How to Die in the 21st Century by Hannah Gould

Posted by Kate W in Non-fiction and tagged with , , , ,

I’m on loads of mailing lists for death and grief-related professional development. Over the years, I’ve noticed death/ grief ‘trends’. For example, ten years ago there was a focus on voluntary-assisted dying (it was topical in Australia at the time) and post-COVID there was lots about personal grief rituals (I think because COVID restrictions changed the way people conducted funerals). Lately, it’s all about death-bots and the problem of digital legacies. Continue reading →

Things That Are Making Me Happy This Week

Posted by Kate W in Stuff and Nonsense and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

01. An absolutely superb exhibition at RMIT Gallery – For Holding by Claire Garwoli, Davin Ivatts and Zosia Slifirski Duckett. Bronze objects that you’re invited to hold. Beautifully tactile and designed to fit snugly in your hand, each with a tiny inscription on the underside. I loved it so much. Continue reading →

Wifehouse by Sonya Walger

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , ,

I know that Miranda July’s All Fours divided readers – I thought it was an astonishing story about a woman questioning her role and her identity (and without getting into gross generalisations, there’s a reason this happens during menopause, when the gentle scrim that oestrogen provides is ripped away). Wifehouse by Sonya Walger tackles similar themes (although without July’s humour and quirk).

…the ruin was internal, invisible and incremental. She had no words for the aching elasticity of time. Continue reading →