Our top 10 quotes from 2017

It’s no secret that 2017 has been a great year for women’s fiction, we’ve had new novels from Women’s Prize winners Ali Smith and Zadie Smith, 4 out of 5 of this year’s most read New Yorker short stories were written by women and ‘feminism’ was Merriam-Webster’s word of the year.

To round off the year in style, here’s a bit of a ‘highlights reel’ of some of our best bits of 2017.

Enjoy! And do join in the conversation by telling us your favourite moments in women’s fiction this year on Twitter.

ONE

Naomi Alderman, on winning this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction: ‘Other womens’ support and power has been more essential to me than electricity’

TWO

2018 judge Catherine Mayer at our Latitude Women in Power event, on co-founding the Women’s Equality Party: ‘I don’t see how any one of us can not be an activist right now. There’s not one person in this room whose life wouldn’t be improved by gender equality.

THREE

Sarah Pascoe on the process behind picking the 2017 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist

FOUR

Val McDermid on the importance of celebrating women writers at our Book Bar in May.

FIVE

Grace Dent on why women writers shouldn’t have to be likeable, at our Waterstones Book Bar in May

SIX

The brilliant Elif Shafak speaking about why literature is a vital partner to feminism, at our Latitude Festival event: ‘Through fiction, people become more open-minded, more ready to connect with the other.’ Elif also said: ‘This is an amazing moment for global feminism. We now understand that things we take for granted can be taken away from us.’

SEVEN

Lisa McInerney on the challenges (and benefits!) of being an Irish writer in the shadow of James Joyce.

SEVEN

Sam Baker, 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction judge, on what she was looking for in a winning novel.

EIGHT

2018 judge Katy Brand talks about her love of reading at our Waterstones Book Bar earlier this year

NINE

The brilliant Bidisha, former Women’s Prize judge, on what she looks for in a great novel.

TEN

‘Together we can do great things’ Syl Saller, Diageo Chief Marketing Officer, speaks at the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction awards party

What was your favourite moment in women’s fiction this year? Tweet us at @WomensPrize and join in the conversation!