She Called it Channelling

At last night's salon, we got to talking about female artists who quietly fueled their husbands' genius — and this morning I fell so far down a rabbit hole I barely made it out in time for dinner.

Let me tell you a story.

It's October 1917. Georgie Hyde-Lees (25) has just married W.B. Yeats (52) who is - embarrassingly - still pining for another woman. In fact, two other women. He'd proposed to Maud Gonne (his great obsession) and she rejected him. Then he immediately proposed to Maud's daughter Iseult (eww) who also rejected him. And then finally, in fit of romantic desperation, he marries Georgie. But on their honeymoon, in a Sussex forest hotel, he is still freaking out, brooding and writing letters to Iseult. Georgie can see exactly what's happening and decides to do something about it.

I mean, the guy had a type. Left, Maud Gonne - Right, Georgie and W.B. Yeats. Not shown: Iseult Gonne, Maud’s daughter (eww).

So, what does Georgie do?

Four days into this honeymoon from hell, she picks up a pencil and begins to write automatically - meaning, she began channelling spirits and dictating what they told her. (It was a thing back then. Georgie’s good friend - who was the wife of Arthur Conan Doyle - also had this talent.)

Georgie’s idea was to fake a sentence or two that would get her husband to calm down and be a decent human being. The first message went something like "What you have done is right for both the cat and the hare" - the cat being Georgie, the hare being Iseult. Yeats was immediately captivated and evidently soothed by this wisdom.

Georgie later told a friend that she had planned to own up to her little ruse, but it had worked so well that she decided ah well, what’s the harm? ... (New York Review of Books)

Ashdown Forest Hotel, wherein the honeymoon suite, Georgie begins automatic writing / saving her marriage.

Couples counselling + metaphors for poetry

In their first three years together, the couple averaged three automatic writing sessions a week, creating 4,000 pages of material. The spirits - who had names like Thomas of Dorlowicz, Ameritus, Leaf, and Apple - handed over poetry and story ideas. But they were also quite practical! They suggested Yeats switch to a healthier diet, hinted when Georgie was ovulating so the couple could have a baby and even offered helpful suggestions on how Yeats could make sex more enjoyable for Georgie. (How much do you love this woman?)

Eventually the writing became speaking. Georgie would sink into a half-sleep (the hypnagogic state) and the spirits would speak: different ones at different times. And all of it became the raw material for A Vision, Yeats's great mystical work. When the spirits were asked what their purpose was, they said: "We have come to give you metaphors for poetry."

Yeats family portrait

Was she faking it? 

Almost certainly she started out performing, but scholars think she fairly quickly entered into something she couldn't entirely explain herself. As time passed, the script became more legible, structured, and comprehensible, and this has caused many critics to wonder just how "automatic" the script really was. The answer seems to be: both. She was a highly intelligent woman working at the edge of her own unconscious, in genuine collaboration with her husband.

Notes from Georgie’s spirit guides.

In the end…

Georgie outlived Yeats by 30 years. After his death, she took up A Vision and edited it for immediate republication - correcting, shaping, controlling the legacy. She spent the rest of her life deciding who got access to his papers and who didn't. She bequeathed W.B. Yeats's manuscripts and papers to the Irish nation.

“Portrait of George Yeats” painted by William Rothenstein (1918)

What do I think?

I think this is a story about a woman who gave her creative gifts to a man and called it channelling. Whether she believed it or not, she clearly had extraordinary imaginative and intuitive powers - and the only way she could express them, in that marriage, in that era, was as a medium. The spirits were her.

Or at least, of her.

Women's Prize Nonfiction Longlist 2026: Three Books I'm Watching

I love the Women's Prize. I attend their summer events, I've been a patron, and I try to read the shortlists for both fiction and nonfiction.

They just announced their Longlist for Nonfiction, which is a relatively new category for them. I’ve got my eye on these three :

• The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet - if you don’t know her by name, you’d know her voice and face. Along with Christiane Amanpour, Doucet is one of the world's most prominent and respected international correspondents. I met her at a party once and we discussed cheese.

• Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick - another book from another foreign correspondent. It’s almost like we need independent journalism to shed light on stories around the world. Who would’ve thought?

• Indignity by Lea Ypi - I enjoyed Ypi’s first book, Free (a memoir of coming of age amid political upheaval in Albania), so I’m willing to give her second book a try.

You can find the entire longlist - and learn more about the Women’s Prize - here.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Despite the Reece's Book Club buzz, I found this to be just meh.

I picked it up because it’s described as having the pace of a thriller and the emotional depth of a romance…. But I think the thriller description is a bit of a stretch. The plot/pacing doesn’t really pick up until the last 1/4 of the book. 

And as far as the emotional depth of the romance? I didn’t really connect with the main character and found her husband to be one-dimensional.

But hey! Over 200K people have given it 5 stars! So you might love it. You do you. 

The Book of Alchemy by Saleika Jaouad

A thoughtful, inviting book for anyone who journals—or wants to, but doesn’t know where to start.

Organized around themes like fear, love, and memory, it gathers short, honest reflections from over 100 voices, reminding us we don’t have to be “real writers” to write.

The essays are the real gift here—thought-provoking and grounding—while the prompts are there if you want them (and easy to skip if you don’t).

If you’re a writer or artist - you’ll love this book!

“Letting my hand catch up with my intuition has yielded some of the most unexpected insights.”

— Suleika Jaouad

The Artist

My 3-line (ish) book review:

A quiet, atmospheric novel set in 1920s Provence, exploring the cost of creativity and the pursuit of art.

It's a slow-burn kind of read: cinematic and slightly ominous.

Did I like it? hmm… I appreciated it. It was well written and evocative of time and place. It’s objectively a good book - but I think I was in the mood for something more escapist. This book is almost claustrophobic in its depiction of living in that house.

Everything is Tuberculosis

My 3-line book review:

A beautiful, accessible blend of personal story, social history and medical ethics. 

If you enjoyed The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, this book is right up your alley!

Here’s hoping John Green’s work will shine a light on a disease that could be eradicated - if we collectively decided to make it so. 

My Favourite Books of 2025

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Of all the books I read about India, this one was my favourite! Set in 1970s India, four people from vastly different backgrounds find their lives intersecting in a city dominated by political violence and poverty. I loved how the book slowly reveals an interconnected social web, turning an unfamiliar history into a story that was intimate, fragile, and deeply human. If you enjoy historical fiction—or are interested in India—you should absolutely read this!

The Silence in Between by Josie Ferguson

Spanning WWII Germany and Cold War Berlin, this novel follows a mother and daughter whose lives are divided by war, music, and eventually the Berlin Wall. I’m a sucker for dual-timeline historical fiction, and this book takes the genre to a whole new level. Gorgeous writing - and the musical elements are to die for.  If you read a lot of WW2 fiction and/or love novels about resilient women - this book is for you. I’m jealous you get to read it for the first time. 

Heart the Lover by Lily King

Set between an unnamed New England university and Paris, France - the story follows an American woman whose intense love affair fractures her sense of self, ambition, and emotional stability. I love reading about the lives of writers—the pretension! The anxiety! The crushing disappointment! Throw in a steamy love affair and Paris and I’m in. Read this if you liked Writers & Lovers by the same author. (I liked this one better.)

James by Percival Everett

This is a brilliant retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of enslaved Jim. This novel is outstanding. The first 10% of the book is fine - it establishes us in place/time. But then at about 12% into the book we learn something that reframes everything else that follows. It’s so good. Maybe you’re worried you don’t remember enough of Huckleberry Finn to truly appreciate this book? No need to re-read the whole thing. Ask ChatGPT for a summary and dive into James.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Told entirely through letters, the novel follows an elderly woman in New England whose long life is revealed through decades of correspondence with friends, lovers, and strangers. This was utterly delightful to read! When I finished, I immediately began looking for other epistolary novels to read. Looking for a fast, sweet book? This is it.

The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier

Spanning hundreds of years in Venice, the novel centers on a glassmaking family struggling to preserve their art as the world around them changes. I loved the strong female characters (of course) and the way the author plays with time. It’s quite a long novel, so I got the kindle and audible version so I could go back and forth. This helped so much, because the Italian accent on the audio version is beautiful and it makes the story that much more immersive. Read it if you love sweeping historical novels. Did you read The Girl with The Pearl Earring? It’s the same author. 

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Set in the sweaty, lawless kitchens of New York restaurants, the memoir traces Bourdain’s life as a young cook fueled by ambition, addiction, and adrenaline. I’m late to Anthony Bourdain and how sad for me! Because WOW what a voice. He narrates the audible version and it feels like he’s talking directly to you while drinking a beer.  A must-read if you’re a foodie—or if you just love a great, unapologetic voice.

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Some books for daily inspiration.

And a Few Daily Readers…

I really got into daily readers this year - books you can read in short, satisfying chunks, without needing deep immersion or long stretches of focus. Here are the three that still live on my desk:

A Book of Days by Patti Smith

A brilliantly idiosyncratic visual book of days. If you loved Just Kids - this feels like a companion piece.

How to Live an Artful Life by Katy Hessel

Artistic inspiration for everyday of the year. If you loved The Story of Art Without Men — or if you’re an artist of any stripe - you’ll love this. 

Life is Meals by James Salter and Kay Salter

I keep coming back to this book, even though the title rubs me the wrong way.  It’s beautifully illustrated and tidy - a little nugget of food knowledge for every day of the year. 

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xo, L

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