Yvonne Ward: Unsuitable for Publication: Editing Queen Victoria

When Queen Victoria died in 1901, two literary gentlemen took on a monumental task: selecting and editing her vast correspondence. The book they produced would influence perceptions of Victoria for generations to come – but it was not the full story.

Based on unprecedented access to the original archives, Yvonne Ward’s Unsuitable for Publication reveals how key aspects of Victoria’s life were deemed unsuitable for public consumption: her experience of motherhood, her struggle to combine the roles of ruler and wife, and her intimate friendships with other royal European women.

Yvonne Ward will outline how this censorship has affected our entire understanding of the Victorian era, as she unveils the details of her historical detective work.

Lunchbox/Soapbox

Sometimes, there’s nothing better than a good rant. Every Thursday, the Wheeler Centre hosts an old-fashioned Speaker’s Corner in the middle of the city, where writers and thinkers can have their say on the topics that won’t let them sleep at night.

Featuring some of the most compelling voices across just about every sector of human endeavour you can imagine, the themes dominating Lunchbox/Soapbox are proudly idiosyncratic. BYO lunch. Ideas provided.