Showing results by author "Holly Newson" in All Categories

The Beekeeper of Aleppo tells the story of Nuri, a beekeeper, and Afra an artist, who are warmly surrounded by friends and family in the beautiful city of Aleppo in Syria. Their world changes in an instant when war destroys everything they've known and loved and serves them unendurable heartbreak. In this interview we spoke about Lefteri's experiences in refugee camps in Athens, how these weighed on her, and thus her motivations for writing The Beekeeper of Aleppo. We also spoke about learning about beekeeping, PTSD and asylum.  

Joining us at Audible Studios is comedian and teacher, Shabaz Ali. Better known as @ShabazSays, or ‘#King of the Povvos’, Shabaz Ali has amassed over 1 million followers on Instagram and 1.8 million on TikTok with his caustic take downs of the mega-rich. In the name of the cost of living crisis, Ali mocks those who spend their fortunes on designer bags, aesthetically pleasing fridge re-stocks and needlessly priced useless items. When he’s not making viral reaction videos, he can be found teaching chemistry at a school in Blackburn.

Gaining international recognition for her role as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter series, Wright has gone on to star on stage, as well as found her own production company, BonBonLumiere, and direct critically acclaimed short films. Wright is now using her platform to inspire and motivate others to reduce waste, change habits, and become more environmentally friendly. She is an ambassador for the charities Greenpeace and Lumos, and has written her own guide on becoming more sustainable titled Go Gently.

Joining us from home to chat about her debut book, No One Can Change Your Life Except for You, is television and radio presenter Laura Whitmore. We spoke about how to channel our optimistic side, techniques to build self-belief, how to better give and receive compliments and lots more.

Gordon began her career in journalism, working for papers such as The Daily Telegraph. Alongside her journalistic career, Bryony has written several books which document her struggles with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction. Speaking out about mental health has given Gordon a new perspective and drive on the matter, prompting her to run the London marathon two years in a row for mental health charities and start a support group, 'Mental Health Mates'. 

Fearne Cotton is a familiar voice on our radios, becoming the first regular female presenter of the Radio 1 Chart Show, which she hosted alongside Reggie Yates. She has since presented her own Radio 1 show and on Radio 2. Cotton began her own podcast in 2018, titled Happy Place, following the success of her best-selling book, Happy. The podcast shares advice from experts on how to find joy in the everyday and unlock inner happiness. 

Joining us at Audible Studios is James Windust, writer, public speaker and model. Windust graduated from UCA Epsom with a degree in fashion management and marketing and within six months of their graduation was named as one of London's 1,000 most influential people by The Evening Standard. Windust is a freelance writer and has written pieces for British GQ, Gay Times, The Independent and many more. As well as being a writer, Windust is also a public speaker and has spoken at events for Tommy Hilfiger and TEDxLondonWomen. 

Blue is a Ghanaian Londoner, currently residing in Essex, with a past working in therapy. Her first publication, Psychotherapy, is a collection of poetry exploring the conscious, subconscious and unconscious processes of an ex-therapist trying to leave that world behind. Bad Love, Blue’s novel debut, focuses on Ekuah’s experiences of love, success and the difficult navigation of choices between the two. We chatted to Maame Blue about writing Bad Love, her inclusion in the #TwentyIn2020 initiative and finding her voice as a writer.   

Joining us at Audible Studios is British political activist Sophie Walker, who was the founding leader of the Women's Equality Party in the United Kingdom. Her book, Five Rules for Rebellion, gives us advice on how to incorporate activism into our lives. Walker has appeared on UK media broadcasts, was listed as one of BBC's '100 Women' and named by The Evening Standard as one of the 'New Suffragettes'. 

Goldsmith is mixed-race and was raised in London in the 1950s by a single white mother. Goldsmith was the first female - and only ever woman of colour - to be elected to the University of Leicester students' union. She founded Anona Development Consultancy in 1995, for which she works as an energiser, motivator and strategist in the not-for-profit sector. Goldsmith has worked with more than 100 different groups and organisations over five continents. 

Joining us in the Audible Studios is one of our very own: Robin Morgan-Bentley. Robin is a Senior Manager at Audible and now also an author with his debut thriller, The Wreckage. You may also recognise his voice as the interviewer on some Audible Sessions. Robin has worked for Audible since 2014, and whilst he loves being part of the audio publishing process, he has always loved writing, too, so the ambition to create a novel seemed like the natural next step.

Joining us at Audible Studios is award-winning novelist and mental health advocate Nathan Filer. His new book, The Heartland, breaks down the misconceptions associated with schizophrenia. It asks big questions, like whether we spend enough time listening to those suffering with mental health issues and whether we truly understand the complex diagnosis of schizophrenia. Filer, who previously worked as a mental health nurse, opens our minds to new way of thinking about mental health and about ourselves. 

Making his west end debut in 1985, Ball has been a constant in musical theatre, performing many parts in Les Misérables around the country over the years, appearing in The Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray and Sweeny Todd. Ball is no stranger to the charts either: after representing the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest, he has regularly released albums. Michael has now taken to writing and we will be talking about his debut novel, The Empire.

Born in London and trained at Lamda, Joseph's acting career began in the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has appeared regularly on television in shows such as Peep Show, Timeless and BBC drama Vigil, and on the big screen in movies such as Æon Flux and The Beach. Joseph wrote and performed in a one man play, titled Sancho: An Act of Remembrance. Now, he has been looking more deeply at the life of Charles Ignatius Sancho, the first Black person to vote in Britain, publishing a novel about his life.

When Covid struck and the country entered lockdown, Widdicombe and Beckett were stuck at home and the reality of parenting young children without the escape of work hit hard. They decided to start a podcast, Lockdown Parenting Hell, which meant they could go upstairs, leave the children for a while, and moan about the difficulties of being a dad, which over 2 million people a month started listening to! With the success of the podcast, Beckett and Widdicombe decided there was plenty they hadn’t covered that would make a great audiobook.

Since beginning The Everyday Sexism project as a website in 2012, Bates has begun what some are calling 'the fourth-wave feminism'. By gathering instances of sexism experienced on a day-to-day basis, Bates has proved to the world that, not only does sexism exist, but that it is a problem faced by women every day. Bates has authored best-selling books, and now works closely with politicians, schools, police forces and organisations to tackle gender inequality. Bates was awarded a British Empire Medal for services to gender equality in 2015.

Joining us at Audible Studios is author, journalist and economics and politics commentator, Grace Blakeley. We’ll be chatting with Grace Blakeley about Vulture Capitalism, her latest book which exposes corporate crimes, reveals the truth of the free market and demonstrates the issues with capitalism. We’ll find out how everyday people are being forgotten while the uber-rich are benefitting, and how we, as everyday people, can take control back.

Joining us at Audible Studios is best-selling author and illustrator, Cressida Cowell. We will be talking to Cressida Cowell about her Which Way to Anywhere series, with book two, Which Way Round the Galaxy, having just released. We will find out how she found bringing this book to life in narration, why she loves to write about magic, and why this series took 25 years to come to fruition.

Joining us at Audible Studios are Mayors of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region respectively, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram. Andy Burnham has served as Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, and as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Culture Secretary and Health Secretary among other roles during his extended political career. Steve Rotheram has served as Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region since 2017 and like Burnham, has long supported the Labour party.

Joining us at Audible Studios is author and activist, Sophie Williams. We will be speaking to Sophie Williams about The Glass Cliff, her latest book which comes off the back of her viral TED talk on the subject. We will be finding out what the Glass Cliff is, how women are being sabotaged in leadership roles, why men are still receiving advantages over women in the workplace, and what success can look like for women.