Oct 01 2024 36 mins
Feeling unfulfilled in her career as a journalist and Hollywood reporter, Sarah found her true calling when she happened upon the story of Arbella Stuart. Writing Arbella’s biography opened up a whole new path for Sarah, coupling her love of writing with her lifelong fascination with the untold stories of women throughout history. Sarah Gristwood is a journalist and author committed to publicizing women’s experiences throughout history. As a young journalist, she championed women’s voices through outlets such as the Guardian Women's Page and as a founder member of Women in Journalism and The Women’s Equality Party. As a historian, she has consistently explored the question of women and power through the ages. She now broadcasts regularly for Sky News, CNN and the BBC on royal and historical affairs. A graduate of Oxford University, she is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the RSA, who has been shortlisted for both the Marsh Biography Award and the Ben Pimlott Prize for Political Writing. Her most recent book, Secret Voices: A Year of Women's Diaries, is a captivating collection of extracts from women’s diaries, looking back over four centuries to discover how women’s experiences have changed down the years, and, of course, how they haven't.
What You Will Hear in This Episode:
01:59 Sarah's Personal Story and Journey to Historical Biographies
05:11 Common Themes in Women's Diaries
08:40 Accessing Historical Diaries
11:15 Modern Diaries and Historical Perspectives
21:59 Personal Growth Through Journaling
32:24 Choosing the Diaries for the Book
35:27 Conclusion and Contact Information
Quotes
“One aspect of this book of Secret Voices for me was that in some ways the women in it were voicing some of my own concerns, thoughts, and traumas.”
“Frustration is the single greatest emotion across all these generations.”
"Journaling was a huge part of personal growth for many of these women."
"A number of these women were voicing feelings, ambition, anger, that they weren't allowed to express elsewhere in their society."
“I love that, for a number of these women, the battles were small personal ones. Some, like Charlotte Forton, were fighting huge public battles. But others were just opening the doors, moving, moving the goalposts on in their own small ways.
"The immediate privacy of the diary form allowed them to voice those unacceptable feelings, anger, ambition, discontent."
"Self-expression is so important, and for women, keeping a diary or journal is a great way to tell your truth and perhaps, as we talked about, never share it."
Mentioned:
Secret Voices. A Year of Women’s Diaries
eConnect with Bonnie
Gendered Ageism Survey Results
5 Tips to own the superpower of your age
Purchase my book Not Done Yet on Amazon
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