Jacqueline Winspear joined Cranbrook School in 1971, as part of the school’s first intake of female students, 3 years before the school officially became co-educational. Below is an interview between her and editor of the New Cranbrookian, Gemma Brassley (Class of 2026).

Did you always know you wanted to become a writer when you were at school?

Yes. I knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I was about five years old - I loved writing stories. I also I assumed all writers had their own library and thought it would be amazing to have a room filled with books!.

What advice would you give to your teenage self / to a young woman now ?

I have several answers to this question:

· “To thine own self be true.” Follow your heart and honour the values you hold dear.

· Cherish your friends, for they are your anchors in life, and will be with you through the best of times and the worst of times. I have known my best friend since we were eleven years old, and at age sixteen we were among the first girls at Cranbrook. In fact, she met her future husband at the school - they are both dearly cherished friends.

· Be open to possibilities, and know you can change your mind and go in a different direction if you feel called to do so.

· If you say “No” to something because you feel it’s not right for you, remember it is not a negotiable point. Honour your decision and do not be persuaded otherwise. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. But see the next two comments.

· Cultivate adaptability, flexibility, resilience and endurance - they are super-powers.

· Whatever you do in life, do it from the heart and with compassion for others, even if you are having to say “No.”

Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?

The short answer is “No.” When I was in my mid-thirties I read about creating a “Treasure Map” - which at the time I thought was somewhat fanciful. However, I jumped in and made a list of all the things that in my wildest dreams would happen in my life, and then I went through a pile of magazines cutting out pics to illustrate those dreams. On a large board I pasted images of a house by the water, of a horse, of a room filled with books and a desk. I found images depicting places I wanted to visit, and cut out motivating words - yes it was a bit “California weird”, but I was living in California, so why not be a bit weird? Within ten years I had hit every dream on that treasure map. I became a writer, published novels, essays and articles. I have had several horses, all kept until they were old or ailing and I now have two gorgeous horses - I train in the equestrian sport of dressage. I have a lovely view of the sea from my house - such a dream come true - and I’ve travelled extensively, meeting some really amazing people. It wasn’t all plain sailing and I’ve worked hard to manifest those dreams, but I feel blessed to have done so. I have new ambitions too, mostly in connection with travel and doing the things I love.

What is your favourite book & why?

The book I always think of when asked this question is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which I read when I was sixteen. Before reading Gatsby, I was very much a product of a British education of the day - immersed in the classics, which of course I return to (I’ve just read Silas Marner again!). However, reading Gatsby revealed a different world of literature, a different way of writing, of telling a story - which in turn led me to other authors such as Ernest Hemingway and John Dos Passos, writers who seemed to use language in an interesting and compelling way, and from there I was reading authors from across the globe I had not thought to read before.

Is there one thing that you think everyone should be more educated about?

Political and social history - especially at this moment in time. Europe in the 1930’s comes to mind.

Have you ever experienced or witnessed discrimination in the creative industry?

Good question, especially as I’m responding on the day a leading Guardian article had this sub-header: “Bullying and harassment towards women is still rife within the creative industries, according to a survey that found seven out of 10 of its female workforce had experienced toxic behaviour.”

Another, broader interpretation of “discrimination” is “putting people in a box” - which happens in any industry, however I’ll give a few examples of the creative world, so this answer will be a long one - sorry about that.

One is the assumption that you must win your spurs for achievement to be authentic in a creative field. Writers, artists, actors and musicians can toil for years trying to make it to the first rung of success, however, when a “creative” gains accolades with the first song, the first novel, first film or lands a prestigious award, they can often be on the sharp end of negative rhetoric from others who crave success - that is bullying by another name and it’s damaging. How many times have people said (with a wink and a nudge) of actors and other creatives who experience early success, “Well, we know how they got there!”

I had published two or three novels when I was a guest speaker at a literary event/charity fundraiser, and at the pre-event dinner was seated at a table with a few important contributors to the charity, along with the owner of the bookshop sponsoring the event. Within minutes a man leaned across the table toward me and said, “How does a little twinkie like you get a book published?” I was so shocked, I almost choked - but the bookseller was quick off the mark: “No woman is a ‘twinkie’ and Jackie was published because she wrote a very good book!”

Coverage of discrimination in the industry has been increasingly covered in the press (the Harvey Weinstein scandal, for example) and has also inspired creative work. With the novels James and American Fiction, author Percival Everett focused on language and the assumption that Black Americans only speak with a certain inflection and vocabulary. Last year I had a conversation with the author about discrimination with regard to language, not least because in Britain until relatively recent times, a person’s accent could impact how they were viewed - they were put in a box as soon as they began to speak.

There are many examples of discrimination based upon colour, culture, class, educational attainment, sexual orientation or place of birth, and that’s before you even try to break out of the creative form for which you are known, which is also a level of discrimination - think of the actor known for comedy who turns to thrillers, or the writer of contemporary literary fiction who moves to futuristic fantasy (it’s why so many authors change their names from one genre to another), or the singer who goes from rock to country. An artist should never be slammed for attempting something new, yet certain writers of fiction have been torn to shreds for creating characters from a culture not their own. Being a “visible” creative person can render the artist vulnerable in so many ways - but kudos to those who call out the bullies, not least because doing so risks ruining a career.