Constructing a Witch
Part of the Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival 2025!
Location
Unitarian Meeting House, Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds IP33 1RH
Telephone
- Next Event
- 10th October 7:30pm
- Event Finishes
- 10th October 8:30pm
About this event
Helen Ivory’s sixth collection Constructing a Witch fixes on the monstering and the scapegoating of women and on the fear of ageing femininity. The witch appears as the barren, child-eating hag; she is a lustful seductress luring men to a path of corruption; she is a powerful or cantankerous woman whose cursing must be silenced by force.
These bewitching poems explore the witch archetype and the witch as human woman and investigate witch tourism, the witch as outsider, cultural representations of the witch, female power and disempowerment, the menopause, and how the female body has been used and misunderstood for centuries.
Suitability: 12+ Timing: 1 hour, followed by book signing
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About the Venue
Bury St Edmunds' finest building
The Meeting House was built in 1711 for its Presbyterian congregation, and is a fine example of the English Baroque style in its softer, more provincial manner. Fully restored between 1975 and 1991, the Grade 1 listed building is now one of Bury St Edmunds' most elegant venues.
The facade to Churchgate Street is one of the jewels of the town, with its gauged and rubbed brickwork in two tones of red, and excellent proportions.
Superb Acoustics
The warm wood floor, good height, and human scale combine to provide a clear and sympathetic sound for a variety of public uses. After all, it was built to ensure commanding solo performances!
A highly adaptable space
The interior is a classic example of a nonconformist meeting house of the period. The central open space is dominated by a fine two-tiered pulpit and surrounded on three sides by galleries containing the original box pews.
Serving Bury St Edmunds
The Meeting House is currently owned by Unitarian Trustees, and managed by the House Committee which includes representatives of the Community. The aim is to ensure wide and appropriate public use of the building for many years to come.
The House Committee is a committee of the Unitarian Trustees, an excepted charity
