Woman's Hour - 14/05/2009

With Jenni Murray. One of the most respected critics of her generation, Elaine Showalter set the agenda for feminist literary criticism back in the early 1980s. She has now written the first full literary history of American women writers, from 1650 to the present day. From Harriet Beecher Stowe to Dorothy Parker to Toni Morrison, she ranges over the leading female voices of American letters; but she also introduces us to those we may have overlooked. Jenni talks to Elaine Showalter about her attempt to make us re-read the familiar classics, and rediscover a few forgotten women writers. In the UK approximately seventy percent of people die without leaving a will. This is called dying intestate and it often leaves big problems for families and dependents. The fall-out is more frequently felt by women because they tend to live longer than men. Jenni speaks to Taryn Butler about what happened to her when her husband died intestate. She also speaks to lawyer Alison Meek about what help is available under the Intestacy Rules and to Professor Elizabeth Cooke from the Law Commission, which is currently looking into the provision of the Intestacy Rules. Jane Glover became the first woman to be appointed as conductor of a professional orchestra when she took over the helm for the London Mozart Players in 1984. Since then, she has been in constant demand on the international opera stage and has performed with all the major symphony and chamber orchestras in Britain, as well as with orchestras in Europe, the Far East and Australasia. Jane joins Jenni to talk about her love for Mozart; how she studied the oboe to professional level as a child but was inspired to take up the baton when Benjamin Britten visited her family home; and why there still aren't enough women conductors in the world.