'No, I was not preparing For an early death, yours or mine'

The Telegraph and Argus reports that the Anne Stone, the final stone in the historic Brontë Stones Project, has now been installed in Parson’s Field, at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth.

The installation marks the completion of the Brontë Stones Project, which launched to international acclaim in 2018.
It features new works by four of the most inspirational writers of our time; Kate Bush, Carol Ann Duffy, Jeanette Winterson and Jackie Kay.
The project was commissioned by Bradford Literature Festival and funded by Arts Council England and Provident Financial Group.
The Anne Stone has been installed in Parson’s Field - a meadow behind the Parsonage, which is free to access during Parsonage opening hours.
Ms Kay will unveil the stone at a unique launch event, which will take place at the Brontë Parsonage Museum on Sunday, July 7, the closing day of this year’s Bradford Literature Festival.
The launch event will also mark the culmination of the festival's annual weekend of celebratory events exploring the Brontë family, and look ahead to the Anne Brontë bicentenary year in 2020.
In the hometown of the Brontë sisters, visitors will hear about why Ms Kay chose to respond to Anne’s work in particular, where she found the inspiration for her own piece, and what her involvement in this iconic project means to her.
Syima Aslam, director of Bradford Literature Festival, said: “It has been a huge privilege to curate and deliver the Brontë Stones project.
“The Brontës are an integral part of the literary landscape of Bradford, and the inspiration for our annual Brontë Heritage strand of events.
“Unveiling the stone bearing Jackie Kay’s magnificent ode to Anne Brontë feels very much like bringing Anne ‘home’ to the Parsonage, and is a great honour for Bradford Literature Festival.
“We hope that the public will enjoy Jackie’s words in the serene beauty of Parson’s Meadow, looking over the landscape that meant so much to the Brontës, for many years to come.”
Michael Stewart, project originator said: “I first conceived of the Brontë Stones project in October 2013.
“I live in Thornton and have long wanted my village to receive recognition for its place in the Brontë story.
“All three literary sisters and their wayward brother were born here. They were a happy family, but very shortly, after their move to Haworth in 1820, tragedy struck.
“First the death of their mother, then the two oldest siblings. I was also aware that Anne Brontë was buried in Scarborough many miles from the rest of her family and I wanted a stone to mark her return.
“It’s fantastic to see the project come to fruition.”
Kitty Wright, Executive Director of the Brontë Society said: “We are thrilled to be playing a part in this exciting project and are delighted that the Anne Stone will be situated in the grounds of the Parsonage, where Anne spent almost all of her life.
“Haworth and the Yorkshire landscape are of immense significance to the Brontë story and we are sure local residents and visitors will enjoy making their way along the Brontë Stone trail for years to come.
“We look forward to building on our partnership with Bradford Literature Festival as together we continue to celebrate the legacy of Anne and her sisters.” (Nathan Atkinson)

Here's Jackie Kay's poem for it, which is beautiful:

These plain dark sober clothes
Are my disguise. No, I was not preparing
For an early death, yours or mine.
You got me all wrong, all the time.
But sisters, I will have the last word,
Write the last line. I am still at sea.
But if I can do some good in this world
I will right the wrong. I am still young.
And the moor’s winds lift my light-dark hair.
I am still here when the sun goes up,
Still here when the moon drops down.
I do not now stand alone.

Book Riot recommends The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins as one of '15 New Historical Fiction Reads to Pack For Your Summer Vacation'.

 The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
Setting: Jamaica and England, 19th century
This historical thriller may remind you of Alias Grace and Jane Eyre, but it has a brilliance that’s all Collins’s own. When scientist George Benham and his wife Marguerite are murdered, their servant Frannie Langton is accused. It’s a scandalous case, with troubling testimony against Frannie. But Frannie herself can’t remember what happened that night. Instead, she tells the story of her childhood on a plantation in Jamaica, where she was enslaved by a brutal scientist, and how she came to England and started working for George and Marguerite. The truth of Frannie’s past and a forbidden relationship threaten to expose the crimes at the heart of all English society. (Kathleen Keenan)

Here comes the blunder of the day, courtesy of Cosmopolitan's selection of 'The 10 Best Psychological Thriller Movies of All Time', which includes

4‘Rebecca’
Oh, hi again, Alfred Hitchcock. This movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture and it’s easy to see why. Rebecca leans into the whole “haunted memory of a dude’s first wife low-key haunts his new wife” trope (similar to Jane Austen’s Jane Eyre!), and the plot is absolutely wild. (Mehera Bonner)

Brontë Babe Blog finds Brontë inspiration behind the novel Mr. R. by Tracy Neis.