During the First World War and its immediate aftermath, hundreds of women wrote thousands of poems on multiple themes and for many different purposes. Women's poetry was published, sold (sometimes to raise funds for charities as diverse as 'Beef Tea for Troops' or 'The Blue Cross Fund for Warhorses'), read, preserved, awarded prizes and often critically acclaimed. Tumult and Tears will demonstrate how women's war poetry, like that of their male counterparts, was largely based upon their day-to-day lives and contemporary beliefs. Poems are placed within their wartime context. From war worker to parent; from serving daughter to grieving mother, sweetheart, wife; from writing whilst within earshot of the guns, whilst making the munitions of war, or whilst sitting in relative safety at home, these predominantly amateur, middle-class poets explore, with a few tantalising gaps, nearly every aspect of women's wartime lives, from their newly public often uniformed roles to their sexuality. AUTHOR: Vivien Newman completed a PhD on women's First World War poetry and wartime experiences. She now works as an independent researcher, exploring the still many untold aspects of women's First World War lives. She regularly speaks on Women in the First World War for groups including Women's Institute, Rotary, Western Front Association, USA, and at national and international conferences as well as speaking widely on local radio. She is on the judging panel for the annual war poetry competitions organised by "Never Such Innocence". SELLING POINTS: ? A timely release for the First World War centenary, this book will include a selection of little-known texts by female poets, detailing their varied wartime experiences. The author will also provide a sprinkling of wartime history and biographical information, to place the poems in context. ? In 2004 Vivien Newman was awarded a PhD for her thesis 'Songs of Wartime Lives: Women's Poetry of the First World War'. During her research, she uncovered hundreds of forgotten poems charting women's experiences during the First World War. 8 page plate section
