollock, her childhood as one of 8 children wasn't anything special. Never mind the 24 Italian students that came to live with them, or the strangers who sometimes appeared at their dinner table. It was only later she came to see that all her mother had done for the family. Tamara celebrates her mother's daring, distinctive style and quirky personality in this charming addition to the 100 voices for 100 years project.
"Spend a penny? I had no idea."
100 voices for 100 years welcomes writer and international chameleon Damhnait Monaghan. When Damhnait moved from Canada to the UK she knew there would be challenges, but she didn't think that language would be one of them. In this charming and comic piece she tells of her life as a linguistic double agent and how it might come in handy. Do they say that here?
In the next instalment of 100 voices for 100 years, we meet Branwen Davies, lecturer and theatre practitioner. Branwen was never very good at admitting what she wanted, even to herself. Until she was brave enough to speak up. An inspiring story about what happens when you dare to take your own destiny in your hands.
In the 17th episode of the #100voicesfor100years project introduces Reshma Ruia who's essay on the sometimes contradictory pulls of writer and mother takes us to Manchester, where she arrived fresh from her life in Italy, and further back India. Once she got used to the rain, she found inspiration in the streets around her. She tells us about her journey into the world of literature - and how it wasn't always easy to juggle with motherhood.
In the 16th episode of 100 voices for 100 years, writer Sarah Armstrong tells her story of how she signed up to be an army doctor.
Writer Sarah Armstrong tells her story of how she signed up to be an army doctor. Her imagined life as a real-life Lara Croft was quickly forgotten when the fitness challenges left her retching at the side of the running track. It took several months but she got stronger.
Was she strong enough for Afghanistan?
In the 15th episode of the 100 voices for 100 years project, Sian Brett, writer and stand up, tells us how since she was a child she had been sure her future lay in theatre, but then her Dad's sudden sickness made it hard to be certain about anything.
In this heartfelt and moving piece, she explains how she had always known she loved theatre, but now, it is more important than ever.
This episode of the 100 voices for 100 years project introduces Alison Hitchock, co-founder of From Me To You, a charity that distributes letters to cancer patients. In this episodes tells us how she has needed to face her own fears and perceived limitations, and how helping others has led her all the way to a busking spot on Carnaby Street...
Because sometimes if it's written down, it has to be true, right?
In the next instalment of 100 voices for 100 years, Amy Foster, teacher, performer and one half of Croydon Bicycle Theatre tells us about The Book. This childhood almanac has escaped the myriad book culls over the years, and now rediscovering it years later, she realises that its presence in her life may have been more than physical.
In the next instalment of the 100 voices for 100 years project, writer and performer Miranda Keeling gives a melt-your-heart account of her first steps into showbiz as a plucky 7 year old on a community tour.
"Momentum kicked in... like finding the biting point on a car."
The 100 voices for 100 years project introduces authorKate Jefford, whose fearless exploits as a child have made it easier to leap into the unknown as an adult.
The 10th voice as part of the 100 voices for 100 years project is Lissa Berry, welsh performer and writer. She tells us how she learned to find a voice despite herself.
To celebrate Valentines Day, 100 voices for 100 years introduces Charly Lester, journalist and entrepreneur.
It started with a date… Charly’s romantic challenge led to her creating the internationally renowned Dating Awards and undertaking a whole new level of commitment as a CEO of her own business.
"Sometimes I just counted my steps, doggedly putting one blistered foot in front of the other."
It was the ultimate endurance test for Jo Martyn, blogger and trainer, but when her colleagues suggested she join their 100k walk, she gained far more that the fitness and the blisters she might have expected. As the 100 voices for 100 years project goes into week 2, we hear heartwarming story about how achieving a challenge can change everything
Deborah Martin, poet and author says that some people don't get her.. But she has mastered survival and it's impossible to resist her charming and humorous call to arms.
Peta and her friend have gone the distance - from girlhood to their thirties. Peta Cornish, actor, writer and presenting coach tells their story.
For the fourth instalment of 100 Voices for 100 years, writer, digital producer and gig goer Katherine tells us about the time she went to see a Japanese Noise Band on a hot summer and finds more than the sticky floor. A heartwarming story for the weekend.
Do you ever lie in bed thinking about your comebacks? Carys did.
Carys Jones, a playwright from Wales talks about the time she dared to speak up.
Poet, journalist and mother Victoria talks about the highs and lows of being both a mother and introduces a poem about the darker side of motherhood