From Medieval Minds to Space Fairs: New Historical Writing on Substack
Society of History Writers Roundup | May 2025
Contents
Notices
New Additions to the SHW Directories in May 2025
My Top 5 Substack History Reads This Month
Featured in May 2025
Coming up in June 2025
Notices
Article Submissions Now Open for July-September
A core part of the publishing offering here at the Society of History Writers is sharing the writing of new and established history writers on Substack, both fiction and non-fiction. It’s a space to connect readers with writers, as well as showcase different styles and genres of historical writing.
Submissions are now open for July-September 2025 publication. You can find all the details of how to submit your piece to the SHW for consideration at this link HERE.
New additions to the SHW Directory | May 2025
How to add your newsletter to the Directory
The SHW Directories are another way to connect readers with writers. Divided by chronological period, they contain over 100 history newsletters, fiction and non-fiction, all published here on Substack. You can browse them all HERE and add your own at the link HERE.
Non-Fiction | Medieval History
by
. Debut historical fiction novelist with a focus in English medieval history and architecture. Sharing tidbits from the 13th and 14th century as I research and write. Mayhew featured recently in a joint SHW X writing event dedicated to the late historical fiction author CJ Sansom, which you can read more about HERE.Non-Fiction | Modern History
by
. Exploring the intersection of spaceflight history, pop culture, and space art. Dave featured recently as a guest writer on the Society of History Writers, sharing his reflections on the Space Park at the 1964-64 New York World’s Fair, which you can read more about HERE.Fiction
by
. My space to reflect on different ways to approach the past and what the past says to us now. You can find out more about Alison’s work at the links below:alisonmcmahan.com
aliceguyblache.com
homunculusprods.com
My Top 5 Substack History Reads This Month
shares her Book Lovers Chat, featuring recent fiction reads that she recommends to her readers. She explains her ⭐️star rating⭐️ criteria, with a goosebump-inducing explanation of what makes a book 5⭐️:asked her subscribers an interesting question relating to the discipline of history and our own responsibility towards future historians of the period we live in: are we recording accurate history for future generations?For me, a five star book has to cut through to the heart of me, they are books that I get lost in, that change me, books I can’t stop thinking about. I wait for that moment when reading a four star book - for it to just tick over into goosebump territory, and then I know, I have found a five star book. It is a feeling, so I wait for the feeling to arrive.
released her long-running serial ‘Hrothgar and Hryllingur’ as a chapbook, Bjarndýr and the Marsh Monster. She describes it as:As someone who has always had a very curious mind, and a love of exploring the past, I find that I am always asking myself a question. Am I recording history accurately for future generations? Because, probably like many who read this newsletter, I am often caught up examining the past, and recording my understanding of past events….But, what about my, and all of our, understanding of current events?
shared three history events that he’ll be taking part in across the summer. If you’re England-based, they will be a great opportunity to hear and discuss history! I’m aiming to visit the event at Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn’s family home, so do let me know if you’re planning to come. explored the life of Matilda, ‘the queen who never was’, in this fascinating article. She opens with the following description, connecting Matilda with one of the most iconic TV shows of our time:It is a retelling, by a character from Empire’s Legacy [a book previously written by Marian], Sorley, of part of what we know in our world as Beowulf. But Sorley’s world isn’t ours, so all the Christian references had to go, and I included a few conlanguage words, but they’re both defined and fairly easy to work out in context.
I mostly work on the later Middle Ages, usually Edward I onwards, but one of the characters that does interest me is Empress Matilda: the mother of the Plantagenet dynasty and a woman who should have been queen but was not, because…well… she was a woman. She was the direct inspiration in part for the character Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, known as ‘the Queen Who Never Was’, but mostly the inspiration for the series lead, Rhaenyra Targaryen and the war that ensued when she did not ascend the throne following the death of her father Viserys Targaryen. Even though he had named her heir.
Featured in May 2025
Coming up in June 2025
🖊️ 10th June 2025: A guest piece by
about John Work, ‘an influential Irishman involved in the early development of the Pacific Northwest through the Hudson’s Bay Company.’ He discusses Work’s ‘early life, time with the Company and involvement with indigenous peoples during that process.’'Ruairí Nolan is an independent Irish historian and author of the Irish history Substack Ireland and the Age of Revolutions which seeks to highlight Irelands role in a broader global context. He has previously been published in history magazines and websites.'
👩💼 16th June 2025: An interview with
, published author and historian of first-century Rome. Read her most recent piece ‘The Treasures of Vienna’, linked HERE, to get a flavour for her writing, and submit your questions for her HERE before 5th June 2025.🖊️ 24th June 2025: A guest piece by
exploring ‘The Mystic Roots of Gothic Architecture: How Greek Philosophy Inspired Medieval Builders.’‘Once an architect and developer, now a "philosophical historian." I use history to explore culture, art, religion, and the forces shaping societies. Current projects include a book on Gothic architecture, and exploring media’s role in history.’
Thanks for including me, Holly!
Thanks for the mention!