Enjoy crime fiction? Like historical stories? Interested in women’s history? Hear about three generations of fictional women – Lillias, Clemmie and Mabel – in this Story Cafe special.
GWL’s Adult Literacy and Numeracy Development Worker Donna Moore is currently doing a PhD where she is writing three historical crime fiction novellas. The Smuggler’s Bride is set in the 1870s and is the story of Lillias, a rich young woman whose new husband has her committed to an Asylum so that he can get his hands on her money. The Ratcatcher’s Daughter is about Lillias’ daughter Clementina who has to flee the Asylum where she was brought up and ends up destitute and the victim of sex trafficking in 1890s Glasgow. In The Organ Grinder’s Serenade Clementina’s daughter, Mabel, becomes one of Glasgow’s first policewomen and investigates the murder of her mother in 1919.
Donna will talk about the research behind the novellas and share stories of some of the real women in a Victorian Asylum; talk about Glasgow’s Lock Hospital for women with syphilis, where the cure was just as dangerous as the disease; and delve into the history of women in the police force. She will also read extracts from all three of the novellas.
This event is now fully booked.
The event is free and for women only* (16+). To attend, please book below and we will share an email invitation with you. If you would like to make a donation to Glasgow Women’s Library, you can do so here. Please note that you will receive your email invitation a few days before the event takes place.
*All women-only events are inclusive of Trans and Intersex women, as well as non-binary and gender fluid people.
This session takes place via an online video call link. If you would like to attend, please book below and we will share an email invitation along with simple and straight forward instructions on how this will work. If you have any concerns about how this will work for you, please do get in touch and we’ll do all we can to support you in joining the session.