In concentrating on women, our 2025 annual conference aimed to give a voice to a group who has been under-represented as speakers in recent QUG conferences. Furthermore, one could argue that women are under-represented in leadership roles in religions throughout the world. Our conference was largely planned by women and all the speakers were women.

This second part of the conference begins with Janet Monahan asking the question ‘Do women and men think in the same way?’

This is followed by a talk by Frances Martin, an artist based in Norwich, illustrated with five of her paintings. Susan Norris’s short epilogue is next and the pamphlet concludes with Georgina Wright’s talk on ‘Women’s Activism and Spiritual Foundations.’

The first part of the conference is written up in Pamphlet 48 – there are contributions from Rhiannon Grant, Beryl Pankhurst, Rosemary Brown, Andrea Freeman, Dora Bek and Stephanie Grant.

The contributors:

Janet Monahan was born in Yorkshire, England. She taught in schools for 22 years, then university, establishing an MA in SEND and Inclusion. She is currently researching how teachers promote spiritual development across the curriculum.

Frances Martin is a figurative artist who teaches art courses in Norwich and is the convenor of the Norwich 20 Group of professional artists.  Her spirituality is shown in her paintings, including those illustrating Julian of Norwich and her visions.

Susan Norris is a retired Art Psychotherapist who worked in NHS adult mental health services for twenty-five years. She continues her personal art practice and is interested in various forms of meditation.

Georgina Wright is a teacher, blogger, poet and novelist. She moved from London to live in the south of Spain, where she began to write. Her novel The Call of the Wild Valley was published in 2023.

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