Hello everyone out there in this wild and ever-changing world! I hope you are all holding tight to your hearts and staying sane and warm (in the Southern Hemisphere) and cool (up North).
Adulting update: I’m a mom now, send treats!
How life has changed in the last few months! I became a mom in January this year and my life (and sleep cycles) have been turned upside down by this tiny, wonderful human I get to call mine. He’s an absolute treat and is already teaching me all there is to know about humility, patience, and being present.
Every day is different – babies develop over 1000 new neural connections a day – and yet it feels the same, broken up into 2.5 hourly slots for feeds, nappy changes, and, if we’re lucky, naps. He’s recently started laughing and there has never been a better sound in the world.
It’s definitely writing material. I just need to find the time and energy to write. Shout out to the parents in our antenatal WhatsApp chat for keeping me sane and informed and supported, and to everyone who brought Sam and I dinner over those early weeks. I appreciate you all!
Open Book Festival
Last month I had the luck of being part of The Open Book Festival – a favourite on the literary calendar that was postponed for 2020 and 2021 due to the dreaded C-word. Luckily this year the team at The Book Lounge organised a two day festival at the wonderful Bertha House featuring all local writers.
Though I was incredibly sleep deprived (and had been up since 4am with a very sad baby) it was marvellous to be on a panel talking about writing, creativity, and the terror of capitalism.
If you weren’t able to attend, they’ll be uploading videos and podcasts of the sessions over the coming weeks, via:
There are already two episodes waiting for you to enjoy them, so get on it!
Thank you to everyone who attended my session and bought copies of my book. I hope you’re finding adulting just a little bit easier!
Franschhoek Literary Festival: Friday 13th to Sunday 15th May 2022
In the middle of next month the Franschhoek Literary Festival returns after a two year hiatus. The programme is absolutely fantastic and I really had to be sensible about what tickets I was purchasing so that I didn’t wear myself (and my book buying budget) out!
I’ll be taking part in two sessions on Saturday 14 May – one as a panellist and one as a facilitator. Click on the images below for tickets to those sessions, and view the whole festival programme here.
Hope to see you all there. Come along with your friends and a warm jumper.
Kingsmead Book Fair: Saturday 21 May
I’m so excited because this year I get to be part of the Kingsmead Book Fair on Saturday 21 May – a first for me! I’m participating in two sessions – one in the young adult programme, and one in the adult programme. Get your tickets to all of the talks, here, or by clicking on the images below.
Happy reading
Though I haven’t been able to read much over the last few months, I have been lucky enough to purchase some incredible local writing. Take a look at this dreamy TBR pile and get yourself some of these books at your favourite local bookstore.
Adulting 101 update – interview on SABC and podcasts on OFM
I had a crack of dawn interview with the Morning Live team to talk about Adulting 101. It was such fun, and you can’t see that I’m wearing pyjama pants beneath my dining room table at all!
If you haven’t already listened to them, I did a series of five sessions with OFM talking about Adulting 101. It’s a really nice summary of what’s covered in the book. You can listen to them, here.
We’re speeding to the end of April, so wishing you all happiness and health. Take that vitamin C and Zinc, get that flu jab, and tell those you love that you love them.
Jen
x
Jen Thorpe 