User:Adams.smyth

= A. Garland Mears =

= Legacy = Mears, like many other writers before her, left behind a multifaceted legacy. She left behind not only her works of literature and her son and daughter but also the ideas conveyed in her works, which will transcend decades. She was survived by her son Edward Mears and her daughters Amelia Mary Mears and Edith Jane Mears. Her son, Edward Mears lived to become a well respected rector of a Parish in Essex in 1906 and was the founder and first warden of the Brotherhood of St. Paul 1910 -1940. He died aged in June 1947 aged 82 and is commemorated in St. Katherine Churchyard, Little Bardfield, Uttlesford District, Essex, England. Her daughter Amelia Mary Mears began working in a jewellery shop but as of 1911, still resided in Leeds, Yorkshire with no occupation. She also never married and was categorised as a spinster.

Mears’ work; Idylls, Legends and Lyrics, The Story of a Trust and Other Tales and Mercia, the Astronomer Royal: A Romance are her greatest legacy. Her work has recently been republished in the book A Brilliant Void: A Selection of Classic Irish Science Fiction, published by Tramp Press and though it dates back to the 19th Century, has been described as ‘anything but old school’. The author of A Brilliant Void, Jack Fennell, explains that her work deals with issues such as gender equality, sexist attitudes and sexual harassment while warning the reader that ‘advances in social equality will have to be defended’. Topics such as these are very familiar and widespread topics of debate today, often referred to as the MeToo Movement, hence proving the work of Mears to be ahead of her time and still relevant. Mears has also been referred to as 'finding new ground in sci-fi for over 100 years'.

= Sources =