The Great Diary Project

The Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research at Sussex runs regular public events, talks and conferences, and works with community groups also interested in the uses and art of life story.  Upcoming events are here:https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/centre-for-life-history-and-life-writing-researchand on our social media pages.https://bsky.app/profile/clhlwr.bsky.socialor https://www.facebook.com/clhlwr

Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research

Why do people keep diaries? Who should read them? Discover the amazing The Great Diary Project, with director Dr Polly North. Share yours?

Fulton Building Lecture Theatre A

This interactive presentation will introduce the amazing <a href="https://www.thegreatdiaryproject.co.uk/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Great Diary Project</a>, which has been collecting popular diaries at the Bishopsgate Institute since 2007 and whose archive stretches between 1700 and 2023. Dr Polly North, the Project co-founder and Director, will speak to the prosaic and profound interests of these texts, from the appointment diaries of a one-woman crusade against inadequate care homes to the beautifully illustrated diaries of a 19th century London restaurant-goer.We will then share our own experiences with diaries, with an invitation to show and tell! This will include debates over the ethical challenges involved.Prof Andrew Hadfield and Prof Margaretta Jolly will introduce and we are delighted also to feature a response from a representative from the Mass Observation Archive.Drinks and snacks are provided.This event is brought to you by the Centre for Life History and Life Writing Research in collaboration with the English Colloquium for the School of Media, Arts and Humanities at the University of Sussex.

An incredible deposit has brought with it a large amount of beautifully illustrated menus and restaurant publicity material circa 1850. The restaurants are all London based and most are well-known. The diarist (GDP 548) dined out almost every week, if not twice a week. And – fortunately for us – firmly held the belief that no good meal should go unrecorded. https://thegreatdiaryproject.co.uk/collections/london-and-its-restaurants-1874-1950/