Bookshelfie: Donna Ashworth

Bookshelfie: Donna Ashworth

From Bookshelfie: Women’s Prize Podcast by Women’s Prize Podcast/ Bird Lime Media

May 26, 2026 · 1h 2m · Season 9 · Episode 12

About this episode

Donna Ashworth discusses the significance of Instapoetry and her journey as a poet.

The UK’s bestselling poet, Donna Ashworth, joins Vick to discuss why ‘Instapoetry’ should not be dismissed, finding herself in the words of Sylvia Plath and the power of a midlife muse. Donna started her social media accounts in 2018 in a bid to create a 'safe' space for women to come together and connect, but her love of all things wordy quickly became the focus, and a past love for poetry was reignited. Over 10 books and nearly 2 million followers later, Donna has made it her daily mission to shower the world with words and bring poetry back into focus. Her bestselling books include To the Women , Wild Hope , Words to Live By: A Journal , Growing Brave , I Wish I Knew , Love , Loss , Life and an illustrated book of children's poetry, Words Can Fly . Donna’s book choices are ** The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path ** In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women by Alice Walker ** Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding ** Menopausing: The Positive Roadmap to Your Second Spring by Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter ** Enough by Dawn French You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org – every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent…

People in this episode

Host: Vick Hope

Guest: Donna Ashworth

Topics covered

  • Instapoetry
  • midlife muse
  • female authors
  • poetry
  • women's empowerment

Keywords

  • Donna Ashworth
  • Instapoetry
  • poetry
  • women's literature
  • Sylvia Plath

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Bell Jar, In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women, Bridget Jones Diary, Menopausing: The Positive Roadmap to Your Second Spring, Enough

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