Obviously, the second you press ‘send’ on a newsletter filled with swimming cartoons, you’re going to come up with a new one almost straight away.
It’s been a butterstruggle kinda week. But! I’m headed on a writing retreat this weekend. My writers groups adopts the same rules as one of the best known retreats in Australia, Varuna, the Writers House. Essentially we sit and write in monastic silence until 5 or 6pm , then it’s tools down and everyone gathers in the kitchen for competitive cheese eating and book talk. It’s one of the highlights of my year.
Hope your week is butterfly x
Very Interesting Things: Teeth
I had a traumatic tooth event as a kid. That, coupled with braces and an orthodontic plate, formed a quasi obsession with/fear of teeth-related things.
Carrie Tiffany’s essay Sweet Regret in The Monthly is the best—the only—writing on teeth I’ve ever come upon. It’s incredible, so evocative and honest. I raved about it on The First Time pod and am putting it here too.
(Not the point of the essay but I despise the smugness of the ‘Marshmallow Test’, which I definitely would have failed as a kid.)
On the subject of teeth:
If you’ve ever cleaned your kids’ teeth using an electric toothbrush, you know all about the Jackson Pollock-type spray:
Having struggled with what to do with children’s teeth once they’ve fallen out—is the bin the wrong answer?—this tooth purse by UK artist Nancy Fouts feels like it might be the way to go (source).
The fortnight in pictures
It’s all just a matter of perspective:
I’m pretending this is two women, really it’s me and Carney:
The ancient urge to wash (me):
I lurve it
Writer Stacey McEwan has of the best rejection stories I’ve ever heard
Melbourne Comedy Festival is coming up, my local picks are Jack Druce and Cristina Spizzica. For an out-of-towner: Josie Long. Tell me who you’re going to!
I’ve been saving Ashley Kalagian Blunt’s (terrifying) Dark Mode to read on my writing retreat, i.e. an isolated farm in the middle of nowhere. What could possibly go wrong? If you’re up for a less-scary-but-still-compelling thriller, I inhaled Kylie Orr’s Someone Else’s Child.
Loved this episode of How To Fail with Spencer Matthews, formerly of Made in Chelsea. Love anything Elizabeth Day does really, including her newsletter
Speaking of newsletters, Kate Mildenhall’s latest Bowerbird is on sex scenes. Made me think of a particular scene in Dolly Alderton’s book Ghosts. DYYYING TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT IT, hit me up if you’ve read it.
Did you know if you have an iPhone you can label your alarms? Having previously used an elaborate, self devised system involving calendar reminders, alarms and lists, this is revolutionary.
A quote to go out on. It’s one of my all time faves:
"Don’t be so humble — you are not that great.” [Golda Meir]
xx Katherine xx