The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo is a verse novel about a Harlem high school student, Xiomara, who is struggling with her faith, the Church and her mother – all while beginning to navigate the waters of first love. As one who’s struggled with my own issues with being brought up within Catholicism, I recognised…
On the 12th May 2018, my grandmother passed away just a month shy of her 91st birthday. Time has sped past so quickly since I’m having trouble keeping up with the days; it’s hard to believe that this time a week ago I was home, helping in what small ways I could with the funeral…
A few years ago I wrote a post about which literary accounts I recommend on Twitter and I think it’s time for another one! Why? Well, as I say in Trust the Process: 101 Tips on Writing and Creativity: “…here’s some good news. I would say that emerging writers today find themselves in a terrific…
Hello, it’s May, we now have a fourteen-year-old in the house and I don’t think I’ve taken a deep breath in a long time. So writing this post is my way of taking the opportunity to do that. 2018 has been a funny old year, hasn’t it? I feel like I’ve been busy, and I…
If you’re familiar with local (and international) bestselling book lists of late, you’ll recognise the title The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. This widespread regard is well-deserved, for the novel handles the balance between the intimacy of the central love story while accounting for the atrocities that were occurring at the same time. As I was…
“What’s this place?” Riley asked me this question as we arrived and it was hard to give a short answer. I mean, sure, I replied, “It’s an art museum”, but in hindsight that feels reductive and even a little… wrong? Yes, there’s art everywhere. Yes, it has all the things one expects of such places…
There will be no new podcast episode of The Creative Life this week – I’ve been wrestling with a headache that refuses to go away and threatens, at any moment, to turn into a migraine. The tasks I’ve been able to do – such as writing this post – have been fit into the pockets of…
The Creative Life Podcast: Episode Twenty-Eight This informal, candid mini-episode was inspired by the fact that this week marks the one-year anniversary of my poetry collection On The Many Shapes Bodies Will Take. Where did that time go?! Books, Topics Discussed and Recommended Reading On The Many Shapes Bodies Will Take by Karen Andrews Trust the Process:…
The Creative Life Podcast: Episode Twenty-Seven This week’s guest is Kelly Gardiner – award-winning author, educator and co-host of the Unladylike podcast. Her latest novel is 1917: Australia’s Great War. This was a fascinating talk – pirates, sword fighting, Vikings, War & Peace and a whole lot more. She can be found on Twitter. Books,…
