Things I’ve Been Enjoying:
I have been enjoying Narrative Magazine’s website. Always some fabulous poetry, and short fiction and non-fiction pieces to read.
750words.com is another site I love. Every day, I write for 10 minutes straight, putting down whatever pops in my head.
Finished Train Dreams, a novella by Denis Johnson.
John Jordon
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
This film won all the big prizes at the Golden Globes, and rightly so. It’s essentially perfect. It’s funny, sad, inspiring, but above all shot through with humanity. At the centre is a quite unbelievably good performance from Frances McDormand, but it’s one of those very rare films where all the minor characters are properly drawn too, as well as impeccably acted. And the ending, which is hard to predict, is exactly as it should be. Supreme piece of cinema.
Martin Lee
Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a classic
One of my highlights from the last month has to be my visit to the V&A to see the heartwarming exhibit about Winnie-the-Pooh. Beautifully curated, with typography and illustration galore. It gave me a whole new appreciation for A.A. Milne’s way with words. And I challenge you to come away from the gift shop empty-handed.
Sophie Gordon
Positive writing
This month I am trying to do something that was recommended at the Mindfulness and Creative Writing workshop run by Elise Valmorbida and Vanessa King in January, namely, each evening, writing down two positive things that happened during the day. This has been proven to increase wellbeing. When I skim back over my entries so far it definitely brings a smile to my face. Here are two examples: ‘heard an owl hooting in the park’ and ‘found an awesome top in H&M.’
Jill Hopper
ESTd: Lessons From The World’s Oldest Companies.
Written and edited by Dark Angels and beautifully published by Unbound it is an eclectic collection of stories about an eclectic collection of long-lived companies. Cleverly, the book finds the common thread that makes their longevity possible.
I haven’t read it yet – a pleasure (and education) I am very much looking forward to.
Faye Sharpe