2026 Schedule

IMPORTANT NOTES

These event schedules detail the programs across both days of the 2026 Summit. Some sessions may have additional resources available to review prior to the Summit events, which you can find linked under each session description.

As usual, these are global events with contributors that may come from 12 time zones. Though we aim to schedule these sessions during an optimal window of time for most time zones, it is possible that they may seem very early or very late depending on your location.

Binders’ Volumes and the Culture of Music Collecting: Understanding Anne Lister’s Music Books

With Rachel Cowgill and Jeanice Brooks

We know Anne Lister through words, but she was also a musician and keen appraiser of the musical talents of her contemporaries. On display at Shibden are two bound volumes (binders’ volumes) containing printed music she collected, played and received as gifts from friends and lovers. Kept behind glass they are difficult to explore, but new examination of their structure and contents sheds light on Anne’s musical tastes and interactions, while encouraging a rethink of their biographical context.

O books! Books!: New Writing on Anne Lister & Ann Walker

With Rachel Terry, Diane Halford, Leila Straub, Dorjana Sirola, Lucia Falzari, Francesca Raia, and Irene Trotta

Facilitated by Janneke van der Weijden

Three new books are bringing fresh perspectives on the lives of Anne Lister and Ann Walker: Searching for Ann Walker, Going to Italy, and a new edition of Calderdale Museum’s guidebook Anne Lister of Shibden Hall. In this roundtable facilitated by Janneke van der Weijden, the authors discuss how each book came to be, including the research and editorial decisions behind it, what they chose to include and why. Join us for this behind-the-scenes look at turning research into print, followed by audience Q&A. 

Queer Pilgrimage Practices in Pursuit of Anne Lister 

With Sarah Wingrove

For Anne Lister (1791-1840), travelling beyond her home in Halifax was paramount.

For Anne Lister enthusiasts in the twenty-first century, travelling to the places she adventured to is just as significant. 

This session examines the connections across time and space between Lister and contemporary Lister enthusiasts who are invested in her history, identifying key queer travel motivations and community behaviours expressed in interviews conducted by Dr Sarah Wingrove, and their significance. 

The Scandalous Miss Threlfall: How she conned Miss Pickford and profited from slavery

With Anna Clark

Facilitated by Steph Gallaway

Miss Threlfall swindled her lover Miss Pickford (Anne Lister’s friend) out of thousands to fund her West Indies plantations. She violated the 1807 abolition of the slave trade by moving her own enslaved people from Tortola to St. John’s (a Danish island), falsely claiming facilitating family reunions. However, her slaves testified that she was a harsh mistress. This case illustrates how elite women weaponized the language of maternal care and philanthropy to justify brutal colonial exploitation.

Langton in the Making: A Filmmaker Q&A

With Jennifer van Gessel

Facilitated by Sarah Wingrove

Join us for a live Q&A with Jennifer van Gessel, screenwriter of Langton; a gothic feature film in development about Anne Lister, backed by Screen Australia. Drawing on Lister's journals, the film centers on her time at Langton Hall and her relationship with the other women residing there. Come hear about the research, the writing process, and what's ahead for the project, and bring your own questions for the live audience Q&A!

Lister Mad Libs

With Steph Gallaway

Join us for Lister Mad Libs, a lighthearted way to have fun with other attendees! Split into small teams, pick a team name, and fill in the blanks of a mock Anne Lister diary entry using only word-type prompts. Once time's up, we'll reconvene to hear each team's completed entry read aloud (best dramatic ‘dear diary’ voice encouraged). No prep needed, just your best (and silliest) ideas.

My mind encrypted: A look at Anne Lister's secret codes

With Marlene Oliveira

One-sixth of Anne Lister's famous journals were written in a secret code. Her relationships with women, candid opinions, gossip, and notes on bodily functions all received this treatment and were encrypted using a cypher she called her ‘crypthand’. But was this Lister's only secret code? How was it built and cracked? And were her contemporaries equally concerned with secrecy? 

Join Marlene to explore Lister's cryptography, examine the codes, and hear about the people who cracked her crypthand.

Anne Underground: Documented visits to caves and mines

With Stephanie Sobczak

This session explores Anne Lister’s visits to underground sites, whether natural geologic formations, excavations, or mines. Few women of her era dared venture into these spaces, but Anne’s forays below ground were driven by an interest in Geology as a science, and later by the mechanics of coal mining. We’ll explore the importance of these sites to Lister, if not documented in her words. We’ll also cover accessibility of these sites, should anyone seeking to walk in her footsteps want to visit.

Anything anatomical always amuses and interests me

With Susanne Piotrowski

Anne Lister could have learnt anatomy from books, just as she had done with the other natural sciences. But she had to take the scalpel in her own hands to learn ‘from the cadavre’. She kept her activities secret. Did she? There are sources in the archive that reveal the part of her lessons with Monsieur Julliard that involved dissection. And only Paris offered her the opportunity to learn anatomy in this way.