Sheila Rowbotham announced as Writer in Residence at the British Library
Trailblazing socialist feminist Sheila Rowbotham has been announced as the first ever Writer in Residence at the British Library's Eccles Centre for American Studies, alongside author Naomi Wood. In this role, both writers will work to raise awareness of the British Library's North American collections and also make use of them for their next projects with the generous support from the Eccles Centre.
Rowbotham was selected due to her "innovative ideas" and the uniqueness of her proposed use of the Library's collections in researching her forthcoming book with Verso, Rebel Crossings: New Women, Free Lovers and Radicals in the US and Britain 1880 to 1910. The book will trace a small network of British and American radicals during the turn of the century.
Philip Davies, Director of the Eccles Centre for American Studies, commented that, "It is a particular thrill to launch this award by doubling the number of recipients for its first year. Sheila Rowbotham and Naomi Wood will pursue their research within the breathtaking range of resources at the British Library, and will simultaneously bring new initiatives to the Centre's programme".
Rowbotham's classic text, A Century of Women, in which she charts the dramatic changes that have taken place in women's lives over the course of the last century and details the ways in which women in turn shaped their era, will be released in a new edition next year. Her book Dreamers of a New Day, an exploration of the women who revolutionized American and British life is available now.