Name: Isha

Reading: Mirrors in the Earth, Asia Suler

Why did you want to read this? I discovered this book earlier this year while reading an article on intuitive plant medicine. The language had a vivid nature imagery, an openness and a tenderness that made me feel extremely safe and held. The book reads like a healing salve on a burning wound. I would usually read an essay and then keep the book down — soaking in its essence. And after a few days or weeks passed the next essay would call out to me at exactly the right time — as if it had been patiently waiting for me to be ready to receive its medicine.

How did you record yourself? I recorded this with a tentativeness as I explored what my voice meant for me, what it wanted to say and why it was afraid. I also had the Audacity app, my Mac, a lot of pillows and my aunt’s study desk to support.

Name: Assunta

Reading: The Arcane of Reproduction: Housework, Prostitution, Labor and Capital, Leopoldina Fortunati

Why did you want to read this? I wanted to read this text to understand it more deeply and to be able to listen to it on my commute.

How did you record yourself? I recorded the chapter with my mobile phone.

Name: Fathima

Reading: Traces of Enayat, Iman Mersal

Why did you want to read this? This was one of my favourite reads from last year. I had the chance to hear Iman read and talk about her work, and she read an excerpt from the first chapter. I was really struck by the story of Enayat, Iman’s search for her and the questions it poses about who gets to be remembered, being a writer and trying to make a living for yourself. I felt a kinship with both Iman and Enayat and their ethos when it comes to their writing.

How did you record yourself? I recorded this at my desk, under the shade of my table lamp, at night. I was in my pyjamas and cardigan, as I am, most winter nights.

Name: Julia

Reading: The Dud Avocado, Elaine Dundy

Why did you want to read this? Throughout the book, I enjoyed the frivolity and openness of the protagonist. I have an affinity with Sally Jay in the way she strives to feel things and live her life, even though at some points her naïvety and impatience bring nothing but a series of misfortunes. This is a story to be read with flush on your cheeks, every time. Also, it evokes some Parisian longings.

How did you record yourself? I was sitting on my bed in polka dot tights to feel more exalted and recorded myself on my laptop, set on a red-brown chair near the bedside. Left alone in my communal apartment, I relished in reading out loud and taking sips of coffee when my lips went dry.

Name: Anusuya

Reading: The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin

Why did you want to read this? I first read The Dispossessed during a family vacation when I was in my mid-teens. By that point, I was an avid Sci-Fi reader, and the vaguely alien-looking spaceship on the cover convinced me that it would be decent for the week. However, it took hold of me in a way no book had before, made me consider things I had never before, or consider further in-depth, and then later, unearth new considerations. I have returned to this book a few more times, and each time it leaves me with my head full, but buzzing with an undercurrent of hope.

How did you record yourself? On my bed with my laptop, with a blanket wrapped around my legs since it's been getting rather chilly this week. I recorded it during the night since I was unexpectedly busy the whole day.

Name: Jaya

Reading: The Temple of My Familiar, Alice Walker

Why did you want to read this? I partly wanted to connect with my 21-year-old self—just finishing college, already into meditation, and amazed by how this book transmitted a shamanic, transformative atmosphere. I bought copies for many friends, and even the mother of a friend, although I had very little money—and these gifts were hardcover copies because the paperback hadn’t come out yet. Even now, after decades of meditation, I find it more important than ever to share art that directly supports insight and awakening, rather than trying to address the mystery of life through the intellect.

How did you record yourself? I sat on the floor of my son’s bedroom with a Rode podmic on a short stand, and an ill-fitted pop filter teetering on the neck of the mic. The mic was plugged into my laptop USB port, where Audacity was taking it all in.

Name: Rosa

Reading: Tell Them I Said No, Martin Herbert

Why did you want to read this? When you invited me to contribute, my first instinct was to say no. Gathering myself, I turned to one of my favourite books about artists refusing. We can learn so much from artists and how they approach work and the world.

How did you record yourself? Using my boyfriend's setup in our old house in Nottingham. We were mid-packing to move back to London and I wanted an excuse to have a break. 

Name: Caitlin

Reading: Rubyfruit Jungle, Rita Mae Brown

Why did you want to read this? I was a bit hesitant to read this actually. It’s definitely a product of its time, and in some ways hasn’t aged well. But it is also hilarious and heartbreaking and hard to put down. It's about staying true to yourself and your dreams from the first page to the last, even in the face of hate and judgement.

How did you record yourself? I recorded myself on my laptop, in my son’s “book nook” which is just a closet with pillows and books, sweating profusely because it’s 95 degrees here.

Name: Jesse

Reading: Middlemarch, George Eliot

Why did you want to read this? When I was invited my first thought was, "Well, I can't read Middlemarch because the podcast is probably already 30 women reading the first chapter of Middlemarch." But then it turned out, no one had read Middlemarch! So obviously I had to read Middlemarch.

How did you record yourself? On my laptop at the table by the window.

Name: Eleanor

Reading: Small: On Motherhoods, Claire Lynch

Why did you want to read this? It’s a really beautifully written book about queer motherhood, something that rarely gets talked about. I’ve found myself wanting to read a lot about motherhood recently, and it’s been so refreshing and reassuring to be able to read about it from a queer perspective.

How did you record yourself? I recorded myself on my laptop, sitting propped up on my favourite end of the sofa. The curtains were closed, daffodils on the table beside me, and a pizza in the oven.