Sussex women by a Sussex woman

Local freelance writer invites you to An Evening with Ann Kramer: Sussex Women, including  biographies of 30 quite disparate women – from poets and activists through to explorers and philanthropists, all of whom are connected in some way with Sussex. HOT’s Zelly Restorick reports.

Ann will also – en passant – comment on the trials and tribulations of being a freelance writer today.

Hello Ann. What draws you to writing about women, human rights, suffragettes, female spies, conscientious objectors, the world wars?

Quite simply they are subjects that fascinate me as well as providing the opportunity to delve into real people’s lives, or to write about issues that are often contentious, such as human rights and conscientious objectors. I should mention by the way that when it comes to the world wars, it’s the social and personal aspects I write about; I’m not particularly knowledgeable about troop movements, tanks and battles.

What keeps you going…energy-wise?

Deadlines! These have a particularly energizing effect. Interest in the subject as well. Strong black coffee is helpful too.

Give us a hint about the Sussex Women who are the subjects of your talk.

Well, I don’t want to give too much away but they include activists and campaigners, poets, writers and artists, philanthropists, and trailblazers. Along the way, I may mention a Brighton-linked poisoner and some musicians. Some are well-known, others have virtually disappeared from history. Shockingly almost none of them appear in guide books to Sussex.

What are the threads that join them?

Sussex is the thread that links them; all of the women were either born in Sussex or came to Sussex for one reason or another.. I had a mighty task finding them when I set out to research my book, which is something that I will be talking about on 1 February. And in the end what links them is my personal interest in the women I uncovered; it’s a very subjective list.

What do you appreciate about Hastings and St Leonards?

The sea, the light, the friendliness, the fact that Hastings and St Leonards are very quirky places. Above all, it is the people living here who are doing such amazing things, from political activism to wonderful creative work. This is a good place to live and I’m happy to be here.

Where can people buy a copy of your book, Sussex Women?

The talks are based on my book, a very attractively designed small hardback and part of a series of Sussex ‘guide books’ designed specifically to reflect the traditional guide book and to be collectable, published by Snake River Press. I belive the shop/cafe where Nicci Talbot hosts the talks will sell copies of Sussex Women and Tim Barton at Bookbuster also has copies.

I did a number of book launches when my book first came out but have subsequently taught two courses on the subject (for the WEA), which I think has sparked a renewed interest. I have now done a lot more research for my courses and could easily write a companion volume – or two!

An Evening With Ann Kramer: Sussex Women
Monday 1 February, 7-9pm, St Leonards Central, 11 Marine Court, St Leonards-on-Sea TN38 0DX.

Ann will also be giving three lectures on Discovering Women in Sussex at the De La Warr Pavilion, on the following dates: Tuesday 23 February, Tuesday 1 March and Tuesday 8 March. Start at 10.30am. Tickets are £11 per lecture, £10 for members. Follow this link, Discovering Women In Sussex for more information.

Originally from London but resident in Hastings for more than 40 years, Ann Kramer is a freelance writer specialising in non-fiction books for adults and children. She has written more than 60 books on topics ranging from suffragettes and women spies through to conscientious objectors and human rights.

For more information see Ann Kramer.

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