Ella Whelan

journalist and author; co-convenor, Battle of Ideas festival

Ella Whelan is a journalist, author and co-convenor for the Battle of Ideas Festival. Her first book, What Women Want: Fun, Freedom and an End to Feminism explores contemporary feminism and its effect on women. Ella was the assistant editor at spiked and host of the spiked podcast between 2015-2018. When not at the Academy of Ideas, Ella appears frequently on TV and radio and writes for Standpoint the Sun, the Spectator, The Sunday Times, The Economist, Conscience and others. Her interviews with high-profile figures like Slavoj Zizek, Harold Bloom and Lionel Shriver feature in the spiked review.