History definitely hasn't always been kind to older women, words like hag, crone and witch weren't uncommon, and women were described as hysterical, "bleare eyed, pale and fowle", although always, it would appear, by men.

Dr Helen Foster is a historian and a creative writing practitioner working at Leicester University, and in this episode, recorded for The Generation Exceptional Podcast, she shares how she got involved with recording the real life testimonies of women and their personal stories of going through the menopause transition to create 'A Silent Archive'.

The Silent Archive You can listen to some compilations on the East Midlands Oral History Archive pages on the University of Leicester website https://le.ac.uk/emoha/themes/the-silent-archive.

Writing Workshops

Helen will be running a series of writing workshops around these themes in March 2023. The workshops are free (with Wellcome Trust funding through the University of Leicester) and offer a safe space for women who are interested to explore their lived experiences of menopause through reflective and creative writing. No writing experience is necessary.

Workshops are being held on the following dates:

Monday 20 March 12:30pm - 2:00pm at Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester

Tuesday 21 March 12:30pm - 2:00pm at Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester

Wednesday 22 March 10:30am - 12:00pm at Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester

Monday 27 March 6:00pm - 7:30pm online

Tuesday 28 March 6:00pm - 7:30pm online

Thursday 30 March 6:00pm - 7:30pm online

Bookings will open on Eventbrite soon.

For more information contact [email protected]

Wellcome Collection Stories

Also following on from Helen's talk at the Old Operating Theatre Museum, later in the year she'll be writing a series of articles for the Wellcome Collection Stories website (https://wellcomecollection.org/stories) exploring menopause through a historical lens.