From left: Shuhada’ Sadaqat (formerly Sinéad O’Connor), photographed by Leah Pritchard; Maya Angelou, c. 1974. Lance Richardson, columnist:
“My pick is Helen Garner. Her astonishingly perceptive diaries, which I’ve recently been reading, inspire me to pay closer attention to my own life — everything from the big important relationships to the small quotidian details, like the smells and sounds outside my window at night.”
Emma Mulholland, copy director:
“The comedian Hannah Gadsby gets my vote. Her 2017 show ‘Nanette’ blends humour with rage, shame and hope. She’s done with half-truths and self- deprecation, and I think there’s a lesson there.”
Melanie Milne-Davies, creative director and baker:
“Julia Child was a badass who did not let anything stand in her way, blazing a trail for all females in the food industry while creating timeless recipes.”
Luke Benedictus, features writer and watches editor:
“Impossible to pigeonhole, Jennifer Egan is one of the most interesting and least predictable novelists alive today.”
Tom Lazarus, chief sub-editor:
“I was almost 13 when I watched, gobsmacked, as Shuhada’ Sadaqat (formerly Sinéad O’Connor) sang ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ on ‘Top of the Pops’. I remember how she was continually blasted in the British tabloids for her look, her politics and her protests against misogyny, police racism and child abuse in the Catholic church. But she never once shut up, conformed or sold out.”
Helen Hawkes, writer:
“I choose author, poet, singer, dancer and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. Her message of triumph over adversity, and of hope, is more relevant today than ever before.”
Victoria Pearson, digital content director:
“I’ve never read a voice like that of the American novelist Catherine Lacey. She is one of the most inventive and ambitious contemporary writers. Her works beautifully negotiate the boundaries of genre and form, and she deftly builds worlds and characters that linger.”
Nicole Bonython- Hines, stylist:
“Phoebe Philo’s work is modern, simple and desirable. Even though she hasn’t designed for more than five years, other designers are still copying her. She’s returning with her own label in September and the fashion world is waiting with bated breath — me especially. No pressure, Phoebe.”
Katarina Kroslakova, editor-in-chief:
“Yes, I know she’s an attorney, author, former FLOTUS and an empowerment advocate, but what I love most about Michelle Obama is her realness. She doesn’t sugar-coat difficulties in marriage or challenges in raising kids, or just the frustrations of everyday life. Every time I see an interview or an anecdote from her on Instagram, I go down a very, very deep rabbit hole. I will admit to recreating some of her speeches to my children at the dinner table to get them to understand values, ethics and gratitude.”
