The Woman Who Saved America from Thalidomide

In 1977 my brother, 17 at the time, was at a college not far from the flat I shared with my pal, Corinne, so he sometimes came to visit us (and be fed). One day we were walking along the street, when a girl about his age caught his eye. “That girl is so beautiful,” he said—and he was right. He plucked up courage and crossed the road to chat her up. She agreed to go for a cup of tea with him and I was left with the shopping bags. But here’s something I noticed—the girl had no arms, just “flippers” where her arms and hands might have been. She...

Let’s Not Airbrush A Brilliant Artist!

It’s interesting, that amid an increasing focus on women’s history — or perhaps I should say, an increasing spotlight into the lives of women who have hitherto been left out of HIStory — one amazing woman’s legacy has been undermined. As children many of you may well have been familiar with the world of illustrator Kate Greenaway. Of course, you might not have known her name, but her work was unmistakable. Almost as soon as I was given my library ticket at around three years of age, I made a beeline for any book bearing her distinctive...

You Don’t Belong Here

I’ve always liked stories with what I would call an “ensemble cast” — you know, the ones that bring together the “old gang” again or tie together a motley crew of individuals, from The Magnificent Seven to Enchanted April to Ocean’s Eight.  That interest takes me right into non-fiction — I’m drawn to books that highlight the phenomenon of women who happen to have been in the same place at roughly the same time and who may or may not have known one another, yet in their way were part of an extraordinary cadre of achievers.  I loved Square...

Gather Your Clothing Coupons – It’s 1947 and the New Look Is Here!

I’ve always been interested in the history of clothing and costume – note, I’m avoiding using the word “fashion” here.  As I grew into my teen years, I raided clothing tucked away at the back of my mother’s wardrobe – a few “Before I was married to your father” garments that were purchased long before a time of throwaway fashion.  I also haunted vintage clothing stalls at Kensington Market on those rare occasions my pal Anne-Marie and I managed to persuade our parents to let us go up to London alone for the day. It was a bit of a hippy...

A Bit of Witchery

If there is one word guaranteed to bring some level of emotion to people, it’s “witch.”  There were those who burned the Harry Potter books due to the appearance of broomsticks and so-called “magic” – though J.K. Rowling didn’t mind at all, because to burn books you have to buy them first. I think she said words to the effect of “Bring it on” – and who could blame her?  And who doesn’t want to believe in a little magic every now and again?  However, I remember the first time I realized the depth of tragedy in the accusation of being a witch....

The WomenSong Blog is my indulgence—a chance to write about women’s lives from the past to the present. I plan to write not only about women whose names are well known, but women with unheralded accomplishments. Many visitors to this blog will know that I have been interested in women’s history since childhood—since I created my first book at the age of eight. It was a task set in class, for each pupil to produce a “topic book” on something we were interested in. We had to not only research and write the content (though the word “research” was not used—instead it was called “Finding out”), and we created the cover in our art and craft lessons, finally stitching the pages and boards together. Finally we had to present our topic to the class. I loved making that book—and it opened a window for me. Though the women in my “Famous Women” topic book were all well known, as time went on, I became equally interested in women whose accomplishments had been forgotten or never acknowledged. So, as noted, this is my indulgence, a chance to write about the lives of women. I hope you enjoy the posts.

famous women

Read more about Jacqueline Winspear here

Note: This blog is not allied to any other organization using the word “WomenSong.”