Mary Wroth’s prose romance, Urania, created such a scandal when she published it in 1621 that she was labelled a “hermaphrodite” by fellow courtiers (for daring to write love poetry and romance tales as a woman), and her book was forcibly withdrawn from publication. The first modern edition (pictured here)

As we approach the winter solstice, I welcome the opportunity to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the publication of Imperfect Alchemist (20 November, 2021) followed by the paperback release last summer (17 June 2021) – with these photos marking the turn of the seasons. I’m happy to report that I’m

Many popular novels about Renaissance women picture them in relation to powerful men. One need look no further than the steady stream of novels about the wives of Henry VIII, perpetuating a phenomenon that I have named the “Noah’s ark approach,” which positions women in dependent relation to famous men.