In Ancient Rome banquets were held in a triclinium where philosophy, literature and art were discussed along with intrigue and scandal. On my blog you can enjoy interviews, reviews, guests posts from historical novelists and art. And also history – both trivia and the serious stuff! And if you subscribe to my Monthly Inspiration and Giveaway newsletter, you’ll have the chance to win giveaways each month. So come and join my banquet!
Welcome to Triclinium Blog
Blog Articles
The History Girls: Labyrinths and initiations
My latest post on the History Girls delves into labyrinths and the secrets behind them. A millenia old construction that has been used for initiations and as a pathway to divine communion. Read more
History Girls: The Elusive Search for Dionysus
A common problem with authors who write novels set in pre-history is trying to deal with the ‘elasticity’ of sources from civilisations without extant written records. My latest post on History Girls is about my elusive search for the Etruscan Dionysus, and reaching across the ether to historians to help me.
A Research Odyssey by Lin Sten
I always enjoy meeting authors who are committed to authentically depicting their characters’ worlds and exploits. Lin Sten, a fellow ancient world afficionado, joins me today to explain some of the intricacies of his research for his Arion’s Odyssey tetralogy. Imagining Classical Greece Research for my tetralogy Arion’s Odyssey, set in Classical Greece, began haphazardly in my youth with my… read more
On Inspiration: Interview with Leah Kaminsky
My guest today is Leah Kaminsky, an Australian physician and award-winning writer. Leah’s debut novel The Waiting Room won the prestigious Voss Literary Prize (Vintage Australia 2015, Harper Perennial US 2016). We’re all Going to Die has been described as ‘a joyful book about death’ (Harper Collins, 2016). She edited Writer MD (Knopf US, starred on Booklist) and co-authored Cracking the Code (Vintage 2015). Stitching Things Together was a finalist in… read more
A Sweet and Bitter Time by GS Johnston
My guest today is Australian author, GS Johnston, author of The Skin of Water and The Cast of a Hand and Consumption, noted for their complex characters and well-researched settings. His new release is Sweet Bitter Cane, a beautifully rendered novel exploring an Italian woman’s hopeful emigration to an exotic but rigorous life in the Australian cane fields that leads to… read more
History Girls: The Secret Garden: Contraceptives in the Ancient World
My latest essay on the History Girls explores the natural remedies used in the ancient world for contraception including a garden fruit, and a mysterious plant from a distant land. The Secret Garden: Ancient World Contraception.
Older Articles
- Who were the Visigoths? by Charlotte Jardine
- On Inspiration: Interview with Judith Starkston
- History Girls: Neo-Classical Revivalism
- On Inspiration: Interview with Deborah Swift
- History Girls: Black on red; red on black-figure it out!
- On Inspiration: Interview with Rebecca Rosenberg
- I’ve joined The History Girls! Ancient World Glitter
- Stretching stories over 2,000 years by Alison Morton
