Welcome to The Lichfield Rambler
Adventures in writing historical non-fiction
Welcome to my newsletter! I’m a former arts journalist and a biographer of various 18th-century figures. I did a PhD a long time ago about the Modernist writer Gertrude Stein and the painter, Georgia O’Keeffe, but when I moved to the English Cathedral city of Lichfield, I became fascinated with residents like Samuel Johnson, David Garrick and Erasmus Darwin. I’ve been researching theatre history for over ten years now (blame Garrick!) and recently became an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. I also volunteer for the Samuel Johnson Society (Lichfield) and I’m a member of The Society for Theatre Research and The Biographers’ Club.
Why Substack?
I’ve been blogging for some time on my website about 18th-century history and culture and I realised I needed a better platform to reach people - one that makes it easy for those who want posts straight to their inbox. I wanted to provide some support for fellow non-fiction writers because - let’s face it - the internet seems crowded with resources for novelists, but there’s not much for us. The title of my newsletter pays homage to Samuel Johnson’s The Rambler; it’s a collection of thoughts about 18th-century theatre, music and literature, along with practical tips and reflections on Shakespeare (my favourite writer).
I aim to post 2-3 times a month, usually on Sundays. Please subscribe so you don’t miss any updates - it’s completely free but you can buy me a coffee if you would like to help my caffeine addiction. Thank you so much for being here!
I grew up in Burntwood Green, near Lichfield, and as a teenager, always loved going into Lichfield for its atmosphere which I couldn’t identify, but now I think of as a sympathy towards the life of the mind. I live in Oxford now which definitely is a community of the mind!
Brilliant! I live in Stafford and Lichfield is my happy place full of history and beautiful architecture! I remember the first time I went to Erasmus Darwin’s house and discovered the intricate connections between Josiah Wedgwood’s family and the Darwins