Sunday Smörgåsbord #074
Aladdin's Caves, Chess Games, and Public Libraries. Plus: A Real Pain.
Happy Sunday, friends.
It’s been a hectic few weeks of festivals, family and frantically trying to finish my first draft. The closer I get to the end, the more I realise I’m heading back to the beginning: realistically this is a draft 0 and will need at least two rewrites!
Nevertheless, I’m trying to keep going, so I can get to the end in time for mid-July and our annual summer holiday. I have around five chapters to go, and four weeks in which to finish them.
With so much going on, at work and in my home life, the only way to get it done is to show up for one hour a day. It’s not always an hour, and it’s definitely not every day, but to have the goal keeps me focused. If I can do fifteen minutes, I often find I can do another fifteen, and sometimes before I know it I’ve written five hundred words (though I anticipate four hundred of them will end up on the digital garbage heap).
What goals are you chipping away at step by step, word by word, minute by minute? Would love to hear from you to inspire me as I reach the end.
Have a great week ahead,
Emma x
PS - there’s still time to read our next short story, Recitatif, by Toni Morrison. It’s the only one she ever wrote, and we meet on 24 June to discuss it. All details via the post.
🍳 Recent servings, in case you missed them…
❤️ If you liked this post don’t forget to hit the heart to let me know and help others find my writing.
📮 And if you’re not yet subscribed, all editions of Sunday Smörgåsbord are free forever. Sign up for free and get next week’s in your inbox
📰 Features & Podcasts
NB: [PW] signifies a paywall, though some providers allow you to read a set number of articles for free.
‘The domestic violence video that silenced an Australian stadium’, The Times [PW]. For once, a domestic violence campaign with men behind, in front, and at the centre of it. Watching this advert, starring famous Australian sportsmen and actors, I felt a watershed moment being passed. It was unexpectedly powerful to see men talking directly to other men, and on an advert intended to be played in stadiums where so many men will gather together to see their favourite sports. The ad was devised by Australia’s top family court judge, Will Alstergren, to tackle Australia’s soaring problem with gender-based violence: only a few weeks ago one shocking major study found that over one in three Australian men had admitted to being violent or abusive to a partner in their lifetime. I’ll be watching to see the impact; I pray it’s a swift and positive one.
‘‘They Come at You’: The Grandmothers Playing Rough at a Kids’ Sport’, The New York Times [PW]. Loved loved loved this deep-dive into the Ah Ma’s (Chinese for Grandma) tearing up the water-based sport of Flippa Ball. Moving our bodies not only keeps us fit but changes our mental health for the better, and reading about these women of all abilities and ages playing together, building community, and - yes - wanting to WIN, left me so inspireed. It also made me miss Singapore, a country which has its faults when it comes to caring for the most vulnerable in society, but also intentionally carves out opportunities for this type of community to happen (case in point: all over-65’s have free access to gyms and pools).
‘Tristam Hunt: The man who opened the V&A’s Aladdin’s cave’, The Times [PW]. The V&A is my absolute favourite museum: a complete treasure trove of tidbits, object d’arts and game-changing design icons through the ages. Covering fashion, ceramics, architecture, illustration and more, there are literally tens of thousands of exhibits, many of which simply never make it out of storage. I was so excited then to read this interview with the current Director, ex-Labour MP Tristam Hunt, who has just overseen the opening of the new V&A East Storehouse at Stratford. The concept? It sounds so simple yet so revolutionary, and a way to get more of our shared history literally into the hands of the people, democratising what has long made the UK so special: I cannot wait to visit.
This latest outpost of the grand old V&A is an absurd mix of Ikea showroom, old duke’s attic and Bruce Forsyth’s Generation Game. Anyone can come and view the 250,000 objects once packed away in the Edwardian Blythe House in Kensington. Visitors can even handle a few artefacts if they book in advance and wear gloves. It sounds bonkers but this new inside-out collections hall is sensational.
Side note: It probably helps that I already found Hunt a really interesting person, ever since I saw him wax lyrical on - yes - Joseph Bazalgette's pioneering sewage system (for a Victorian Lit grad, Hunt was quite the poster boy).
🎨 Arts, Culture & Entertainment
A Real Pain, dir. Jesse Eisenberg (2024). I was curious to watch this thanks to the stellar reviews, Oscar, etc, but also because the novel I’m
attempting towriting explores this idea of what we inherit from our ancestors versus what we project, or process, through our ideal of them. The film nails the tight-rope between honouring others’ trauma versus laying claim to it as your own - the only real laugh out loud moment for me was Culkin’s idiotic ‘me too’ comment about fleeing genocide (IYKYK). It’s well-written, poignant, and fantastically acted, but I couldn’t help feeling such second-hand embarrassment for both Culkin and Eisenberg’s characters that it was hard to say I enjoyed it.Intermezzo, Sally Rooney (Faber, 2024). Otherwise known as My First Ever Sally Rooney read. Who knows why I felt some strange resistance to pick up any of her novels until now, but jokes on me because, whilst I didn’t love love love it, I did think it was beautifully written, funny and well-crafted. The story centres on two brothers, one a chess prodigy, the other a respected human rights lawyer. A decade or so apart, both are dealing with their father’s recent death in different, sometimes damaging ways. I particularly loved the character of Margaret, and who can resist a novel featuring a whippet.
CMAT. One of the artists I was most excited to see during our trip last weekend to Primavera Sound in Barcelona and boy, did she deliver. A swoonsome mash-up of pop, country, indie - AKA, most of my favourite genres, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (hence: CMAT) treated us to already-firm favourites plus tracks from her upcoming album ‘Euro Country’. A voice like an angel with in-between banter like a trucker, she left the sunset crowd at the Cupra stage captivated. My favourites have to be her recent single ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’ and ‘Aw, Shoot!’. A joyful set that reminded me why festivals are so magical.
📺 What have you seen lately that’s worth a read, watch or listen? Let me know in the comments.
🍹 Lifestyle
Biblioteca Pública Municipal Eugenio Trías, El Retiro, Paseo
de Fernán Nuñez, 24, 28009, Madrid. As a remote-worker I’ve felt the pain that comes with trying to switch up my work environment for the day. It always seems like a good idea at the time only for it to become so convoluted and bureaucratic you just wish you had stayed at home. What a breath of fresh air this public library was then: nestled in the lush retiro park, just steps from the nearest metro, with floor-to-ceiling windows and plenty of study space. I arrived just before 9am, armed with my residency cards, ready for a form-filling bonanza - how surprised I was to be waved through with a huge smile. Turns out if you just want to use the space (without checking anything out), you’re free to. Did the day nevertheless turn into a remote work nightmare? Yes, it did (see below), but nothing to do with this spot, and I’ll definitely be reporting.
That’s it for this week. I hope you find something in this list that sparks joy or curiosity.
If you’ve got any recommendations on articles, podcasts, Substacks or shows for me to dive into, please drop them in the comments. Until next time!
❤️ Thank you for reading. If you liked this post don’t forget to hit the heart to let me know and help others find my writing.
📮 And if you’re not yet subscribed, all editions of Sunday Smörgåsbord are free forever. Sign up for free and get next week’s in your inbox.
Go Emma! Two drafts? Piece of cake! ❤️
I also felt a bit like you about A Real Pain. It felt slow! Need to read Intermezzo still and I think the novel before that! 🙈