Cherry Potts, Writer

Tag: lesbian history

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 26th February

    Let’s light the candles on the cake for Mary Taylor 1817-1893 Mary and her  sister, Martha, went to  school at Roe Head, Mirfield, where in 1831 Mary met Ellen Nussey and Charlotte Brontë and they became great friends. Mary and Charlotte both stayed in each others homes regularly. Charlotte used the Taylor family as the…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 23rd February

    Today we celebrate, a day late, Jane Bowles February 22, 1917 – May 4, 1973. Jane was a writer who apart from her husband Paul, (also gay) had relationships exclusively with women. On the whole, these were short-lived. Virgil Thomson said of her all her life Jane was promiscuous. She didn’t really care too much…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 22nd February

    Today’s birthday girl is Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) also known as Nancy Boyd when writing prose, and who called herself ‘Vincent’. Vincent was an American poet and playwright in 1923 she became the third woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, her first poems were published when…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party February 21st

    I’m a day late, sorry, but here is the Birthday news for February 21st. Now: if I say Prison Reformer, the most likely image to come to your mind is Elizabeth Fry. Ms Fry was an excellent woman and to be admired, but put her to one side for a minute and consider (fanfare) Lilian…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 20th February

    Here we go: A Woman of Mystery…don’t know when her birthday was, don’t know who she is, beyond she wrote a book Either is Love which explores the life of a woman who first has a lesbian relationship and then a heterosexual one. Published in 1937. I have a vague recollection of having read this…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 19th February

    I am so behind with this project, I’ve been too busy performing and preparing, and editing video and so forth. However, she says, mopping sweat from brow, dusting flour form hands and straightening the metaphorical party dress; yes so, sorry, the 19th was Carson McCullers birthday. I love Carson McCullers books, they are magnificently gloomy,…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 18th February

    Raise your glasses in honour of Audre Lorde, 1934-1992 who described herself as black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet. One of the women who taught me it was ok to be angry, in fact, more than ok, essential. My sexuality is part and parcel of who I am, and my poetry comes from the intersection of…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 16th February

    Today we celebrate a much feted doyenne of the American stage, Katherine Cornell February 16, 1898 – June 9, 1974, known to her friends as Kit. Kit had a long career on stage but made only one brief appearance (as herself) on film, and a few TV appearances. She was universally admired at the time…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 13th February

    Once more, no specific birthday, so skipping ahead to the 19th for which there are several, let’s make the acquaintance of Constance Maynard, 19/2/1849-1935 was a pioneer of women’s education and the first mistress of Westfield College. She worked at various times and ladies colleges with other education pioneers Frances Dove, Louisa Lumsden, Ann Dudin…

  • The Historical Birthday-Tea Party 12th February

    Once more I am short of a specific birthday to celebrate, so back to the seventeenth century and to Frances Apsley 1653–1727. Frances was the object of affection of a youthful Mary Stuart, who became that strange binomial monarch ‘William&Mary’, or more correctly Mary II of England. Mary was older sister to Queen Anne, and…