Brontë Society appoints organisation's youngest ever Chair

The Brontë Society is delighted to announce the appointment of Lucy Powrie as its new Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Lucy, 25, is the neurodivergent author of The Paper & Hearts Society series, published by Hodder Children’s Books, and the award-winning book content creator known as lucythereader. Her YouTube channel has 2.4 million views worldwide, and she has over ten years of experience in founding and curating online communities. She is passionate about neurodivergent inclusion, and engaging with young audiences, in the arts and heritage sector. 

Lucy is believed to be the youngest trustee, and Chair, in the history of the Brontë Society, which was founded in Yorkshire in December 1893.

Lucy said: “It is an honour to be appointed as Chair of the Brontë Society – having been a member since I was a teenager and a trustee since the spring of 2023. As the youngest Chair in the Brontë Society’s history, I am aware of the significance of being similar in age to Charlotte, Emily, and Anne at the time of their ground-breaking publications, a testament to the legacy they have left.

I look forward to working further with my fellow members of the Brontë Society Board and the team at the Brontë Parsonage Museum. In particular, I hope to use my tenure to create new opportunities to engage with our current members, and to welcome the next generation of Brontë fans to the Society.”

Rebecca Yorke, Director at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, said: “We are all very excited to have Lucy at the helm.  Since being Brontë Society Young Ambassador in 2018, she has demonstrated that she cares deeply about highlighting the contemporary relevance of the Brontës and increasing access to their work and their former home, now the Brontë Parsonage Museum. I know she will lead the board with insight and thoughtfulness and I am very much looking forward to working more closely with her.”