Got so much done during today's @vpfa.bsky.social virtual writing retreat and met some really nice people. Being a PhD student, esp a long-distance one, can be very lonely, but connecting with people online and chatting about research almost gives the impression of having 'course mates'.

Don't miss my account of what it was like for a first-timer at this summer's #vpfaextremes conference. A very exciting read indeed ;-)

Join us for a virtual writing retreat designed for VPFA members! Working on a conference paper, article, thesis, or admin tasks? this structured retreat offers dedicated time, body doubling, and proven productivity techniques inspired by Rowena Murray. Drop in or stay the full day!

Back home after three glorious weeks in England and Wales, which began with the VPFA conference in Birmingham, ended with my graduation in Portsmouth and inbetween my time has been filled with hiking, sightseeing, food & drink and lots of quality time with hubby. Work for my PhD continues tomorrow!

It was my graduation for my MA on Tuesday and it was a great day which I got to celebrate worth mum and dad, my younger brother and my husband! In 3-4 years I hope to do it again, but with a doctor’s bonnet on my head instead!

Thanks to everyone at @vpfa.bsky.social #VPFAExtremes for welcoming this first-timer with open arms. I’m unable to attend tomorrow but have had an absolutely lovely time, listened to several very interesting papers and met lots of friendly, intelligent and knowledgeable people. I’ll be back!

I’ve just now presented my paper at #VPFAExtremes. It builds on the work I did for my MA dissertation and it was a lot of fun to re-visit these stories again.

During the extended lunch break we have divided into different groups to learn more about Birmingham. A few of us have decided to stay in the BMI for a talk on Victorian Birmingham, the BMI and its library. #VPFAExtremes

Keynote 2 is Richard Fallon: Before De-Extinction: Encountering Prehistoric Animals in Victorian Popular Fiction. #VPFAExtremes

Our third paper in the Braddon panel is also on 'Lady Audley's Secret'. Anna-Maria Grill: "The Mad-Doctress and her Patients: Negotiating Female Medical Agency in Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s 'Lady Audley’s Secret'". #VPFAExtremes

The second paper in the Braddon panel is on one of my favourite novels of the Victorian Era: 'Lady Audley's Secret'. Marta Shevchenko's paper is delivered online from Kharkiv, Ukraine is called "Vanishing Women: Anorexic Metaphors and Psychological Extremes in 'Lady Audley’s Secret'". #VPFAExtremes

Good morning! This morning I'm tweeting from panel 11: Mental illness in Braddon. Our first paper is delivered online, Carina Koh Hui Ling's paper is about Subverting Gender-Specific Expectations of Grief and Mental Illness in M.E. Braddon’s The Fatal Three (1888). #VPFAExtremes

My favourite fact of the first day! #VPFAExtremes

And that’s the end of the first-day panels! Such interesting papers and what a positive and friendly atmosphere there has been throughout. This is my first time at a VPFA conference, but it won’t be the last! And of course I’m returning to keep you updated again tomorrow! #VPFAExtremes

Cecilia Fabaro is now speaking about George Egerton's last short story collection 'Fantasias' and the "extreme experiments will allegory" in these stories. #VPFAExtremes

Jonathan Potter argues that certain authors were able to generate an illusion that they were depicting real life, for example Mary Russell Mitford in 'Our Village' and Charles Dickens in 'Sketches by Boz'. #VPFAExtremes

My final panel for the day is Conventions and Innovations of the Literary Marketplace 2. The two papers by Jonathan Potter and Cecilia Fabaro are presented online. #VPFAExtremes

An interesting comment by the panel chair links the two papers: the 'seepage' from paper to mind Audrey Jaffe talked about and prisoners' limited access to reading material as their minds were not to be contamintated by the 'wrong' types of influence in Carolyn Oulton's paper #VPFAExtremes

The 2nd paper in the Literary marketplace panel is "Melodrama as Mental Theatre" by Audrey Jaffe. The concept of a "porous reader" who absorbs the subject of the read text in such a way that it becomes the reader's weakness and fears is discussed through a quotation from 'Oliver Twist' #VPFAExtremes

After a nice lunch break it's now time for panel 6: Conventions and Innovations of the Literary Marketplace 1. The first paper is by Carolyn Oulton and is called "Look at the Low Trash They are Always Reading: Going to Extremes in Victorian Popular Fiction". #VPFAExtremes

A very interesting keynote lecture is now taking place at the VPFA conference: Dr Jimmy Packham’s ”Swimming with Snarks: Submarine Gothic and the Monstrous Deep” #VPFAExtremes

The third paper on Gothic horrors is Fiona Snailham’s on Eliza Lynn Linton’s ’Paston Carew, Millionaire and Miser’. #VPFAExtremes

The second paper in the Gothic horrors panel is Anna Shane’s ”A Cognitive Perspective on Arthur Machen’s Horror”. #vpfaextremes

Ifill very interestingly compares office Gothic to traditional Gothic novels: where the heroine in a traditional Gothic novel can grow through conquering various trials, the office worker does the same through his daily trudge and problem solving. #vpfaextremes

Helena Ifill is presenting her paper about Charlotte Riddell’s novel ’George Geith of Fen Court’ and ”office Gothic”. The novel as such is not a Gothic one but there are a lot of ”Gothic rhetoric”. #VPFAExtremes

The first panels of this year’s conference are about to start and I’m covering panel 4: Gothic horrors. #VPFAExtremes

We are still looking for one more person to provide live updates on X and BlueSky during the conference. Live "tweeting" will waive registration fees, and you will write a report on your experience that will feature in our newsletter. Please get in touch with [email protected]

Really looking forward to the VPFA conference! I'm presenting a paper based on my MA dissertation on late-Victorian environmental disaster tales on the Tuesday.

Only 3 MORE DAYS left to sign up to our 17th hybrid Annual Conference. Here is a little teaser of some of the panel titles to pique your excitement (FYI this is a DRAFT programme and subject to changes). Register here: victorianpopularfiction.org/vpfa-annual-...