A virtual visit to the No Coward Soul exhibition

Sarah Barrett, who will be signing copies of A Room of Their Own in York next August 1, has just sent us the link to this lovely BBC News video of Emily's portrait (temporary) return to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, where several items on display at the No Coward Soul exhibition are shown as well. We are particularly taken with Emily's gloves, which clearly show her characteristic pianist hands. Nothing beats the real thing, but you should click here for a nice virtual visit to Emily's unique exhibition (Picture source).

The Mirfield Reporter publishes a letter from Imelda Marsden:

I am looking into setting up a North Kirklees Bronte Society as part of the main society in Haworth for people who find it difficult to get up to Haworth.
We have so many connections in our area, with the Rev Patrick Bronte first coming to Dewsbury to the Minster in 1809 then to Hartshead in 1812, where his first two daughters Elizabeth and Maria were born.
Then we see the three famous literary sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne at Roe Head school (now the Holly Bank Trust), Mirfield, between 1831 and 1835. Charlotte visited and stayed with her godparents at Green House, Battyeford. Anne was a governess at Blake Hall which was demolished in 1954 - only the South lodge remains.
The Bronte family have several connections in the Spen valley - next year will be the 200th anniversary of Patrick Bronte coming to Dewsbury and the first Bronte Society annual meeting was held in 1894 in Dewsbury Town Hall.
We owe a medal to former Reporter editor Mr W W Yates for his hard work in setting up the world famous and one of the oldest literary societies and the first Bronte museum. I am a life member of the society and at one time I was on the Bronte society council, meeting people from a cross-section of society and from all over the world, which was a great privilege.
Over the years we have held drawing and creative writing competitions for schoolchildren which were judged by publishers librarians, journalists and university lecturers. It is hoped we can continue this as the Brontes wrote at a very young ages - they called their journals the Angians.
If you would be interested in meeting up and social events to do with the Brontes in Mirfield, Dewsbury and the Spen Valley write to Imelda Marsden at 18 Quarryfields, Mirfield, WF14 0NT, ring 01924 519370 or email david.marsden9117@ntlworld.com.
Imelda Marsden
Quarryfields
MIRFIELD

Do get in touch with her if you are interested and live locally.

Now for the 'I-don't-have-a-clue-what-I'm-talking-about' mention of the day, courtesy of Cnet News.

So you love Emily Bronte. That's OK. Don't blame yourselves. It doesn't mean that should be anyone else's idea of literature. Or art. Or knowledge. It can even be someone else's idea of bilge. And they could be right. (Chris Matyszczyk)

Whether Brontë-related or not, we have been hearing lots of praise for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer. The Christian Science Monitor reviews it:

Charmed by the society’s name (who wouldn’t be?), she writes back asking for the history of the group and enclosing another book by Lamb. A gaggle of Guernseyites respond, from herbalist Isola, who loves the Brontës; to Booker, a Seneca-reading Jewish valet, who survived the war by masquerading as an English lord. (Yvonne Zipp)

Quite promising, isn't it?

Categories: Books, Brontë Parsonage Museum, Brontë Society, Emily Brontë, References