Welcome

"It's the small histories that intrigue me, the untold stories that should not be forgotten."

The Colour Of Flying

Late 1953 and Missy B - a three-year-old child who dreams of flying - faces events that turn her world upside down and shape the person she will become.

Out of mind

A story of Robben Island set in the years 1908 to 1909, during the period

Ida's Line

Oudtshoorn, South Africa, in the 1930’s and 1940’s - a time of rising fascism

Meet Barbara…

Barbara Townsend is a writer devoted to uncovering and giving voice to overlooked stories.

Inspired by early mentors and a father who loved storytelling, her work explores memory, place, and the lives that history often leaves untold. She is the author of two historical fiction novels: Ida's Line and Out of Mind – a Story of Robben Island. Her latest book - The Colour of Flying - is a childhood memoir.

A former librarian, teacher, and educational writer, Barbara has long nurtured stories—her own and those of others.

She now travels to share her work and writes from a quiet study overlooking fields and mountains in Botrivier, where she is working on a collection of short stories.