Elizabeth Day

Day was born to Tom and Christine Day in England but was raised in Northern Ireland after her father became a general surgeon at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry. Day became interested in being a writer when she was seven and became a youth columnist for the Derry Journal at the age of 12. She attended Methodist College Belfast and Malvern St James in Worcestershire, before going on to obtain a double first in History from Queens' College, Cambridge.{{Cite news|title=Elizabeth Day on the scandal that inspired her brilliant new novel|language=en-GB|work=belfasttelegraph|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/elizabeth-day-on-the-scandal-that-inspired-her-brilliant-new-novel-31270656.html|first=Una|last= Brankin|date=1 June 2015|access-date=2021-02-20|issn=0307-1235}}

After graduating, Day initially intended to obtain a master's degree in journalism, but was instead offered a job for the Evening Standard on the Londoner's Diary feature by Max Hastings.{{Cite web|date=2013-12-08|title=Why women love journalism, Elizabeth Day - British Journalism Review …|url=http://www.bjr.org.uk/data/2004/no2_day|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131208190253/http://www.bjr.org.uk/data/2004/no2_day|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-12-08|access-date=2021-02-20|website=archive.is}} Day remained at the Standard for a year before joining The Sunday Telegraph as a news reporter, initially on a three-month trial. While working for the Telegraph, Day won the Young Journalist of the Year Award at the 2004 British Press Awards.{{cite news|last=Day|first=Elizabeth|year=2004|title=Why women love journalism|volume=15|pages=21–25|work=British Journalism Review|issue=2|url=http://www.bjr.org.uk/data/2004/no2_day|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131208190253/http://www.bjr.org.uk/data/2004/no2_day|archive-date=8 December 2013}} After leaving the Telegraph, Day wrote features for Elle and The Mail on Sunday.

From 2007 until 2016, Day was a feature writer for The Observer, gaining a commendation in the "Feature Writer of the Year (Broadsheet") category at the 2012 Press Awards.{{Cite web|title=Elizabeth Day|url=https://pindropstudio.com/people/elizabeth-day/|access-date=2021-02-20|website=Pin Drop|language=en}}

In 2018, Day began her own podcast series, How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, in which she interviews guests who discuss what their failures taught them. The first episode featured Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and subsequent interviewees have included Gloria Steinem, Kelly Holmes, Nadiya Hussain, Bernardine Evaristo and Adam Buxton.{{Cite web|title=How To Fail With Elizabeth Day on Apple Podcasts|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-fail-with-elizabeth-day/id1407451189|access-date=2021-02-20|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-gb}} The podcast won the Rising Star Award at the 2019 British Podcast Awards.{{Cite web|last=Media|first=Roxhill|title=Roxhill Webinar: Everything you need to know about… Elizabeth Day's How To Fail|url=https://news.roxhillmedia.com/blog/how-to-fail|date=4 January 2020|access-date=2021-02-20|website=news.roxhillmedia.com|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Day's first novel, Scissors Paper Stone, was published in 2012 and won the Betty Trask Award for debut novels by writers under the age of 35.{{Cite web|title=Society of Authors' Awards {{!}} The Society of Authors|url=https://www.societyofauthors.org/Prizes/Fiction/Betty-Trask/Past-winners|access-date=2021-02-20|website=www.societyofauthors.org|date=8 May 2020|archive-date=18 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518125852/https://www.societyofauthors.org/Prizes/Fiction/Betty-Trask/Past-winners|url-status=dead}} The book, recounting the impact of sexual abuse by a family patriarch, received mixed reviews, with Melissa Katsoulis of The Sunday Telegraph describing Day as "a thoughtful and conscientious new voice in fiction", while conversely Catherine Taylor of The Guardian stated Day's writing style "ultimately disengages the reader".{{Cite web|title=Scissors, Paper, Stone by Elizabeth Day: review|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8269495/Scissors-Paper-Stone-by-Elizabeth-Day-review.html|first=Melissa|last=Katsoulis|access-date=2021-02-20|website=The Telegraph|language=en-GB|date=23 January 2011}}{{Cite news|last=Taylor|first=Catherine|date=2011-01-15|title=Scissors Paper Stone by Elizabeth Day – review|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jan/15/scissors-paper-elizabeth-day-review|access-date=2021-02-20|issn=0261-3077}}

Day's second novel, Home Fires (2012), details two connected women responding to the aftermaths of the First World War and the conflict in South Sudan, respectively, as well as the impact of the ageing of loved ones. Viv Groskop in The Observer praised Day's writing and described the book as "a beautifully written novel whose quietly discomfiting tone stays with you for a long while afterwards".{{cite news|last=Groskop|first=Viv|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/mar/14/home-fires-elizabeth-day-review|title=Home Fires by Elizabeth Day – review|work=The Observer|date=14 March 2013|access-date=27 March 2020}}

Day's third novel, Paradise City (2015), received positive reviews internationally, including praise by Charles Shafaieh of The New York Times, who called the novel's depiction of life in contemporary London as a "testament" to Day's skills as a writer, in addition to a positive review by Amanda Craig in The Daily Telegraph.{{Cite news|last=Shafaieh|first=Charles|date=2016-01-08|title='Paradise City,' by Elizabeth Day (Published 2016)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/books/review/paradise-city-by-elizabeth-day.html|access-date=2021-02-20|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|title=Paradise City, review: 'elegant and sprightly'|first=Amanda|last=Craig|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/11628178/Paradise-City-review-elegant-and-sprightly.html|date=27 May 2015|access-date=2021-02-20|website=The Telegraph|language=en-GB}}

Day's fourth novel, The Party (2017), was described as a "slow-burner of a literary thriller" and a "gripping page-turner" by Lucy Scholes of The Observer.{{cite web|last=Scholes|first=Lucy|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/16/the-party-elizabeth-day-review|title=The Party by Elizabeth Day review – well-paced literary thriller|work=The Observer|date=16 July 2017|access-date=27 March 2020}}

Day's fifth book and first work of non-fiction was How to Fail: Everything I've Ever Learned from Things Going Wrong, a tie-in with her podcast which was published in 2019 and received a positive review from The Sunday Times.{{cite news|last=Glass|first=Katie|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/how-to-fail-by-elizabeth-day-review-even-divorce-has-a-bright-side-23vq7zjcw|title=How to Fail by Elizabeth Day review — even divorce has a bright side|work=The Sunday Times|date=31 March 2019|access-date=27 March 2020}} {{subscription required}}

Day's sixth book was also a non-fiction tie-in with her podcast; Failosophy: A Handbook for When Things Go Wrong (2020), featuring lessons she had learned from her own life as well as those of her readers, listeners and podcast guests.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/14/failosophy-by-elizabeth-day-review-the-feel-good-failing-well-industry|title=Failosophy by Elizabeth Day review – the feel-good 'failing-well' industry|first=Joe|last=Moran|newspaper=The Guardian|date=20 February 2021}}

Day's seventh book, Magpie, which explores the issue of infertility, was released in September 2021. It was Day's fifth novel, her first work of fiction since the publication of The Party in 2017.{{Cite web|title=Magpie|url=https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Magpie-by-Elizabeth-Day-author/9780008374952|access-date=2021-02-20|website=blackwells.co.uk|language=en}} Day explored the issue of motherhood not being possible by choice and society's perspective of failure with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee on BBC Radio 2 show.{{cite news |last1=Chatterjee |first1=Rangan |title=Dr |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000zsvt |access-date=19 September 2021 |publisher=BBC Radio 2 |date=19 September 2021}}

In 2020, Day was announced as the co-host of Sky Arts Book Club Live alongside Andi Oliver. The first series of six episodes aired that year.{{Cite web|title=Sky Arts Book Club Live|url=https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/ba62104e-e7f2-407f-bb06-5f92dc7f7162/sky-arts-book-club|access-date=2021-02-20|website=Sky|language=en-GB}}

In 2021, Day was announced as one of the new hosts of Open Book, Radio Four's book programme, alternating with Johny Pitts. Day hosted her first episode on 17 January.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2021/elizabeth-day-johny-pitts-open-book?at_custom2=twitter&at_medium=custom7&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D&at_campaign=64&at_custom4=CCE27136-5719-11EB-A4AF-B5FE923C408C&at_custom3=@bbcpress|title=Elizabeth Day and Johny Pitts are the new presenters of Open Book|date=15 January 2021|access-date=2021-02-20|website=www.bbc.co.uk}}

Both her novel The Party and her memoir How to Fail are being made into TV shows, the former by World Productions and the latter by Sky.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/aug/21/elizabeth-day-a-lot-of-people-were-yearning-to-talk-about-failure|title=Elizabeth Day: 'A lot of people were yearning to talk about failure'|website=TheGuardian.com|date=21 August 2021}}

Day is co-founder of the cultural organisation Pin Drop Studio, which holds regular literature salons in London and other major cities, as well as the annual Pin Drop Short Story Award in collaboration with arts institution the Royal Academy of Arts.[http://www.pindropstudio.com/people/elizabeth-day/ "Elizabeth Day"], Pin Drop Studio biography.

Day married journalist Kamal Ahmed, the Business Editor of BBC News, in December 2011.{{cite news|last=Brankin|first=Una|date=2 June 2015|title=Elizabeth Day on the scandal that inspired her brilliant new novel|work=Belfast Telegraph|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/elizabeth-day-on-the-scandal-that-inspired-her-brilliant-new-novel-31270656.html|accessdate=23 August 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25463326|title=BBC appoints Telegraph's Kamal Ahmed as business editor|publisher=BBC News|date=20 December 2013|accessdate=21 December 2013}} The couple separated in February 2015, and are now divorced.{{cite news|last=Petter|first=Olivia|date=31 March 2019|title=Elizabeth Day: 'I'm sick of being told that I'm not allowed to tell my story'|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/elizabeth-day-interview-how-to-fail-book-women-writers-podcast-a8846061.html|access-date=27 March 2020}}{{cite news|last=Day|first=Elizabeth|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/c74d9bb6-f5a7-11e5-9bc2-3c65474038ca|title=The rise of the new bachelors (they're women)|work=The Times|location=London|date=2 April 2016|access-date=2 April 2016}} {{subscription required}} She dated the TV presenter Rick Edwards when both were at Cambridge University.{{cite web | url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s16-ep6-how-to-fail-rick-edwards-on-confidence-competitiveness/id1407451189?i=1000598564612 | title=How to Fail with Elizabeth Day: S16, Ep6 How to Fail: Rick Edwards on confidence, competitiveness and the lessons he's learned from past relationships on Apple Podcasts }} Day's second husband is Justin Basini (b. June 1974), the CEO and co-founder of ClearScore.{{cite news|last=Kelly|first=Liam|url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/technology/article/justin-basini-of-clearscore-im-trying-to-make-finance-clearer-w5zqpkbdj|title=Justin Basini of ClearScore: I'm trying to make finance clearer|work=The Times|location=London|date=1 December 2019|access-date=28 January 2021}} {{subscription required}}

• Scissors Paper Stone (2012)
• Home Fires (2013)
• Paradise City (2015)
• The Party (2017)
• Magpie (2021)

• How to Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned from Things Going Wrong (2019)
• Failosophy: A Handbook for When Things Go Wrong (2020)
• Failosophy for Teens (2023)
• Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict (2023)

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.elizabethday.org Elizabeth Day's Official website]
• [https://www.theguardian.com/profile/elizabethday Elizabeth Day]'s contributor page, Guardian/Observer website
• [https://www.storizen.com/author-interviews/our-failures-are-what-connect-us-they-reveal-our-truest-selves-elizabeth-day/ Elizabeth Day's Interview in Storizen Magazine]

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Category:1978 births

Category:Living people

Category:English women journalists

Category:21st-century English novelists

Category:Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge

Category:21st-century English journalists

Category:21st-century English women writers

Category:London Evening Standard people

Category:English podcasters

Category:British women podcasters

Category:People educated at Malvern St James

Category:People educated at Methodist College Belfast