Oh, Ann. I am so honored. Every word I wrote can be magnified countless times. You were one of my first two paid subscribers. What that means is incalculable: in a lifetime of writing, I had never been paid as a writer. I deeply appreciate your kind and generous comments not only on my work, but on that of the many writers who are lifted by your words. And, most importantly, thank you for your posts!
That is lovely to hear, Mary. I know exactly what you mean about being paid as a writer - when my first article was published in the TLS in 2017 I was walking on air. Substack offers a whole new set of opportunities for creative work, and I'm very glad of it - and honestly, I love your and others' writing, so it's a great pleasure to share my enthusiasm with others!
Love your work. I think you should know that when I was studying in the U.K. in the '80s, I bought a secondhand dress in Cambridge that belonged to Mrs. John Maynard Keynes. I don't know her first name or anything else about her, but she had a tiny waist and very good taste.
I've been connected to Cambridge for most of my adult life, but finally ran away west ten years ago. It's lovely to read about the literary and feminist aspect of the town - I read aloud (on Whatsapp) to a friend who has problems sleeping, and we have recently finished two linked books about the same sort of era, set in The Other Place. They are 'The Dictionary of Lost Words' and 'The Bookbinder of Jericho ' by Pip Williams...well worth a read.
And I agree about 'The Gate of Angels,' which I've always loved. And Kettles Yard, sorely missed...
though the west coast of Wales has other fab things to recommend it...
Sorry to have only just spotted your lovely comment, Janey - and it made me laugh, to think that you have run west and escaped from Cambridge... but glad Kettle's Yard is a fond memory. I love that you are reading aloud to your friend (and honestly, I suspect that there are a fair few similarities in Oxbridge novels). I am a big fan of Pip Williams's writing too.
Hi Ann, I'm enjoying reading your articles very much. You are just my cup of tea. I write about books (what I'm reading, etc), I'm working on a few essays and am researching several 19th-century English women who were forgotten. I fall into a lot of rabbit holes. Have a good weekend.
Good to hear from you, Despina, and thank you. Very glad that we are exploring similar rabbit holes! I have enjoyed your writing too, especially about Isabella Bird, a fascinating travel writer.
I just found you through a notes post on Substack and as a writer who has been putting her creative commentary on Permission out into the world for a year, and wondering if it was a vacuum, I received a very passionate note from one of my readers today who made it all worth it. Sometimes though, I have to remind myself, if I don't write, it's like not breathing so the subscriber count is almost insignificant.
Thank you Kim, what a wonderful message your reader sent you, and I have shared it via Notes. You are absolutely right, the number of subscribers matters so much less than the quality of the interaction - and it's so rewarding to know that what we write can make a difference. Interacting with other writers & readers is the best thing about this place, long may it continue.
I cannot seem to get the information about paid subscriptions—-Just get messages saying “ can’t subscribe in the app” I managed the free sub without problem some time ago. I just love your book recommendations ! Paddie Lloyd
Oh thank you so much for persisting despite all the difficulties with the app, Paddie - I really appreciate your kind support and great comments. Glad you are a fan of reading recommendations - I love hearing about books other people are enjoying too.
The joy of Substack! I'm a new subscriber and looking forward to being a paid subscriber next month when my self-imposed monthly limit on new subscriptions passes. Seems we were doing our PhDs at the same time - mine in French at the opposite end of the country, in Aberdeen. I would just say that Aberdeen had 2 universities at a time when there were only 2 in the whole of England!
Thanks so much Linda, and welcome - very good to meet you virtually. Gosh I must beat that in mind about Aberdeen Uni when I'm going on about Oxbridge... esp as we have close family in Aberdeenshire too!
Hello Ann, I’ve just followed you, this is the first Substack I’ve found that truly chimes with my interests and which I can imagine reading regularly - thank you! I also write about life as experienced by women and am drawn to memoir and the charting of women’s experiences through time. And although I live in Tasmania now I’m English and love all England’s places and literary traditions - I was in Cambridge last year!
Thanks so much Fiona, I feel very touched that my words reached you and I loved your description of how hard the women settlers in Tasmania worked, though their efforts aren't often memorialised in names of buildings, streets and so on. Great to have made contact with you and pleased you have visited Cambridge!
This is fascinating stuff! Not that it’s Cambridge but I was in the first class of girls at what had been one in f NY’s most prestigious prep schools (your equivalent to public schools like Eton). I’ve always been one to delve into the histories of “first” women. I’ll follow you if you follow me! i beg to defer is my Substack.
Such interesting research! I have always been proud that my grandmother was one of the first female graduates of the Michigan State Normal College for teachers in the 1920’s. She was always a great inspiration to me!
Glad to have found you, Ann. Do you have any plans to host a gathering of your new Cambridge ladies (and gentlemen and others), perhaps at one of the places you tell us about in your lovely writing?
Hi Caroline, just spotted this, sorry for delay! It would be good to host a gathering some day, wouldn't it, we might have to eat in timed shifts I am guessing... thanks so much for reading!
Gosh, I feel at home. I just found you from a recommendation from @winterdumas. I've just joined Substack and think I'll have a lot of reading here from your posts. So glad to be here.
Thanks Jo! I love that Corpus and other colleges are now celebrating forty year anniversaries of going mixed (after resisting it for years). It sounds like a fun & very interesting weekend, well done on being one of the Corpus women highlighted. Will be interested to hear more!
Thank you Maura, for your thoughtful and thought-provoking comments. I hope you will turn it into a post of your own, as I think it would resonate with many readers. Your mum sounds like an amazing woman, forging a great career for herself in the 1960s - and it sounds as if you were very influenced by her pioneering spirit, but are also in the process of deciding what is right for you, which is the most important thing. Very glad that the women I'm writing about have struck a chord with you, and thanks again for your kind words.
Oh, Ann. I am so honored. Every word I wrote can be magnified countless times. You were one of my first two paid subscribers. What that means is incalculable: in a lifetime of writing, I had never been paid as a writer. I deeply appreciate your kind and generous comments not only on my work, but on that of the many writers who are lifted by your words. And, most importantly, thank you for your posts!
That is lovely to hear, Mary. I know exactly what you mean about being paid as a writer - when my first article was published in the TLS in 2017 I was walking on air. Substack offers a whole new set of opportunities for creative work, and I'm very glad of it - and honestly, I love your and others' writing, so it's a great pleasure to share my enthusiasm with others!
Love your work. I think you should know that when I was studying in the U.K. in the '80s, I bought a secondhand dress in Cambridge that belonged to Mrs. John Maynard Keynes. I don't know her first name or anything else about her, but she had a tiny waist and very good taste.
I've been connected to Cambridge for most of my adult life, but finally ran away west ten years ago. It's lovely to read about the literary and feminist aspect of the town - I read aloud (on Whatsapp) to a friend who has problems sleeping, and we have recently finished two linked books about the same sort of era, set in The Other Place. They are 'The Dictionary of Lost Words' and 'The Bookbinder of Jericho ' by Pip Williams...well worth a read.
And I agree about 'The Gate of Angels,' which I've always loved. And Kettles Yard, sorely missed...
though the west coast of Wales has other fab things to recommend it...
Sorry to have only just spotted your lovely comment, Janey - and it made me laugh, to think that you have run west and escaped from Cambridge... but glad Kettle's Yard is a fond memory. I love that you are reading aloud to your friend (and honestly, I suspect that there are a fair few similarities in Oxbridge novels). I am a big fan of Pip Williams's writing too.
Hi Ann, I'm enjoying reading your articles very much. You are just my cup of tea. I write about books (what I'm reading, etc), I'm working on a few essays and am researching several 19th-century English women who were forgotten. I fall into a lot of rabbit holes. Have a good weekend.
Good to hear from you, Despina, and thank you. Very glad that we are exploring similar rabbit holes! I have enjoyed your writing too, especially about Isabella Bird, a fascinating travel writer.
No worries, Ann. Congratulations on your wonderful success with your Substack. Let me know if the gathering ever happens.
Absolutely. And thank you Caroline. Do get in touch if ever you're in Cambridge & maybe we could have lunch at least!
I'm there every few months, Ann - it would be lovely to have lunch and maybe invite my lovely friend, Eleanor O'Gorman, who you may know?
That would be great, Caroline - I haven't met Eleanor, but it would be nice if she could join us. I'll send you a direct message with contact details.
I just found you through a notes post on Substack and as a writer who has been putting her creative commentary on Permission out into the world for a year, and wondering if it was a vacuum, I received a very passionate note from one of my readers today who made it all worth it. Sometimes though, I have to remind myself, if I don't write, it's like not breathing so the subscriber count is almost insignificant.
Thank you Kim, what a wonderful message your reader sent you, and I have shared it via Notes. You are absolutely right, the number of subscribers matters so much less than the quality of the interaction - and it's so rewarding to know that what we write can make a difference. Interacting with other writers & readers is the best thing about this place, long may it continue.
I cannot seem to get the information about paid subscriptions—-Just get messages saying “ can’t subscribe in the app” I managed the free sub without problem some time ago. I just love your book recommendations ! Paddie Lloyd
Oh thank you so much for persisting despite all the difficulties with the app, Paddie - I really appreciate your kind support and great comments. Glad you are a fan of reading recommendations - I love hearing about books other people are enjoying too.
The joy of Substack! I'm a new subscriber and looking forward to being a paid subscriber next month when my self-imposed monthly limit on new subscriptions passes. Seems we were doing our PhDs at the same time - mine in French at the opposite end of the country, in Aberdeen. I would just say that Aberdeen had 2 universities at a time when there were only 2 in the whole of England!
Thanks so much Linda, and welcome - very good to meet you virtually. Gosh I must beat that in mind about Aberdeen Uni when I'm going on about Oxbridge... esp as we have close family in Aberdeenshire too!
It's a good fact to have at your disposal as an honorary north east Scot!
Hello Ann, I’ve just followed you, this is the first Substack I’ve found that truly chimes with my interests and which I can imagine reading regularly - thank you! I also write about life as experienced by women and am drawn to memoir and the charting of women’s experiences through time. And although I live in Tasmania now I’m English and love all England’s places and literary traditions - I was in Cambridge last year!
Thanks so much Fiona, I feel very touched that my words reached you and I loved your description of how hard the women settlers in Tasmania worked, though their efforts aren't often memorialised in names of buildings, streets and so on. Great to have made contact with you and pleased you have visited Cambridge!
This is fascinating stuff! Not that it’s Cambridge but I was in the first class of girls at what had been one in f NY’s most prestigious prep schools (your equivalent to public schools like Eton). I’ve always been one to delve into the histories of “first” women. I’ll follow you if you follow me! i beg to defer is my Substack.
Such interesting research! I have always been proud that my grandmother was one of the first female graduates of the Michigan State Normal College for teachers in the 1920’s. She was always a great inspiration to me!
Thanks Liz! Your grandmother sounds very impressive. Amazing how she and her peers broke through those barriers.
Glad to have found you, Ann. Do you have any plans to host a gathering of your new Cambridge ladies (and gentlemen and others), perhaps at one of the places you tell us about in your lovely writing?
Hi Caroline, just spotted this, sorry for delay! It would be good to host a gathering some day, wouldn't it, we might have to eat in timed shifts I am guessing... thanks so much for reading!
The new name is wonderful, Ann!! I love it so much.
Very late to this, but just to say THANK YOU Tiffany! So pleased you like the new name.
Gosh, I feel at home. I just found you from a recommendation from @winterdumas. I've just joined Substack and think I'll have a lot of reading here from your posts. So glad to be here.
Thank you, what a lovely compliment - 'I feel at home'. Welcome to Substack and hope you enjoy all the interesting stuff here!
So interesting to read your story - and did you know Corpus is celebrating 40 years of women this year? The college was largely funded at the beginning by an endowment from Margaret Andrew. I’m attending a celebration weekend of this in March - https://corpus-christi-college.shorthandstories.com/forty-years-on-women-of-corpus/index.html
Thanks Jo! I love that Corpus and other colleges are now celebrating forty year anniversaries of going mixed (after resisting it for years). It sounds like a fun & very interesting weekend, well done on being one of the Corpus women highlighted. Will be interested to hear more!
Thank you Maura, for your thoughtful and thought-provoking comments. I hope you will turn it into a post of your own, as I think it would resonate with many readers. Your mum sounds like an amazing woman, forging a great career for herself in the 1960s - and it sounds as if you were very influenced by her pioneering spirit, but are also in the process of deciding what is right for you, which is the most important thing. Very glad that the women I'm writing about have struck a chord with you, and thanks again for your kind words.