Our midwinter issue celebrates and explores the patterns of our lives – the ones we weave ourselves and others we're trying to break. From Esther Lederberg who carved her own niche in the male-dominated world of science back in the '50s, to our own generation of feminists who are still fighting to change misogynistic attitudes and make our world a safer place. Elsewhere, we chat to actor Hayley Squires and musical twins, Ibeyi; compare books to perfume; head out with women who work in the dark; and snoop inside readers' bedrooms...