Words about Words - September 2020
Hello, and welcome to September’s Words about Words.
What you’re reading here is a copy of the monthly newsletter that I send out to people who have subscribed via the link at the bottom of this page. Previously I have used Mailchimp to send out the email newsletters, but have just switched to Substack.
Mailchimp is good, but I write everything on an ipad and it can be a bit fiddly to use. Substack is proving a lot easier to use, so far. It also offers the option for you to look at previous editions of Words about Words at jonathansbean.substack.com. Of course, I add each edition to this website, jonathansbean.com, anyway, but it does provide another way for you to keep updated.
With that explanation over, let’s get to the content. As usual, I start off with a selection of things that I’ve enjoyed or found interesting or useful. Then, I finish off with a few things I’ve done over the past month.
Interesting, entertaining, or useful
Wetwheels South West is launched
Congratulations, and very best wishes, to the entire Wetwheels family on the successful launch of Wetwheels South West - a specially-built, accessible powerboat that is already offering the opportunity for disabled people in Devon and Cornwall to get on the water.
You can read more about this project in my blog post at jonathansbean.com, or learn more about Wetwheels at wetwheelsfoundation.org.
‘How to format dialogue’, Dax MacGregor, firstmanuscript.com
This is one of the most useful guides on how to format dialogue when writing. If you’re struggling to work out how to quote speeches, or how to lay out conversations between characters in a story, then this is a good place to start.
The Story Gifters
This lovely, small, not-for-profit organisation aims to get books to children who don’t have them.
Penguin Series Design
This blog, by Greg Neville, is all about the art of Penguin book covers. If you’re a fan of the distinctive style of Penguin books, and want to know more about the artists behind the images, then this site, at this link, is for you.
‘A message to TikTok parents who use my face to make their kids cry’, Melissa Blake, refinery29.com
Apparently, there’s an online video trend of parents trying to scare their children by showing them pictures of disabled people, telling their children it’s their new teacher, and filming the reactions.
This is a really shit thing to do.
Melissa Blake is someone who has seen her face used in these videos and she’s written about it.
Check the article out at this link.
Mum launches new language cards
Language is important. Often, there can be a difference between what we are trying to convey, and how it is perceived. At it’s mildest, this can lead to confusion or misunderstanding. At it’s worst, this can result in language that dehumanises people. One area where it is crucial to get things right is when talking to, or referring to disabled people*.
Becca is mum to Arthur, a young boy with Down syndrome, and she has devised a set of cards to share the terminology she would like people to use when talking about her son. For example, “typical” rather than “normal”, or “has Down syndrome” rather than “suffers from Down syndrome”.
You can read more about the project at this link.
Text Radio
This is cool. Nick Asbury conducts real time interviews hosted in Google Docs. If you’re familiar with Google Docs and have experienced collaborative editing on the platform, you’ll be aware that it is possible for more than one person to write in a document at the same time.
This is how Asbury conducts his interviews: He writes the questions, and his guest writes the answers. The whole thing is streamed live online for other people to watch, with a recording made available later. Guests tend to be from the creative arts industry, including poet Tom Sharp, designer Ravi Vasavan, singer-songwriter Louise Kyme, and illustrator and writer Ben Tallon.
You can discover all the interviews at this link.
Things I’ve done
Lonely Goat
Over at lonelygoat.com, you can find three informative articles I’ve published over the past month:
Other projects
I’ve had an interesting few weeks, where I’ve had a couple of projects that have seen me combine writing with being a visual artist. I’m quite happy with this, as I love drawing, but if I carry on like this I may have to change my job title on my next batch of business cards. I’ve written about this projects over at jonathansbean.com.
‘By dawn’s early light’ - writing and illustration in Like the Wind
Like the Wind is a beautifully produced magazine all about “why we run”. I’ve had a few illustrations featured in it previously, as well as a couple of articles. In issue 25, the most recent, I’ve illustrated one of my articles for the first time. It’s a tale of running through a Moroccan surf town in the early morning, noting how you can get under the skin of a place when the streets are empty.
You can read my blog post about the project at jonathansbean.com, or buy a copy of the magazine at likethewindmagazine.com.
Painting a poem that people can sit on
I’m very excited to let you know that I will be a part of the BENCH project, being run by Solent Showcase Gallery at Solent University in Southampton.
The project will see artists painting their designs on the benches that adorn Above Bar and the High Street. I’ve written a haiku poem that encourages people to sit and reflect.
You can read more about the project, and how to keep up to date with it, in my blog post at jonathansbean.com.
Thanks for reading
I hope you enjoyed September’s edition of Words about Words.
Keep your eyes peeled for October’s edition arriving in subscribers’ inboxes (and Substack) on the last Thursday of the month, and appearing here a day later.
Cheers,
Jonathan
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[*I’m aware that the term “disabled people” can be problematic, so please let me explain my use of it. I’m a proponent of the social model of disability. Under the oft-used medical model of disability, a disability is something that someone has. Under the social model, however, a person does not have a disability, but is disabled by the social structures and environment around them.
The social model recognises that it is important to create a fairer society that makes better provision for people who’s circumstances deviate from the idealised medical ‘norm’.
As a non-disabled person, I’m writing this from a position of second or third-hand understanding, and welcome any differing viewpoints if they help me better understand the situations other people face.]