Two invitations and something about a boat
Dear friends
A short message this week, that comes with two invitations to join me, and one to chill out with a beautiful film.
The first invitation…
I’m delighted to be taking part in the 6th issue of the Wild Women Writers’ Salons on Thursday April 25th at 7pm. Alongside Sarah Thomas (author of The Raven’s Nest), Amanda Thomson (author of Belonging) and Joanna Wolfarth (author of Milk) we’ll be discussing our books and exploring “Entwined Narratives of Identity, belonging, and the interplay of writing and art in creative practice”
The previous Salon events have been rich and rewarding conversations, so I am really looking forward to the evening. You can find out more, catch up with previous Salons and subscribe so you don’t miss the next one on the
Substack.
The second invitation
The Life Raft Co-Working session will launch as usual at 3pm (UK time) on Wednesday. You are welcome to come and join us as we work quietly together on our creative projects in a shared, supportive space.
And if you can’t make the time, you can work alongside us asynchronously - here’s last week’s recording. The passcode is: 634Sra=&
The film about a boat
And finally I wanted to share a gorgeous film with you. Made by my friend Mark Jenkins ‘From boo to starn’ follows the building of a wooden boat by one of the last boatbuilders in Orkney still using traditional methods. John Leslie from Shapinsay, Orkney, has been building boats for decades. Nearing retirement, John contemplates his life on the sea, as a creel fisherman and a boat builder, while building what might be his last dinghy. With music by James Watson it’s a joy, through and through. But if you want to check out the trailer first, you can view it here. And if you find the Orcadian dialect too hard to follow you can always turn on the English subtitles!
Make some time in your week to spend with John in his boatshed as he builds a boat, plank by plank, nail by nail, with hands and eyes honed by decades of practice.
That’s all from The Life Boat this week, but I do hope some of you can come along to the Salon tomorrow evening to say hello!
all best
Sam
And if you want more traditional wooden boats….read on!
Today’s essay, with all manner of visual and auditory embellishments, came like a breath of fresh Orkney air. Having worked with wood a great part of my life, John Leslie’s creating the dinghy with deft strokes was entrancing. Mark Jenkins’ film capture of John’s expertise added so much. I was grateful for the English captions.
And you built your own canoe? Brava!
All the very best,
Gary