Pride Month: Free Talk at Dorset Museum

As part of Pride month, a FREE TALK on

Exploring the Lives and Literary Contributions of

Sylvia Townsend Warner and Valentine Ackland

Date: Thursday, 26th June 2025

Time: 12.30pm

Venue: Dorset Museum & Art Gallery

Cost: FREE

As committed communists, they flew the flag for the Wessex division of the Communist Party, engaging in activism while also producing poetry and prose that reflected their experiences of love, identity, and social struggle. Their writing remains powerful not only for its artistic merit but also for its honest and courageous portrayal of lives lived outside the norms of their era.

This lecture will examine the strength of their partnership and its influence on their most compelling literary work. Through their story, we are offered a moving testament to the power of love, integrity, and artistic freedom.

Join us in celebrating two remarkable women whose lives and work continue to inspire.

About the Speaker

Peter Swaab, is the editor of the Journal of the Sylvia Townsend Warner Society. He set up a course on queer literature at University College London, where he teaches. He has written about a number of queer writers, including Elizabeth Bishop, Edward Lear and Thom Gunn, and has also published a book on the classic Hollywood comedy Bringing Up Baby.”