Typesetting Feminism: Virago Press

The history and impact of the feminist imprint

An evening of discussion and film on the eve of International Women's Day with Carmen Callil, Lennie Goodings and Claire Whalley. In 1973, inspired by the radical feminist magazine Spare Rib, 30-year-old publicist Carmen Callil shook the foundations of the publishing world by setting up her own women’s publishing house, aiming to make a revolutionary change by giving women a voice, by giving them back their history and reclaiming women’s literature. Carmen Callil, founder of Virago Press, discusses Virago's journey with its current publisher, Lennie Goodings, and Claire Whalley, Managing Director of What Larks Productions, who recently made Virago: Changing The World One Page At A Time, a documentary film charting this history. Extracts from the film will also be screened as part of the event.

This event celebrates the British Library’s recent acquisition of the Carmen Callil Archive, which joins the previously held Virago Archive.