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The Conversation

Factual: Life Stories

Two women from different parts of the world share the stories of their lives

Two women from different parts of the world, united by a common passion, experience or expertise, share the stories of their lives.

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The Conversation: Can a book change a young woman’s life?

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Can a book change a young woman’s life?

30/05/2022 GMT

BBC World Service - The Conversation, Can a book change a young woman’s life?

Nnedi Okorafor and Mel Mazman create narratives around strong female characters

Kim Chakanetsa talks to award-winning writer Nnedi Okorafor and to Rebel Girl’s Mel Mazman about the importance of writing stories that inspire and empower young women.

Can a book change a young woman’s life? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women in the publishing world about the importance of writing stories that inspire and empower girls.

Nnedi Okorafor is an award-winning Nigerian-American writer of fantasy and science fiction for both children and adults. Her books have strong female leads and draw inspiration from her Nigerian roots. Nnedi has also written comics for Marvel: she was the first woman to write the character of T'challa, the Black Panther, and she wrote a series about his tech loving sister, Shuri. She is a recipient of the World Fantasy, Hugo and Nebula Awards. 

Mel Mazman is the chief product officer at Rebel Girls, a franchise publishing books and digital content aimed at empowering young women. The company started in 2016, with a crowdfunding campaign for Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, a book featuring the stories of 100 inspirational women. Since then, they sold 7.5 million books in over 100 countries. Mel shares her insights on how the publishing industry is changing to cater for the needs and interests of younger generations of readers.

Produced by Alice Gioia. 

(Image: (L), Mel Mazman, courtesy Rebel Girls. (R), Nnedi Okorafor, courtesy of Nnedi Okorafor.)

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