I’m delighted to be joining City Academy, and look forward to teaching Online Blogging (July 8-Aug 12), Online Creative Writing for Beginners (Sept 1-Oct 6), and a one day Blogging for Beginners in June. Course details here Continue reading
I’m delighted to be joining City Academy, and look forward to teaching Online Blogging (July 8-Aug 12), Online Creative Writing for Beginners (Sept 1-Oct 6), and a one day Blogging for Beginners in June. Course details here Continue reading
The Women’s Equality Party book club in York will be discussing Bad Girls: the Rebels and Renegades of Holloway Prison on March 18th. I’ll be joining them on Zoom at 6.30pm, to talk about the background to the book and answer questions. Guest speaker Dee Sheehan will be talking about WEP policy on women in… Continue reading
I’m looking forward to tutoring an online Arvon fiction week, ‘Take your writing to the next level’, from November 23rd to the 27th, with Adam Handy. More info here Continue reading
I’ve been working with volunteers at Dorich House Museum, the studio home of sculptor Dora Gordine & Richard Hare, on The Squatter Years: Recovering Dorich House Museum’s Recent Past. The project launched last summer, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Volunteers have been busy during lockdown, researching and investigating the extent of the couple’s… Continue reading
February 19th, 2020 The suffragettes of Holloway Prison, Suffolk Book League, Ipswich. 7.30pm, the Ipswich Institute, IP1 3A. Continue reading
February 19th, 2020 Historical fiction workshop based on Daisy Belle: Swimming Champion of the World, plus discussion on pathways to publication, University of Suffolk. Continue reading
November 18th, 2019 I’ll be teaching on Arvon’s non-fiction tutored retreat from November 18th to the 23rd at the Hurst, Shropshire, with Colin Grant and guest speaker Helen Jukes. Information about grants here Continue reading
October 16th, 2019 An illustrated talk on political prisoners at Holloway. Islington Town Hall, London, 7.30pm Continue reading
October 2nd, 2019 Lord Leycester Hospital, High Street, Warwick, 10.30am I’ll be talking about Bad Girls and the history of Holloway Prison at the Warwick Words History Festival. Continue reading
On September 14th, I’ll be joining Carl Cattermole and Erika Flowers at the opening event of this year’s Archway With Words festival. I’ll be talking about the history of Holloway, Carl will be talking about his brilliant book Prison A Survival Guide, and Erika will be discussing her powerful art work which includes the new… Continue reading
June 6th 2019 The story of two Edwardian baby farmers and the history behind The Ghost of Lily Painter. Finchley Probus Club, London, 11am Continue reading
June 2nd I’ll be talking about Bad Girls and the history of Holloway Prison at the Derby Book Festival, 12pm-12.55pm. Continue reading
May 14th 2019 A History of Holloway Prison, The Clerkenwell & Islington Guides Association, Islington Town Hall, London, 6.30pm Continue reading
April 16th, 2019 Highgate Literary & Scientific Institute, London N6 6BS ‘Bad Girls or Freedom Fighters?’ I’ll be giving a talk on the history of Holloway, from the suffragettes to the women of Greenham Common. Continue reading
April 14th, 2019 Yarrow Hotel, Ramsgate Road, Broadstairs, 3pm I’ll be talking about the Thanet landscape and the real life figures who inspired Daisy Belle: Swimming Champion of the World as part of BroadstairsLit. Tickets include a prosecco cream tea. The event is held in association with Friends of Oasis, raising money for the Oasis… Continue reading
March 20th, 2019 I’ll be talking about the history of political prisoners at Holloway Prison at Housmans Bookshop, radical booksellers who have been running since 1945. The event starts at 7pm. Kings Cross, London N1 Continue reading
February 10th 2019 I’ll be joining film directors Patrick McLennan and Samuel Smith for a Q&A at the Phoenix Cinema, East Finchley, following a screening of The Ponds: Still Waters Run Deep. It’s a joyous film that really captures the spirit of pond swimming on Hampstead Heath, where people having been enjoying the waters since… Continue reading
December 12th Vote 100 Women and prisons. Portcullis House, London. 6pm When I started writing Bad Girls a few years ago I never imagined I would take part in a panel discussion at Portcullis House during Vote 100, Parliament’s year long celebration of the 1918 Representation of the People Act. I shared the stage with… Continue reading
November 14th I’ll be joining two wonderful Unbound authors to discuss our latest books at the Owl Bookshop, London, on November 14th. Continue reading
November 1st, 2-5pm, Kingston University, Knights Park, Main Lecture Theatre I took part in a Women and Prison workshop and symposium day at Kingston University on November 1st, to talk about the background to Bad Girls, the different class divisions at Holloway Prison in Victorian and Edwardian times, and the legacy of the site today.… Continue reading
October 30th, Waterstones Crouch End, London, 7pm I joined three wonderful Unbound authors – Stephanie Bretherton, Jessica Hepburn and Miranda Gold – to discuss our latest books during a mini bookshop tour, starting at Waterstones Crouch End on October 30th. Continue reading
October 7th, Redhills, Durham, 2pm -3.30pm I talked about the history of Holloway Prison at the Durham Book Festival as part of a panel discussing radical women, along with Dr Fern Riddell. The event began with a performance by Sarah Sayeed – Song for Sophia – inspired by Victorian suffragette Princess Sophia Singh. The event… Continue reading
October 6th, Crown & Mitre Hotel, Carlisle, CA3 I gave a writing masterclass, Bringing the Past to Life: Starting to Write Non-fiction, at this year’s Borderlines Book Festival, followed by an illustrated talk on the history of Holloway Prison, sponsored by the Royal Literary Fund. A number of suffragettes were in the audience, members of… Continue reading
Daisy Belle was officially launched at the Mixed Pond on Hampstead Heath on Saturday. The heavens smiled on us and the weather was perfect, while the water was suitably chilly…. Hampstead Heath Leisure & Events Manager Paul Maskell gets the evening started Channel swimmer Frank Chalmers sang a tribute to Daisy Belle And I wore… Continue reading
The Parliament Hill Lido held its 80th birthday celebrations on the evening of August 25th, with swimming, music, food, lido cocktails, and revelers dressed in 1930s costumes. There were also books on sale – Daisy Belle: Swimming Champion of the World and the wonderful 21 Miles: Swimming in search of the meaning of motherhood… Continue reading
The Parliament Hill Lido turns 80 years old on August 20th, and birthday celebrations will be held on the evening of Saturday August 25th. For swimmers who love to read, two brilliant books will be on sale – Daisy Belle: Swimming Champion of the World and 21 Miles: Swimming in search of the meaning of… Continue reading
Peter Barratt, great grandson of suffragette Alice Hawkins, presents the story of his fearless forebear at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe on August 13-17th. Alice was a shoe machinist in Leicester when she was imprisoned at Holloway in 1907 and on the day of her release 200 people were waiting to welcome her. Some of her… Continue reading
July 13th Last night Islington Museum launched its exhibition on Holloway Prison, with a focus on ‘the voices which remain unknown and unrecorded’. The exhibition includes oral recordings from former prisoners and staff – many of whom feature in Bad Girls – as well as archive documents and objects such as a prison cell door… Continue reading
August 7th Finsbury Library, London ECIV, 6.30pm I gave an illustrated talk on the history of Holloway Prison and the experiences of the suffragettes. The free talk took place at Finsbury Library, as part of Islington Museum’s brilliant Echoes of Holloway Project. Continue reading
July 8th, 12.15 The Guildhall Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 I talked about the suffragettes at Holloway Prison – and how their defiance changed not only the prison service but the course of history – during the Lichfield Festival. The festival’s theme this year was ‘Extraordinary Women’, and the talk took place at the Guildhall, pictured above.… Continue reading