I’m in the throes of preparation for our imminent trip to America. Which means I spend hours frantically making lists; trying on various combinations of my clothing (it’s amazing what you can do with half-a-dozen shirts; three pairs of jeans; two pairs of trainers, and a fishing hat); cleaning random parts of the house; and […]
Tag Archives: Bookworm
Confessions of a Weekend Reader
Once upon a time weekends were for partying, with a constant supply of new frocks, impossible shoes, make-up, booze, and friends. This lasted, as an impression if not a way of life, for about twenty years. Though marriage, motherhood and all that those entail meant things became less extravagant from my mid twenties, I still […]
Libraries Week
Being scolded for gasping with joy at the sight of so many books rather put me off libraries as a child, which may well have been the old bat’s intention. It seemed she believed the edifying power of books teetered on the brink of weaponisation, and it was her job to ensure they didn’t get […]
On Writing
One of my favourite things in the whole world is Bookworm, a radio show hosted by the disarmingly deep reader Michael Silverblatt. I listen to it to learn about writing, and luxuriate in the conversation about what makes writing worth reading (something I’d rather like to be able to do). Here is Zadie Smith talking […]
Writing Beyond the Sonnet (& Other Conventional Constraints)
I don’t have the resources (temporal, cognitive…) to write a post at the moment; things seem to have become hectic. But I’ve just listened to a Bookworm episode featuring some members from OULIPO and think it worth sharing. You can listen as you get on with other things, or while taking a tea break, whatever […]
