In my essay – “From Foyer to Flicker: How Cinemas Enchanted Audiences Before the Lights Went Down” – I explore the spellbinding atmosphere of early 20th-century picture houses, where the experience of cinema began long before the film itself.

In my essay – “When the Lights Came On: Cinema, Class, and the Stories We Cling To” – I explore how early 20th-century cinemas offered working-class communities more than entertainment: they were crucibles of hope and shared identity.

In this guest post – The Historian’s Projectionist – I reflect on the process of writing my debut novel, Poole of Light, and how crafting historical fiction can feel less like building a grand structure and more like being in the projection booth.