We are pleased to announce that The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Medieval Women’s Writing in the Global Middle Ages will be published in print format in 2026. Brought together under the stewardship of Editors-in-Chief, Liz Herbert McAvoy, Michelle M. Sauer and Diane Watt, with the assistance of a committed international team of section editors and contributors, this is the first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to medieval women’s writing globally. Focusing on the thousand-year period between 500-1500, this comprehensive reference work addresses a long-standing gap in scholarship on women writers from this period. It challenges current understandings of the literary tradition of women by incorporating early writers and texts that remain marginal and by expanding definitions of textual composition to include more collaborative and contextual activities. This encyclopedia also presents women in the context of the global Middle Ages. Entries extend beyond works written in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales to include works by women from Europe, Africa, and Asia. By locating medieval women’s writing within its cultural, social, religious, and political contexts, The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Medieval Women’s Writing in the Global Middle Ages will be an ideal entry point for students and researchers coming into the field, and a valuable resource for established scholars.
To celebrate the forthcoming publication and Palgrave’s 25th anniversary this year, four chapters free-to-view throughout October. These chapters are:
Pernilla Myrne, ‘Arabic Women’s Medicine’.
Jeong-hee Ko & Justin M. Byron-Davies, ‘Korean Kisaeng Sijo’.
Miriamne Ara Krummel, ‘Jewish Women in Medieval English Records’.
Millicent-Rose Newis, ‘Margery Kempe’.
