17 poets; 46 artists and academics – inspired by the voices of over 400 women…

Herstory brings together poets, activists, librarians, curators and communities to explore the unfinished fight for women’s rights in the UK through poetry, performance and discussion.

The project is an opportunity to discover, celebrate and champion stories from the long and ongoing battle for gender equality. At its heart – new poetic content created in collaboration with community groups, talks and performances. 

Herstory is a culmination of a multi-year engagement with individuals and community groups in Newcastle and Exeter, whose libraries hosted electrifying live performance, intimate installations and enlivening discussions as part of the project to ignite a national conversation.

From the pressures of the pandemic, to the media’s portrayal of women’s bodies, to the power of resistance and everyday acts of defiance, we have have gathered diverse voices and perspectives to speak to the issues and themes that animate the fight for acceptance, equality and care.

Herstory centres women’s stories with the understanding that ‘women’ means everyone who identifies as a woman. This project recognises that many of its themes and histories are also very relevant to the lives of non-binary people and their fight for acceptance and equality. 

Herstory is a partnership between Poet in the City, the British Library, Newcastle Libraries, and Libraries Unlimited Exeter. It is inspired by the British Library exhibition Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights and is the latest project in Poet in the City and the British Library’s ongoing Collections in Verse collaboration. We are grateful to all the artists and collaborators involved.

Start your journey through Herstory here…