Shami's Speakeasy

“Love recklessly, unencumbered. Don’t be ashamed of your vulnerabilities... always focus on the joy and rally back towards the light.” - Michael Pedersen, in the Speakeasy. Poet and novelist Michael Pedersen joins Shami Chakrabarti in the final episode of series 1, for a conversation about love, loss and the business of staying hopeful. They talk about Michael's new book and first novel, Muckle Fl...

Baroness Charlotte Owen: “Of all deepfakes, 98% are pornographic, and of those 99% are of women.” Charlotte Owen joins Shami Chakrabarti in the Speakeasy to talk about consent, dignity and the law catching up with technology. From the bill she is steering through the House of Lords to criminalise the creation   of AI deepfake porn, to the survivors who pushed her to act, Charlotte sets out wh...

Baroness Doreen Lawrence: “When do I get a break?” Doreen Lawrence joins Shami Chakrabarti in the Speakeasy to talk about courage, exhaustion and the long shadow of injustice. From the murder of her son Stephen to the Lawrence Inquiry’s landmark finding of institutional racism, Doreen reflects on three decades of struggle: what’s changed, what hasn’t, and how she keeps faith when progress feels pa...

Scottish writer, rapper, and Orwell Prize-winning social commentator  Darren McGarvey - on resilience, responsibility and the radical power of self-awareness: "When you become publicly identified with a certain story, you may at some point feel a certain kind of pressure to live up to the reputation that now precedes you." Darren joins  Shami Chakrabarti  in the Speakeasy...

Asma Khan: "Food sits in your DNA, close to your skin, connected to your heart. Your ancestors have blessed you. Be proud." Celebrated chef and activist Asma Khan brings spice to the Speakeasy, joining Shami Chakrabarti to explore the intersections of food, feminism, and justice. From law student to celebrated chef, Asma's journey is one of empowerment, resilience, and culinary rebellion. Make no...

Baroness Hale: “The law can do things for you as well as to you.” Baroness Brenda Hale was given the tabloid nickname 'the spider woman' when, in 2019, she declared Boris Johnson's prorogation of Parliament to be ‘unlawful, void and of no effect’ - and did so wearing an eye-catching spider brooch. She served as the first female president of the UK's supreme court. She was the first woman, and the...

Gary Younge – “Racism is a language … once you learn it, you see it everywhere.” Who gets to tell the story of our times? What does it take to confront injustice head-on? And what does 'pigeonholed' mean if the pigeon can fly? Journalist, writer and academic Gary Younge joins Shami in the Speakeasy. LINKS: Find Gary's book 'Pigeonholed' in your locally-owned bookshop, or online here . Find Gary's...

Nicola Sturgeon – “I’m not going to be bullied out of doing what I think is right.” How do you stay true to yourself under pressure? What hope is to be found in politics today? And is there life beyond endless crisis meetings? Nicola Sturgeon shares her thoughts on all of this and more in the Speakeasy. LINKS: Find Nicola's book 'Frankly' in your locally-owned bookshop, or online here . Shami's Sp...

Welcome Barflies, to Shami’s Speakeasy - a place for resistance and reflection in turbulent times. We’re all about raising voices as well as our glasses.  Step inside... LINKS: Sign up to the Speakeasy mailing list at our website . Contact the Speakeasy by email: hello@shamisspeakeasy.co.uk Bluesky TikTok Instagram YouTube Could you benefit from sponsoring the Speakeasy? Are you an ethic...