Spoonful & Miscellania

You know that moment at the end of The Breakfast Club, when the Judd Nelson character punches his fist in the air (à la 'the back of the album' shot)? Well, that's how I felt on Friday last week when I finished my writing deadline. I enjoyed the triumphant moment, but it'll be short-lived as I have more writing to do. Thankfully though, I'm feeling less stressed, and I want to say a huge thank you to Diana, Anabela and Jen for taking care of my blog over the past week. Seriously, how good were their posts? My blog and I have talked things over, and have come to the mutual agreement that we prefer their posts to my own. But alas, I'm afraid you're all stuck with me.

I have some more lovely news to share. Thea and I have been working on something special for Spoonful Zine, and you can read my writing contribution in Issue 5 of Spoonful. Here's a small peek ...



It was such a pleasure to work with Thea, and I hope anyone who happens to read my contribution in Spoonful enjoys it. You can pick up a copy of Spoonful on etsy, its online shop and other stockists. All Spoonful images are from here and are used with Thea's permission.

I also received a wonderful birthday present in the mail from the lovely Tracey. I was truly speechless when I opened the package containing a book of poetry and a beautiful print by Catherine Campbell. I really can't believe how kind some people are. Thank you Tracey, I don't deserve such kindness.



And lastly, I've been doing some thinking over the past week. Thinking about writing and sharing, and where my life is at the moment. This contemplation was spurred by me getting all sentimental about this photo of me, taken in 2009, taken by Sanna, as I was submitting my thesis. Coupled with these words I stumbled upon here ...



Every time I look at that photo of me, I feel the truth of these words. I turned 28 this year, and so this quote is particularly apt for me at the moment. When I finished my PhD, I had such a clear idea of what my life would be from then on. What I have found is that clear idea dissolving into something far more interesting and vital, and I think I've learnt to value the procrastination and mistakes, as much as the big achievements. So with this in mind, I decided two things should be added to this blog as regular features:

1. Poetry Wednesday: Not every Wednesday, because I can't control my creativity (or time) every week, but whichever Wednesday I feel like sharing my own poetry on. I chose Wednesday because that was the day last week I had this idea. I surprised myself when I realised that I'm not sure I actually care whether my poems are good or not. I guess I'm not scared anymore. What I care about now is giving them a voice, letting them turn into something other than scribbles in my notebooks. It's kind of depressing to write so much and not share and discuss it with other people. I don't presume to be any good, so constructive criticism will be welcome (but no pointless nastiness, please).

2. On Feminism: Quite simply, because it matters and I'd like to talk about it more. As I gain more experience, I realise just how important it is to talk about such issues.

So all in all, it was a productive week. What have you been up to lately?