Lucinda’s Diary

The Women in Dickens’ Novels

Date: 27 May 2026
Time: 10am-12pm
Location: Gentofte Hovedbibliotek
Ahlmanns Alle 6,
2900 Hellerup
Øregårdssalen
(Denmark)
Talks & Events
Kvinderne i Dickens’ romaner
Photo of Dickens: Herbert Watkins, 1858

Kvinderne i Dickens’ romaner

Charles Dickens is often criticized for writing stereotypical and submissive female characters, yet many of his female figures were anything but that. In this lecture Lucinda Dickens Hawksley sheds new light on the often overlooked female characters in his novels. …

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. …

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.

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 …

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. …

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. …

A Victorian Christmas with Lucinda Dickens Hawksley

Date: 9 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. …

Recent Events

Extra/Ordinary Women – Exhibition Talk on Mamie Dickens

Date: 7 May 2026
Time: 12.30 UK Time
Location: Online: Zoom
In person: Charles Dickens Museum,
49 Doughty Street,
London WC1N 2LX
Talks & Events
Mamie Dickens

Lucinda will be at the Charles Dickens Museum to speak about Dickens’s daughter, Mamie Dickens. Mamie was the second of Charles and Catherine Dickens’s children.

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

Sense and Sensibility Salon

Date: 2 May 2026
Time: 10.15-11.15am
Location: Jane Austen's House,
Chawton,
Hampshire,
GU34 1SD
Talks & Events
Sense and Sensibility Salon

Join author and broadcaster (and Austen lover) Lucinda Hawksley for an intimate salon, discussing all things Sense and Sensibility!
Over an elegant repast of tea and cake, Lucinda will share some of her favourite scenes, characters and moments from the novel, and lead a lively discussion on everything from running down hills in the rain to secret engagements, flannel waistcoats and ivory toothpick cases. …

Farnham Literary Festival: Neither Here nor There: Epic Journeys From History

Date: 15 March 2026
Time: 4.30-5.30pm
Location: Farnham Town Hall
Farnham Town Council
South Street, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7RN
Talks & Events
Neither Here nor There: Epic Journeys From History poster

Step aboard for an epic voyage of discovery. Let us take you on an adventure through history – author panel with Lucinda Hawksley, Midge Gillies and Nicholas Jubber. …

Charles Dickens and his Manchester Connections

Date: 7 March 2026
Time: 5-6.30pm
Location: The Portico Library,
57 Mosley Street,
Manchester M2 3HY
Talks & Events
Portico Library, Manchester

Did you know that Charles Dickens was a regular visitor to Manchester? Or that he visited the Portico Library in 1844? That he performed on stage in the city, that Manchester played a crucial role in the creation of one of his most famous books, or that his much-loved sister made her home here? …

Great Recitations Dickens Festival 2026

Date: 7 February 2026
Time: 5pm
Location: Script Haven,
104 High Street,
Worcester WR1 2HW
Talks & Events
Great Recitations Dickens Festival logo

An incredible opportunity to meet writer and broadcaster Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Lucinda will explore the life and enduring influence of her celebrated ancestor, with exciting insights into his continuing relevance to today’s audiences. …

Birthday Dinner at The Dickens Fellowship, The Charterhouse

Date: 4 February 2026
Time: 7pm
Location: The Charterhouse,
Charterhouse Square,
London EC1M 6AN
Talks & Events
Dickens Fellowship logo

Celebration event. Advance booking essential.

President’s Night, for The Dickens Fellowship, The Charterhouse

Date: 20 January 2026
Time: 6.30pm
Location: The Charterhouse, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6AN
Talks & Events
Dickens Fellowship logo

Lucinda’s talk is entitled ‘The Original Boz: the Life and Lies of Augustus Dickens’ …

Six Weeks To Write A Masterpiece: Charles Dickens & A Christmas Carol

Date: 19 December 2025
Time: 1pm
Location: Charles Dickens Museum, 48-49 Doughty Street, London, WC1N 2LX
Talks & Events
Charles Dickens & A Christmas Carol

This December, join the 3x great granddaughter of Charles Dickens, Lucinda Hawksley, as she examines the remarkable story of A Christmas Carol. Examining Dickens’s early childhood, the beginnings of his literary career and the pressures of juggling his new found fame with his young family, Lucinda will explore howA Christmas Carol came to be written and unpicks the impact of this most famous of Christmas stories. …