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Dearest First name / One,

 

If you're in the Northern Hemisphere and are planning a summer holiday or are already on one, you can't have missed the many ‘summer reading’ articles in the press or online. But how many of them, particularly those aimed at women, will be SFC? (Safe for childless/free readers!) Not many, I reckon… So I wanted to share with you a truly fantastic book I've just read, and reviewed, called No Fair Maidens: A Wild Journey with the Lost Goddesses of Britain, by Kim Willis. It's a mythological memoir, but if that sounds heavy, don't let it put you off--it's the most relatable and uplifting memoir/travel book I've read from a single, midlife, non-mother for a very long time. You can read my full review here and, for my international readers, Blackwell's in Oxford offers free international delivery (and no, I'm not on commission!) 

 

You might also like to know that in the CC Online Community, we have a Nomo Book Club, where each month we read a novel together that doesn't centre on motherhood or children, and provide reviews, discussion prompts, possible content warnings and a live Zoom at the end of each month. I started that subgroup 7 years ago, and it's wonderful to see that it going strong thanks to members Lori and Jemma. Thank you! Access with a CC membership here. And over on Instagram, the Nomo Book Club page (same name; different group!) reviews both fiction and non-fiction for childless/free people. 

 

As some of you may now, my focus over the last five or so years has been on ‘Elderhood without Motherhood' and, for the last couple of years, in getting a ‘community of care’ off the ground called ALTERKIN in my rural Irish location. In the last week, our modest little project was featured in The Atlantic magazine (written by the same Stephanie H. Murray whose survey I shared at the top of this newsletter), and I've also published an essay on my Substack about the first year of our Alterkin Circle for those who are interested in starting one of their own. What can I say - next week will be my birthday, and the people I'm going out with for a celebratory lunch are my ‘kinnies’ - so it's going well :)

 

I have some good personal news in that, after a nail-biting year of scary tests, I have been given the all clear from a rare progressive brain disease, and a few other nasties too. Now ‘all’ I have is Long Covid and, over the last month (and even before my neurological consult), I was definitely starting to feel a bit better. I'm not out of the woods yet – my energy is still all over the place, and environmental stimulation (noise, people, smells, etc), knock me for six, but my concentration, writing and speaking abilities are returning. I'm still working at a much reduced level, and I'm still off social media – and quite frankly, apart from Substack Notes, I think it's unlikely I'll ever return, except for the one week of World Childless Week each September – I really don't miss it at all!

 

Until next month,

I love this portrait of me by the very talented Zöe Noble of We Are Childfree - she'll be on stage at Storyhouse this year - don't miss out on meeting her - she's amazing! 

This newsletter takes a day (at least!) each month to write and produce. If you'd like to support my work, you can leave me a tip at BuyMeACoffee, and I'll probably do exactly that with it, no doubt, whilst also reading a book you've helped me buy :)