The Art of Being Dangerous

Delighted to have a short story in this anthology of feminist visual and literary art.

Not My Type was first written for the Dangerous Women Project run by the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at Edinburgh University.

It takes as its inspiration a phrenology head that lives in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

This cast – made from life in the 19th century – gives no indication of the original model’s name. Instead it was labelled, Extreme Cunning, in contrast to the phrenology heads depicting murderers or famous men which do retain the identity of the real person behind the mask.

My story explores what might happen if the head begins to speak. And what other women who are depicted in the Portrait Gallery might have to say, too, if they were given centre stage.

The story now achieves a new life in The Art of Being Dangerous – a collection of short literary and visual pieces exploring women and danger through creative expression. It is produced by Leuven Press.