Anyone Who Had A Heart: An Epistemology of Women’s Heartbreak

Anyone Who Had a Heart: An Epistemology of Women’s Heartbreak, co-edited by Blair James and Lucy Wilkinson, is a collaborative anthology of over 50 pieces of writing from a diverse range of women across the globe focusing on the central theme of heartbreak, broadly conceived.

Heartbreak is a manifold category of human experience which alters our very modes of being, of living, and of connecting, for better or for worse. It cannot be quantified. The anthology seeks to create a deeply qualitative collection of the rich and myriad lived experiences shaped by heartbreak.

The project focuses on women’s experience of heartbreak, gathering individual stories as a way of tracing the collective waves felt by women over time. By collecting these intimate accounts, the book explores what they reveal about the wider conditions of women’s lives across different societies and cultures. Anyone

Who Had a Heart asks “what does it mean to feel heartbreak as a woman in this contemporary world?” and offers women a chance to respond in their own words.

The anthology functions as a multifaceted artefact, made up of poems, stories, essays, songs, letters, and other responses across genres to the concept of heartbreak through a woman’s lens, reflecting a rich variety of interpretations via channels including romantic love; personal grief; and philosophical, political and social turmoil.

Included in the centre of the anthology is an original, commissioned artwork by Sophia Hopfenbek.

Contributors to be revealed soon.

A portion of the profits will be donated to a chosen women's charity.

Book Specification:

Publication release date: Tuesday 24th November, 2026 (Pre-order available)

First Special Edition

240mm x 180mm: 200pp

Handbound section sewn with letter-pressed and gold embossed front cover

Includes book objects

Book design and production by Lucy Wilkinson

Front cover border artwork by Beth Wilkinson

£35.00