January Competition
To win a copy of Diane Atkinson's Rise Up Women, answer the following question:'In the last 100 years, which woman in public life (i.e. not your mum!) has inspired you the most and why?'Competition...
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Never again by Mary Hoffman
February is really Suffragette month on the History Girls. Out guest on 29th January was Diane Atkinson, who ushered in the centenary of women in the UK getting the vote with her book Rise up,...
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Holes in History, by Gillian Polack
Most people in history are not well-documented. Some of the most interesting people to write fiction about are the people we can’t hear. A peasant from the twelfth century, the younger daughter of a...
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Down the Rabbit Hole: Researching for Historical Fiction - By Anna Mazzola
As I regard the enormous mound of books I’ve already read in preparation for my third novel, I find myself wondering: am I doing all this research in order to immerse myself in the world of my...
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The Rules - by Katherine Langrish
If your new year’s resolutions seem now to be fading like dreams, consider the willpower and strength of character needed to be a medieval anchoress. Wondering what to write for my next History Girls...
View ArticleHistorical Hairdressing - Joan Lennon
I've never had masses and masses of hair to experiment with. And, as a mother of sons, I haven't had a lot of opportunity to play with other people's hair, either. (Two of them do have masses and...
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A Vote for Isabella Tod
Today, as every History Girl knows, marks the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which granted the franchise to women over thirty. When I realised that my regular History Girls...
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May Morris 1862-1938 by Adèle Geras
This is May Morris, daughter of William Morris. You can see, I think, that she is a woman of considerable character and intelligence. The exhibition that's just finished at the William Morris Gallery...
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'A frog he would a-wooing go ...' by Karen Maitland
'The Love Potion' by Evelyn De Morgan (1855-1919)February is the month when supermarkets and florists try to make us fall 'in love with love' again. But if you are looking for an alternative to...
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Did Ancient Romans Pee Differently?
Last week I met one of my idols, Dr Gemma Jansen. Gemma is a Dutch expert on Roman Toilets. A few years ago she kindly advised me on one of my children’s books, The Sewer Demon, and I dedicated it to...
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Purple cow - Michelle Lovric
According to their own originary myth, the dawn of the last century saw the birth of the ‘Re-Echo’ Club, a group of literary bon-vivants in the Boston area. Initially they were inspired by a poem about...
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The trial of Audrey Jacob
Supreme Court of Western AustraliaLast month I set out the details of the trial of Audrey Jacob for the wilful murder of her former fiance, Cyril Gidley. In such a trial much turns on the way that the...
View ArticleHistFic poetry, by Antonia Senior
An indulgent post, this month. Forgive me! But it comes from noble motives. I want to tell you about The Poetry School. As its name suggests, The Poetry School is a charity dedicated to teaching,...
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Light as a Feather - The Art of Levitation by Deborah Swift
'This is the art of Levitation...levitation...levitation...'Do these words seem familiar? This is the beginning of the chant for the old parlour game I played when I was a child. Some of you may know...
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Deconstructing Love - by Lesley Downer
Valentine’s Day comes round again and we spend a day or two thinking about love. But what exactly is it? Is it a feeling as specific as hunger or pain, common to people the world over?‘Love - whatever...
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A History of Periods, Politics and Emoji Pants by Fay Bound Alberti
On a bitter cold day in January 2018, a woman died in Nepal after she was forced to live in a menstruating hut. She had been banished to the unheated hut for the duration of her period, a still-common...
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Pictures and Plums for Fingers and Thumbs - by Sue Purkiss
I'm indebted to a friend of mine for this month's post. She was having a clear-out, and decided that a pile of books which had belonged to her grandfather finally had to go. Most of them went to...
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STILL SPEAKING IN RHYMES by Penny Dolan
Recently I started helping with Story-times for Under-Fives at my local Carnegie library. My role, at the moment, involves greeting parents & grandparents, giving out musical instruments and then...
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Ghostly Re-Union on World Book Day - Celia Rees
March 1st is World Book Day, as I'm sure you all know. Like many other authors, I will be visiting a school, Coundon Court School in Coventry. For a writer, visiting a place that provided direct...
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A Very Palace Family by L.J. Trafford
CaligulaOn the 24th January 41AD Emperor Caligula was stabbed 32 times in a conspiracy that involved his personal secretary Callistus.Nero27 years later in 68 AD Caligula’s nephew, Nero, awoke to find...
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