Blogging Woolf

I don’t have many positive things to say about the pandemic, but I am glad of one thing. It increased the number of online programs offered by the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain. And they make membership in the society even more worthwhile, no matter which side of the pond you are on.

The Bloomsbury Ballerina

The most recent online program was “Lydia Lopokova and Bloomsbury,” a March 16 conversation between author Susan Sellers and Virginia Woolf scholar Maggie Humm about the fascinating Russian dancer Lydia Lopokova and her complicated relationship with Bloomsbury.

Sellers, who wrote the novel Vanessa and Her Sister (2014) has a new novel coming out. Titled Firebird: A Bloomsbury Love Story, it tells the surprising story of two of Bloomsbury’s most unlikely lovers – John Maynard Keynes, the distinguished economist, and the extrovert Russian dancer Lydia Lopokova. Weaving biography and fiction, Firebird explores the tangle of Bloomsbury’s bohemian relationships as lifestyles are challenged and allegiances shift following Lydia’s explosive arrival.

Humm’s many publications on Bloomsbury include her acclaimed novel Talland House (2020), inspired by Woolf’s To the Lighthouse.

I missed the March 16 conversation, but because I am a member of the society, I can access it online as a YouTube video, via a link sent to members only.

Join up

Membership to the society for UK residents is £20, or £10 for full-time students. There are also memberships for those of us outside the UK. It is well worth it. Membership includes the following:

• FREE Virginia Woolf Bulletin three times a year, containing articles, reviews and previously unpublished material by Woolf herself (normally £5 each)
• Discount on Birthday Lecture: annual talk by a Woolf scholar or author, held on the Saturday nearest to 25 January
• FREE Regular email updates, with information and news of upcoming Woolf events
• Discount on member events: e.g. day conferences; study weekends, talks, visits; guided walks in an area connected with Woolf
• FREE online talks and events: live and recorded events accessed by web link (members only)

On 16 March #VirginiaWoolf Society of Great Britain members heard @SusanSellers1 and @MaggieHumm1 talk about Russian ballerina Lydia Lopokova, her marriage to #MaynardKeynes, and her relationship with the #BloomsburyGroup. Want to be there next time? See: https://t.co/mZ27OBtp8Z pic.twitter.com/kHyvN3opUL

— Virginia Woolf Society GB (@VirginiaWoolfGB) March 18, 2022