Irish Women's Writing (1880-1920) Network

The Irish Women’s Writing (1880-1920) Network was founded by Drs Kathryn Laing and Sinead Mooney in 2016, and Dr Anna Pilz has been an active Team Member since then. There are four main strands/aims to the network’s activities: Firstly, the IWWN hosts symposia to bring together scholars to address shared research questions and collaborate on works-in-progress. The inaugural 2-day symposium took place at Mary Immaculate College in November 2016 on the theme of ‘Occluded Narratives: Research Irish Women’s Writing 1880-1910’ with plenaries from Profs Heidi Hansson, Margaret Kelleher, and James H. Murphy. A second symposium on ‘Collaborations & Networks’ was hosted virtually in September 2021. Secondly, the IWWN has established and aims to build on a web resource in service to the international research and teaching community as well as those with an interest in Irish women's literary history. Currently, the webpage features resource pages on relevant archival sources; an expansive bibliography of primary and secondary source materials. Thirdly, the IWWN seeks to engage the scholarly community as well as a wider audience through its blog posts. These bring to wider attention particular authors and on-going research by graduate students as well as early career and established scholars. Designed and curated by Dr Deirdre Flynn, the Network Team and its members contribute to the web content. For instance, Drs Anna Pilz and Whitney Standlee ran a 12-part interview series on ‘Research Pioneers’ in Irish women’s literary history between 1880 and 1920. In June 2021, Pilz and Standlee launched the “Emerging Voices” interview series that aims to amplify and promote the work of PhD candidates and early career scholars. Fourthly, the IWWN seeks to make significant interventions in the scholarship on Irish women's writing through two publication series: Irish Women Writers: Texts and Contexts series & Key Irish Women Writers Series.