Transcribing Elizabeth Bishop

Kat Ebbs is Trusts and Foundations Officer for Sheffield Hospitals Charity. She holds a BA and MA in English Literature from the University of Sheffield.

 

I loved being involved in the project, ‘Transcribing Elizabeth Bishop,’ so much that I did it twice. My role involved transcribing letters and postcards Bishop sent to her loved ones, noting dates, places, and artworks.

 

 

These fragments of how Bishop spent her life had only been seen by a select few. I’m so pleased that more people will get to learn about her literal and figurative journey. Importantly, this journey is partly a queer one. By raising awareness about Bishop’s queerness, this is further telling the story of our existence, even if in a few lines on a postcard or in the margins of her letters.

 

The internship’s focus on the importance of letters also allowed me to experience and appreciate a different form and its contribution to literature. For example, Bishop often included pictures from postcards in her poems. Similarly, subjects left out of her writing are equally important, such as not even mentioning her mother to her family and friends.

 

My lecturer, Jonathan Ellis, was kind enough to trust me with contributing to his work. As my first introduction to the workplace, the internship gave me a sense of independence and responsibility. I made decisions and was solutions focused.

 

Many of Bishop’s letters and postcards were completely handwritten. She even admits herself that her handwriting was atrocious. At first, when I saw how difficult it was to read, I panicked. However, with time, I started to adjust. The internship developed my resilience, self-belief, and highlighted how detail oriented I can be. I have taken these skills into my working-life. I am a fundraiser for a charity, and I write applications requesting support. Without enhancing these attributes, I wouldn’t be able to raise thousands of pounds to help others. I am truly thankful.