About Me

Dr Sara Read FRHistS, FHEA

I’m a literary historian specialising in the cultural representations of the reproductive body in the early modern period – mainly the seventeenth century – and a novelist. My debut novel, The Gossips’ Choice was published in spring 2020, and its sequel The Midwife’s Truth came out in March 2023.

the cover of The Gossips' Choice

I also publish popular histories mainly connected with early modern England. Maids, Wives, Widows: Exploring Early Modern Women’s Lives, 1540-1740 came out in 2015, with Maladies and Medicines: Exploring Health and Healing in Early Modern England following in 2017. I have published articles for Discover Your Ancestors, History Today, Staffordshire Life, Who Do You Think You Are?, and Your Family History and others both in the UK and overseas.

I’m a senior lecturer in English at Loughborough University, in the Midlands. You can read abut my academic research here. At Loughborough, I teach at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. If you have an idea for a PhD topic in a field related to mine, do get in touch!

I also a contributing editor at the blog Early Modern Medicine alongside founding editor Dr Jennifer Evans. Our book from the blog was published in 2017.

I am also serve on the committee of the Women’s Studies Group, 1558-1837, where I collate and distribute the monthly newsletter to members.