Close Reader: An interview with Victoria of Beyond Bloomsbury
On loving the research process, reading with your cat, and wise words from Virginia Woolf
Today’s interview is with Victoria Walker, the brilliant mind behind the literary biography series on Substack, which features beautiful essays about the lives of writers from Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville West to Agatha Christie and E.M. Forster — among many others.
“Reading and writing are two halves of the same coin to me. I became a writer because I was a reader first. I fell in love with reading from an early age, and it taught me how to write. And it’s an ongoing lesson.”
— Victoria Walker
After you read today’s interview, go check out Victoria’s incredible body of work over at Beyond Bloomsbury.
Let’s start with an introduction! What’s your name and where are you currently living? Tell us a bit about you.
Hello Haley, thank you for inviting me to interview for Close Readers! My name is Victoria, and I’m currently living in a Lancashire village in the north of England, just on the border with Yorkshire.
My housemate is my nineteen-year-old cat, Poppy. Her litter sister, Gypsy, sadly passed away recently. Although where I live is small, we’re situated just half an hour from Manchester in one direction and half an hour from the bohemian market town of Hebden Bridge in the other - and there is always plenty going on. I also love Yorkshire and Devon. I’ve spent a lot of time in both and plan to spend an extended (perhaps permanent) period in Devon later this year.
What are you reading right now?
I usually have a few books on the go simultaneously - fiction and non-fiction. But, since the launch of Beyond Bloomsbury, I’m often behind with my fiction. I’m still catching up with my Christmas reading: A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writing by Charles Dickens and Stories for Winter, a collection of short stories by writers including Katherine Mansfield, Shirley Jackson, Sylvia Townsend Warner and Edith Wharton.
Before Christmas, I began re-reading Helene Hanff’ss 84 Charing Cross Road and the Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne.
I also have a selection of non-fiction books that are always on my desk, including diaries, journals and letter collections by the Bloomsbury Group and their contemporaries: The Diary of Virginia Woolf Volume I-V, The Letters of Vita Sackville-West to Virginia Woolf, Selected Letters of Vanessa Bell, The Letters of Virginia Woolf and The Essays of Virginia Woolf, to name a few.
What are some of your favorite books or genres?
My Substack newsletter is Beyond Bloomsbury — an ongoing collection of short biographies of artists and writers from around 1901 to 1949, and this is the period in art and literary history that I am most passionate about. I love Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster, Daphne du Maurier, Sylvia Townsend Warner, and Katherine Mansfield, for jnstance. I also became hooked on Agatha Christie and her Golden Age of crime contemporaries when I was young. Pre-Bloomsbury, I love a gothic classic and the Bröntes — my neighbours — are particular favourites.
What is your reading method? Tell us about your reading routine, habits, quirks, anything you'd like to share.
When it comes to reading for pleasure (reading something not directly connected to either Beyond Bloomsbury or doctoral research), I don't have a method per se. But, after breakfast and before I start work, I like to sit in a comfy chair with my first coffee and a book and read for about an hour, usually with Poppy on my knee - not a bad way to start the day.
Other than that, I snatch moments when I can and always take a couple of books with me if I leave the house. I also do a lot of research-related reading throughout a typical working day.
Do you prefer to read hardbacks, paperbacks, or digital copies? Why?
Either paperbacks or hardbacks. Both have their qualities. I don’t read digital books. I love the physicality of books, the smell and the cover art. Looking at the books on my bookcase, I see thousands of worlds waiting to be explored or re-explored. Books, photographs, and cut flowers maketh a room!
What’s your annotation process like, while you read? Do you write in your books? Why or why not?
If reading for Beyond Bloomsbury or PhD research, I use small coloured Post-its and coloured pencilled annotations in the margins before transferring to a notebook and/or computer folder.
I don’t tend to take notes for non-work-related reading unless anything particularly moves me, and I will mark it for later. And, of course, if it’s a library book, just Post-its, although I love reading annotations that previous readers have made in books.
What does close reading mean to you? Do you consider yourself a close reader?
I will closely read when undertaking research for my PhD and Beyond Bloomsbury and think of it as a mode of analysis. But, if I'm reading for pleasure, it isn't something I will usually do initially, as it takes me away from the pure joy of the story. However, I will sometimes undertake a second 'close' reading of a book I want to interpret further.
Looking at the books on my bookcase, I see thousands of worlds waiting to be explored or re-explored.
What is your current writing project?
Besides my Substack newsletter, where I write regular historical artist and writer biographies, I’m also in the research phase of a PhD. Initially, my research concentrated on colour symbolism in the fiction of Virginia Woolf and the paintings of her sister, Vanessa Bell. However, since the launch and success of Beyond Bloomsbury, my research interests are moving in a much more biographical direction.
Describe your writing process. Where do you start? How do you get focused?
Regarding my Substack, it's approximately 70% research and 30% writing. I LOVE research; it's my favourite part of the whole process. It starts weeks or months ahead with a computer folder, a notebook and a rough outline.
I then start reading anything relevant to the artists or writers, undertake image research, assemble working titles, and develop the outline further.
Once the writing process starts, I'm fortunate enough to have a dedicated desk, usually piled high with books, printed articles and notebooks. I drink coffee while I work, with a bottle of water for hydration. I generally have some classical music set at a low volume — motivating but not distracting.
Describe your revision/editing process. What’s that like? Do you self-edit? Reach out to friends?
I self-edit Beyond Bloomsbury. I'm a private person, particularly about my work, and the first time a biography is read by anybody else is after I've hit publish. I edit and revise as I write, but I also like to print out paper copies — old-school — and sit in a comfy chair with a coffee and a couple of marker pens. When I'm happy with it, I'll type it up onto Substack, add the relevant images, and then send myself a preview via the Substack app for a final read-through.
What is the relationship between reading and writing, to you? Where are the overlaps? Where are the important distinctions?
Reading and writing are two halves of the same coin to me. I became a writer because I was a reader first. I fell in love with reading from an early age, and it taught me how to write. And it’s an ongoing lesson.
What’s your current coffee or tea order?
I love both tea and coffee! At home, I start with tea in the morning but always drink coffee while I'm working. I've been planning to cut down, but I have recently moved on to decaf, so it's a step in the right direction. It can be a hot chocolate, coffee, tea or a cold drink when I'm out.
Anything else you’d like to share about writing, reading, or annotating?
“The only advice ... that one person can give another about reading is to take no advice, to follow your own instincts, to use your own reason, to come to your own conclusions.”
— Virginia Woolf
“So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.”
— Virginia Woolf
Lastly, for those who want to get to know you better, where can they find your work? Share your @ for anyone who wants to follow along!
You can find me here on Substack!
I also post paintings, historical artist and writer photographs, diary entries, literary quotes, important dates, etc, on Instagram @beyondbloomsbury, Threads, Twitter and Pinterest (direct links to all are also available on the Beyond Bloomsbury cover page).
Thank you so much for letting us get to know the amazing writer behind one of my favorite newsletters, Victoria!
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I feel like Victoria is my spiritual sister from reading this lovely interview! 💕
Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of your wonderful interview series, Haley. I really enjoyed answering your thought-provoking questions! :)