Welcome to Agatha Christie month on She Wrote Too. In this episode, we speak with Dr Sarah Martin and Dr Jamie Bernthal who, with fellow academic Christie enthusiasts, run Golden Age Mysteries.  They are both experts on all things Agatha Christie.  Dr Martin has a PhD in female detective novels and  Dr Bernthal is also an academic writer and novelist who writes the Jessica Brick books. Rather importantly, they are both very generous people who took time out of their busy lives to speak to Nicola and share their thoughts and stories.  They share their views on Agatha Christie and why they are on a mission to have her taken seriously as a subject for academic study.  They blow literary snobbery out of the water and celebrate what a great writer Christie was.Dr Bernthal founded an Agatha Christie network ten years ago.  This was the birth of Golden Age Mysteries“The [Agatha Christie] conference is a statement of intent — we want to establish Agatha Christie studies as an academic discipline with its own identity.”Conference founder J.C. Bernthal in The Sunday TimesHe explains the resistance he had from academia ‘the only mystery here is - is she worth it?’ illustrating the snobbery surrounding genre writers. He also tells of how he booked a room for thirty people one afternoon to test out the waters and they had to change venue as they were overwhelmed with interest with Christie fans travelling from far and wide to share their deep interest.  It is fair to say they found  that the enthusiasm that they had hoped for was there. Their passion for this writer bubbles over during the conversation. Dr Bernthal explains possible reasons for snobbery surrounding certain types of writing.  Dr Martin delves into the treatment of domestic issues and how drama around the home has been dismissed and yet those who do so are missing out.  Their knowledge of Christie’s books is excellent.  Enjoy Tea and Scandal at 4.30.We have at least one episode of She Wrote Too every week this month.  Still to come - we review The Mousetrap, discuss Poirot, Miss Marple and why Agatha Christie also wrote as Mary Westmacott.  We also have interviews with some knowledgeable superfans.  So please share widely and enjoy this month of mystery!Thank you so much Dr Sarah Martin and Dr Jamie Bernthal. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

This month is a celebration of women artists - other than writers - as Caroline and Nicola visited the Tate Britain exhibition, Now You See Us. It was striking that, as with women writers, women artists were often denied training or access to resources and dismissed as merely pursuing hobbies.  There were many commercially successful women artists in the 400 years that this exhibition focused on despite all the barriers and challenges they faced. In this episode, we discuss paintings that had a personal appeal to us and some of the striking ideas that stood out to us at the time of the exhibition.To quote from the Tate website:  ‘Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520–1920 celebrates over 100 women who forged public careers as artists. The exhibition begins with the earliest recorded women artists working in Britain. It ends with women’s place in society fundamentally changed by the First World War and the first women gaining the right to vote. Across these 400 years, women were a constant presence in the art world. Now You See Us explores these artists’ careers and asks why so many have been erased from mainstream art histories.’The exhibition runs to 13 October so there is still time to see it.  However, if you cannot make it, it is fair to say that Tate Britain is very supportive of women artists as we mention.  Further, we also mention the book, Now You See Us edited by Tabitha Barber which details the artists featured in the exhibition.The exhibition also includes interesting texts such as petitions that women artists made to endeavour to be included in exhibitions and art education.  The sense of struggle and determination was palpable.  They created and produced good works anyway.Next month is Agatha Christie month. We are focusing on the biggest selling woman writer of all time and we have episodes every week including interesting interviews, book reviews, discussions with academics, a review of the Mousetrap and all sorts of celebratory specials. If you would like to get involved or take part, please just let us know in the comments and we will be in touch. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

We discuss the life and selected works of the famous poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning (EBB) 1806—1861. That is, she was famous at the time - so highly critically acclaimed that she was short-listed for the position of poet Laureate. Yet, in the early 20th Century, she was more or less ignored by the poetry critics who were happy for her to live in the shadow of Robert Browning. We also talk about the most recent biography of EBB by Fiona Sampson, Two Way Mirror. The last biography was in the 1980s so it is good to see that she is back in public discourse.We discuss three of her poems, in particular, although her work is very extensive and some of it can be accessed by the Poetry Foundation. Thanks for reading She Wrote Too! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.EBB loved animals and particularly her dog, Flush, we discuss what animals can mean to people - particularly during difficult times. EBB spend much of her life invalided and consequently alone, kept company and loved by her spaniel. We discuss how those with disabilities can be helped and supported by animals, particularly the work of Riding for the Disabled. We encourage you to look at their work and consider whether you can support them in any way at all. This gives us an excuse for a couple of pictures of animals.Please do subscribe to the podcast, share with others and find us on instagram, facebook, Bluesky and LinkedInCaroline Rance also writes about the history of medicine, you can find further details on Substack , you can find out about her published books by clicking the images below. Any that are not in paper publication at the moment are still available on Kindle.Nicola writes about narrative psychology and shares thoughts and poems on Substack here. Please do comment positively if you care to or share any kind questions that you may have. Thanks for reading She Wrote Too! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

In this episode Caroline and Nicola discuss the multi-talented Clemence Dane who cannot be limited to just one title -  she did write, extensively and well.  An actor, teacher, sculptor, broadcaster, screenwriter and popular social woman with many talented friends which reflected her own creativity.  She was also a talented artist - a self-portrait and portrait of Noel Coward are shown on this page.  She was the first woman screenwriter to win an Oscar.  She was also awarded a CBE.  She was great friends with Noel Coward and was extremely famous at the beginning of the 20th Century and thoroughly deserves to be celebrated and remembered.  Her essays, The Women’s Side, are all available online here.‘The invisible woman’ of the early 20th Century, she is a fascinating character and we hope you enjoy this episode in which we discuss our objections to the definitions of high, middle and low brow attitudes to art.  Her work is still published on Kindle and so is accessible for all. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

Caroline and Nicola talk with Paul Kerensa, comedian, broadcaster, writer and host of podcast The British Broadcasting Century about this clever one act comedy.  As they discuss, the play could not deal with political matters explicity on the radio at that time - and yet, in a comedic way it deals with matters of class and gender along with societal expectation in an amusing and entertaining way. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

10 Clowning Street by Joan S. Dugdale is published in the Metheun Drama Book of Suffrage Plays .  It tells the story of an anti-suffragist Prime Minister - who we do not meet immediately because he is taking a relaxing salt bath - and his brilliant plan to stop the suffragettes by introducing a compulsory National Work for Women scheme under which all single women over 21 are to work full-time.  Satisfied that these weary women will have no energy left to pester him anymore for the vote, he sends his daughters out to work in typical working women’s roles.  Only, his plan does not quite work out the way that he had hoped.  His previously anti-suffrage daughters having led a privileged and comfortable life until their work experience, come back with a rather different view, which was not part of the plan - just as the Prime Minister has a visit from a hack in search of a scoop.This is a really interesting use of humour in the suffrage campaign.  In this episode, we discuss the play, the humour within it and its use in the suffrage movement.  We mention an academic study called Jokes for Women which is a PhD thesis on how humour was used by the suffragettes - which is interesting as humour was often used against them as illustrated by some of the art on this page.  We also discuss the interesting life of Joan S. Dugdale 1881-1975 who campaigned for equality throughout her career and was, herself, a suffragette who was arrested and imprisoned for her actions. Hear what the judge thought of her rebellion and of some of the causes that she later went on to support.  We hope you enjoy this episode of She Wrote Too.  Please do recommend us to others. We are on social media on Instagram and Facebook where you can find additional information on women writers of the past.  We look forward to posting our next episode on 1st July.She Wrote Too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

An early feminist novel set in South Africa in 1883, this book is an interesting and unusual literary work. It is a generic hybrid in that in some ways it is new woman fiction whilst also having many other elements such as Dickensian farce, spiritual musings, gothic elements and melodrama. It follows three central characters from their childhood in South Africa to their adults lives exploring their development and ideas as well as their love interests and encounters with other interesting characters on the way.In this podcast we discuss the themes of the novel, a little of Schreiner’s life and attitudes and some of the issues that arise in the book.We do give a warning that there is mention of child death in the discussion. We also mention the issue of the racist terms that were used in South Africa at the time - although these are not explicitly said.We hope you enjoy this podcast. For extra content, please do join us on social media on Facebook and Instagram for more information about women writers that have gone before us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

In this episode of She Wrote Too, we welcome a special guest, novelist and booktuber, Katie Lumsden to discuss Amy Dillwyn’s The Rebecca Rioter.Katie wrote The Secrets of Hartwood Hall a gothic novel set in Victorian England. Her new novel, The Trouble with Mrs Montgomery Hall, is available for pre-order now and will be out in July.We discuss the novel, The background to the Rebecca Riots and a little of Amy Dillwyn’s life. Katie mentions an article Professor Kirsti Bohata. ‘A Queer-Looking Lot of Women’: cross-dressing, transgender ventriloquism and same-sex desire in The Rebecca Rioter. The Victorian Review, 44(1), 113-130:A very interesting and informative site on Dillwyn and this book can be found on the Literary Atlas of Wales.The Rebecca Rioter, published in 1880, is a novel based on the notorious Rebecca Riots in south and west Wales in the early nineteenth century. It is told from the perspective of Evan, a working class participant in the riots in which the people protested against the imposition of toll bridges; it was a protest against wider social inequalities and the poor treatment of the working people. The outcome of the riots has a profound effect on Evan and the woman he admires.As usual, in the podcast, we do discuss the plot as a whole and so there are ‘spoilers’ about the Rebecca Rioter. There are no ‘spoilers’ regarding Katie’s books. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

Amy Lowell 1874 - 1925 was an American poet, writer, editor, speaker, activist and campaigner. She wrote in excess of 650 poems many of which would be classified as Imagist poems. In this episode of She Wrote Too, we consider a little about her life, the Imagist movement and explore four of Lowell’s poems.Amy Lowell among her Contemporaries by Carl Rollyson is an insightful read for anyone with an interest in Lowell’s life as she suffered from some hostile accounts from some of her contemporaries which for some time diminished her reputation. We discuss some of the points raised by Rollyson about some of the reasons why this best-selling and prolific writer was treated with ill-will by her peers. Although, in our podcast, we chose to focus on her life and achievements and not the attempts to side-line her.More biographical information can be found from the Poetry Foundation as can a selection of her poetry.Links to the poems we discuss in this episode:In a GardenThe Emperor’s GardenThe ArtistSeptember 1918You can find out more about how Amy Lowell considered that poetry is a craft that can be learned here.You can listen to a further discussion on Amy Lowell and her place in the imagist movement on Imagiste on BBC Sounds which considers how Lowell and H.D. changed the direction of poetry with the ‘subversive beauty’ of their writing. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

Welcome to the second of our podcasts in 2024, as we are now riding the fourth wave of feminism, we look back at the literature of the early days of the movement when women were writing - and writing very well in Victorian times and at the outset of the 20th Century - but were neglected by the canon as time went on. In this new series, we will be considering some of the reasons behind that - including deliberate sabotage campaigns.In this episode, we are looking at the utopian novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland (1915).  This novel concerns the story of a feminist utopia and three men who embark on an expedition to discover this mysterious land populated entirely by women.  The three men, Terry, Van and Jeff fly to explore this unique country in Terry’s plane.  Terry is a wealthy, macho explorer who would describe himself as an alpha male.  The different characters of the men are explored whilst they make discoveries about this island that is both populated and ruled entirely by women.Unusually, the plot is not necessarily the most important aspect of this writing as it is an exploration of a wide range of ideas; patriarchy, feminism, power, environment, politics and many other sociological issues.  As a utopia, it invites comparison with our earlier episode of She Wrote Too in Sultana’s Dream by Rokeya Sahkawat Hossain - a novel which does not develop any men as characters.About the authCharlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) is probably best known for her short story The Yellow Wallpaper which tells the semi-autobiographical story of a woman suffering from severe post-natal depression, touching on psychosis.  She is not a forgotten writer, but this particular novel rather lives in the shadow of The Yellow Wallpaper and we considered it was time that it was brought into the light.Gilman had a turbulent early life with the departure of her father from the family, relative poverty and attendance at many different schools followed by a very mixed career which had, as its primary purpose, ways to bring in income - from soap-selling to illustration.  She was a pragmatic, hard-working woman. Her talent and intelligence together with a little more of her family life and career are discussed in the podcast.Book ClubThis is the first in our SWT Book Club and we warmly invite you to get involved!  You can join as club of one, you could start a new club (see our downloadable Hints sheet on tips for starting a book club) or you could let your existing book club in on this.A complete list of this year’s books is available to download on the Book Club page so that you can pick and choose what you would like to be involved with. All of our podcasts from 2023 are still available to use and explore - so please help yourself!Membership of the book club provides access to suggested topics of discussion, further articles and special features together with a discussion forum to share your thoughts.  The membership level is just £5 a month - less than a coffee and brownie. Joining is so appreciated as it will assist us in being able to devote the time we need to develop this into a great resource that can be widely enjoyed.Please do let us have your comments and suggestions or any questions that you may have about She Wrote Too.  If demand is there, we can run live book group meet-ups online for Book Club members, so let us know if you would like to take part in that.We hope you enjoy this episode.  Happy reading and listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

Gertrude Jennings (1877–1958) was a prolific playwright throughout her long life. She mainly wrote comedies which, whilst being entertaining and funny, often dealt with weighty issues such as class, suffrage and political matters - with a light touch and veneer of frivolity. This play, as with many of her others, is in one act and would be straightforward to stage. In this episode we consider how effectively Jennings creates interesting and engaging characters whilst dismantling anti-suffrage arguments in a gentle yet convincing and funny way.Do visit this page again for further biographical information and further comment on some of her other works. In addition, look out for our own dramatised version of Jennings work in 2024. We hope you enjoy this episode of She Wrote Too. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

This episode involves a look at a satirical and witty collection of poetry providing commentary on the women's suffrage movement, which was advocating for women's right to vote at the time.We enjoyed the use of humour and irony to make a compelling argument for women's suffrage by highlighting the contradictions in how society perceives women. The title poem was a part of the broader suffrage movement in the United States, which ultimately led to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote. Alice Duer Miller's work played a role in raising awareness about the suffrage cause. In fact, her hand in drafting the changes was greater than we first thought - listen to find out more.We apologise for some problems with the sound around 20 minutes into the podcast and hope this does not hamper your enjoyment of it. We have yet to identify what gremlins were at work! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

This episode explores the novel True Love by Sarah E Farro, one of the earliest African-American novelists. Farro’s novel is set in England, a place that she had never visited - although had clearly read much about. We discuss her interesting life, our thoughts on the novel and why we think this work still needs to be celebrated. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com

In this episode we consider a book first published in India in 1905 in Colonial Bengal. The story was published in Bengali newspapers and was well recognised as a witty and interesting tale of reverse purdah. As such, it is a utopian tale in which the women are in control and are in charge of all major institutions of the public sphere.The text is available online as a free to read online version. It is a short read as you may expect from a story in a newspaper.We refer to the book Inglorious Empire by Shashi Tharoor - what the British did to India.We hope you enjoy the consideration of a non-capitalist, peaceful, feminist, environmentally sound society. As we discuss, one of the great values of utopian or speculative fiction is that if something can be imagined, perhaps it can be... This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit shewrotetoo.substack.com