A series of exciting and innovative online events highlighting women’s history in Warwickshire has been announced, as part of a collaboration between the British Library, the Living Knowledge Net...
A series of exciting and innovative online events highlighting women’s history in Warwickshire has been announced, as part of a collaboration between the British Library, the Living Knowledge Network and Warwickshire Libraries.
The programme of events, called ‘Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights’, will mirror some of the themes explored by an exhibition of the same name that is currently housed at the British Library.
A digital showcase, highlighting the history of women in Warwickshire who fought for recognition and for women’s rights, was launched by Warwickshire Libraries in November and can be viewed here.
It brings together items from the Heritage and Culture Warwickshire storerooms with reading suggestions, YouTube content and stories from the Our Warwickshire website, enabling visitors to explore the lives of Warwickshire women.
On Friday 29th January at 12 noon, Professor Sarah Richardson of Warwick University will be giving a virtual lunchtime talk on the women who fought for the vote in Warwickshire.
Called ‘The women who won the vote in Warwickshire’, the event will see Professor Richardson - who is Deputy Head of the Department of History at the University of Warwick, and the author of articles and publications on women’s suffrage, gender and the role of women in society - explore the history of suffrage and of the women who fought for the vote in Warwickshire.
Professor Richardson is currently involved in ‘Mapping Women’s Suffrage’, an ongoing project to identify and map the locations, together with the lives and materials, of as many ‘Votes for Women’ campaigners as possible in cities, towns and villages across England in 1911.
There will be the opportunity to ask questions at the event or, if you prefer, you can email these in advance to libraryevents@warwickshire.gov.uk and they will be read out during the event. The event will be presented via Microsoft Teams. Full details, including how to register to attend, can be found here.
Then on Monday 8th February at 7.30pm, in partnership with the Living Knowledge Network and West Midlands Readers' Network, Warwickshire Libraries are proud to present an evening of discussion with the authors of @OnThisDayShe : Jo Bell, Tania Hershman and Ailsa Holland.
Called ‘On This Day She: Putting women back into history one day at a time’, the event will be live streamed via the Living Knowledge Network website.
No registration is required - simply visit this website at the start time to watch the event live.
@OnThisDayShe was launched on Twitter in January 2018 with one aim: to put women back into history, one day at a time. It features a different woman every day, from across the world, across all time periods, from arts and sciences to politics, war, journalism, crime and invention - not necessarily on her birthday or the day she died, but on a day that was important to her. The day she qualified as the first doctor in her country, say, or she patented her first invention.
Now with over 27,000 followers, Jo, Tania and Ailsa release their accompanying book, exploring intriguing topics and issues from wearing trousers to the language of history, the importance of tea, and even public toilets for women.
The event will be introduced by Isobel Church, the actor who voices the ‘On This Day She’ audiobook.
On Thursday 11th February at 7.30pm, author Lissa Evans will be discussing her book 'Old Baggage' - a novel set in 1928 that reflects on the suffrage movement - in an online event called ‘An Author Calls’.
Lissa grew up in the West Midlands. Her first book was published in 2002 and since then she has written five more novels for adults, including 'Their Finest Hour and a Half', which was made into a feature film, 'Their Finest', starring Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy in 2017, as well as three novels for children.
There will be opportunities for the audience to ask questions at this event, or these can be sent in in advance to libraryevents@warwickshire.gov.uk. Full details, including how to register to attend, can be found here.
Details of all the upcoming events can be found on the Warwickshire Libraries digital event page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/warwickshire-library-amp-information-service-2002990469
Councillor Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, said:
“I’m delighted that Warwickshire Libraries have been invited to work in partnership with the Living Knowledge Network and the British Library on this programme of events highlighting the fight for women’s rights. I’d also like to thank West Midlands Readers’ Network for their assistance.
“It is particularly exciting that our online event with the ‘On This Day She’ authors will be live streamed on the Living Knowledge Network website and will therefore reach a wide audience. There is no sign up required for this event, so anyone can watch it on their website.
“All of these online events are free to attend and I hope that all the fantastic work involved in this collaboration is appreciated by many. I’d like to say a personal thank you to the Warwickshire County Council members of staff that have been instrumental in bringing together this fascinating and informative online programme.”
Talking about the involvement of Heritage & Culture Warwickshire in the ‘Unfinished Business’ online showcase, Councillor Heather Timms, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Heritage & Culture, said:
“This is a hugely impressive project and a really exciting contribution to the prestigious national exhibition at the British Library. It is a wonderful showcase of the great women of our county.”
If you haven’t yet explored the ‘Unfinished Business’ digital showcase of women’s history in Warwickshire, you’ll find it here.