Darlene's Digest

“Not that there is anything wrong with Mathilde,” he assured her. “It is a perfectly lovely name for a young lady. It strikes me though as not being piratical. Women who are pirates have names that are simple, but do not detract from their fierceness. Girls like Anne Bonny and Mary Read.” “There are girl pirates?” If she looked happy before, he feared now she would explode with excitement. “Yes, indeed there are. I will show you Captain Johnson’s book of pirates when we’re aboard the Prodigal Son . So, what shall your name be?” -- The Pirate's Secret Baby My most requested talk is " Good Girls Go to Heaven, But Bad Girls Go to Sea: Women Pirates Through History ". It's no surprise that it's a crowd pleaser. My inbox this month was filling with friends and fans asking, "Did you see the Smithsonian article on swashbuckling women?" I had, and I enjoyed it, just as I've enjoyed tales of women pirates since I first learned about Anne Bonny and Mar...

“I will leave this go for now, miss. Shall we continue with our reading of the life of Anne Bonny?” “Oh yes, Captain Papa! Anne Bonny would never tattle on the crew, would she?” Mattie sat up on her knees, her nightshirt tangled in the bedclothes. “Under the covers with you, so you don’t catch a chill, and then if Miss Burke will adjust the lantern we will read.” Mattie hurriedly climbed beneath the quilt, folding her hands atop the covers and looking like a curly topped cherub, a cherub wanting stories of mayhem and murder. “Now, where were we—did we talk about Anne’s special friend, Mary Read?” Mattie shook her head, her eyes wide. “The other girl pirate, Papa?” “Yes, and we’ll read more of her later. But for now you need to know Mary and Anne were the best of friends. Anne was loyal, and as you say, would not peach on another pirate. More than that, when they were finally captured, she and Mary fought back to back against the seaman boarding their vessel. Anne was not the captain, ...