Hi! I’m Hannah and I live in the UK, in a small country village in Kent. I hold an undergraduate and a Masters degree in English Literature, so as you can tell I love reading! My particular academic interests include medieval religious drama and eighteenth-century women writers. I especially enjoy investigating gender, sexuality, and material culture approaches in literature. I hope to eventually pursue a PhD researching Jane Austen’s novels.
I recently volunteered at Canterbury Cathedral, using archive materials to research the seventeenth-century writer Aphra Behn. This inspired an interest in uncovering and promoting women’s stories which have been obscured by history. My dream job would be to combine my interest in literature and museums by working as either a museum curator or in museum education exploring literary history. Exhibitions and learning events are so important to engage the public with historical information through an interactive and exciting experience, and I would love to help create them.
In my spare time I enjoy writing children’s fiction and trying many different crafts (including embroidery, needle felting, and crochet) with varying levels of success! I also volunteer at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I love seeing audiences’ reactions when entering the beautiful theatre and, of course, watching all the plays performed.
My favourite museum is the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth. This Museum details the lives of nineteenth-century authors the Brontë sisters. I find Charlotte, Emily, and Anne’s lives fascinating, and as their former home the Museum allows a glimpse into their everyday lives. Seeing dresses they wore, paths they walked, and desks they wrote on is a uniquely personal and intimate way to bring the past to life. I also love the beautiful surroundings of the Yorkshire Dales, which were so important to the Brontë’s writing.
Girls face many issues today, but one of the most pressing still remains access to education. Worldwide, many of the world’s poorest girls have never been to school. Educating girls has so many benefits for both themselves and for others; it helps more women get jobs, become leaders, and have more female perspectives in areas like health care and education. These factors are essential to improve the lives of girls on both small and large scales. It is shocking that girl’s education still remains an issue today. I believe it is crucial that all girls enjoy an education which fully equips them to work towards whatever they want to be.
-Hannah W.
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.