Kathleen Shirley Toulson ( Dixon; 20 May 192423 September 2018) was an English writer, poet, journalist and local politician. Toulson attended Prior's Field School and worked with the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She married Norman Toulson, an army lieutenant, in 1944: they divorced in 1951. She then studied English at

Birkbeck, University of London , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £10 ...

, and worked at

Foyles W & G Foyle Ltd. (usually called simply Foyles) is a bookseller with a chain of seven stores in England. It is best known for its flagship store in Charing Cross Road, London. Foyles was once listed in the ''Guinness Book of Records'' as the ...

bookshop before becoming a journalist. In 1960 she married poet

Alan Brownjohn Alan Charles Brownjohn (born 28 July 1931) is an English poet and novelist. He has also worked as a teacher, lecturer, critic and broadcaster. Life and work Alan Brownjohn was born in London and educated at Merton College, Oxford. He taught in ...

; they divorced in 1969. As a poet she was a member of

The Group The Group may refer to: Film and television * ''The Group'' (Australian TV series), 1971 situation comedy produced by Cash Harmon Television for ATN7 * ''The Group'' (Canadian TV series), 1968–70 music variety on CBC Television * ''The Group ...

, an informal group of poets who met in London from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Her work was included in the group's 1963 anthology ''A Group Anthology''. In 1962 she and her husband Alan Brownjohn were elected as Labour councillors in the

Wandsworth London Borough Council Wandsworth London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Wandsworth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Wandsworth is divided into 20 wards, eac ...

. Her 1973 short story 'Playground of England', appearing in the Welsh journal ''

Planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...

'', satirized the

objectification In social philosophy, objectification is the act of treating a person, as an object or a thing. It is part of dehumanization, the act of disavowing the humanity of others. Sexual objectification, the act of treating a person as a mere object of sex ...

of Wales as a tourist destination by English second home owners. Starting in 1977 with her book ''The Drovers’ Roads of Wales'', Toulson was the author of several books on the subject of walking routes used by farmers moving livestock from Wales to England. She contributed a profile of the novelist

Christine Brooke-Rose Christine Frances Evelyn Brooke-Rose (16 January 1923 – 21 March 2012) was a British writer and literary critic, known principally for her experimental novels.

for a 1986 reference publication.

Books

*''Shadows in an Orchard'' (1960) *''Circumcision's Not Such a Bad Thing After All'' (1970) *''The Fault, Dear Brutus: A Zodiac of Sonnets'' (1972) *''The Drovers’ Roads of Wales'' (1977) *''East Anglia: Walking the Ley Lines and Ancient Tracks'' (1979) * *'' Celtic Journeys'' (1985) * *''The Companion Guide to Devon'' (1996) *''The Country of Old Age: A Personal Adventure in Time'' (1998)

Books

References

Further reading