I’ll be talking about the history of London’s female criminals at Salon for the City, London’s longest running cultural event, including the infamous Forty Thieves and their successors the Forty Elephants. Info and tickets here.
I’ll be talking about the history of London’s female criminals at Salon for the City, London’s longest running cultural event, including the infamous Forty Thieves and their successors the Forty Elephants. Info and tickets here.
I’ll be talking about the history of female sleuths at the Portsmouth Book Festival, via Zoom, on March 5th. Tickets here Continue reading
The International Agatha Christie Festival 2024 has put together a lovely video of the festival highlights. Watch the video here. Continue reading
I’ll be talking about the history of female private eyes at Medway River Lit, Rochester, Kent on Nov 16th. Tickets are ‘pay what you can.’ Booking here. Continue reading
I’ll be teaching a ‘masterclass’ on researching historical crime fiction at Medway River Lit on November 16th, 1pm-2pm, Strood Library, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4TJ. Tickets are ‘pay what you can.’ Booking here. Continue reading
I’ll be chatting about the hidden stories of female private detectives at Maidstone LitFest on October 12th, along with Helen Fry, author of Women in Intelligence, in conversation with Jane Shankar. More info and tickets here. Continue reading
I’ll be talking about the history of female sleuths – from private inquiry agents to private eyes and professional investigators – at the Chelsea History Festival on September 27th at the National Army Museum. Info and tickets. Continue reading
I’ll be talking about the history of female sleuths at Warwick Words History Festival on October 2nd. Info and tickets here Continue reading
I’ll be talking about female sleuths at Broadstairs Lit on June 9th at the Yarrow Hotel. All funds raised will go to Oasis, the Kent charity that supports people affected by domestic abuse. Info and tickets here. Continue reading
I’ll be talking about the history of real life Miss Marples at the International Agatha Christie Festival on September 14th, in Torquay. Info and tickets here. Continue reading
I’ll be talking about female sleuths (via Zoom) at Highgate Library, London, on March 19th. Info here. Continue reading
I’ll be talking about female sleuths with former investigations reporter Urmee Khan at the London Library on February 29th. Info and booking here. Continue reading
I’ll be talking about the history of female sleuths, many of whom operated near Conway Hall in the 19th century, on March 24th, 2024. Info and tickets here. Continue reading
I’ll be teaching a workshop on autofiction at the Margate Bookie’s Write Up!, on May 27th at 12pm. More info and booking here. Continue reading
I’ll be talking about Holloway Prison and the history of women in the criminal justice system at the Woman Up Justice conference on March 4th. The conference is hosted by University of Cumbria School of Justice and organised by the voluntary events group Woman Up. More details and booking here. Continue reading
I’ll be teaching a 6-week online Life Writing course for City Academy, April-May 2023. More info and booking here. Continue reading
I’ll be talking about the history of Thames swimming at the West London Local History Conference on November 26th, a one-day virtual event with the theme ‘Play the Game’. Tickets here. Continue reading
I’ll be joining Age UK Camden Book Club as guest author at the British Library on October 26th. The book under discussion this month is Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, followed by a talk and Q&A on Queens of the Underworld. This is a closed event, but there is more information on… Continue reading
I’ll be talking about Queens of the Underworld at Conway Hall, a famed ‘hub for free speech and independent thought’ since the 1880s, as part of its Ethical Matters events held on Sunday afternoons. September 18th, London WC1R. Tickets here Continue reading
I’ll be talking about Queens of the Underworld at Derby Book Festival on May 22nd, Derby College, 11am. More info here Continue reading
I’ll be joining a panel at Wild Words Festival, a new literary festival set in a beautiful Hertfordshire field with ‘hot street food and cool camping’. More info and tickets here. Continue reading
The North American Tradeswomen are sending a delegation to London in June, where they will be visiting construction sites and training centres, and supporting plans for a Women’s Building on the site of the former Holloway Prison. I’ll be giving an online talk about the history of Holloway on June 11th, 4pm. Women make up… Continue reading
Mudlarking, Criminal Queens, and the deep City: a collection of London stories. March 24th, Amersham Arms, SE14. 7pm-10pm. Info and tickets here. Continue reading
I’ll be talking about Queens of the Underworld at Highgate Library, London N19, on December 9th, 7pm. The event is organised by The Friends of Highgate Library and admission is free. Tickets here. Continue reading
‘400 Years of Female Rebellion’ is a free online event on December 6th. I’ll be giving an illustrated talk on the lives of rebellious women and female crooks, followed by a discussion from a brilliant panel: Julie Bindel (Co-Founder, Justice for Women), Niki Gibbs (Artist), and Lucy Masoud (Barrister). It will be chaired by Professor… Continue reading
Queens of the Underworld was launched at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel – on the site of the original headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. This is where the Detective Department was based in late Victorian times, and its officers were very familiar with some of the queens – including Emily Lawrence, the diamond thief who… Continue reading
I’ll be talking about Queens of the Underworld at Borderlines Carlisle Book Festival on Sunday October 3rd – Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, CA3 8TP, 10.30-11.30am. Tickets available here. Continue reading
I’m excited to be returning to the Hurst to tutor on a residential Tutored Retreat: Fiction course, with Jacob Ross, on November 8th-13th. Working on a novel or a collection of short stories? Fire up your Fiction will provide support and feedback for whatever issues you’re facing with your writing – whether you need to… Continue reading
I’ll be giving a free online illustrated talk on the history of Thames swimming – and how the act of swimming connects us to nature and creates community – on July 2nd at 2pm. Booking link here. The talk is part of Ben Judd’s fellowship project, The Origin, at Stanley Picker Gallery at Kingston University,… Continue reading
I’m looking forward to teaching an Autobiography into Fiction course for City Lit on April 24th, where we will be learning how to turn real life experiences into fiction. What are the problems – and benefits – of using personal material in fiction? Where should we start, what techniques can we use, and how… Continue reading