Lucinda’s Diary

Lecture – Princess Louise: an Aesthetic Sculptor Locked Away in the Royal Archives

Date: 16 September 2026
Time: 10.45am
Location: The Arts Society Basingstoke, The Village Hall, Sherfield-on-Loddon, RG27 0EZ
Talks & Events
Queen Victoria Statue
Images George Rex from London, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Princess Louise was a daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and a well-respected sculptor. Her life and legacy has been locked away in the Royal Archives ever since her death in 1939, but her work was stunning, and her life fascinating. …

Persuasion Salon

Date: 19 September 2026
Time: 2.30-3.30pm
Location: Jane Austen’s House in Chawton
Talks & Events
Persuasion Salon Jane Austen House

Join the inspiring author and historian Lucinda Hawksley for an intimate salon, discussing all things Persuasion!
Over afternoon tea and cakes, Lucinda will share some of her favourite scenes, characters and moments from the novel, and lead a discussion on everything from long engagements to hedgerow rambles, romantic letters and seaside ramparts. …

Lecture – Princess Louise: an Aesthetic Sculptor Locked Away in the Royal Archives

Date: 21 September 2026
Time: 1.45pm
Location: The Arts Society Wrekin, Lecture Theatre, RAF Museum, Cosford TF11 8UP
Talks & Events
Queen Victoria Kensington Palace
David Hawgood / Queen Victoria, statue in Kensington Gardens

When researching my biographies of Lizzie Siddal and Kate Perugini, I kept coming across a mysterious princess, attending studio parties, helping fellow artists in times of need, and being linked with several scandals. I was amazed to discover Princess Louise was a daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and a well-respected sculptor. …

Three Remarkable Women: Lizzie Siddal, Katey Perugini and Princess Louise

Date: 15 October 2026
Time: 10am-4pm
Location: Arthur Morison Memorial Hall, Rowls Lane,
Cucklington, Wincanton,
Somerset BA9 9PY
Talks & Events
Three Remarkable Women

Katey Perugini (nee Dickens), Princess Louise and Lizzie Siddal are the intriguing subjects of Lucinda’s lectures on this Day of Special Interest. …

Lucinda In Conversation with Daisy Fancourt – Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health

Date: 20 October 2026
Time: 4.15-5.15pm
Location: Wells Festival of Literature, Cedars Hall, The Liberty, Wells BA5 2ST
Talks & Events
Daisy Fancourt - Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health book cover

The life-changing power of the arts is revealed by Daisy Fancourt in Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health. Informed by the results of decades of scientific studies, her  book demostrates how songs support the development of children’s minds, creative hobbies help our brains to stay resilient against dementia, and visual art and music help reduce depression, stress and pain. …

Lecture – Charles Dickens and his Circle

Date: 28 October 2026
Time: 1.45pm
Location: The Arts Society Malmesbury, Village Hall in Tetbury Lane, Crudwell SN16 9HB.
Talks & Events
Charles Dickens, circa 1867
Jeremiah Gurney, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Charles Dickens was one of the very first people to whom the word ‘celebrity’ was applied. He lived in an extraordinary century, full of innovators and pioneers, and he was friends with many of the most interesting people of his day. The Focus Day will include talks that accompany Lucinda’s book Charles Dickens and his Circle which was written for the National Portrait Gallery in London. Discover the fascinating circle of Dickens’s friends and acquaintances including artists, actors, musicians, radical thinkers, philanthropists and politicians as well as many of his fellow writers. …

What the Dickens? Elly Griffiths interviewed by Lucinda Hawksley

Date: 20 November 2026
Time: 2.30pm
Location: Whitby Lit Fest, Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Talks & Events
Whitby Lit Fest

Bah! Humbug! Get into the festive spirit with award-winning novelist Elly Griffiths, as she discusses her novella, The Case of the Christmas Card.

Elly is author of the Dr Ruth Galloway mysteries, the Brighton mysteries and now, the time-travelling detective series, featuring Ali Dawson. Ali is getting ready for Christmas, but she’s not in a very festive mood because her friend daughter has gone missing. So, when she sees a top hat outside her front door, she decides to give the carol singers short shrift. But it isn’t carol singers. It’s Charles Dickens. …

From Dickens to Depp: Bringing Dickens to the Screen

Date: 20 November 2026
Time: 11.30am
Location: Whitby Lit Fest, Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Talks & Events
Whitby Lit Fest

Charles Dickens returns to the big screen in spectacular style with a major new adaptation of A Christmas Carol, starring Johnny Depp as the immortal Ebenezer Scrooge. More than 180 years after Dickens first introduced the world’s most famous miser, his stories continue to captivate filmmakers and audiences alike. [..] Lucinda Hawksley joins film writer, screenwriting lecturer and cinema historian James Clarke to explore the extraordinary journey of Dickens from page to screen. …

Crime, Courts and Cold Nerves: Louise Minchin and Jo Murray in conversation with Lucinda Hawksley

Date: 21 November 2026
Time: 7.00pm
Location: Whitby Lit Fest, Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Talks & Events
Whitby Lit Fest

A dead judge. A silent defendant. A courtroom full of secrets. Guilty or not guilty?

Join two thrilling new voices in crime fiction for an evening exploring the darker side of justice, deception and the stories behind the headlines.

Putting these two formidable writers in the witness box is acclaimed author, broadcaster and historian Lucinda Hawksley, whose own work spans biography, history and literary storytelling. Expect a gripping conversation about crime, courage, research and the art of keeping readers guessing until the very last page. …

A Victorian Christmas with Lucinda Dickens Hawksley

Date: 2 December 2026
Time: 7-8pm
Location: Online
Talks & Events
Victorian Christmas Tree

An online event presented by Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. Ever wondered why we send cards, pull crackers or decorate trees? It turns out we have the Victorians (and a certain Mr. Dickens) to thank for so much we love about the festive season. …

The Curious History of the Artists’ Rifles Corp

Date: 19 January 2027
Time: 10.45am
Location: The Arts Society Solent,
Titchfield Community Centre
Talks & Events
Artists Rifles

In the mid-nineteenth century, fears that France was about to invade England, caused a large number of army corps to be set up. Almost every trade – bakers, railway-workers, butchers, bankers – had its own regiment. Artists were no exception. The registration book of the Artists’ Rifles Corp reads like an artistic edition of “Who’s Who” …

Princess Louise: an Aesthetic sculptor locked away in the Royal Archives

Date: 4 February 2027
Location: The Arts Society Paris,
Théâtre du Ranelagh,
5 Rue des Vignes,
75016 Paris
Talks & Events
Princess Louise in Venice 1881 from the Royal Collection
Princess Louise in Venice 1881 from the Royal Collection

When researching my biographies of Lizzie Siddal and Kate Perugini, I kept coming across a mysterious princess, attending studio parties, helping fellow artists in times of need, and being linked with several scandals. I was amazed to discover Princess Louise was a daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and a well-respected sculptor. …

Recent Events

Extra/Ordinary Women – Exhibition Talk on Fanny Burnett

Date: 20 August 2026
Time: 12.30pm UK Time
Location: Online: Zoom
In person: Charles Dickens Museum,
49 Doughty Street,
London WC1N 2LX
Talks & Events
Fanny Burnett

Lucinda will be joining us at the Charles Dickens Museum to speak about Fanny Burnett. Frances ‘Fanny’ Dickens was the oldest child in the Dickens family and adored by her younger brother, Charles.

There will be the opportunity for a short Q+A following the talk. …

Purpose to Pen: Biography, Art History & Dickensian Legacy

Date: 12 August 2026
Time: 7-8.00pm
Location: Online
Talks & Events
Purpose to Pen Lucinda Hawksley poster

Join author, art historian and broadcaster Lucinda Hawksley for a fascinating journey into the motivations behind her writing, as part of the WEA’s Purpose to Pen series.

In this event, Lucinda will discuss the intersections of biography, history and creativity – and why she continues to write about the people and stories that shaped our world. …

A Conversation About Dickens, Thackeray, Queen Victoria’s Daughter & Much Much More!

Date: 7 August 2026
Time: 7.30-9.30pm
Location: Shaftesbury Arts Centre - Rutter Room
13 Bell Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8AR
Talks & Events
Lucinda Hawksley - Charles Dickens and his Circle

A fascinating evening of conversation, talk and questions over a complimentary glass of wine. The bar will be open for your second glass! …

Keynote Speaker at the International Dickens Fellowship conference in Copenhagen

Date: 4 August 2026 - 6 August 2026
Location: Scandic Falkoner Hotel, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
Talks & Events
Alexandra of Denmark Princess of Wales
Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

119th Annual Conference & Annual General Meeting: Dickens, Fairytales & Fantasy.

Keynote Lecture by Lucinda Dickens Hawksley: Princess Alexandra (Alix) and her connection to the wider Dickens circle. …

Extra/Ordinary Women – Exhibition Talk on Anny Thackeray

Date: 30 July 2026
Time: 12.30pm UK Time
Location: Online: Zoom
In person: Charles Dickens Museum,
49 Doughty Street,
London WC1N 2LX
Talks & Events
Extra/Ordinary Women Exhibition Talks poster

Lucinda will be at the Charles Dickens Museum to speak about Anny Thackeray. When researching her biography of Dickens’s artist daughter, Katey, Lucinda Hawksley became fascinated by Anny Thackeray, a close friend of the Dickens girls. Anny was the older daughter of the novelist William Thackeray and she became a famous novelist in her own right.

There will be the opportunity for a short Q+A following the talk. …

Lecture at The Arts Society New Milton: Pre-Raphaelite Brothers Their Lives and Works

Date: 11 June 2026
Location: The Memorial Hub,
Whitefield Road,
New Milton BH25 6DE
Talks & Events
Lizzie Siddal Hardcover

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was made up of seven precocious, talented and astonishingly forward-thinking young men who changed the face of 19th-century art and artistic society. They included in their number a Beethoven-style child genius; a romantic Italian obsessed with a long-dead medieval poet; a fervent traveller …

The Women in Dickens’ Novels (Kvinderne i Dickens’ romaner)

Date: 28 May 2026
Time: 1-3pm
Location: Holte Bibliotek
Holte Midtpunkt 23,
2840 Holte
(Denmark)
Kvinderne i Dickens’ romaner
Photo of Dickens: Herbert Watkins, 1858

Charles Dickens is often criticized for writing stereotypical and submissive female characters, yet many of his female figures were anything but that.

Dickens’ Women – meet Dickens expert Lucinda Hawksley

Date: 27 May 2026
Time: 5-7pm
Location: Stadsbiblioteket
Lyngby Hovedgade 28,
2800 Kongens Lyngby
Fennebergsalen
(Denmark)
Talks & Events
Lucinda Hawksley

Author, lecturer, and Charles Dickens expert Lucinda Hawksley on the diverse, powerful and fascinating women in the works of Dickens. …