Rochester Literature Festival

We have two amazing female authors for you to enjoy on Saturday 15th March, at the Salvation Army Hall in Strood.

2pm: In Conversation with Victoria Smith

The author of ‘Hags: The demonisation of middle-aged women’, and new book, (Un)Kind, Victoria explores the many issues women deal with.

Victoria is a regular contributor to the Critic, writing on feminism, motherhood and mental health. Her writing has also appeared in the New Statesman, Unherd, the Independent and the Telegraph.

She is the author of Hags: The demonisation of middle-aged women, which looks at the relationship between misogyny, ageism and the female lifecycle, covering such topics as care work, beauty, political marginalization and the importance of legacy. Her new book, (Un)kind, is on the relationship between progressive politics and the disproportionate pressure on women and girls to be kind, empathetic and inclusive (so men and institutions don’t have to).

A thoughtful and insightful conversation around the issues that affect so many women in their day to day lives.

Tickets are £10.46 (inc fees) and available online here, or in person with cash at The Net Community Hub, Silverweed Road, Walderslade ME5 0QX (please arrange by emailing rochesterlitfest@gmail.com)

4pm: In Conversation with SJ Bennett – a Mini Murderous Medway for Women’s History Month

SJ Bennett is the author of the bestselling mystery series featuring Queen Elizabeth II as a secret sleuth. She has written fifteen novels for children and adults, winning the Romantic Novel of the Year award for Love Song and the Times/Chicken House prize for Threads.

Her books have been translated into over twenty languages. Sophia lives in London where she writes in a shed at the bottom of the garden. With her brother she runs a podcast for aspiring writers called Prepublished.

Her Majesty The Queen Investigates is a wonderful series of books, and what better way to celebrate women than with one of the strongest female role models ever, HM Queen Elizabeth, as detective. It’s a testament to Sophia’s storytelling that I was genuinely worried for The Queen’s safety!

Tickets are £10.46 (inc fee) and available online here, or in person with cash at The Net Community Hub, Silverweed Road, Walderslade ME5 0QX. (Please arrange by emailing rochesterlitfest@gmail.com)

Both authors will be in conversation with Julia Williams, an author and editor who has worked in the publishing industry for over thirty years. Her current project is a teen fantasy about dragons.

For further information regarding the events for Medway Women’s History Month, please subscribe to our Substack here.

For the full programme, visit here.

We look forward to seeing you.