Congratulations to Anna Wilson, our Woman of the Month for September. 

Anna is a writer, based in Penzance, who has published over 60 books, poems and essays for both adults and children. Her children’s series, Vlad the World’s Worst Vampire, has been translated into thirteen languages. Her picture book Grandpa and the Kingfisher was shortlisted for the Wainwright Nature Prize in 2023. 

Last year we enjoyed Anna's talk about her book ‘A Place for Everything – my mother, autism and me’. This memoir explores her late mother’s late diagnosis of autism at the age of 72. The book was reviewed as “a seminal work in this area” by the world expert in autism in women, Professor Tony Attwood, and it was featured on BBC Woman’s Hour.

As well as writing, Anna teaches creative writing. We are delighted that from this week Anna is running a - now fully subscribed - community reading group at Hypatia under the Reading Round project. The project is funded by the Royal Literary Fund.

We asked Anna to give us a tip:

“Writing is like swimming in the sea in winter. Sometimes it is easy and glorious, sometimes the very thought of it leaves you cold. But the more you practise, the better you get at it. So just dive in!”

Women Talking - Art and Poetry

Friday 27th September | 3pm - 5pm | Hypatia HQ | £10

A creative writing workshop inspired by Women Talking, an exhibition of poems and paintings by Cornish Artist Janet Lynch and poet Ellen Phethean (ellenphethean.com).

The writing workshop will be led by Ellen and inspired by Janet’s paintings - tickets are available via our Events page.

Ellen Phethean is a poet, writer and experienced creative writing tutor/workshop leader from the North East. She has three collections of poetry with Red Squirrel Press, the most recent is Shedding the Niceties, and a trilogy of YA novels Ren and the Blue Hands.

The free exhibition is at Tremenheere 14th September to 5th October 2024:
www.tremenheere.co.uk/exhibition/women-talking

A reading and Q&A with Ellen and Janet, at Tremenheere, is on Tuesday 24th September from 4pm - 6pm.

Love Leans over the Table: A Poetry Reading with Rosie Jackson

Friday 13th September | 6.30pm | Hypatia HQ | £8

Nationally acclaimed poet Rosie Jackson will read from her latest collection, ‘Love Leans over the Table’.

Poems that share spiritual struggles and epiphanies, both her own and those of well-known mystics including John Donne, George Fox, Simone Weil, Hildegard of Bingen, Medieval anchorites, Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe.

Tickets available via our Events page.

Thursday 12th September | 1.30pm | Hypatia HQ | Free

Booking via email is essential

Have you ever wished you could knit, sew, embroider, quilt, darn or learn any of those practical crafts that others seem able to do? We gather highly skilled crafters who love to share their skills with keen learners.

The Craft Exchange is returning this September, so don’t forget to add to your diaries if this speaks to you. If you’ve not joined a session before please reach out to Maggi Livingstone, via maggi@hypatia-trust.org.uk, to book your place - either as an expert crafter or new skill learner.

The session runs from 1.30pm - 3pm, and will continue every 3rd Wednesday of the month. 

They Fell Like Stars from The Sky & Other Stories by Sheikha Helawy

Our wonderful, quarterly contributor, Julia Spry-Leverton, shares her latest book review with us.

Penned by the award-winning Palestinian author, this is a collection of eighteen illustrated short stories celebrating the courage, resilience, tragedies and triumphs of Bedouin Palestinian women and girls.