Salena Godden & Hollie McNish on Book Off

There is something very special about attending live poetry. Being witness to another human's soul searching or life observations is an honour, even if you don't particularly resonate with the poetry itself. But when all the elements conspire and time, space, character, lyricism, receptivity, emotional state, performance and environment are in alignment, a magical experience can be conjured up that will remain in your heart forever.

I saw Holly McNish reading in the tranquil setting of St Andrews Hall in Norwich a few years ago and although I was already familiar with her writing, was blown away by her unassuming nature on stage, the unforced humour in her work and the way she delivered each poem with the air of a friend sharing nuggets of gossip or heartfelt concerns across the dining table.

First Light festival in Lowestoft a couple summers ago was where I was fortunate enough to discover Salena Godden in the First Word poetry tent. When her majestic figure robed in emerald green took to the stage, spread her arms wide and began to shower the audience in effervescent words cloaked in that unmistakeable smoky sing-song voice, I knew I was in the presence of a Goddess. 

Holly and Salena are genuinely two of my absolute favourite working poets so I was delighted to discover that they were featured together on the latest episode of Book Off podcast. It is a fabulous show full of fun, wit and of course great poetry. Check it out below:

 

Podcast Review | Karen Arthur - Menopause Whilst Black

I recently discovered and am simply adoring this wonderful series by the effervescent Karen Arthur called Menopause Whilst Black. Currently in its seventh season these podcasts bring a whole new level to learning and experiencing menopause. Karen's guests have a lot in common yet also bring individual unique perspectives to this deeply transitional phase of a woman's life . 

This episode is from 4 months ago where Karen reviews the previous season 6 with inspirational and delightful musings & takeaways. A must listen for anyone currently going through pre/menopause, anyone approaching the pre-menopause years, anyone whose partner/colleague/sister/mother/friend is going through menopause and anyone who wants to offer support to the menopausal women in their life. Enjoy xx

Review: Mary And The Rabbit Dream, Noémi Kiss-Deáki

With Mary And The Rabbit Dream, Noémi Kiss-Deáki gifts us a disturbing yet exquisite portrayal of 18th century misogyny and the plight of women (and poor men) locked within the cultural confines of severe male aggressiveness, obsessive hierarchies and the dismissive rejection of females as equal beings.

In Noémi's tale, Mary, an ordinary poor working class woman finds herself at the centre of a controversy regarding whether or not she (ergo women in general) is able to birth creatures other than humans, in this particular case, rabbits. As news of this improbable situation spreads, Mary is physically, emotionally and mentally abused both by those wanting, for a variety of reasons, to prove that she has indeed birthed rabbits and by those determined but not completely convinced that humans birthing rabbits is an impossibility. The appalling behaviour of 'learned' men towards Mary and women in general, is deplorably shocking and the rage of injustice draws this reader to contemplate how far, or not, we have come 300 years later.

I'm not entirely sure that enough has changed since those times. Although in 2024 many women have a good degree of comparative autonomy over their lives, there is still too much of our health, bodies and personal authority that is both given and taken away especially in our so-called modern medicine arena. Take the over medicalization of labour and childbirth for example - the way it has oh so unsubtly become 'the norm' for a woman to lie on her back in a hospital during both phases of birth, be regularly interfered with by a rolling progression of practitioners, undergo frequent (often unnecessary) interventions, be 'assisted' in giving birth by pathology-obsessed doctors rather than natural-birth-focused midwives, be injected with numbing anaesthesia, obliged to remain still and hooked up to monitors rather than being able to move around freely as her body and her baby most often need to do in order to birth gently and well.

Published by the wonderful Galley Beggar Press, Mary And The Rabbit Dream is written in a series of short sentences that remind me of a long thread of modern text messages yet the frequent repetition of phrases and characters' thoughts seem to slow us down so we can more readily absorb the action and intention taking place. It is kind of the opposite of doom scrolling and I enjoyed this seemingly deliberate and effective way of writing which was easy to get through. A fascinating, enjoyable read. 

Goodreads Review

Review: NW by Zadie Smith

 Latest review on Goodreads:

NW by Zadie Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book so much because it took me right back to glorious and gloomy London days; encouraged me, in loud whispers, to re-start reading at night instead of watching tv and because it is written so beautifully, authentically with a deep urban wisdom.
The stories and lives of the main characters feel like eavesdropping on neighbours, hearing their deepest secrets and failed pretences. It is an entrancing book that I found hard to put down.

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