Dear First name / One,

 

Well, this is a big month for me as I turn 60 in the middle of July (yes, I'm a Chinese ‘Wood Dragon’) so I'm officially moving into my young elderhood. I certainly plan to celebrate this one, as making it through the clusterfuck of midlife divorce and menopause without children, and coming out the other side feeling at peace with my inner and outer life deserves nothing less. The photo above shows me in a warmer place than Ireland a couple of years ago; I would include a more recent photo but it keeps raining :)

 

Although many of us understandably fear ageing without children, it's a topic I've been researching, thinking, talking and writing about for a decade now and, in the decade to come, I'm going to be putting some of those ideas into practice and sharing them with you as I go; I call this my ‘Gateway Elderwomen’ project, and you can find out more about it on my website, or jump straight into my latest essays on issues related to ageing as a woman without children in our culture on my Substack. I had an essay go viral this month, at one point was the #3 most read article in the ‘Culture’ section of Substack, out of about 25,000 publications! (Do check out the comments, they are thoughtful and fascinating, which makes a big change from most comment sections these days!) I'm currently writing a ‘60 Things I Know at 60' post, so do subscribe (it's free or paid, as you wish), right here. 

Our first Online Reignite Weekend for a few years for UK/EU timezones is coming up for September and is filling up steadily! This is in addition to the our last in-person weekend in Australia for 2024 (and the first ever in Perth), as well as two more in London this winter. All details, fabulous testimonials, facilitator contacts and booking links here. 

I've been an Ambassador for World Childless Week since its inception in 2017 and the absolute beating heart of it are the submissions from childless people all over the world, based around the daily themes (most of which change each year). Submissions can be in ANY form that can be displayed on the website (video, poem, artwork, words, music, etc), can be anonymous or credited as you prefer, and DO NOT have to be of a ‘professional’ standard (so tell that to your inner critic!)  All submissions have to be in by on or before August 25th, so please don't leave it too late, especially if each year you've been meaning to take part. The submissions factsheet is here.

 

As well as showcasing your voices, World Childless Week is a time for us to tell the world that we exist; one of the ways to do that is to ask your workplace to add it to their ‘awareness days’ calendar. If you click here, you'll find a sample template of an email you can customise to send to your HR or DEI lead.  And if you'd like to raise awareness in your local community, here's a link to download some leaflets which you can print and ask to be displayed on noticeboards in your local healthcare centre, community centre, faith centre or in the school staffroom! 

 

Also, before 4th August, be sure to nominate YOUR choice for the People's Champion for 2024. This can be any childless person who you feel deserves to be recognised for the impact they've had on your life. Nominations form here. 

I've been reviewing books of interest to people without children for over a decade now, and you'll find (most) of those reviews on the Gateway Women website.

In 2013 I was invited to give a 10-min talk at the Women of the World Fesival (WOW) on London's Southbank. I was 48 (and a half) when I gave this talk, and even managed to get a couple of jokes in! It's since been viewed almost fifty-thousand times! Click the video below or this link to watch.