Mother’s day, March recs & some writing news
Hey friends,
Just quick update today. As I write, the sun is finally shining in Dublin and I want to get out and enjoy it. The weather is forecast to turn this week - from the positively balmy 16 degrees we're currently enjoying back down to 6 degrees. Before I get the sunscreen out, I wanted to share some news and recommendations.
I was thrilled to have two pieces pubished over the last while. On Patrick's Day, I published a reading list on modern Ireland on Longreads. I’ve been enjoying their reading lists for years and was delighted to have an opportunity to contribute one of my own. You can read it here. There were so many other pieces I would have loved to include, but hopefully you'll enjoy what I did select.
Secondly, I have started writing a column for rogue. It's called 'I was wrong about...". Each installment will be about something I used to believe and how my views have changed over time. As I joked on twitter, I've been wrong about a lot of things in my life so it'll be a long time before I run out of topics! The first installlment, on ambition, is live on the site now.
Today is also Mother’s Day which is a tough, strange day for me. I wrote about it three years ago. My feelings have evolved a bit since then, but not much. I miss her desperately. If you're lonely, sad or grief-stricken today, please know you're not alone. Because I am a ginorous nerd who processes her emotions by academically studying the problem, I made a reading list of resources that helped me. Maybe something in it might help you too.
Now, on to the recommendations...
Recommendations
I’ve enjoyed a run of great movies recently. On Netflix, Unforgivable and Dance of the 41 were both wonderful and heart-wrenching. Parallel Mothers was fantastic, as was Gucci. (I now agree that Lady Gaga was robbed of an Oscar nom!)
Tressie spoke about her writing process. Every time she opens her mouth, I feel like I learn something.
I spend a lazy Saturday morning reading Maggie Smith’s amazing book of poems ‘Goldenrod’. I shared a favourite poem over here but really, I recommend the whole collection.
Always interested in reading about AOC:
“Questions of likability, charisma, beauty, experience, smarts, aggression, and leadership get hopelessly tangled up with femaleness. The public eye, doubling as the male gaze, can destroy even the most capable woman through subtle and unsubtle misogynistic attacks,”
Excited to read Heather Havrilesky’s new book having listened to this interview.
I need to learn more about the ace experience.
The weird, small projects that keep us alive. (& her readers’ projects.)
A thorough debunking of the idea of ‘wellness’
Katie Kituma’s ‘Intimacies’ was the New York Times’s best book of 2021 so obviously I had to read it and really enjoyed it.
Claire Keegan’s ‘Small Things Like These’ was on lots of Irish best books lists so I wanted to try that too. It was short but very enjoyable.
I’ve been thinking about this poem a lot.
