"This [online] exhibition marks the coming of age of Bad Blood, from its first publication to its latest incarnation, a new paperback edition, twenty-one years on. The book has been contextualised with images and curiosities – but also by looking at the life Lorna lived as an Academic, a Journalist, and always the writer, always the reader. Lorna ends Bad Blood with the promise of launching herself into another life, not imposed, but invented, and the exhibition aims to shed some light on that multi-layered life."
(Curator’s Guide, by Sharon Tolaini-Sage)
There are over 50 items in the exhibition including multi-media interviews. While the British Archive for Contemporary Writing at UEA holds a significant collection of Lorna’s working papers, the items in the exhibition are primarily from her daughter Sharon’s 
private collection.
While the exhibits are illuminating, the full value is found in the very personal yet objective curation contributed by Sharon. There are quotes and an interview with Lorna, as well as a very recent interview with her first husband Vic Sage.
Lorna (1943-2001) was Professor of English Literature at UEA from 1994 and was twice appointed Dean of the School of English and American Studies (EAS), 1985-1988 and 1993-1996. As a literary journalist and critic she wrote extensively for notable newspapers and journals. The exhibition gives a strong sense of her academic writing with particular emphasis on women’s writing.
"The life of the academic ran side by side with the life of the Reader, Writer and Journalist. The seams between these areas of her life are ragged, there was no clean divide between life and work - Lorna’s university career and her journalism show her writing her reading, bringing it into the world with the panache and assurance that characterised her memoir."
The Curator’s Guide tells of Lorna’s tenacity in forging ahead with her schooling and higher education despite an early pregnancy at 16, in 1959. The ‘Student’ section illustrates her extraordinary years as a young married mother at university, and there are some fresh insights into a couple of inspirational women who were hugely influential in Lorna's success.
In the ‘Student memories’ section, students of Lorna have been sharing their recollections. We hope to receive more contributions. If you were a student during her long career and would like to send us a memory to curate please email archives@uea.ac.uk
Visit the Lorna Sage and Bad Blood exhibition, hosted by Omeka.
