Adélaïde: Painter of the Revolution follows a passionate woman artist who struggles to be taken seriously in institutions built to exclude women, and her entanglement in the upheaval of the French Revolution. What drew you to Adélaïde specifically as a historical figure?

When I was researching the women artists of the ancient regime (pre-French Revolution), I came across this phrase – “By that time, her works had long gone up in flames.” That sentence was too hard for me to resist. I had to know all about this artist and the crime that had been perpetrated against her works. What had she done that was so bad that her works had to be burned?

Admission to elite institutions is a central conflict. How did you portray the barriers women faced in spaces like the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture?

I portrayed them in many different ways: through dialogue, letters, and actions. For example, making Adélaïde wait in the Academy offices was a sign of disrespect. Having her letters go unanswered, not allowing her to speak, and having men give speeches or telling through dialogue why they were acting to keep her out. In fact, the Comte d’Angiviller went so far as to have the rule keeping admittance to four women ordered by the king.

The prose feels immersive and tactile, especially in studio scenes. How did you develop that sensory richness?

I discovered I loved writing dialogue, and I like moving characters through their scenes using dialogue and actions to reflect their inner feelings. But I am a poet at heart, so using wealth in a treasure of evocative words is my passion as a writer.

Do you see parallels between her struggles and those faced by women in creative fields today?

Absolutely. Perhaps about three years ago, I attended my first concert with a woman conductor. It was a shock to me to think about the import of that and why I had never seen that as a place where women were missing and held back. But once you see it, you cannot unsee it. I think that it goes beyond creative fields, however. And especially today, we are seeing the removal of qualified women from public roles, the undermining of women’s work, and its value. When we see works like Judy Blume’s being censored, it’s not long before other works will follow.

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