Since graduating with an English Literature degree in 2014, Shirley Halse has been searching for her dream job of: Emergency Poetry Analyst. She has slowly come to realise most – or, all – businesses don’t need this kind of employee, and she has instead tried to forge her own path (metaphorically) in order to talk about books. After speaking at Science Showoff at Cheltenham Science Festival in 2018, she set up the Alternative Book Club as a way to share ideas about ‘Literature’ – from mopey almost unreadable Old English elegies, to Kim Kardashian’s Selfie, and beyond.
Shirley has previously created several intensely educational and fairly silly shows, including The Reduced Literature Degree (a BA in an hour) and Shakespeare 101 (things you never get taught, BUT SHOULD, about Shakespeare).
She is currently reading a lot about the history of Art so she can feel less of a fool when she walks into an art gallery (also so she can pretend to be different paintings).
