“I have faith… I have faith that this will all end one day. Who knows what the future will bring?”
I can imagine these are the words of one of my ancestors. Watch the accent - Grandad was part of the Windrush movement - and don’t get twisted, his stay in this country is legit.
But listen - I’m done with waging wars on territories I didn’t even pay rent on…
I’m a bit of a me connoisseur. I know what I mean when I say certain things…
To celebrate a year of 100 Voices, Women's Prize longlistee Yvonne Battle-Felton shares a sneak peak of her fantastic piece that will be part of the 100 voices book if we get enough support from you! If you like what you hear please consider pledging on Unbound https://unbound.com/books/100-voices/
"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 despite the bumps in the road, Louise shares 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.
100 voices for 100 years; votes for women
"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 despite the bumps in the road, Louise shares 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 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.
"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.
“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 shares a few with the rest of us. A funny, human and uplifting piece about finding your own way.
"I’ve 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 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 also 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 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 found its way out of that image.
“Much of my writing comes from my life; settings and people. But 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 that talks of womanhood, desire and the life that happens along the way.
"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, resilience, has allowed her to keep on keeping on.
In a piece for 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.
"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.
