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Weekend Woman's Hour: Ayobami Adebayo, Period Poverty, My Brilliant Friend

Highlights from the Woman's Hour week, with Jenni Murray. Featuring Nigerian writer Ayobami Adebayo, period poverty, loneliness and My Brilliant Friend on stage.

Ayobami Adebayo is a Nigerian writer whose first novel, Stay With Me, has been long-listed for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. Championed by Chimamanda Adichie and Margaret Atwood she was named a Bright Star of Nigerian writing by the Financial Times.

Thordis Elva and Tom Stranger, talk about their journey from sexual violence to reconciliation. In 1996 their budding teenage romance ended when Tom raped Thordis at her home after a Christmas dance. Years later she decided to email him, telling him of the deep trauma he caused. In reply, he acknowledged his actions as rape, and they began a raw and painful, but ultimately healing dialogue. The two have written a book together, South of Forgiveness, about their experience.

The Paula Principle is a new book which claims that women aren't getting the career success they deserve despite doing well academically. We speak to the author, Tom Schuller, about why this is.

Girls in the UK are missing school because they are too poor to buy sanitary protection. The Scottish politician Monica Lennon and Tina Leslie from Freedom4Girls talk about period poverty.

And, Japan's comfort women. Award winning documentary film maker, Tiffany Hsiung, spent six years making The Apology - about the more than 200 000 young women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Army during WWII. She talks about the grandmothers' struggle with shame, silence and memory loss, and their resilience as they continue their 22 year fight for an official apology from the Japanese Government.

Parenting can be a lonely experience. So, what can mums and dads do about it? Sarah Hesz founder of Mush, an app designed to help people make new friends, Shannon Cullen, author of 'I'm Wrecked This Is My Journal,' and listener and new mum Bonnie discuss how to turn loneliness around.

April De Angelis, who has adapted Elena Ferrante's novels for the stage talks to Jenni about her play My Brilliant Friend which is now on at the Rose Theatre in Kingston.

Novelist Wendy Holden and Lisa Johnson, who's a wedding planner, discuss wedding trends and fads.

Available now

58 minutes

Rape and Sexual Assault

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Jenni Murray
Producer Sophie Powling
Editor Jane Thurlow
Interviewed Guest Ayobami Adebayo
Interviewed Guest Thordis Elva
Interviewed Guest Tom Stranger
Interviewed Guest April De Angelis
Interviewed Guest Monica Lennon
Interviewed Guest Tina Leslie
Interviewed Guest Shannon Cullen
Interviewed Guest Sarah Hesz
Interviewed Guest Tiffany Hsiung
Interviewed Guest Tom Schuller
Interviewed Guest Wendy Holden
Interviewed Guest Lisa Johnson

Broadcast

  • Sat 18 Mar 2017 16:00

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