Sophie Parkin on The Colony Room & Vout-O-Reenee's

Rosie Wilby on The Breakup Monologues

Rosie Wilby is an award-winning comedian, author and podcaster who has appeared many times on BBC Radio 4 programmes, including Woman's Hour and Four Thought. Her first book Is Monogamy Dead? was longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize and followed a trilogy of solo shows investigating the psychology of love and relationships.  Her new book The Breakup Monologues is based on her acclaimed podcast of the same name.  Check out the book at https://linktr.ee/breakupmonologues Or follow Rosie on Twitter @rosiewilby or Instagram @breakupmonologues

Sophie Parkin on The Colony Room & Vout-O-Reenee's

Sophie Parkin is the founder of Vout-O-Reenee's, a private member's club in London for the "surrealistically distinguished." She's also an author and an artist. Her books include "The Colony Room Club: A History of Bohemian Soho."  The Colony Room was one of Soho's most notorious drinking dens. It became the main hub of London bohemia in the post-war era. Sophie Parkin owns www.vout-o-reenees.com and @TheStashGallery_London. Her new exhibition @147WomenDinnerParty is on in The Stash Gallery, London in February, Southend’s Beecroft Museum in March 2022, The Broomhill Estate, Devon in April 2022.   Her podcast is called @ShadowSpies. We discuss the storied history of the club, from its founder Muriel Belcher to its regulars: Francis Bacon and George Melly among them. We also discuss how she came to open her own club, where the spirit of The Colony Room lives on.

Val McDermid on 1979

Val McDermid is one of the most successful crime writers working today. Her latest novel is the first instalment of a new series. Journalist Allie Burns is her new protagonist. The story begins in 1979, later moving to 1989 and 2019. It’s an ambitious project that will chronicle 40 years of history. We caught up with her to find out more.

Kathy Sledge on Sister Sledge

Sister Sledge formed in 1971. They achieved global success with their 1979 album We Are Family. That record produced a series of classic hits including He’s The Greatest Dancer, Lost in Music, Thinking of You and of course the title track. They captured the zeitgeist in the disco era, and their music continues to resonate with people who weren’t even born in the 70s. We caught up with founding member Kathy Sledge to discuss their legendary career.

Diana Souhami on life as a literary biographer

Diana Souhami is a writer best known for her biographies of eminent lesbians. She’s also written plays, books about 18th-century mariners and murder mysteries. Her latest book is called No Modernism Without Lesbians. We caught up with Diana to discuss the new book and her long career as an author. It’s been 35 years since Diana wrote her first book Gluck, a biography of Hannah Gluckstein. Gluck was a society painter noted for her androgynous image, passionate affairs with women and “one man” shows. When it came out in 1988, publishers did not want the word “lesbian” on the cover of a book. Fast forward a few decades, and her latest publication has the word in the title. It may even be seen as a selling point.