A hopeful path forward in a fractured world – Sarah Wilson’s new book
January 17, 2021 at 9:18 am | Posted in capitalism, Democracy, health, Living creatively, optimism, politics, sarah wilson, Simplifying, sustainable living, value of the arts | Leave a commentTags: Claire Ratnon How to grow your dinner without leaving the house, gardening small spaces, Kate Tempest 'People's Faces', mental health, Nancy MacLean Democracy in Chains, Raynor Winn The Wild Silence, Sarah Wilson This one wild and precious life, saving the planet, Sue Miller Monogamy
An adventurous heart
Sarah Wilson’s This One Wild and Precious Life navigates through the problems facing us all right now: coronavirus, climate change, racial inequalities, political and economic polarisation, as well as loneliness, in an accessible, thought-provoking way.
The author spent three years pondering these issues and she takes us on her travels over that time, inward and outward, as she questions and explores and tries to find a way towards some coherent answers. It all started from her observation that at the moment we are fundamentally disconnected.
‘Without meaningful connection – to others, to life, to ourselves – we also experience what sociologists and psychologists are calling “moral loneliness”, which is when the supply cord to connection, caring and doing the right thing has been severed.’
Wilson interviewed psychologists and poets, scientists and philosophers on her journey. She travelled and hiked in her quest for answers, drawing on stoicism, Jungian theory, existentialism, feminism and various spiritual practices, which, she points out, emerged in response to turbulent times like our own.
If this sounds heavy-going or ploddingly sincere and worthy, this unique book does not come across anything like that. The honesty and freshness of her writing is a joy to read, as we are welcomed into the intimate world of a remarkable person. The portraits of her in the media come across as glamorous and beautiful but she turned her back on the wealth and glamour, and her beauty is a result of her health, health that was hard-won. Continue Reading A hopeful path forward in a fractured world – Sarah Wilson’s new book…
Anne Pender’s Seven Big Australians
April 22, 2019 at 9:04 pm | Posted in Australian Satire, Comic Theatre, Humour - Australian, Stand-up comedy - Australian | Leave a commentTags: Anne Pender, Barry Humphries, Carol Raye, Clarke and Dawe, Denise Scott, John Clarke, Max Gillies, Noeline Brown, Tony Sheldon
Transforming comic genres
In Seven Big Australians: Adventures with comic actors (Monash University Press, 2019) Anne Pender paints an unforgettable portrait of the lives of Australian comic actors: Carol Raye, Barry Humphries, Noeline Brown, Max Gillies, John Clarke, Tony Sheldon and Denise Scott. She brings to life careers that span from the Second World War to the present.
These portraits are also a portrait of the times, giving insights into Australian society just after the Second World War and of the tremendous social change in Australia from then until now.
Because the author interviewed her subjects over a five-year period, and knew some for much longer, the reader feels an intimate connection with them. We hear about their disappointments and triumphs, their failures and perseverance in their own heart-felt words. Continue Reading Anne Pender’s Seven Big Australians…
How to be a gazelle – on health, fitness and match-making two writers
April 2, 2017 at 7:10 am | Posted in Anti-ageing, Cycling - health benefits, cycling - mental benefits, sarah wilson, Tim Ferriss, writers' habits, writers' health | Leave a commentTags: Judy Horacek, swimming, The 4-Hour Body
The human guinea pig
‘The 4-Hour Body’ – definitely an uncommon guide
It was already hot at 8.30 on a Saturday morning. My nightie was on the floor and the sheet kicked aside when I glanced over at my reflection in the large mirrored built-in wardrobe doors.
I groaned and said, ‘Oh, God – I’ve put on weight. I’m a beached whale!’
And my companion said, ‘No, you’re not. You’re a leaping porpoise.’
I took this as a compliment.
But I’d still rather be a gazelle. American writer and adventurer Tim Ferriss promises me that I can be. Not in those exact words but near enough. For all my complaints about Tim Ferriss and the gender imbalance of his books (see January 14 of www.penhanley.wordpress.com ) I’ve been won over by him. His enthusiasm is infectious, he’s insatiably curious, and he’s funny. I’m gripped by the boys’ adventure style of his prose. In the idiom of his native country, what’s not to like? Continue Reading How to be a gazelle – on health, fitness and match-making two writers…
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