During early lockdown, in response to these extraordinary times, the bestselling, award winning author Zadie Smith wrote six personal, powerful and reflective essays exploring ideas and questions around our new reality. In this honest conversation, Zadie talks with Annie about the change the world has seen through her own personal experience in both New York and back in her home city of London and the differences between them. She reflects on what we notice about ourselves and our relationship between time and work, homeschooling, what other other people mean to us, community, the danger of individualism, and the importance of art. This conversation was recorded at the end of July 2020. Read the new collection of essays, Intimations - all royalties go to charity. You can buy a copy here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/321/321775/intimations/9780241492383.html

Content Warning: this episode discusses the effects of Covid 19 and events that occurred during lockdown including brief references to mass death and violent protests. 

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From a childhood spent caring for her mother, to her own struggles with “wonky hips” and leukaemia, Sinéad has had a unique take on the way our health shapes our perspective of life and love.

In this discussion with Annie, the bestselling author talks about illness, the body, and how women are treated by male doctors.

Follow Sinéad: @sineadgleeson on twitter

Read her new collection of essays, Constellations

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Patrick Burke has seen a lot of change. In this roller coaster of an interview with Annie, we hear the moments that led Paddy into a life on the streets... and the moment that brought him back from the brink.

Warning: this episode discusses substance abuse and violence

Paddy supports the work of Shelter. We should too. Support their work at this most difficult of times.

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The bestselling author joins Annie to talk through the biggest changes in his life - from the bullying that defined his childhood, to his escape to London and how that shaped his world. 

Jon Ronson has had an uncanny knack of predicting some big cultural shifts, from the online mob to the way the porn industry has changed all our lives. Annie delves into his past to discover how he does it.

Follow @jonronson on Twitter, and binge-listen to The Butterfly Effect and The Last Days Of August

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Since her very first day in primary school, Sinéad understood the power of education and how it can challenge the status quo and to give agency and opportunity to the most vulnerable.

Across her career so far she has visited schools, workplaces, government agencies and the White House to enact change... which all started after she was asked to do a TED Talk about disability and design. Annie finds out how these two moments - the first day at school and that defining talk - has impacted her life, and many others, for the better.

Further reading

Follow her thesineadburke on Twitter and Instagram

Podcast: As Me with Sinéad 

Enjoy that TED talk

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The Mayor of Bristol has been in the national conversation this week, as Black Lives Matter protests addressed the issue of statues honouring slavers in our major cities.

In this extended conversation with Annie, he discusses the changes that brought him into politics, his love of multicultural Bristol, and why his words have been some warmly received by everyone that wants equality now.

Follow Marvin: @MarvinJRees on Twitter

Expand your knowledge with some of these, inspired by our conversation:

Documentaries

The Colour of Fear

Unfinished Business

Film

Good Will Hunting

People

“There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come” - Victor Hugo

Historian David Olusoga’s work can be read here

Organisations

SARI (Stand Against Racism & Inequality): sariweb.org.uk/

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Clover Stroud has made her colourful family life in the country the subject of her two best selling books. She has five children and is fearlessness in her writing about the darker sides of motherhood. For more than one reason, Clover has had to navigate an abundance of traumatic change in her life and is truly inspirational in the way she talks about over coming them. 

Content warning: suicide

You can follow @clover.stroud on instagram. Her most recent book, ' My Wild and Sleepless Nights: A Mother's Story' is available now.

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Waad has documented her life on camera in war torn Aleppo, Syria. While conflict, violence, death and cruelty raged around her, she fell in love, got married and had a baby daughter.

Her film, ‘For Sama’, is a love letter from a young mother to her daughter - and in this conversation with Annie, she reveals the moments of change in her eventful life, capturing stories of loss, laughter, sacrifice and survival.

You can follow @waadalkateab on twitter and instagram - and watch For Sama, for free, right now on All 4.

Go to actionforsama.com to help make a change.

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When Candice became a mother, she found that, flicking through Instagram, she didn't see many people that looked like her. So where were all the black mothers?

This revelation set Candice on a course that has seen her lighting a path for others, as well as making a few enemies along the way.

In this interview with Annie, the founder of Make Motherhood Diverse discusses her stories of change.

Follow Candice: @CandiceBrathwaite on Instagram.

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When Jhemar was 16, his brother Michael was stabbed to death. Since that night, he has been trying to change the world through lobbying campaigns and his own entrepreneurship. 

In this woozy, late night chat with Annie, he discusses that night and its impact on his life, of those around him, and what needs to change, right now.

You can read about Jhemar's story of change here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-45683971

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