Breaking Boundaries: Anne Brontë’s Feminist Legacy

Samantha Ellis is the author of How to be a Heroine, and Take Courage: Anne Brontë and the Art of Life and her plays include Cling to me Like Ivy and How to Date a Feminist. She is writing her third book for Chatto, about the endangered language Judeo-Iraqi Arabic. She also wrote the introduction to Vintage Books’s edition of Agnes Grey.

Rose Dawn Gant is a Doctoral Researcher in English Literature at the University of Suffolk. Her project is titled Grief, loss and hero-worship in the works of Branwell Brontë. Her research interests lie in Victorian literature, romantic poetry and the gothic. She is passionate about the heritage sector, which she shares through her position at Ipswich Museum and Christchurch Mansion, as well as volunteering at the Brontë Parsonage Museum. Rose is published in two anthologies; Suffolk Arboretum and Rebels with a Very Good Cause: Suffolk stories for Young Adventurers and is a regular reviewer for Brontë Studies.

Helen Meller has been a Bronte Society trustee and member of the governance committee since 2018 and are also Chair of Bronte Genius. She has been hosting the successful Bronte Lounge events since 2020 and has an extensive background in publishing, television, festivals, and events programming and delivery. Helen is currently Co-Director of (NPO and charity) Arvon Lumb Bank (former home of Ted Hughes) and Arvon at Home, Arvon’s new digital writing house. She is committed to supporting the digital development of the Bronte Parsonage Museum and growing diverse audiences for the collection and the works of the Bronte family.