a dictionary of spectral curiosities
A litle over two years ago I was writing about my struggle with people's assumptions about me in my adopted country. In that blog post, I was reflecting on the pitfalls of the not-so-innocent "where are you from?" question that many migrants like me face when they open their mouths to speak. The culprit? Doubtlessly …
This month I made jam for the first time in my life - my first ever preserve of any kind. My mum has made jam many, many times. When I asked her to give me a run-through of her jam-making technique she just said: "Oh, it's easy, it's very easy! There's nothing to it, you'll …
Continue reading "Jam, pickles, and the ghost of domestic Gothic"
What is something not-so-secret and somewhat strange that you do that gives you purpose? For me, it's bringing flowers to old graves that no one seems to visit anymore. It's not as random as it might seem. Wherever I live, I seem to get attached to old cemeteries, and in particular churchyards. They bring a …
Continue reading "Bringing flowers to a forgotten grave: Celia Holloway (1799-1831)"
Yes, somebody actually put this on their bio. Does this count as copyright infringement, or fair use under the copyright law? After many, many, many - possibly way too many - years stuck in monogamous relationships that weren't good for me, I'm finally experiencing what some might call "freedom." For some months I did the …
I am a migrant. I moved to the country I now call my second home when I was a young adult. When I moved away from my home country, that was my first time stepping outside my home country's borders. That was my first time on a plane. My first time living away from home …
I grew up with a "perfect fit" approach to career and professional roles. Let me explain what I mean by that. Growing up as an adolescent and as a young adult, I imbibed this idea that each person has one profession, one all-consuming role that they are training for and that they will pursue for …
I've been sitting on this one for a while, mostly because I couldn't think of who would want to take reading suggestions - about upcomings books, no less - from me. But then again, why not? Maybe there's someone out there who didn't know they needed this particular list. You know, I'm one of those …
Continue reading "4 upcoming books by female authors to buy and read over the next 6 months"
The place where I live is starting to look more and more like a ghost town with every passing day, and as cabin fever continues, strange imaginings take hold. So for day 8 of my little project I've decided to go with "a ghost for everyone". Book: Helen Oyeyemi, The Icarus Girl Until last year, …
Continue reading "‘Stuck at home’ day 8: A ghost for everyone"
Today I need something a bit more uplifting and inspiring, so as a writer myself, I thought: what better theme for day 7 than "fooling around with words"? I have to admit, it wasn't easy finding works from 3 different categories that would fit this theme, since there are many films about writers, but not …
Continue reading "‘Stuck at home’ day 7: Fooling around with words"
I find that, when I'm stuck in one place with nowhere to go, immersing myself in a puzzle of some sort is really effective in taking my brain for a good, lengthy walk. So for day 6 I have chosen "riddle me this" as my overarching theme. Today, you're getting a book, a film, and a …
Encyclopaedia Vanitatum 