Reading, freedom and democracy 

Reading, freedom and democracy 

Every year, Mary Stella Edwards listed all the books she had read in the last 12 months in her journal. For example, in 1918 alone Mary Stella Edwards read at least 84 books. I write ‘at least’ because Edwards only included the books that she read from...
The Dancing Star

The Dancing Star

Mary Stella Edwards’ poetry changed in the mid to late 1920s – just at the time her first book of poetry was published by The Hogarth Press. The other-worldly connection to the natural world remained (see previous blogpost) but her focus was different. On the face of...
Mary Stella Edwards and Judith Ackland: a love story

Mary Stella Edwards and Judith Ackland: a love story

Early in my PhD research I wondered who might play Mary Stella Edwards and Judith Ackland in a film about their lives. After much thought and debate with the archive volunteers, we came up with Haydn Gwynne to play Judith and Helen McCrory to play Mary Stella. The...
Mary Stella Edwards’ School Days: tedium before fun

Mary Stella Edwards’ School Days: tedium before fun

What can Mary Stella Edwards’ early childhood and school days tell us about her hyphenated career as poet, artist, and commercial artist? Mary Stella on holiday in Swanage, 1904: “Here a man gave me a sunshade, and I was photographed on the terrace carrying it.”...