Femina Culpa: Poetry, Crime and Justice

Three Northern Ireland-based poets - Emma McKervey, Milena Williamson and Linda McKenna - recently launched new poetry collections inspired by remarkable nineteenth-century court cases involving women. All of the collections draw on archival materials in a range of archives, libraries and museums.

Emma McKervey's 'Highland Boundary Fault' is inspired by her own great grandmother's involvement in a Sheriff Court Case in the Scottish Highlands.

Milena Williamson's 'Into the Night That Flies So Fast' deals with the case of Bridget Cleary murdered by her family who claimed she was a fairy changeling.

Linda McKenna's 'Four Thousand Keys' is inspired by the case of Eizabeth Dunham, who in 1819 was found guilty of the theft of the keys to the Bank of England and other public buildings in London.

This event will show how poetry can be created from close reading of original documents, delve further into the stories that inspired the collections, and feature new poetry.

Image ALT text: Three books entitled Highland Boundary Fault, Into the Night That Flies So Fast and Four Thousand Keys laid out in a line.

ALT text: The round logo of 'Keats House 100: yours to explore, 1925 – 2025’ along with a silhouette of Keats House, in white on a brown background.