November Everyday Words Newsletter

Strap in, take comfort… it’s November… let’s talk to each other, read to each other, be quiet, be brave, sew on, and think of gardens…

Hello to you all!

I was going to say this is a politics-free zone but I don’t think that’s possible. I was going to say here are some things to take your mind off politics but then I looked through the things I wanted to recommend this month and actually they are all very small acts of rebellion - to talk to each other, to make things by and for ourselves, to reach for the light, to take inspiration from other people being brave and concentrating on art… because that matters. Perhaps more than ever. So here you go. Take one, take all, take none… just enjoy. This is a guilt free space and you are very very welcome!

Photo by Adam Jang on Unsplash

1.    I JUST CALLED… I was in Belfast last week for a RLF Reading Round meeting, and I did what I always do when I visit somewhere new – I looked for the library! It’s like a comfort blanket, not just for the books but to get a feel for the place. I loved the idea of this project by Colin James Woods – I just called – and how you can listen to messages left by random strangers. You can listen here … and if you want to leave a message, find out more here…

2.    PLAYING TELEPHONE … or maybe you want to take your message somewhere else? During the pandemic I was lucky enough to be invited to join hundreds of artists, in every art form, across the world to play with them. It was like Consequences – I got a photo of a beautiful wooden sculpture, wrote a poem for it, and my poem then was sent to a composer, and so on and so on. There’s a new game rattling round the world now, and still time – I think – to join in. You can find out more, and see some of the work produced here …

Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash

3.    OR TELL ME A STORY, BUT TWISTED… I’ve been writing a lot about fairy tales recently, or characters in them anyway. I loved this poem about a very different version of Rapunzel, which shows the power of writing with a twist. It feels very appropriate too for this time of the year!

"Rapunzel: I Like the Quiet" by Jeannine Hall Gailey

"Solitude my solace, wrapped around me
like layers of golden hair. Stacks of books
and I can sing as loud as I please all day
   and night.
In sleep I kick and snore, during the day,
   delight
in eating nothing but radishes and lime leaf tea.
Who says I need a partner to dance? Here
in this tower I am mistress of all; the reindeer,
the knight’s armor teetering in the corner,
various discarded disguises, crowns,
crumbs and bones. Will you rescue me?
What kingdom will replace my bounty
of leisure, what tether of care and nurture
do you wish to rope my neck with?"

So here’s a writing prompt for you – take a fairy tale and tell me a completely different story. Maybe you write on after the ‘Happy ever after’… what happens next?

4. GARDENS BRINGING SOLACE … If you’re like me, it’s easy to give up hope about what we can do to make any difference in the world, but many of the activists I look up to say the same thing.. do something small, which is why I love the Lemon Tree Trust Charity. Their mission is to transform refugee camps and communities one garden at a time, and this is what they say ‘For displaced people globally, the simple act of gardening produces beauty, restores dignity, creates community and offers opportunity.’ You can find out more here , or watch this video…

5. LOST GARDENS.. I can’t wait to visit the exhibiton on the Lost Gardens of London at the Garden Museum in Vauxhall. I once spent a very happy summer researching and taking people on a walk along the Strand looking at the Lost Gardens there. So many stories, so many. You can find out about some of the other London gardens I explored here although do note that many might now be out of date. Time for some more research. Is there anything better.. Stacks of books/ and I can sing as loud as I please all day/ and night.

6. WAYS TO BE BRAVE… Last month, I went to the Wigmore Hall (another of my happy places) to see the 80^th birthday concert of the Russian pianist Alexei Lyubimov, and one of the tributes mentioned a concert where Alexei had carried on playing during a recital of work by the Ukranian composer Valentin Silvestrov even though the police were surrounding him to demand he stop. I looked it up afterwards and found this story in the Moscow Times and a video. Amazing. Do watch.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

7. SNOWDROPS AND LIGHT… And before we know it, it’ll be spring again and the snowdrops will be up! I’m delighted to have a poem in the ‘snowdrop issue’ of one of the forthcoming Candlestick Press Poetry Pamphlet. Many congratulations to them on their millionth sale – marked by the publication of a special celebratory issue of ten poems about light.   It looks beautiful and the perfect Christmas present!

8. AND TALKING OF SOCKMAS… I’m completely addicted to these socks by the Welsh firm, Mabli. You know how people complain about getting socks for Christmas, I’d be happy with a pair in every colour way.

They are expensive, I know, but just perfect… Slow fashion really is the way forward, and you can go to Ali from Incredibusy for tips on mending with beauty so they last forever!

9. SLOW AND INSPIRING… I met Ali (above) at GlowSew at FForest this summer. I can’t say I’ve been sewing every day since BUT I’ve been immersing myself into a brand new world of slow handmade fashion, sewing with soul, if you like. Some of my favourites so far are Sew Liberated, I’m so tempted to take one of her courses this winter. I’m also listening to the Clotheshorse Podcast, and watching La Maison on TV. The Guardian calls it… “over the top, melodramatic and frequently absurd. It is heavy on le fromage and light on subtlety.” Which, it turns out, is perfect for me! Who knew?

10. WHAT ELSE? I’m sure there’s something else I should tell you so that I make this a nice round number, but I’m amazed frankly that you’ve made it this far! So here’s a little treat to help rest your little busy head….

So finally, and keeping in the theme of this newsletter, do drop me a little message! I’d love to hear from you - what you’re making, talking about, growing… maybe even what socks you’re wearing!

With love,

Sarahx