{"id":502,"date":"2026-09-20T08:33:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T08:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/about\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T08:33:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T08:33:26","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"502\" class=\"elementor elementor-502\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-section=\"section\" data-bps-section-slug=\"about-01\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13f704e6 section light moa-xl e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"13f704e6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b09423ac e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b09423ac\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2d015ac1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2d015ac1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"about-01-headline-1\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0fd8d6d3 prehead elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0fd8d6d3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">About<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"about-01-headline-2\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7307e53d pd-h1 hero-title elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7307e53d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">I started this work because the record kept forgetting to mention the women.<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"about-01-subheadline-1\" data-bps-type=\"subheadline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e9954075 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e9954075\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>I did not set out to write about the goldfields. I set out to find one name in a parish register, for a project that had nothing to do with fiction, and kept finding the same shape of absence: a man recorded by trade, occupation and claim number, and the woman beside him recorded, if she was recorded at all, as &ldquo;wife of&rdquo; or not recorded at all.<\/p><p>That absence became the work. I read ledgers the way other people read novels &mdash; slowly, and for the gaps as much as the entries &mdash; and I have come to think the gaps are where the interesting people were standing.<\/p><p>The work now sits in three places. I write novels built from the archive. I speak, mostly to libraries, schools and history societies, about how to find the people the record left out. And I keep building the teachers&rsquo; notes and reading lists that let the research travel past the page.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"about-01-subheadline-2\" data-bps-type=\"subheadline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d7db6085 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d7db6085\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>I am not trying to correct the record so much as widen it &mdash; the diggers and the assayers still belong in the story, they just do not need to be the only people in it.<\/p><p>I work mostly from old newspaper archives, parish registers and a very large stack of index cards.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7b404854 e-con-full bps-media e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7b404854\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"about-01-image-url-1\" data-bps-type=\"image\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99e1a9db pd-frame elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"99e1a9db\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"820\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/179\/2026\/09\/ih-a-about-820x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-481\" alt=\"Priya Raman seated in an armchair by a window, hands resting in her lap\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/179\/2026\/09\/ih-a-about-820x1024.jpg 820w, https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/179\/2026\/09\/ih-a-about-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/179\/2026\/09\/ih-a-about-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/179\/2026\/09\/ih-a-about.jpg 962w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"about-01-caption-1\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e01b2afe pd-caption elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e01b2afe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Portrait &mdash; fictional subject<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"about-01-prehead-2\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d400949b pd-rule-t prehead elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d400949b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Credentials<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"about-01-creds-1\" data-bps-type=\"subheadline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2247606f pd-creds elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2247606f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li>Regular speaker, local history-society talk series (fictional)<\/li><li>Author of a teachers&rsquo; notes pack used in secondary history classes (fictional)<\/li><li>Researcher working primarily from parish registers and assay-office ledgers<\/li><li>Four published novels set on the Victorian goldfields<\/li><li>Talks delivered to libraries, schools and history societies<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"about-01-note-1\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bf5d8815 stat-label elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bf5d8815\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Details fictional<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div data-bps-section=\"section\" data-bps-section-slug=\"howitworks-12\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b6c2cbe light2 moa-xl section e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4b6c2cbe\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1590f799 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1590f799\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-headline-1\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-553f54cc prehead elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"553f54cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Milestones<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6efcdfa7 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6efcdfa7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1319fe8e e-con-full e-flex day-grid row-rule e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1319fe8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-meta-1\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3285f84c pd-year elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3285f84c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Origins<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b186f36a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b186f36a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-headline-2\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f03909ce pd-mile elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f03909ce\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">First drawn to the goldfields through records that named the men and left the women as &ldquo;wife of&rdquo; or &ldquo;widow of.&rdquo;<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c265766 e-con-full e-flex day-grid row-rule e-con e-child\" data-id=\"1c265766\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-meta-2\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fa09222d pd-year elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"fa09222d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Research<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b12d2246 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b12d2246\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-headline-3\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d34a1665 pd-mile elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d34a1665\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><em>Letters from the Diggings<\/em>, built from a single family&rsquo;s correspondence through one goldfields winter.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e1a602be e-con-full e-flex day-grid row-rule e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e1a602be\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-meta-3\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0b869a0 pd-year elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f0b869a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Fieldwork<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9995eec3 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"9995eec3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-headline-4\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bfb3d7b8 pd-mile elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bfb3d7b8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><em>A Ledger of Small Fortunes<\/em> and <em>Ballarat Rain<\/em>, both traced through parish registers and assay-office books.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fd538624 e-con-full e-flex day-grid row-rule e-con e-child\" data-id=\"fd538624\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-meta-4\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f9cc3795 pd-year elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f9cc3795\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Teaching<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-91228cee e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"91228cee\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-headline-5\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ce16ec6 pd-mile elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4ce16ec6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">A teachers&rsquo; notes pack (fictional) built to carry the research into the classroom.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4890cb91 e-con-full e-flex day-grid row-rule e-con e-child\" data-id=\"4890cb91\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-meta-5\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3583b968 pd-year elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3583b968\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Now<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ba1d9b9e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ba1d9b9e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div data-bps-id=\"howitworks-12-headline-6\" data-bps-type=\"headline\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-143890e0 pd-mile elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"143890e0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><em>The Assayer&rsquo;s Wife<\/em>, and a talk list for libraries, schools and history societies that runs longer every season.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"full-width-container","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-502","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":507,"href":"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/502\/revisions\/507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lite.buildprosites.com\/priya-raman\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}