Category: Events

International Women’s Podcast Festival Postponed Due to Lack of Industry Support and Funding

Posted on by Sharon Newell

The International Women’s Podcast Festival (IWPF), a highly anticipated event celebrating women’s voices and storytelling in audio and podcasting, unfortunately, announces that it will not be taking place this year. The decision comes from insufficient industry support and funding, which has regrettably hindered our ability to organise and execute the festival at the scale and quality that we believe the global community of women in podcasting and audio deserves.

At Content is Queen, we firmly believe in the power of supporting, platforming, and empowering women’s voices in the audio industry. Our mission has always been to create a space that encourages and fosters participation for women in podcasting, an industry that continues to snowball. It is disheartening to encounter such challenges in rallying the necessary financial support to realise this vision.

While we are disappointed by the lack of backing we received, we are not surprised. We have witnessed other events organised by diverse founders and leaders facing similar issues of being postponed or cancelled altogether. This prevailing trend only further highlights the systemic obstacles underrepresented groups face within the industry.

Advocacy for Women’s Voices Continues Strong

However, the absence of the IWPF this year does not diminish our commitment to amplifying women’s voices and promoting inclusivity. We firmly believe that events like IWPF are essential to provide a platform for diverse perspectives, foster collaboration, and drive positive change. We will continue to advocate for women’s storytelling, empowering female creators and striving for a more equitable podcasting landscape.

As we reflect on the situation, we remain resolute in our determination to bring back the International Women’s Podcast Festival in 2024. We will use this time to regroup, engage with potential partners, and explore avenues to secure the necessary support and resources to deliver the outstanding festival experience that our global community deserves.

In the meantime, we encourage all individuals, organisations, and industry leaders to reflect upon the importance of supporting underrepresented voices and representation within podcasting. Let us work together to dismantle the barriers that prevent diverse talent from flourishing in this dynamic field. By doing so, we can create a more inclusive and vibrant podcasting industry for everyone.

For further updates and information regarding the International Women’s Podcast Festival, please visit the festival website and follow us on social media @contentisqueenhq. To watch the festival content, head over to our YouTube.

March AudioBook Club: Through The Leopards Gaze (Event)

Posted on by Imriel Morgan

March’s pick is ‘Through The Leopard’s Gaze‘ by Njambi McGrath and is one of Jacaranda’s Twenty in 2020. As usual, we’ll be coming together to discuss the book before having a Q&A with a featured guest, who we’ll announce closer to the date.

Author Njambi McGrath will be joining us for a Q&A

REGISTER HERE

Through the Leopard’s Gaze is an amazing memoir chronicling the award-winning comedian’s difficult but inspiring life growing up in Kenya. Her book illuminates family abuse, racism, identity and emotional triumph through the lenses of the author’s personal history and Kenya’s history.

In her captivating memoir Through the Leopard’s Gaze, Njambi McGrath details her life’s harrowing circumstances as a young girl in Kenya, who one fateful night was beaten to a pulp and left for dead. Thirteen-year-old Njambi, fearing her assailant would return to finish her, courageously escaped, walking through the night in the Kenyan countryside, risking wild animals, robbers and murderers, before being picked up by two shabbily dressed but safe men.

She buries the memories of that fateful day and night, and years later, ends up in London with a British husband and children. Then one day, a simple, unassuming wedding invitation arrives in her mailbox, causing her to have to confront the remnants of a past she had thought was behind her. This is a book about survival and courage when all else fails. It’s a searingly honest examination of human cruelty and strength in equal measure.

REGISTER HERE

Where to get Through The Leopard’s Gaze:

You can get Through The Leopard’s Gaze on Audible here.

Join us on Sunday 28th March at 4:00 pm GMT for our virtual Audiobook Club on Zoom. Come and share your ideas, ask questions, and engage with others in conversation. (And yes, you can attend if you’ve read and not listened to the book too)

You can subscribe and listen to AudioBook Club on Apple Podcasts here

What to expect:

1. To share your ideas, thoughts and opinions.

2. To ask questions.

3. To be respectfully challenged.

4. To listen and be respectful of others.

5. To be open to new ideas and ways of thinking.

6. To meet a diverse group of thoughtful, intelligent and different people.

Who’s it for?

People that love audiobooks, podcasts, audio dramas and plays. Content is Queen is a safe space for people from all backgrounds to share their stories, thoughts and ideas through audio.

Our monthly Audiobook club selection will always be reflective of our wider community and values around inclusivity. We encourage listeners of all races, genders, and sexual orientation to join us and be a part of our community.

Additional places to get Through The Leopard’s Gaze:

Through The Leopard’s Gaze is available directly from Jacaranda’s website. You might also purchase/borrow from your local library, audiobooks.com, Libro.fm, and Google Play.

Important note:

The event will be recorded, and the audio will be edited to create a monthly podcast. If you’d like to attend but don’t want to be included in the public release, please let us know at the start of the event.

REGISTER HERE

February AudioBook Club: Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows

Posted on by Imriel Morgan

This February, we’re listening to Erotic Stories For Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal. 

We’ll be coming together to discuss the book before having a Q&A with a featured guest who we’ll announce closer to the date.

Every woman has a secret life…

When Nikki takes a creative writing job at her local temple, with visions of emancipating the women of the community she left behind as a self-important teenager, she’s shocked to discover a group of barely literate women who have no interest in her ideals.

Yet to her surprise, the white dupatta of the widow hides more than just their modesty – these are women who have spent their lives in the shadows of fathers, brothers and husbands, being dutiful, raising children and going to temple, but whose inner lives are as rich and fruitful as their untold stories. But as they begin to open up to each other about womanhood, sexuality, and the dark secrets within the community, Nikki realises that the class’s illicit nature may place them all in danger.

East meets West and tradition clashes with modernity in a thought-provoking cross-cultural novel that might make you look again at the women in your life.

Where to get Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows:

You can get Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows on Audible here.

Join us on Sunday 28th February at 4:00 pm GMT for our virtual Audiobook Club on Zoom. Come and share your ideas, ask questions, and engage with others in conversation. (And yes, you can attend if you’ve read and not listened to the book too)

You can subscribe and listen to the AudioBook Club podcast on Apple Podcasts here or your favourite podcast player.

REGISTER HERE

What to expect:

1. To share your ideas, thoughts and opinions.

2. To ask questions.

3. To be respectfully challenged.

4. To listen and be respectful of others.

5. To be open to new ideas and ways of thinking.

6. To meet a diverse group of thoughtful, intelligent and different people.

Who’s it for?

People that love audiobooks, podcasts, audio dramas and plays. Content is Queen is a safe space for people from all backgrounds to share their stories, thoughts and ideas through audio. Our monthly Audiobook club selection will always be reflective of our wider community and values around inclusivity. We encourage listeners of all races, genders, and sexual orientation to join us and be a part of our community.

Important note:

The event will be recorded, and the audio will be edited to create a monthly podcast. If you’d like to attend but don’t want to be included in the public release, please let us know at the start of the event.

REGISTER HERE

January Audiobook Club: Queenie

Posted on by Imriel Morgan

For our second Audiobook Club instalment, we’re listening to Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. 

Queenie Jenkins can’t cut a break. Well, apart from one from her long-term boyfriend, Tom. That’s definitely just a break, though. Definitely not a breakup. Stuck between a boss who doesn’t seem to see her and a family who don’t seem to listen (if it’s not Jesus or water rates, they’re not interested) and trying to fit in two worlds that don’t really understand her, it’s no wonder she’s struggling. 

Join us on Sunday 24th January at 4:00 pm GMT for our virtual Audiobook Club on Zoom. Come and share your ideas, ask questions, and engage with others in conversation. 

REGISTER HERE

What to expect:

1. To share your ideas, thoughts and opinions.

2. To ask questions.

3. To be respectfully challenged.

4. To listen and be respectful of others.

5. To be open to new ideas and ways of thinking.

6. To meet a diverse group of thoughtful, intelligent and different people.

Who’s it for?

People that love audiobooks, podcasts, audio dramas and plays. Content is Queen is a safe space for people from all backgrounds to share their stories, thoughts and ideas through audio. Our monthly Audiobook club selection will always be reflective of our wider community and values around inclusivity. We encourage listeners of all races, genders, and sexual orientation to join us and be a part of our community.

Important note:

The event will be recorded and the audio will be edited to create a monthly podcast. If you’d like to attend but don’t want to be included in the public release please let us know at the start of the event.

REGISTER HERE