All in Heroines
On 8th March 2019, the Hope Street Xchange in Sunderland will host a charity event in honour of International Women’s Day. North Eastern illustrator Hannah Rich comments on the event, where she will exhibit the portraits of Meghan Markle, Malala Yousefzai and Emma Watson.
In 2002 Alice Huyler Ramsey became the first female entry to the Automotive Hall of Fame. Why did she receive this illustrious honour? For taking an iconic 20th century road-trip across the USA, and being the very first woman ever to do so.
I’d like to say it was a moment of triumphant epiphany but, like a lot of people, I don’t exactly remember the first time I called myself a feminist. For a long time, sheltered as I was by white-middle-class privilege, I didn’t recognise feminism was something that we still desperately need. When I was at school, I knew about extreme instances of rape culture, and was often subjected to ‘get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich’ jokes - but I thought of equality as something we’d already achieved.
This November, Harpy met with Nigel Poor, the co-host of popular prison podcast, Ear Hustle. Nigel gets talking about her work as a visual artist, her changed attitude towards men, and the creative art of listening.
Vicky North, chef and founder of ‘Women in Food’, talks about finding her way in a male-dominated industry and bringing change for the next generation of female chefs.
Most of us have experienced that unease and paranoia; when a tampon falls out of our bag in public. Worst of all, most of us know how horrifying it is to realise that you have leaked. But, most of us probably don’t know what it’s like to not be able to afford basic menstrual protection.
Heading to Edinburgh this year? Check out Harpy’s new favourite comedian Ella Woods and her show Wing Defence: a comedy about sport by someone who hated it.
Katherine Christie Evans = Velodrome: a queer artist whose work is concerned with social inequality, Feminism, and mental health and queer visibility. Harpy meets Katherine to talk about Velodrome’s debut single and debut event.
Tessa Coates - sketch comic extraordinaire, trio-of-podcasts host and now stand up - unveiled Primates, her debut solo show, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017. Part-autobiography, part-anthropology lecture (and a whole lot hilarious) Primates has just finished a sell-out run at the Soho Theatre. Harpy was lucky enough to snatch half an hour with Tessa to talk about her experience creating the show.
Voting is important. It is empowering. Cast your vote, have your say, and take strength – may it only get better.
The Femmeniste exhibition will tackle female experiences and issues such as sexual harassment, women's mental health, cat-calling, girl hate and much more, by bringing together spoken word artists, female rappers and dancers, as well as art and photography... Whether you’re an artist, a writer, or just want to spread the word, your input is what will power the revolution!
I spoke to Dr Louise Jennings, WEP candidate for Headingley and Hyde Park in the May 2018 local elections. We discussed broadly her personal and political reflections on the role and importance of the Women’s Equality Party and feminism more generally.
As Brits, we complain about the cold weather at every opportunity but, let’s face it, our little island comes to a standstill when faced with snow or ice. As such, we’re not much cop when it comes to the Winter Olympic and Paralympic games. But, perhaps things aren’t so bleak as they first appear…
Covering every event in London’s history, from prehistoric flint tools, through the Black Death, Great Fire, all the way to the 2017 ‘FatBerg’, the Museum of London offers a comprehensive overview. In amongst all of this history, and notably sitting alongside the outbreak of the First World War, the Suffragette movement is importantly and proudly highlighted.
As International Women's Day approaches, we take a look at the two year career of the Women's Equality Party, who have accomplished a great deal in their short life span.
As Girl Gang Leeds approach their 1st Birthday, Harpy met up with Emily and Kaz to get the low-down on the origins of this quirky collective. In this interview, find out how the gang was born and what they're all about.
The indigenous Aymara women of Bolivia, can easily be spotted walking the streets of La Paz, and neighbouring El Alto, in their traditional, and eye-catching, style of dress. They are the ‘Cholitas’: strong women, now known internationally for their resilience, their fashion, and even their wrestling!
Clare Fisher joins Harpy to discuss living in Leeds, inspiring female voices, and her upcoming short story collection How the Light Gets In.
The recent publication of Philip Pullman’s ‘The Book of Dust’ brought with it, for me, a wave of nostalgia. Although Lyra Belacqua, the fictional heroine of my youth, features only as a baby, the novel still centres on her. I bought the book and read it within three days, desperate to re-engage with the alluring world of witches, daemons and armoured bears that so captivated me as a child.
Pritchard-Mclean is unafraid to take on subjects that are tricky to navigate, be it trashing serial killers on her podcast, or finding the humour in her experience of volunteering with vulnerable children for her stand-up show Appropriate Adult. What’s brilliant about her is that she is always careful to ensure that her jokes are hitting the right target.
