Orwell Prize shortlist conversation #1 with Bernardine Evaristo and Amelia Gentleman

In the first of a new series of conversations across genres, styles and perspectives, Orwell shortlisted writers Bernardine Evaristo and Amelia Gentleman talk about politics, art and giving a voice to the powerless. The winners of all four Orwell Prizes will be revealed via our online Prize Ceremony on Thursday 9th July 2020.
THE WINDRUSH BETRAYAL
Amelia Gentleman
Shortlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2020
Published by: Guardian Faber
The judges said: "A heartbreaking, shocking and deeply moving book that dares to give voice to the voiceless, say the unsayable, and reminds us, with remarkable power, why journalism truly matters."
Amelia Gentleman is a reporter and author of The Windrush Betrayal, Exposing the Hostile Environment. She won the Paul Foot award, Cudlipp award, an Amnesty award, journalist of the year British journalism awards and London press club print journalist of the year for Windrush investigations. She has also won the Orwell prize, feature and specialist writer of the year.
GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER
Bernardine Evaristo
Shortlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction 2020
Published by: Hamish Hamilton
The judges said: "A worldly, compassionate and detailed depiction of the lives of different generations of black women attempting to achieve self-realisation against the forces of classic family conservatism and within a society structured to maintain white supremacy. Piercingly funny even as it welcomes the reader into the complexities of being a female parent, child, lover, and an ambitious traveller through life when no one has yet provided a suitable guide book."
Bernardine Evaristo is the Anglo-Nigerian award-winning author of several books of fiction and verse fiction that explore aspects of the African diaspora: past, present, real, imagined. Her writing also spans short fiction, reviews, essays, drama and writing for BBC radio. She is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University, London, and Vice Chair of the Royal Society of Literature. She was made an MBE in 2009. As a literary activist for inclusion Bernardine has founded a number of successful initiatives, including Spread the Word writer development agency (1995-ongoing); the Complete Works mentoring scheme for poets of colour (2007-2017) and the Brunel International African Poetry Prize (2012-ongoing).