110: Complicit with Winnie M Li

Winnie M Li is an author and activist. Her debut novel Dark Chapter is a fictional retelling of her real-life stranger rape in Belfast, from victim and perpetrator perspectives. 

Translated into ten languages, it won The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize, and was nominated for an Edgar Award and the Best First Novel Award. 
She is currently adapting it for the screen.

Her second novel Complicit was published in Summer 2022 and selected by The New York Times for their August book club. 

Winnie is also Founder of Clear Lines, the UK’s first-ever festival addressing sexual assault and consent through the arts and discussion. Her PhD research at the London School of Economics explores media engagement by rape survivors as a form of activism. 

She holds an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland in recognition of her writing and activism

Some key points from our interview:

• How being Unbroken means being able to retain her essence of who she is despite everything she has gone through.
• How she writes and speaks about rape to leave a trail, offer hope, and build communities for other survivors.
• How she wrote every other chapter from the perpetrators point of view in her first book “Dark Chapter” to try and make sense to what had happened in this 15-year old’s life.
• How she chooses not to be angry after hearing that the man who raped her has now been linked to other cases of sexual assault since his release from prison.
• How her second book “Complicit” looks at the misogyny, power, exploitation, and the open secrets that have become normalised in the film industry for women.
• How she never assumed that she would meet a partner one day and become a mum.

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/winniemli

Social media:
Twitter @winniemli
Instagram winniemli
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/winniemli

"Unbroken: Healing Through Storytelling" features  individuals who have all triumphed after adversity and have not just bounced back in life, but forward and are now making a difference for others.

Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.

She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.

You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken,  from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/

Watch the highlights of the interview on YouTube HERE

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Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE