Words about Words - May 2020
Hello there!
Welcome to the blog version of Words about Words, my monthly newsletter. If you would like to receive this in your email inbox on the last Thursday of each month, please sign up using the box at the bottom of the page.
In this month's edition I'll share some of the things I've been working on (the next section), some links I found interesting (scroll down to about halfway), and what I've been enjoying culturally (scroll down to near the bottom).
Words I've written
In addition to writing for Lonely Goat Running Club, I've produced another four short pieces for King of Shaves, purveyors of great shaving stuff.
In April's Words about Words, I mentioned that Will, the founder of King of Shaves, tasked me with writing 'interesting, engaging content' and that I had produced two pieces: "Why do you shave?" and "Sprezzatura".
These have been followed by:
"31st Century Shaving" - a sci-fi fiction short story;
"Seeing Clearly" - about sight and our desire to understand the world;
"It's Difficult to Shave on a Rollercoaster" - about all the many things it is difficult to combine with shaving;
"Smile" - about the positive effect of smiling on how we feel.
Over at Lonely Goat, feel free to check out "Finding New Routes" - a helpful guide for anyone who is looking for new places to run. I'm also pleased with how my product photography worked out for the header image.
On this site, I've published "Which would you rather use? A weapon or a tool" - a discussion of the importance of word choice.
Useful and interesting links
Words about Words is not all about me. Here are some links to pieces I enjoyed reading and that may interest you too.
"The art of not owning stuff" (by Mikael Colville-Anderson);
"Zero Waste Warriors" (by Nicola Cutchert for The Guardian);
"Extraordinary Worlds: The Silk Road Mountain Race 2019" (by Stefan Amato & David Sear for Pannier).
Cultural highlights
Obviously, we still can't get out to enjoy real life, live culture, but here's a selection of things I've enjoyed from the comfort of my own home.
"GBDuro 2019" featuring Lachlan Morton racing from Land's End to John O'Groats.
Jon Ronson does excellent podcasts (produced by Lina Misitzis), and "The Last Days of August" was captivating.
I occasionally post about the music I've been listening to on Twitter, and frequently find that my father in law disagrees with my choices. This was especially true of "Boot and Spleen" by Melt Yourself Down.
I've not shared this on Twitter yet, so I don't know what my father in law thinks of it, but I reckon this one might just get his seal of approval: "Tear Drop" (a cover of the Massive Attack classic) by Avishai Cohen and Big Vicious
Finally, I'm not in a position to share this yet, but I've had a lot of fun attempting to remix Plastic Mermaids' "10,000 Violins Playing Inside an Otherwise Empty Head" using Garageband for Ipad.
Until next time!
That's all for now - thanks for reading. Keep an eye on this blog, or sign up to receive June’s edition in your inbox.
All the best,
Jonathan