Outspoken

Women of note: This is one of the first ever published collections of speeches by women, presented by feminist writer and Women’s Hour contributing editor, Deborah Coughlin.

History didn’t listen to women, but that never stopped them from speaking out …

A lot of history is made up of speeches. Speeches about big ideas, celebratory speeches, rousing speeches to inspire soldiers to fight to the death, comic speeches to help us see the funny side to life. From Jesus to Winston Churchill to Martin Luther King Jr. and even Donald Trump, we’ve been raised with the words of important men ringing in our ears …

But where are all the women? Unless you’re the type of person who loves researching suffrage speeches, you are unlikely to know many soundbites from women throughout history. Outspoken: 50 Speeches by Incredible Women is going to change that. From Joan of Arc and Virginia Wolf, to Michelle Obama and Ariana Grande, this is a celebration of outstanding and outspoken women everywhere.

About the Author

Deborah is a writer, artistic director, broadcaster and contributing producer on Woman's Hour, where she leads special multi-media projects and also presents arts documentaries across Radio 4. She has founded a punk feminist performance group , was included in NME's Most Innovative Ever list, and contributes to platforms like the Guardian, Stylist, Elle and more. Deborah will be producing a show at the Soho Theatre to support the publication of Outspoken.