Mississippi to Cambridge – Marie Battle Singer

A bit late in the day (my fault) but someone out there may still be interested. This site, during my more industrious phases, has made much mention of bad boy ‘fifties poet and marine biologist James Burns Singer, with passing mention of his wife, the remarkable Marie Battle Singer – ‘Britain’s first black psychoanalyst’.

On Wednesday 10th, from 6 to 7 pm, Profs Jane Rhodes and Lynn Hudson, authors of a biography in progress of Marie Singer, will be talking about her in an online webinar hosted by Wolfson College. ‘Despite her significant achievements, the lingering trauma of racial hatred and discrimination shaped every aspect of her personal and professional life …’

This should be of real interest, and I shall definitely be there. The talk requires booking, which can be done here. (Use the link at the end where it says ‘Website’ in bold.)

My thanks to Christine Tipple for alerting me to this event.

To read on this blog about Burns Singer (James Hyman Singer, Jimmy Singer), head for the two page tabs up above reading ‘The Transparent Prisoner’, and/or access various posts about him via the ‘Burns Singer’ tag from the cloud of tags on the right. The most recent of these concerns a hunt for the Burns Singer plaque and memorial birdbath placed by Marie Battle Singer in Jimmy’s memory in the churchyard of Little St Mary’s, Cambridge.

The next most recent includes a recollection by Cedra Osborne of Singer coming close to punching out painter Robert MacBryde for insensitively playing ‘Swanee River’ on the piano in Marie’s presence. Lingering trauma, indeed. Why, it could almost be happening today …