Impact Guest Blog: Laurel Forster, Associate Professor in Cultural History, writes on her engagement with local community groups to express women’s activism and agency and develop skills in Portsmouth. Continuing work connected to her 2021 Impact Case Study, Laurel is building further impact pathways and connecting with new groups.

Women have contributed hugely to the history of Portsmouth and its surrounding area, and it is crucial that these important stories are not lost. It is equally important that women tell their own histories in their own way, that is, as ‘herstories.’ Writing Herstories is empowering local women to express their personal stories of activism and agency in their own words. 

Women’s histories in Portsmouth have often been overtaken by dominant Naval and Dockyard narratives but, as we know from a previous project: ‘Women’s Community Activism in Portsmouth since 1960: The Hidden History of a Naval Town,’ women have effected change in numerous ways. They have: argued for better housing and green spaces, improved working conditions for women, set up a women’s refuge, campaigned for peace, led multicultural groups and worked with the Council, Royal Navy, and faith groups to improve numerous aspects of the city.  

In a project devised by Dr Laurel Forster, women have been invited to learn Life Writing skills and techniques in a series of free, professionally-tutored workshops. The workshops have been led by Dr Amanda Garrie, a well-known creative writing tutor and writing activist. Amanda has covered different aspects of Life Writing each week, including biography, memoir, thinking back over events, expressing a life’s journey and stepping over boundaries and barriers.

Women attending the classes have come from different areas of the city, have diverse backgrounds and have been involved in a variety of activisms and campaigns. Some have writing experience, most do not, but all have benefitted from Amanda’s tuition. Each week there has been inspirational guidance, in class-writing and the opportunity to read and discuss work. One participant explained that the course had enabled her to recognise what her activism had achieved, and another said, “I’ve written about my life and how it led to activism.” Others hope their stories will inspire others: “It will mean the world to me to have my story published so that others can take inspiration effect change and shift mindsets”.

Over the past six months, the group has been attending the workshops and writing away. Some have expressed their activism and agency as stories, others as essays or poetry. Now, as the first stage of writing is nearing completion, we jointly embark upon the editing phase, to improve and develop the work to publication standard. The aim is to publish these stories of activism as a body of work in a collection that represents the voices of women of Portsmouth.

Portsmouth City Council, as part of their ‘Portsmouth Creates’ programme have kindly offered to support further Writing Herstories workshops, to provide a self-written record of local women’s activism. This will inspire others, perhaps a new generation of women campaigners, to improve life for everyone in the city.  If you, or a relative or friend, have ever been involved in Women’s Activism in the Portsmouth area do consider joining us to make your activism a matter of record.