The 'Last Taboo of Motherhood’ audio plays are now available online

The artistic collaboration explores how women, their families, ‘experts’, and the wider community tell stories about motherhood and mental distress. The three audio-pieces produced from this exciting collaboration between historians and artists have been informed by a variety of historical sources, including first hand testimonies - oral histories and written narratives - from women who have experienced postnatal mental illness.

Written by Bryony Kimmings, Courtney Conrad and Sara Shaarawi, these pieces probe vital questions about women’s experiences of mental illness and the pervasive culture of silence that has existed around maternal mental health. It provokes reflections into how history might prompt new insights into our responses to postnatal mental illness today.

There are several ways to listen to the audios:

The audio plays discuss distressing subjects, including postnatal mental illness, infanticide and death and we recommend that they are suitable for ages 16+.

• You can access them directly on our websiteLink opens in a new window
• You can access them on Fuel Digital Link opens in a new window(You can listen free of charge, but need to register on the Fuel Digital website and purchase the audios for ‘0’ charge.)
• You can listen on SpotifyLink opens in a new window
• For more details of the audio tour and audience feedback click hereLink opens in a new window

The Last Taboo of Motherhood is a series of three individual audio plays illuminating an area of women’s health which has been historically overlooked: postnatal mental illness. The project draws on research by Dr Kelly Couzens, Dr Fabiola Creed and Professor Hilary Marland, and is informed by a variety of historical sources, including first hand testimonies from and by women in twentieth-century Britain. These pieces probe vital questions about women’s experiences and the pervasive culture of silence around maternal mental health.