The greatest showman brought them together but modern attitudes towards the Victorian freak show are usually, understandably, very critical.

We condemn Victorian perceptions of 'freakish' bodies as being exploitative. However, when turning to the detail of certain performers' lives, can a more complex picture emerge?This talk examines the life of Anna Swan, exhibited as 'the Canadian Giantess' on both sides of the Atlantic during the nineteenth century. Dr Helen Davies, Senior Lecturer in English Literature from the University of Wolverhampton suggests that re-reading newspaper accounts of her British tours (1869; 1871) offers some surprising challenges to traditional Victorian ideas of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and class, as well as more modern understandings of disability.

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In 2020, during the national Covid-19 lockdown, Writer and Academic, Dr R. M. Francis, took an 18 month role as Poet in Residence for the Black Country Geological Society. Tasked with writing work set in and inspired by the different Geosites that make up the UNESCO Black Country Geopark. In this lecture, Rob will share his thoughts of wandering and wondering through these sites during the unprecedented times; reflecting on how this has facilitated a re-configuration and re-grounding of what place means. Drawing on cutting edge creative and philosophical ideas, and recent research in Biology and Neurology, Rob will discuss the importance of place and green space on wellbeing, mental health and sense of self.

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