The genderisation of sewing and maths. January meet up Sheffield, 2025, Script of Crone Verity’s talk (AKA the Crone That Counts)

Thank you, Justine, for letting me talk about my favourite subjects – maths, sewing and myself.

I’ll start with showing you a photo of three little girls sitting doing their sewing. I don’t know why my mother kept this photo. I found it when we were tidying up after she died. She’s carefully written on the back the names of the other two little girls doing their sewing, and the name of the primary school where it was taken. The little girl at the front on the right hand side is me.

I can tell you that it was taken in September when we were in third year juniors, what we call Year 5 now. I was just nine, one of the youngest in the class and I know all that because of the plaster cast on my wrist. That dates it pretty precisely. And what are we doing? I think we’re doing little bits of cross stitch and embroidery but it’s difficult to tell. There’s a box of scissors. we’re quite absorbed in our task unaware of the photographer. Why was the photographer taking photos? I really don’t know.

It’s a professional photograph, my mother obviously paid for a copy of it. I don’t know what the other children are doing. It looks as if that little boy behind us is more occupied by watching the photographer, and he doesn’t look as if he’s sewing. I’m pretty sure the boys didn’t do sewing. Don’t you love the little hand knitted cardigans we’re wearing? We didn’t have to wear school uniform in those days in village primary schools.

And here’s another photo.

This one’s from 1963. My mother kept it carefully along with the press cutting. I think I remember her going to a bit of trouble to get a print of the photo from the office of the Newark Advertiser. She kept the cutting as well as the print. The caption on the newspaper cutting says “Girls at a Southwell school made useful clothes for themselves last term - but two of them catered for younger members of the family as well as for themselves. Verity Mosenthal (left) made pyjamas for her 2 1/2 year-old brother Johnny and Karen Fletcher made a dress for her 2 1/2 year old sister Lindsay.” We were proud of our work. We’d had a little fashion show at the end of the year, and the newspaper came!

Every Wednesday afternoon Mrs Fox took the girls in the dining hall for sewing. By the time we left that school we could make clothes that we wanted to wear. We could cut out patterns and alter them to fit. I was quite proud of those pyjamas even if little Johnny is scowling. The top had a proper collar and buttons with button holes and the trousers had a little flap fly. The dress for Karen’s little sister has a perfect Peter Pan collar. The dresses and skirts that we’d made were clothes that we were willing to wear.

Mrs Fox taught us useful skills. I don’t know how common that was. I don’t resent the time I spent learning needlework at primary school. However when I went to secondary school, we started again from scratch as if we’d done no sewing at all. It was very frustrating because we had to make a little needlebook and a pincushion and a scissor case and then a very simple apron before we could get onto actually making anything, so I think that in those days in Nottinghamshire there can’t have been a standard curriculum prescribed. We had a similar experience in maths, starting geometry from scratch. I hadn’t ever seen compasses, protractors, didn’t know the names of shapes. I didn’t realise there was anything odd about not knowing,

It was much much later that I wondered what the boys had been up to on a Wednesday afternoon while the girls were sewing. Somehow, I found out that they were doing technical drawing!

And my last anecdote is from the nineties. I used to teach Maths in a comprehensive school and I once designed a task for a class of pupils aged about 15. They were a class that found maths challenging but still it wasn’t an optional subject. I gave them a task about making tabbards for netball.

They had sketches of the pieces - the pieces were rectangles and other simple shapes. They had to make a scale drawing on squared paper of how it all fitted together, and how to put the pattern pieces on the fabric so that they had the least waste, and they needed to name the shapes - rectangle trapezium and so on.

The boys couldn’t do it, they just froze. They didn’t understand the task. The girls got on with it. They didn’t do it very well, but they knew what they had to do. In fact I think some of them suggested modelling the task by cutting out the shapes themselves to scale on the squared paper and putting it on the grid. So a few weeks later I gave the same class the same set of shapes and this time they had a piece of MDF the same size as the piece of fabric, and they needed to cut these shapes out to make a box out of the MDF board. The boys had no trouble doing it and the girls found it quite difficult.

So what was going on? All of this is part of why girls have found maths difficult. If you’re given a practical problem but you don’t understand or aren’t interested in the context it can be hard to engage with it, and then it’s hard to work out what maths you need to solve it. Certainly when I was at school and university, the problems were quite masculine. Sports were usually cricket, the person was always male unless they were doing something silly. Nowadays there’s a lot of effort put into ungendering maths but there’s a long long way to go and a lot of prejudice still. Girls do as well as boys at GCSE – better in fact - but often they don’t carry on with Maths afterwards.

The “Common Threads” (1997) by Mary Harris helped to enlighten me. If we look at the past, women did needle work: upper class aristocratic ladies did embroidery called work. Jane Austen‘s characters would put down their ‘work’ when a visitor arrived. You can imagine the scene. And the rest, (before the middle classes existed), the servants and working women, they made clothes and sewed working clothes and they did mending and patching.

They all did loads of maths at the same time. Not just buying fabric and turning 2-D shapes into 3-D objects to go round our strange shaped bodies. Think how complicated that is. Think about curtains.

Think about the calculation of how much fabric is needed to get the gathers with the right fullness. And the spacing of the hooks along the tape. Women do it all the time and men dismiss it as simple maths. It’s not rocket science but it’s not simple.

If we think about things like embroidery there’s also an incredible amount of geometry incorporated in patterns. Here’s an illustration from “Common Threads”.

The top line has patterns found on a neolithic linen cloth in Switzerland; the middle one are traditional cross stitch designs from the holy land, and many of these were revived by Victorian cross stitch embroiderers; and the bottom one is designs worked by a woman called Hanna Canting in 1691 on a sampler that’s now in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

So the leisured classes taught their daughters to sew while their sons went to school. And the sons learned classics and maths and some of them went on to study serious mathematics. That’s a part of why we had very few female mathematicians in history - they just didn’t go to school and they didn’t study maths. They had governesses who taught them how to do embroidery.

Once we have universal schooling, the astonishing thing is that this continued. There were charity schools, and they grew in popularity in the late 18th century. They had a Christian motivation aiming to replace a “deficient moral environment and the cause of poverty” with a more wholesome Christian one. There were also Dame schools which taught basic literacy and summing. In the 19th century, there were the schools of National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church – known as National Schools. Incidentally, the school where I was sewing on a Wednesday afternoon in 1963 was known as the National. I didn’t realise what that meant at the time. In the schools, mathematics was masculine and needle work, however much geometry or measurement or calculation it involved, was feminine and it wasn’t recognised as Maths.

I’ll give you a couple of quotes from “Common Threads”. The first is about the National Schools in the 19 th century.

They generally gave priority to boys. Boys and girls were originally admitted at different ages, could be charged different weekly fees, and be taught in different rooms, or separated in one large room by a partition and girls sometimes remained in the infant class as boys moved on up the school. Family gender roles could also be a major factor in girls’ access to schooling, for though both boys and girls were required to work at home, the requirement on girls for regular work like minding the baby or helping on washing day, was so widespread that it was accepted by schools. Truancy regulations were much less heavily imposed on girls than on boys. Whatever the local variation, it is safe to assume that overall, and for very many years, girls got less education, measured in hours than did boys.

And another.

The reality was that education itself had always been a thoroughly male affair and that girls, however numerous, were newly arrived extras in the expanded system. From then on, in official and educational parlance, there was ‘education’ and ‘girls’ education’, in a systematic usage that maintained women’s economic invisibility and sustained pathological interpretations of their biology.

To confirm their vocation, not as a worker but as a female, their curriculum was distinguished by the task that beyond all others signified their feminine, domestic role and where the boys followed the 3Rs, the girls followed 3Rs and 1N. No matter how traditional or radical, no matter how opposed to the domination of education by the Church, needlework for girls was the one thing that everyone agreed must be taught.

The idea that maths isn’t for girls is very deeply ingrained in our subconscious. It goes back a long way historically. These days girls do just as well at GCSE if not better than boys. But they don’t carry on studying it afterwards to the same extent. It’s been fun recently to see some female mathematicians have been using ideas with fabric to illustrate Maths. I’ve started to collect some books about it – women making amazing models solid shapes in several dimensions and some really sophisticated maths. Finally, here’s a YouTube video. It isn’t sewing, it’s crochet but it shows just how much maths there can be in women’s work.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lxKUuMxH8

Beautifully, beautifully bonkers.

Crone Verity aka The Crone That Counts giving her talk at the Crone Club Sheffield January Meet up 2025.

Big thanks to The Crone That Counts for giving the talk. We loved it. xxx

Croning Ceremony to celebrate 60th birthdays

The bat-shit-crazy joy of Croning Ceremonies

Crone Ann Blackburn shares the joy of her experience of 'Croning Ceremonies' (also known as 'Crone Crowning Ceremonies').

Rites of passage

By Crone Ann Blackburn

It’s 2019. I’m 59 and thinking a LOT about turning 60. It feels momentous, but there’s no ‘coming of age’, no prom or bar mitzvah for us oldies. Or is there?

My friend (and celebrant) Amanda Zaninetti, has an interesting proposal; how do I feel about a ‘Croning Ceremony’? We get a bunch of my friends together, Amanda holds the space, and we properly celebrate my entry into cronehood.

It’s a big fat yes from me.

There are secretive meetings with Amanda and close friends. Then, on a Saturday in September, I’m brought into my own living room to be greeted by nine women in cloaks ululating at my arrival.

What follows is a personal, loving, hilarious and serious acknowledgement of a transition into something new. 

Amanda shares the historical significance of the crone, I complete quests and there are gentle pointers for the years to come from people who know me.

As the ritual reaches its climax, I squeeze through a child’s play tunnel for my ‘rebirthing’ before I’m crowned and friends share memories and present gifts.

I am seriously thinking this could be the best night of my life.

Almost five years later, we’ve had two more Cronings - the second for Julie and the most recent for Andrea (Amanda’s partner).

Seven of us plot for weeks before Andrea’s event in May 2024, thrashing out five tasks or ‘quests’ between us, each linked to Andrea’s life and personality. 

We’re allotted jobs to make sure the event runs smoothly. I need to make a piñata filled with sweets, sort out a crone tee-shirt (thank you twistedtwee!), design a ‘Wanted for rimes against the patriarchy’ poster, adapt the words to ‘Caravan of Love’ for Andrea’s rebirthing (‘Cronivan of Love’, anyone?) and think about a gift (symbolic and/or conventional).

Wanted for crimes against the patriarchy.

I’m also organising Andrea’s first quest, a round of physical tasks. Linked to her competitiveness and strength, she’ll complete a timed plank and electric chair, run up the street with the added challenge of a running resistance band and crack open the piñata with a rolling pin. 

There are four more quests and after each we’ll add badges to the ‘crone crown’ for the crowning at the end.  Then there’s a sharing of memories and gifts. Here’s mine.

The evening is everything we wished for - riotous, affectionate, chaotic, funny and joyful. We round it off with a home-cooked Middle Eastern feast and lashings of Prosecco. 

This is what Andrea says about her croning:

“I honesty felt this was one of the best nights of my life. It was SO much fun and there was so much laughter. I felt truly seen by my friends, fully known and genuinely loved.  It made me excited to be entering my 60th year and blessed and privileged to be part of the cronedom.”

Three Cronings in and I’m a full-blown convert. Here’s why:

1. As we age, there should be more celebration, not less; after all it’s a privilege to still be in the world and time is running out!

2. We need to rail against a culture that devalues older women. Let’s celebrate our beautiful selves, reclaim our space and feel positive about the journey. 

3. As someone who’s been Croned, there are few times when I’ve felt so roundly loved. On the other side, being involved in a croning allows proper reflection on a relationship and a chance to express your love and respect - as well as an opportunity to enjoy the delicious community and power of older women. 

4. Croning can be as complex or simple as you want. There are no rules. Do it when you’re 50, 60, 70, 80, 63, do it retrospectively when you hit a hundred. Do it tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Do it in nature. Do it in your living room. Do it on retreat. Do it for a friend. Demand a croning for yourself. Make it up and make it fun! 

Big thanks to Amanda Zaninetti who came up with the idea for our Cronings, held the space and corralled the wild cats for mine and Andrea’s ceremonies. If you want a celebrant to help you with a Croning Ceremony, she’s on 07939 830096. 

More links and tings

🫵🏽 Anyone in PR? We’d LOVE to spread the word about Cronings as a helpful ritual to view female ageing in a more positive and hopeful way - a celebration of sisterhood, but also a sacred pause, to think and reflect on what we might aspire to in our ‘third act’. So if you are in PR or know someone who is (especially if you have connections to Women’s Hour etc), let us know. As you can see, we’ve got some ruddy great case studies to share!

👉 Link to Juzza’s Crone Crowning piece on Tits to the Wind - everything you wanted to know about Crone Crowning (Croning Ceremonies) but didn’t dare ask.

🏔 Here’s where I had my Crone Crowning at Crone-in-Training Steph’s place in Bodlondeb, Corwen, North Wales. It sleeps up to 12 in three rooms and has a fabulous studio space for doing the serious shiz. She’s pretty booked up running retreats, so your best bet is booking for January which would be a rather magical time to do one.

✂️ One of our Creative Crones - Crone Kazza of Kettle of Fish ran my crown and lantern making workshop. She’s great to book for events and retreats too.

🫵🏽 Have you had or been to a Croning Ceremony? We’d love to hear your experiences! Please share below! 👇🏽

😲 Interested in running a Croning Ceremony for yourself or a friend?

• We’re working with Ann and Amanda to pull together a ‘Crone Crowning Toolkit’ for paid subscribers - leave a comment below if you want notifying when it’s ready!

• Crone Crowning and Croning Ceremony High Priestess / facilitator
  Amanda Zaninetti who created and led Ann’s and Andrea’s ceremonies is available for croning ceremonies and you can get her on 07939 830096. 

What is a Crone Crowning Ceremony and how to run one?

Crone Crowning Ceremonies- everything you wanted to know (but didn't dare ask).

Pic of Crone-in-Training Juzza at her Crone Crowning Ceremony by Laura Page Photography.

What is a Crone Crowning (or ‘Croning’ ceremony?)

A Crone Crowning ceremony is a ceremonial rite of passage that celebrates a positive transition into the ‘Crone’ stage of life - or as I like to call it, our ‘third act’. It reclaims the word ‘crone’ to mean ‘crown’ - a ritual that honours the wisdom and life experience of older women, where the crown symbolises a stepping into and owning our power as older women. 👊🏽

I first came across it a few years ago, my friend Juliann sent me a link to this blog about Crone Crowning. I was in a state of (what I now know to be) peri-menopausal angst at the time, but I noticed that even just reading about Crone Crowning, my fear started to shift...

Just the very idea of actively and proudly stepping into our ‘third act’ and celebrating change, rather than fearfully denying it, seemed like a much healthier response to the negativity of the menopause narrative.

So as I approached 50, I was determined to give Crone Crowning a go, gathered together a few pals who were free, and headed off to the stunning Bodlondeb retreat centre in North Wales.

Why have a Crone Crowning ceremony?

I wondered if an element of ritual would help me embrace the ageing process in a more positive way - perhaps reflect on behaviours and stories that no longer served me - but also plan the kind of crone I want to become, (as well as a flicking the bird to societal narratives around beauty and the perceived invisibility of older women!)

I wanted to honour the women who have had such an amazing impact on me and my life.

I also wanted an excuse to spend some quality time with a few wonderful women of all ages who I knew would get something out of the experience too.

I wanted to mark my 50th birthday in nature, in a spiritual place, with a bit more structure and thought to it, rather than just another piss up!

There is a magic that can happen when good women come together in a safe and beautiful space, and I had a feeling that kindling this sisterhood magic would be a positive experience for us all and be critical to a ‘green and juicy’ crone life going forward 💚

What happens in a Crone Crowning Ceremony?

There are typically four elements that make up a Crone Crowning Ceremony.

#1. Self-reflection.

“Crone Crowning often begins with deep self-reflection- a time for introspection, contemplation, and embracing the transformative power of the aging process. Women reflect on their life experiences, lessons learned, and the wisdom they have gained along the way.”

What we did…

We had various points over the two days for self-reflection. The first was some ‘pre-work’ sent out before the event, based on another suggestion from my pal Juliann.
“Tell the story of your community- who your community is now, how your community might have changed over time, and your relationship with the idea of community.”
We shared our stories over our first lunch together - ‘witches broth’ (nettle soup, kindly made by my wonderful fella Neil!) which we had outside overlooking the fields.

The main self-reflection was in the studio space, with handouts for self-reflection. These prompts got us thinking about what’s most important to us going into the next stage of our lives? What do we want to do/feel/be? What do we want to leave behind that no longer serves us?

#2. Mentorship and guidance.

“The Crone Crowning ceremony often involves the presence of other wise women who have already experienced this transition. They act as mentors, guiding the woman through the process, sharing their own stories, and providing support and encouragement.”

What we did

Sadly the last minute nature of the trip meant that most of my older crones weren’t able to make it (tip - build into your plans the fact that retired crones have more social commitments than crones-in-training!). However, Crone Legend Frankie stepped into the role of ‘high priestess’ to lead the actual crone crowning ceremony on Zoom.

Frankie kicked off our ceremony with the inspiring tale of ‘The Grannies Peace Project’ in 1933 after the horror of the first world war. A group of 20 welsh women collected 390,000 signatures from all over Wales. They took their petition to Washington to join a women’s peace project in the USA, delivered roles upon roles of paper in a beautifully made wooden chest. When unrolled, the petition would have taken up 7 miles.

1923-2023, ‘Hawlio Heddwch’: Welsh Women’s Peace Appeal Centenary Campaign

#3. Symbolic rituals.

“Various symbolic rituals are incorporated into the Crone Crowning ceremony. These rituals may include washing with water, anointing with oils, the passing of a ceremonial object or crown, the recitation of blessings or affirmations, and the sharing of stories and insights.”

What we did

For the water ritual, we had an early morning wild swim in the mist of Bala lake.

Then we had a Crone Crown Workshop and lamp making, facilitated by Crone Karen Kench of Kettle of Fish.

We created a shrine to the women from our own lives we wanted to honour. “Our mothers, their mothers, and all their mothers!!”

We walked into the ceremony to ‘Calon Lan’, a song we sang at my nain’s funeral, performed here by my midlife crone hero, Cerys Matthews.

Cerys Matthews Calon Lan - our crone crowning walking in track

We then had a reading from the crone bible - ‘Crones Don’t Whine’ by Dr Jean Shinoda Bolen. Here’s a short extract from it.

To be a crone is about inner development, not outer appearance. 

A crone is a woman who has wisdom, compassion, humour, courage and vitality. 

She has a sense of truly being herself, can express what she knows and feels, and take action when need be. 

She does not avert her eyes or numb her mind from reality. She can see the flaws and imperfections in herself and others, but the light in which she sees is not harsh or judgemental. 

She has learned to trust herself to know what she knows.

These crone qualities are not acquired overnight. One does not become a fully-fledged crone automatically following menopause, any more than growing older AND wiser go hand in hand. There are decades that follow menopause in which to grow psychologically and spiritually. 

It is in cultivating these qualities that the third phase of life becomes a culmination time for inner beauty and wisdom.

This may be a time to play and express affection, or a time for creativity or sensuality, or a time for mediation or therapy, or a time for family, or a time when family recedes, or a time to make a difference in the world.

Crones can make a difference. Your mentoring can support and make it possible for another to grow and blossom. You can be a healing influencer for good. You can have a ripple effect throughout generations to come or through institutions and communities. With vision and intention, and in numbers and influence, crones together can change the world.

If we acquire a crone’s eye view, then we will see ourselves and others from the perspective of soul rather than ego. Ageing well is a goal worth wanting.

The crone is a potential, much like an inherited talent, that needs to be recognised and practiced in order to develop. This wise presence in your psyche will grow, once you trust that there is a crone within and begin to listen. Then in the quiet of your own mind, pay attention to her perceptions and intuitions and act upon them. 

Dr Jean Shinoda Bolen , Crones Don’t Whine - concentrated wisdom for Juicy Women. 2003

We closed the ceremony by throwing away our written stories of the things we wanted to leave behind onto an open fire.

#4. Community celebration.

“Crone Crowning is often celebrated within a community, acknowledging the woman's transition and honoring her journey. This gathering allows for the collective recognition of the Crone's wisdom and the affirmation of her continued importance and relevance.”

What we did
We sang together! Our high priestess Frankie opened our ceremony on Zoom with her song 'Lily’ that celebrated the Grannies Peace Petition, followed by a rousing celebration of women coming together in activism, where we all joined in on the chorus: - HERE’S WHAT WE WOMEN MUST DO! Join in the sing-along below - I guarantee, you’ll feel the power 👊🏽

We also walked (and got lost) together.

We ate, drank, swam and danced together!

And we laughed…and laughed…

(And there is nowt quite like the sound of women of all ages laughing together is there).

What did I learn from our Crone Crowning ceremony?

• It confirmed my feeling that 50 for me was too young to be crowned an official crone. I’d love to have another at 60, and even 70 or 80 if I’m still lucky enough to be here.

• Give everyone a chance for a role that plays to their strength/passion and give them time to prepare for it (eg one person arranged the walk, another a yoga sesh etc).

• Have a really clear agenda, but don’t try to cram in too much. Plenty of nanan naps essential!

• If it’s your ceremony, you might find it less stressful to get someone else to lead it and facilitate it. (See below).

Crone Crowning facilitators

In the UK, contact me for prices for a Crone Crowning consultation and/or our Crone Crowning toolkit! hello@justjuzza.co.uk

Crown and lamp making workshops.

My creative pal Crone Karen Kench of Kettle of Fish ran our crown and lantern making workshop. She’s great to book for events and retreats too.

Crone Crowning venues for midlife rituals.

Bodlondeb studio and retreat in Corwen, North Wales was our wonderfully wild and witchy base for my Crone Crowning. Steph is a wonderful Crone-in-Training who has invested everything into creating this beautiful (and affordable) space for healing. Check out Steph’s next Healing Stress and Burnout retreat here, or contact her for venue hire information. Mention Crone Club to get a discount.

Crone Crowning gift ideas.

Crones Don’t Whine, by Dr Jean Shinoda Bolen and ‘The most expensive tea towel you will NEVER need’ by Justine Gaubert and Crone of Corwen, Lyn Hodnett - available from the Crone Club Shop.

Crone Crowning photography.

We were so lucky to have Laura Page with us - as a friend but also as our official photographer. Laura is passionate about creating a more positive narrative for ageing - check out her work here.

Crone Spoken Library 2022

What is a Crone Spoken Library?

(Please note, our methodology and format is very different from the Human Library methodology in Denmark and as such, we would like to stress that this is NOT an official humanlibrary.org event, though we love their work, and do hope to explore working with them in future!)

At our Crone Spoken Library, visitors (‘the readers’) challenged their perceptions of life after 50 for women in the UK. The readers chose a ‘book cover’ from the pop up library, then were paired up with the ‘real human’ whose lived experience inspired that book cover. They had 30 minutes to explore 1-2-1, through conversation, the unique lived-experience of female ageing.

👇🏽 Listen to the organiser, Justine Gaubert and Crone Book ‘Grandma Joan Williams’ talking to Paulette Edwards on BBC Radio Sheffield about the project, and the positive ageing movement.👇🏽

Justine Gaubert with Crone Book Joyce Williams.

What did participants say about the Crone Spoken Library?

Have a listen to this! 👇🏽 🥰

How does the Crone Spoken Library work?

Step 1. Browse the book titles and pick a book cover!

Readers (mostly younger women) pick a book cover that interests them. The book cover features a precis of an older woman’s ‘story’. Check out a few of our crone book covers below. 👇🏽

(All human books sourced and covers individually designed and written by Justine Gaubert).

Step 2. Meet the human book and listen to their story of positive ageing.

The ‘reader’ then gets paired up with the ‘real human’ behind the book title they have picked and they have 30 mins together to listen and talk. If both parties agree, the conversation is also recorded for the Crone Digital Library.

Step 3. After 30 minutes, return the book cover to the ‘library’ and select another cover.

And the process starts again.

The results!

Can you remember the last time 21 women in midlife and later life sat down to share their stories and experiences of getting older, with younger women 1-2-1? Holding the magical space for that to happen was incredible. Seeing the tears, the laughs, the spontaneous holding of hands and hugs…

Here’s just a few of the social media posts and emails we received…

More information about the Crone Spoken Library

Where did the idea come from?

The idea of a ‘Crone Spoken Library’ was conceived by Justine Gaubert and Juliann Hall, following the success of Juliann’s spoken library event at South Yorkshire Housing Association. 

Juliann had been inspired by the Danish storytelling tradition https://humanlibrary.org and The Living Library, and created her own version and format with South Yorkshire Housing Association’s Human Library.

In these traditions, a ‘book’ is a person that volunteers to represent a stigmatised group using their personal experiences to answer questions from ‘readers’.

Justine then further developed the idea of a ‘crone’ human library in partnership with Dr Lorna Warren and Dr Pam Mckinney of the University of Sheffield, as part of the 2022 ‘Festival of the Mind’.

Festival of the Mind is a biennial celebration of the University of Sheffield's world-class research, showcasing collaborative projects produced by academics from the University and artistic talent from Sheffield's creative industries.

What was the aim of our Crone Spoken Library?

The aim of our Crone Spoken Library event was to reduce stereotypes and prejudices around female ageing and menopause, providing a sacred space for listening, as women share positive stories of ageing with new generations.

Why was our Crone Spoken Library needed?

The narrative around getting older as a woman is still largely one driven by fear. And yet, a recent report by the Centre for Ageing Better revealed that women in their 70s feel most positively about their age, though these positive stories are not getting through to younger women and girls.

We wanted to do our bit to add to an alternative, more positive narrative and celebrate some of the positives that our ‘third act’ can offer.

Want to run a Crone Spoken Library or find out more?

Contact Justine Gaubert for more information. We’re currently developing a toolkit for other groups to licecne.

Or if you’d like to run an official Danish Human Library with a full range of - why not check out their website and apply through them?

How can you help?

We will be seeking funding from other places to run a version of the Crone Human/Spoken Library again - I’d love to take it tour to schools! If you are interested in being a ‘book’, or know someone who would make a great book, drop us line. 

We have many hours of audio from some of the stories collected at the event and would love to turn these into a Crone Digital Library. However, will need some funding for this, so do give me a shout if you can chuck some money in to get the digital library up and running!

Further reading

Now Then Interview with Justine about Crone Club and the Crone Human Library by Felicity Hoy.

University of Sheffield podcast with Dr Lorna Warren and Dr Pam McKinney and Justine Gaubert, recorded by Kits Bits for the Festival of the Mind.

Grandma Williams - Joyce William’s blog. 

Greenham Common stories - Greenham Women Everywhere.  

Miranda Plowden blog about libraries and Juliann Hall’s South Yorkshire Housing’s version of a human library. 

And finally, huge thanks to…

All our Crone Club volunteers and helpers, especially Juliann Hall, Joanne Mateer, Lisa Hough, Louise Smith, Julie Turner. WITHOUT YOU WE ARE NOTHING!!! 😘

All our incredible crone books. 

All our beautiful crone readers.

Our fabulous partners at Festival of the Mind and The University of Sheffield, Dr Lorna Warren and Dr Pam McKinney, and those who were helpful over the two days, especially Nigel Fisher and Kits Bits and the technical guy who stepped up to help last minute!