International Women’s Day: Literary Letters online

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Book now

International Women’s Day: Literary Letters online

8 March 2022

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Image ‘Sunshine of Love’ (1837). Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Fund
Book now

Celebrate International Women’s Day on Tuesday 8 March with a special online event beaming out of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House exploring the remarkable letters of the celebrated Manchester author, along with those of fellow 19th-century blockbuster women novelists Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë plus the Queen of Science Mary Somerville.

Live readings of the personal correspondence of these four 19th century icons will help you to step into the private worlds of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Elizabeth Gaskell and Mary Somerville, and offer fascinating insights into their lives and revealing, intriguing and intimate portraits of these women who continue to inspire and enthuse women around the world today.

Live readings of the personal correspondence of these four 19th century icons will help you to step into the private worlds of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Elizabeth Gaskell and Mary Somerville.

Women’s words have often been dismissed as mere gossip, while men’s have been fêted and admired, but women’s letters can often reveal huge amounts about their writer’s lives and the boundaries that confined them, making them a fascinating portal into how life was like for women in bygone days.

This is a partnership event with Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, Jane Austen’s House (find out more here), plus Chawton House – the “Great House” referred to in Jane Austen’s letters – and the Brontë Parsonage Museum.

Accessibility

  • Captioned

Where to go near International Women’s Day: Literary Letters online

Side view of mixed race business colleagues sitting and watching presentation with audience and clapping hands
Theatre
Burnley Youth Theatre

Burnley Youth Theatre is a vibrant youth arts organisation based at our purpose built venue in Burnley, Pennine Lancashire.

Bar pub 3
Leeds
Restaurant
Arcadia Ale House

Arcadia Ale house is a sports bar located in the Headingly area of Leeds with a range of drinks offers throughout the week.

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Pasta Romagna

Pasta Romagna is a family owned, independent restaurant in the heart of the city centre. Bringing you homestyle Italian cuisine since 1982.

wine bar 2
Leeds
Restaurant
Farrands

Farrands is an independent bar located in the heart of Leeds city centre, specialising in a range of fine wine, beer and specialist cocktails.

Restaurant
Leeds
Shop
George and Joseph Cheesemongers

George and Joseph is Leeds’ only specialist cheesemongers, serving some of the city’s best cheese from its home in Chapel Allerton since 2013

Wine bar
Leeds
Restaurant
Wayward Wines

Selling natural wines since before it was cool (well, 2017), this tiny suburban wine house is so much more than just a bar.

Beer shop
Leeds
Shop
Caspar’s Bottle Shop

Independent craft beer and spirits den Caspars Bottle Shop is a quirky Chapel Allerton favourite that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Dry Dock
Leeds
Restaurant
Dry Dock

Dry Dock has carved out a reputation as a fixture for students and locals alike over the last thirty plus years

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Rat & Pigeon

A slice of alternative Manchester in pub form, down a grotty, gritty backstreet and with a disgusting name. What’s not to love?

Manchester
Restaurant
Butter Bird

Butter Bird is a newly opened casual but stylish restaurant in Ancoats, based around the very delicious concept of tea-brined chicken.

What's on: Literature

LiteratureLancashire
Litfest 2026

One of the oldest literature festivals in the country, Litfest returns to Lancaster with a programme focused on the rights of the natural world.

From £3.00

Culture Guides

Ceramic Sculpture
Exhibitions

Across Manchester and Salford, exhibitions are thinking hard about how things are made – and how materials carry stories.

A pair of white angel wings displayed against a dark, black background. The lower parts of the wings are stained with vivid red, resembling blood splatter.
Theatre

This month’s theatre highlights span dystopian classics, political thrillers and bold new opera.

Music

From underground festivals showcasing emerging talent to global icons unveiling new work, here are our latest live music highlights.

Food and Drink in the North

Spring is coming, at some point. As for now, it’s cold and grim so take our advice and shelter in a nice warm restaurant, pub or bar.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.