Power/Trip

Power/Trip

"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. 

Grit

Grit

 "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.”

Sarah Kosar knows how hard it is to acknowledge your own achievements, but in her rollicking, uplifting piece she encourages us all to stand hand-on-hip with a slight smile on our lips and say "I'm proud of what I've achieved."

Cherry Bomb

Cherry Bomb

"Everyone else on the course was a man..."

Alice had always dreamed of having her own motorbike, but it was only in her late twenties that she got her first, 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.

Learning The Steps

Learning The Steps

"I don't usually think about my achievements..."

Occupational therapist and mentor Anne Roszkowski 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 those that follow.

My First Poem

My First Poem

"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 herself. 

The Flicker

The Flicker

"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 flicker of inspiration returned. 

Wheels of fortune

Wheels of fortune

"Nothing else gives you the sense of powering your own life forward."

Isabelle's 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. 

The Women of Troy

The Women of Troy

"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.