Women's rights in Afghanistan, Fleet street pioneer Julie Welch, Infertility, The works of Mary Stewart - a podcast by BBC Radio 4

from 2020-08-17T11:45

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Fawzia Koofi, a member of Afghanistan's peace negotiating team survived an assassination attempt on Friday. This come after the Afghan government announced a new council to safeguard women's rights and interests, amid fears peace talks with the Taliban could lead to the loss of hard-won gains. Mahjooba Nowrouzi from the BBC Afghan Service explains.

In 1973, Julie Welch became the first woman to report on football for a British national newspaper. In her new book 'The Fleet Street Girls' she talks about her own battles for recognition, and the experiences of other female trailblazing journalists who also took on the male-dominated world of Fleet Street.

Mary Stewart has been called one of the great British storytellers of the 20th century. The author who has sold over 5 million books is said to have invented the romantic suspense novel. Her 1954 best-seller Madame, Will You Talk? has been dramatised in two parts for Radio 4. We speak to the writers Jane Casey and Harriet Evans who are both fans of her work.

Kat Francois is a performance poet and playwright. In coming to terms with her own infertility she came to the realisation that in all communities, but especially in black communities, infertility can be a taboo subject. She spoke to other women who shared similar experiences and weaved their stories along with her own into a performance piece.

Presenter: Jane Garvey
Producer: Dianne McGregor

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