Charlene began presenting ITV News in 2008 and in 2014 became the first Black woman to present ITV News at Ten. She’s also one of the presenters of daytime show, Loose Women, and helmed the show's first all-black panel special, which won a Royal Television Society award and was nominated for a BAFTA. In 2020 Charlene presented the award-winning ITV series IRL with Team Charlene - a mix of short films, animation and music dealing with racism in the UK, and how it impacts the lives of young people. She uses her platform to mentor aspiring journalists, and work alongside various organisations to achieve better representation in the industry. As a writer, Charlene is a regular columnist for the iPaper and has written for the New York Post. Her critically acclaimed debut non-fiction book, No Place Like Home, was published last year. 

** The Jolly Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

**Forever by Judy Blume

** And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

** Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

**A Life Reimagined: My Journey of Hope in the Midst of Loss by Jill Halfpenny

Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women’s Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, and continues to champion the very best books written by women.

Don’t want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now!

This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.