10 things of interest #8
Orzotto recipe, Advice from Ask Polly, and written poetry by Chef Will Cooper
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My ten favourite pieces from September are below. You’ll notice more and more that I’m sharing work from Substack writers specifically and this is mainly because it’s become my source for discovering new writing. ‘10 things of interest’ has also received it’s very own banner!
I have to shout about this Chicken and Leek Orzotto recipe that I’ve already made twice this week. I used chicken stock rather than boiling water and seasoned it with salt and pepper. This recipe is designed for young children, which is why it’s so plain so go wild with the seasoning.
- from Writing in the Dark wrote a great piece called “What my Father Knew,” which was published on Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, a digital magazine. A deeply heartbreaking story about how her father was aware of Jeannine’s step-fathers abuse and did nothing about it. The quote, “I know what you mean. I knew she knew. I knew, too. I think everyone knew,” is unforgettable.
Catastrophe actor, Rob Delaney, learnt that his toddler, Henry, was dying of a brain tumour. In an extract from his new book, "A Heart that Works” he details his family’s devastating story. Here’s a snippet of it.
Will Cooper from
writes poetry when it comes to food. In “It’s raining” he details his venture into the garden in downpour weather to collect some figs from his back garden.Justin Myers from
had me cracking up in “The truth about the spider” — a recount of his attempt to rescue a spider who had fallen into his toilet bowl: “It wasn’t large, but big enough to notice. I wondered had it drowned upon falling in, so blew on it in the hope of making it move. To do what, I’ve no idea. The front crawl? The oyster then a high-kick?”- wrote in “We Need to Talk About Our Compulsive Busyness,” about his experience with the back-to-school routine and the compulsiveness to keep our lives and children’s lives so active “that we simply do not have time to enjoy them.”
Jess Pan from
writes about famous author encounters in bookshops, working with young people and falling in love in “Sorry I'm late — I fell in love too young.”In “I’m so far behind!” Heather Havrilesky from
gives advice to a 24 year old who struggles with her new age, wondering if she’s behind on compared to everybody else. I’ve saved this article and read it multiple times for comfort.- from Badreads commentary on “write what you know and other worthless advice.” Blunt, a bit crass, but most definitely true.
It goes without saying that
from Peak Notions continues to be such an inspiration. Her piece “Leaving It All Behind (Apart from Yourself)” recounts her move to Australia and the feelings that come with it. I would quote the entire piece if I could, but I’ll leave you with just this one: “You discover, and must adjust to the fact, that McDonald’s fries taste different here. A brief but intense mourning period ensues. The overall adjustment involved in emigrating is major, but it is composed of minor, often seemingly inconsequential moments which accumulate into an hour, a day, a week, and ultimately your whole experience of a place.”
Thank you so much for the shoutout!
Thank you Natalie. If you check your inbox I’ve changed your subscription.