CELEBRATING THE WOMEN WHO HAVE INSPIRED THEM THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton talk about the launch of their awaited book The Book of Gutsy Women: Favourite Stories of Courage and Resilience

TICKETS: www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Southbank Centre, together with publishers Simon & Schuster, today announce Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton will appear exclusively at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 10 November 2019 as they celebrate the women who have inspired them throughout their lives, with the launch of their awaited book The Book of Gutsy Women: Favourite Stories of Courage and Resilience.

Hillary Rodham Clinton returns to the Royal Festival Hall after she launched her autobiography What Happened two years ago at the 2017 London Literature Festival. The event will mark Chelsea Clinton’s debut at the venue, and they will be joined on stage by writer, broadcaster and professor of Classics, Mary Beard to chair the event.

Southbank Centre and Simon & Schuster will donate 300 free tickets to Lambeth State Secondary Schools and Southbank Centre’s Youth Partners. They will take a seat in the Royal Festival Hall auditorium, which seats just over 2700 people and, along with the rest of the audience, will receive a hardback copy of The Book of Gutsy Women.

The Book of Gutsy Women covers portraits of more than 100 women marking histories that have all too often been overlooked or left unwritten including the stories of Mary Edwards Walker, a Civil War surgeon who was arrested more than once for wearing trousers; Rosa May Billinghurst, the suffragette who lost the use of her legs and campaigned in a tricycle for the right of women to vote and Manal al-Sharif, who captured the world’s attention in 2011 when she filmed herself driving a car in defiance of Saudi custom.

With a diverse range of women’s stories from Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist whose Asperger’s syndrome has shaped her advocacy, to Sor Juan Inés de la Cruz, a 17th-century nun and poet whose outspoken views on women’s role in society scandalised audiences.

Secretary Clinton said, “Each of these women has fought and won the kinds of victories that pave the way for progress for all of us. To us, they are all gutsy women—leaders with the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done. This book is a continuation of a conversation Chelsea and I have been having since she was a little girl, and we are excited to welcome others into that conversation.”

Chelsea Clinton said, “The gutsy women in this book share a fierce optimism that their work and lives will make a difference in the world. And, they’re right. We hope readers will draw strength from their stories as we have, because if history shows one thing, it’s that the world needs more gutsy women.”

Bea Colley, Acting Senior Literature Programmer, Southbank Centre said, “We are absolutely delighted that Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton have chosen to launch The Book of Gutsy Women at Southbank Centre, the home of literature and a place that has long been an advocate for gender equality. We’re looking forward to welcoming Secretary Clinton back after the huge success of her appearance here in 2017. This event promises to be altogether different in subject matter, and just as compelling, and I can’t wait to hear our audiences engage in conversation on inspirational women with these two women.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton’s event is part of Southbank Centre’s stellar 2019 Autumn Literature programme. Speakers include Julie Andrews, Richard Ayoade, Malorie Blackman, Richard Dawkins, Malcolm Gladwell, Lenny Henry, Nadiya Hussain, Etgar Keret, Celeste Ng, Will Self and Louis Theroux. 

Tickets for the event go on sale to Southbank Centre Members on Thursday 3 October and to the general public on Friday 4 October www.southbankcentre.co.uk