Petticoats and poetry

Barnet’s WEA* is launching its first-ever one-day Summer Saturday courses in May, 2017.;They are being held at the recently-opened Hope Corner Community Centre in Mays Lane (185 Mays Lane, EN5 2DY)

On Saturday 6th May the topic is “The Power of the Petticoat: The history of women in politics 1700 – 1930”.

Leading this course is veteran WEA tutor Anne Stott, a historian and author.; Anne has published biographies and many articles especially on women’s political history.

Her books include “Hannah More: The First Victorian” and “Wilberforce: Family and Friends”.

She is married to Professor Philip Stott, an environmental scientist and regular BBC broadcaster.

This course will headline women in the 18th Century – patronage, canvassing and other political roles, the beginnings of the suffrage movement, how the vote was won and the first woman cabinet minister.

The second course on Saturday 24th June is led by Barnet resident and a founder of The Barnet Poetry group, Michael King.  

Michael is a tutor in English literature for the WEA and his subject for this one-day course is “Edward Thomas 1878 – 1917: one hundred years on”.

Introducing this course, Michael says, “One hundred years after his death in the First World War Edward Thomas is considered to be one of the finest poets of the 20th Century.  

Uniquely, he wrote over 20 books of prose before writing any poems, all of which he wrote in the last two years of his life.

The course will consider his prose and poetry in the context of his troubled and troublesome life as well as looking at his influence on generations of writers who followed.”   

The former Poet Laureate, the late Ted Hughes said, “He was the father of us all.”

Each course, costing £17.50 lasts from 10.30 am to 3.00 pm including coffee and lunch breaks.   For further information and to enrol, contact: margaret@ritman.co.uk or call Margaret 020 8368 0159 or Vivienne 020 8445 1709.  

www.wea.org.uk/london  to enrol online.; Course references to be quoted are:   Power of the Petticoat – C2418964; Edward Thomas – C2418990.

• The WEA, founded in 1903, is the UK’s largest voluntary sector provider of adult education in almost every area of England and Scotland using 2000 professional tutors .

Phyllis Oberman, po@phyllisoberman.co.uk   0203 234 4098, 07976 278158.