Literature, academia and philosophy have been at the heart of my channel since I started the Lady of the Library over fifteen years ago at age eighteen, yet I had no idea how much books would consume my life as I went off to university.

I was a first generation student, and studying Literature and Classics as only the second person to attend university in my family was a daunting prospect, especially considering how many people had exceptionally low expectations for me in the academic world.

Growing up as an undiagnosed dyslexic, reading was a terrifying process for me. I had no idea why I found reading so hard and I was subjected to being called “thick” and “lazy” all the way up until my thirties when I finally sought a diagnosis after starting my PhD in Classics.

I have always resented how elitist attitudes towards academia and literature prevented me from accessing texts sooner, or even daring to approach them, which is why I made it my mission to start chipping away at the ivory towers surrounding great texts and ideas and making them accessible to everyone.