# "IMPERFECT ALCHEMIST" (Allison & Busby, 2020): Naomi Miller reads from and discusses her new book, the first novel to explore the life of Mary Sidney Herbert #### calendar\_today Date and Time **January 21, 2021** 05:30PM - 05:30PM EST #### pin\_drop Location **Zoom Meeting** ## ![16th century female portrait](/sites/g/files/omnuum4936/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/mahindra/files/womengenderculture.jpg?itok=rE9X4uAq) [WOMEN, GENDER, AND CULTURE IN THE EARLY MODERN WORLD](/women-gender-and-culture-early-modern-world) ## SPEAKER: Naomi Miller, SMITH COLLEGE *Imperfect Alchemist* tells the story of Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, notable early modern woman author and mentor of other women in her circle, together with her maidservant, Rose, a country girl with a surprising artistic talent. Imperfect Alchemist is the first in a projected series of novels celebrating ‘Shakespeare’s Sisters.’ Spanning generations and social classes, the series paints a multi-hued portrait of Renaissance England, seen through the lives of courtiers and commoners, poets and playwrights, and above all, indomitable women – women who broke the rules of their time while juggling many of the responsibilities and obstacles faced by women worldwide today. To learn more about the novel and how to find it, see . **Naomi Miller** is professor of English and Women’s Studies at Smith College, Massachusetts, who has authored and edited nine books about about Renaissance women authors and the early modern world. In addition to academic articles for The Chronicle of Higher Education and scholarly journal articles, Miller has published a historical fiction novel, *Imperfect Alchemist* (2020), as well as multiple books. For more on Professor Miller and her work, please see see . See also:- [ Seminar ](/event-type/seminar) - [ Women, Gender, and Culture in the Early Modern World ](/seminars/women-gender-and-culture-early-modern-world) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#) Save: [ Add to calendar calendar\_today ](https://mahindrahumanities.harvard.edu/node/1389494/event-feed.ics) Copy link link