Julie Phillips – författare

What does it mean to create, not in “a room of one’s own” but in a domestic space? Do children and genius rule each other out? In The Baby on the Fire Escape, award-winning biographer Julie Phillips traverses the shifting terrain where motherhood and creativity converge.With fierce empathy and vivid prose, Phillips evokes the intimate struggles of brilliant artists and writers, including Doris Lessing, who had to choose between her motherhood and herself; Ursula K. Le Guin, who found productive stability in family life; Audre Lorde, whose queer, polyamorous union allowed her to raise children on her own terms and Alice Neel, who once, to finish a painting, was said to have left her baby on the fire escape of her New York apartment. A meditation on maternal identity and artistic greatness, The Baby on the Fire Escape illuminates some of the most pressing conflicts in contemporary women’s lives.

What does it mean to create, not in “a room of one’s own” but in a domestic space? Do children and genius rule each other out? In The Baby on the Fire Escape, award-winning biographer Julie Phillips traverses the shifting terrain where motherhood and creativity converge.With fierce empathy and vivid prose, Phillips evokes the intimate struggles of brilliant artists and writers, including Doris Lessing, who had to choose between her motherhood and herself; Ursula K. Le Guin, who found productive stability in family life; Audre Lorde, whose queer, polyamorous union allowed her to raise children on her own terms and Alice Neel, who once, to finish a painting, was said to have left her baby on the fire escape of her New York apartment. A meditation on maternal identity and artistic greatness, The Baby on the Fire Escape illuminates some of the most pressing conflicts in contemporary women’s lives.

Barely 17 years after the Great War that had brought Britain to its knees, the country was once again asked to make sacrifices and give their all to the war effort. With its strong industrial background, Birmingham was already geared to help manufacture the vehicles that could be adapted for war use, and with the threat of the German Luftwaffe screaming across the skies, it was only right that the production of planes, most notably the spitfire, was ramped up to help protect the British public.While many of its men and women were involved in the forces abroad, many more stayed behind to defend the city, with inhabitants risking their lives by taking up fire hoses, first aid kits, manning anti-aircraft guns and positioning barrage balloons in order to save others from the devastating destruction of the Blitz. Meanwhile, the city's children were separated from their families to escape the worst of the bombing and would return from their adventures changed: not all host evacuee families were as kind or as welcoming to their charges as it would appear.Yet not everyone was so patriotic and keen to do their bit, and the opportunity for crime and to fiddle the rations with black market goods was rife. Not even Government issue equipment was off limits, as one Birmingham gang of sandbag thieves demonstrated.For Birmingham, the Second World War was a time of great hardship and sacrifice and the hard work continued for many years after, as its people painstakingly rebuilt parts of the bomb-damaged city.

Wars affect everyone. Whether they are fought on the battlefields or on the home front, by the armed forces or civilians, sacrifices have to be made, and everyone suffers one way or another. This book gives a flavour of what it was like to live in Ludlow through the Great War years. Ludlow was proud to send its brothers, husbands, uncles and fathers to fight for King and Country, many of whom had never been far from home before, some who came from decorated service backgrounds for whom the armed services was in their blood. Rich or poor, farm worker, office manager or son of a wealthy estate owner, they all united to defend their town and protect British values and way of life. Life continued as usual for many of those on the home front despite, amongst other things, the introduction of DORA, rationing and the loss of the labour force from the farms. Ludlow was already generous in its giving to the poor but this was taken to a whole new level with the introduction of many national and local war charities. They knitted, sewed, auctioned and sung their way through the war – even a patriotic donkey called Willie and a pig did their bit by being auctioned several times to raise money for the war effort.This show of patriotism and stoicism was made against the backdrop of a bloody and heinous war that went on far longer than anticipated. The constant threat of receiving the dreaded telegram indicating their loved one’s fate was never far from the minds of Ludlow's civilians, yet the people of Ludlow kept the home fires burning brightly.

Wars affect everyone. Whether they are fought on the battlefields or on the home front, by the armed forces or civilians, sacrifices have to be made, and everyone suffers one way or another. This book gives a flavour of what it was like to live in Newport and the surrounding area during the Great War years. Newport was proud to send its brothers, husbands, uncles and fathers to fight for King and Country, many of whom had never been far from home before, some who came from decorated service backgrounds for whom the armed services was in their blood. Rich or poor, farm worker, office manager or son of a wealthy estate owner, they all united to defend their town and protect British values and way of life. Life continued as usual for many of those on the home front, despite, amongst other things, the introduction of DORA, rationing and the loss of the labour force from the farms. Newport was already generous in its giving to the poor but this was taken to a whole new level with the introduction of many national and local war charities. They knitted, sewed, auctioned and sung their way through the war – one Newport women even drove the first tractor in Shropshire, playing no small part in the war effort.This show of patriotism and stoicism was made against the backdrop of a bloody and heinous war that went on far longer than anticipated. The constant threat of receiving the dreaded telegram indicating their loved one’s fate was never far from the minds of Newport's civilians, yet the people of Newport kept the home fires burning brightly.

In February 1874, Jack Gowlland RN, newly promoted to the rank of Commander, and his sister Celia left England to travel across the Continent to Brindisi. From there they sailed via the newly opened Suez Canal to Australia. Celia never returned to England. Jack drowned surveying Sydney Harbour within months of his return to his post as head of the New South Wales Hydrographical Survey, and Celia married one of his closest friends within a year.Spanning twelve years, the letters to Celia - Birdie - that form this volume are from Celia's favourite brother, Richard, and his wife Jessie. They tell not only of family life in Victorian England - the vicissitudes of child bearing, unwelcome guests, making ends meet on a meagre income - but also bring to life some of the broader social changes taking place during the period. By 1874 Richard, an outstanding Civil Servant who rose to be deputy head of his department before his early death, was working in the Office of Public Building and Works. His articulate and engaging letters paint a vivid picture of his courtship and marriage to Jessie, and the birth and childhood of their six children, and refer also to his work, where he was involved with the planning of some of London's Victorian landmarks.

In this extremely practical guide, Julie Phillips argues that preparation is the most important element in running successful groups, and explores the issues that practitioners should address. She demonstrates how to prepare effectively, drawing on eight extended case studies with a variety of groups ranging from a positive parenting group to an anger management group. She examines the initial decisions that must be made such as determining the size, purpose and goals of a group, and finding an appropriate meeting place. Anti-discriminatory practice, with an emphasis on power, race and gender issues, is highlighted as a fundamental consideration in planning a group. Phillips underpins her recommendations for practice with the theories behind groupwork and includes frameworks for analysing the effectiveness of group programmes. Groupwork in Social Care will be essential reading for students and qualified professionals working in the fields of occupational therapy, youth work, social work, probation and community mental health nursing.

In this extremely practical guide, Julie Phillips argues that preparation is the most important element in running successful groups, and explores the issues that practitioners should address. She demonstrates how to prepare effectively, drawing on eight extended case studies with a variety of groups ranging from a positive parenting group to an anger management group. She examines the initial decisions that must be made such as determining the size, purpose and goals of a group, and finding an appropriate meeting place. Anti-discriminatory practice, with an emphasis on power, race and gender issues, is highlighted as a fundamental consideration in planning a group. Phillips underpins her recommendations for practice with the theories behind groupwork and includes frameworks for analysing the effectiveness of group programmes. Groupwork in Social Care will be essential reading for students and qualified professionals working in the fields of occupational therapy, youth work, social work, probation and community mental health nursing.