Elizabeth Hopkinson's Blog

Your Mighty Maidenhead

 Art by Anna Hopkinson 2024I've been reading the Advent Lyrics from the Exeter Book as Christmas approches. These are poems in Old English. (The version of the English language brought to the British Isles by the Angles, Saxons etc.) that explore the mysteries of the Incarnation and Virgin Birth in early medieval aliteration and symbolism.In the fourth lyric - addressed to the Virgin Mary -

The Queer, the Witch and the Mystic

 In August 2021, I wrote a blog about Mother Shipton and St Robert of Knaresborough entitled Witch or Saint? A Fine Line.  Today, I am returning to similar territory in order to answer my own questions:Why are so many Queer people drawn to witchcraft or witchy vibes?How much difference is there really between the practice of witches and my own practice as a Celitc Christian drawn

The True Myth

 CS Lewis famously wrote: Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened. As a Christian mystic, an amateur folklorist and a livelong Lewis fan, I've long agreed with this line of thought. I would go so far as to say (and I believe Lewis would have, too) that all myths are

Pride and the Black Madonna

 Our Lady of Montevergine by Anna HopkinsonPlease note: This article does not intend to appropriate the lived experience of Black or Romani people, gay men or traditional Third Genders. Please read the linked articles for wider perspectives.Night was drawing on fast, and with it temperatures none could survive. The ground was covered in a crust of snow. The lovers’ extremities began to turn

With a Shovel and a Pick and a Little White Stick

Grandma & Grandad, c.1940-43There are a lot of misconceptions about history. One that I frequently encounter regarding the two World Wars of the 20th century, is that men were either classified as fighting fit and sent to armed combat overseas, or classified unfit for service and stayed at home. I’ve never seen a historical drama that represents my Grandad’s experience in the Pioneer Corps during

A Real Sopranist

 Back in February, I wrote a piece for LGBT+ History Month about the castrati singers of the 18th century, and my character Carlo in the forthcoming Cage of Nightingales. In that piece, I said, “It’s impossible for us now to know what the leading castrati really sounded like.” That may still be true. (The intense levels of training they went through from boyhood would probably be illegal now,

Bradford Lit Fest: Never Forget Where You’re Coming From

 This time last week, I was at the joy that is Bradford Literature Festival. My whole town taken over by all things book-related!I went to three completely different talks, two of which I had bought and read the books for in advance. (The other one I will probably buy when it comes out in paperback). They were:The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson JosephPainted People:

The Hu in Liverpool: Culturally Appropriate

 The Hu onstage at Liverpool’s O2 AcademyI’ll admit that things have not been easy for me since my last blog. There’s a lot of (understandable) hurt and anger out there when it comes to cultural issues. And I’m not emotionally robust enough to take it.Which is why it was so restorative this week to finally see one of my favourite bands - The Hu - live onstage in Liverpool. It was my first time at

Colonialism and the Beast

 In 2021, I wrote a blog post entitled Unconscious Bias: A Conscious Confession, in which I recognised my own tendency to make first-impression judgements based on names, accents, colour, appearance etc. Well, now I'm confessing to the presence of blind spots as regards my own White Privilege.Specifically relating to my favourite fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast.A couple of weeks back, I made the

The Kraken and the Minotaur

 I’ve just come back from co-leading a Book Club holiday near Oxford with HF Holidays. It was hard work but rewarding. The book I chose - and about which I led discussions - was Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, which I wrote about in a previous blog. I chose it for its many references to Narnia and the ideas of  CS Lewis and Owen Barfield, two of Oxford’s famous Inklings. But there were also some