Once upon a time, not all that long ago, two women found a silver moon. They burnished it till it shone and let a rope ladder down to earth so that all the other women could climb up into the stories. It was only possible because then, the earth was warm red, not cold blue.Continue reading “A Bookshop of One’s Own”
Author Archives: Kate Sotejeff-Wilson
Happy new year, happy new writing!
Happy new year and happy new writing! 2025 is full of opportunities to write together and I hope you can join me for as many as possible. We are returning to some of our favourite venues and trying a new format. Fifth birthday party: write up to teatime Ridge Writing Retreats turned five last autumnContinue reading “Happy new year, happy new writing!”
Creative writing for researchers
This is a lovely little book for academic writers who want to dip their toes into creative nonfiction but aren’t sure where to start. In Finnish, it provides a great overview of what’s been happening in the field, from creative research methods to social writing. Best of all, the three authors keep their theory andContinue reading “Creative writing for researchers”
The Wordhord
The Wordhord is indeed a treasure trove of old English words, written with deep affection and expertise by Hana Videen. If you speak a Scandinavian or Germanic language, you will be delighted to meet many older cousins of English words here. For instance, I knew that a dead body was a Leiche in German. ButContinue reading “The Wordhord”
Starting a social writing group?
Are you based in Finland and want to set up or improve your own social writing group? Do you want to meet others who help writers put writing first, together? Your group could be a regular hour a week on Zoom, or a one-off writing retreat in person. You might invite people on your corridor,Continue reading “Starting a social writing group?”
English in the Nordic Countries
Would you enter an establishment offering fifty shades of skrei?* If you would, is that still English? Who decides who gets a piece of the English (fish?) pie? Who is English for? “Native” speakers, scholars, professionals, politicians? Or children, teenagers and gamers? It was an absolute delight to discuss all these questions and more atContinue reading “English in the Nordic Countries”
Space crone writing
Le Guin was writing before I was born and I’ll be reading her long after she died. The first Earthsea book came into the world seven years before I did, and I loved them. Like her, it took me a little while to notice that the heroes were men. To notice the women were onContinue reading “Space crone writing”
Writing for Research and Academic Practice with the WRAP Network
What do you want from a place to write? I want quiet, a good desk, an armchair to read in, lots of natural light, space to move around, somewhere nice and green to go for a walk and listen to the birds. And a comfortable bed and lots of lovely veggie food to eat inContinue reading “Writing for Research and Academic Practice with the WRAP Network”
Writing vengeance
I will write to avenge my people, writes Ernaux. Revenge, writes Szymborska. Why do these Nobelists write vengeance? Sixty years ago, Ernaux wrote a sentence in her diary, that was the springboard for her Nobel lecture: ‘I will write to avenge my people, j’écrirai pour venger ma race’. It echoed Rimbaud’s cry: ‘I am ofContinue reading “Writing vengeance”
Write with us throughout 2024
How far in advance do you block out writing time? I’ve just got my own writing retreat dates sorted for the rest of the year. There might be more to come, but now we know that every couple of months, we have a couple of days to write together in person. Your fellow writers haveContinue reading “Write with us throughout 2024”
Ridge Writing Retreats 