(Photography by Amy Craghill)
Project Director
Dr Adam James Smith
Adam is an Associate Professor of English Literature at York St John University. His work explores the role played by cheap print in mediating the relationship between the citizen and the state in the long eighteenth century. He has published on the work Eliza Haywood, Joseph Addison, Jonathan Swift, James Montgomery and Virginia Woolf, amongst others. He co-edited Print Culture, Agency and Regionality in the Hand Press Period (Palgrave, 2022), People of Print: Seventeenth Century England (CUP, 2023) and the forthcoming volumes Impolite Periodicals (Bucknell, 2024) and People of Print: Eighteenth Century England (CUP, 2024). He is currently writing a monograph with Professor Robert Edgar titled Eighteenth-Century Folk: The Eighteenth-Century Roots of Folk Horror (Bloomsbury, 2027). He is Chief Book Reviews Editor for the Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies and the co-editor of the eighteenth-century pages of the journal Literature Compass. He is also co-director of the York Research Unit for the Study of Satire and co-host of the ongoing monthly podcast Smith & Waugh Talk About Satire. Follow Adam on Twitter/X.
Editorial Team
Jemima Bird
Jemima is a second-year English Literature student whose passion for Romantic poetry, the Gothic, and folkloric traditions first drew her to this project. She holds a deep appreciation for women writers like Mary Robinson and is especially inspired by their often-overlooked contributions to literary history. She says: “It’s a privilege to contribute meaningfully to the literary canon and to help bring the remarkable work of Mary Robinson to broader audiences. I’m incredibly proud to be part of this.”
Grace Kim
Grace is a second year English Literature student who has always had an interest in Romantic poetry. What she found most rewarding about participating in the project was giving recognition to a largely overlooked collection of poetry. She says, “By both giving wider access to and acknowledging the works of Robinson, I hope that I’ve contributed to a larger circulation of noncanonical literature!”
Charlotte Marston
Charlotte Marston is a second-year English Literature student with a love of the Romantic poetry and nature. After studying on the module Dawn of Print, she wished to continue researching female writers and their contributions to literary history. Through this project, she hopes that Mary Robinson’s poetry will be more accessible and reach a wider audience.
Ria Bannerman
Ria is a second-year English Literature student. Of the project, Ria says, “The opportunity to develop and explore other female poets of the eighteenth-century after having a long-term fascination with Christina Rossetti has been immensely rewarding — being able to see the writing of her female predecessors has revealed a whole new world of context. Accessibility for all is so valuable in the modern world of technology, so having been able to create a comprehensive guide has been a fantastic group achievement.”
Isobel Williams
Isobel is a second year English Literature and Film Studies student. Their love for writing and reading poetry was what drew them to the project, seeking to further explore Romantic poetry after studying it at A-Level. They have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges that have come with editing and researching around the project.
Robert Aird
Robert is a second-year English Literature literature student who has been fascinated by Romantic poetry since first studying Blake during 6th form. “Having the opportunity to explore the subject outside of the usual canonical Romantic literature has been eye opening and fascinating” says Robert. “Editing and formatting this project has been a thoroughly enjoyable challenge and I can’t wait for the world of literature to see our results.”
Production Team
Sara Young
Sara is an MA Publishing student. This project particularly appealed to her because Robinsons’ original aim in writing these ballads was to produce something that felt more authentically working class; a counter to what contemporaries were doing. She says: “These poems are a statement, as much as Robinson’s fascinating life was. Being involved in bringing this rebellious work together to engage a modern audience helps make sure this very important voice is more accessible and not forgotten.”
Lara Aiken
Lara is an illustrator based in York, UK. She work with various analogue mediums and print, riso, film photography, lino and more. Lara loves finding textures and accidental marks from these techniques and using them in my work. She has a passion for storytelling and loves themes of nature and folklore. Lara creates images that show the world through her eyes, finding weird creatures and appreciating the beauty of nature. She hopes to make art accessible in the everyday setting for everyone and create a more vibrant and beautiful community by filling our spaces with illustrations. Check out Lara’s website and follow her on Instagram at @laraaikenillustration.
