Oswestry author's new book a rallying cry against sexism and prejudice

Jemma R Furnival, who lives in Oswestry, has just published a 640-page book of women's experiences of oppression, sexism and discrimination called Chapters from Venus.

"It came out of my own experiences of sexism," said Jemma, 28, who lives in Victoria Road.

"Two of my friends went to the same GP practice with the same abdominal complaint and they had very different outcomes," she said.

"They did nothing with the woman's complaint but investigated the man's condition," she added.

"Being dealt with differently isn't uncommon in the health system but it means that sexism and discrimination are also public health issues."

In November 2020 Jemma decided to ask contacts on her social networking sites, including @poetry_jrfurnival on Instagram, for more examples.

Jemma is more used to publishing poetry dealing with mental health issues, in particular for children.

But after the murder of Sarah Everard in London she received a flood of personal stories from the UK to join the many others from across the world.

By April this year she had around 70 submissions and then set about compiling, editing and proof-reading the volume.

And all that in her spare time, after finishing work as an independent mental health advocate in Powis.

In a couple of months she was ready to publish the book which she is now available for sale on Amazon and online.

She received the confirmation on August 6, her birthday.

"I don't have children," said Jemma, "but this took me nine months to create!"

As well as looking for local bookshops to sell the product, Jemma, who is also a poet, is already working on her next book. It's another children's story, about a bird that is scared of heights.

"Being an author and a poet is something I would love to be doing full time," said Jemma, who wants Chapters from Venus to be read by men and women to realise the extent and depth of sexism and society.

"We have got to recognise sexism and call it out which involves both men and women," said Jemma, a former pupil of North Shropshire College in Oswestry.

"This is not just another insular feminist book written solely by a white, middle-class, British feminist," she said.

"This is an intersectional collection of viewpoints shared by women of various backgrounds, from all over the globe."

For more details and to order the book visit Jemma's shop.

Ten per cent from every book sold will be donated to Womankind Worldwide.