This week on Writing Spaces, we take a peek into the working space of Janette Fecteau, author of the poems “Deer Jacker” and “The Part I Hate Most” in Issue 139.
It should be obvious from the state of my desk, that I am not writing at the desk very much these days. Rather it seems to be a catch-all for various projects and correspondence. I can’t write without a cup of tea and some sort of view out a window. In winter, I can’t write without a shawl or blanket over my shoulders—it is very drafty by that big window!
This week on Writing Spaces, we take a peek into the temporary working space of Heather Birrell, author of the short story “Tin Jails” in Issue 139.
I think my ability to write has less to do with physical than mental space – and not being exhausted. I am currently NOT exhausted! Which is wonderful. Some of this has to do with the fact that for the last six months I have been on leave from my job and visiting with family on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. My father-in-law gamely set up a desk for me in the bedroom. I have written at the desk very rarely, but I have often appreciated the fact of the desk, and its silhouette against the fantastic view from our window. Plus the desk is a wonderful place for various things to live – stacks of books, a wind-up Postman Pat, piles of shells and stones, Dairy Milk wrappers, a stuffed monkey, rings and other shiny things. The view – behind the caravan borrowed from a generous neighbour for visitor overflow – is of the family croft and the moorland. It has changed and remained the same in so many ways since we arrived. But really, my writerly home is my notebook. If I have a notebook and pen, I can usually (NOT exhausted) write where I’m planted.
Intern Carina Rampelt shares her impressions of the new Harry Potter play.
Doing my best John Oliver impression with HP glasses.
Hey there TNQ readers. I’m Carina—you might remember me from my introductory blog post a couple years ago.
I’m back working at TNQ this summer and I thought instead of introducing myself all over again, I’d focus on something a little more important. Namely, The Cursed Child—the script of the new Harry Potter play that premiered in London earlier this summer and was released over the weekend.
Like many ‘kids my age,’ I share a special connection with Harry Potter. I can remember devouring the books when I was little (more or less secretly from my friends, since I went to Christian school and all their parents were convinced the books were A GATEWAY TO WITCHCRAFT), waiting anxiously for the next installment to come out, and going to midnight release parties at my local bookstore. Or at least, going but leaving at 10pm because my little siblings were falling asleep on their feet and then getting the book first thing the next morning.
This weekend I (briefly) attended the Midnight Madness release of the 8th installment in Harry’s Adventures at Chapters in Waterloo, and a trip to the beach on the holiday Monday provided the perfect opportunity to read it. I’d thought I’d share my impressions with you all here.
Though written as a script, this play is a little more reader-friendly than a lot of scripts I’ve seen. The writers have taken care to use really evocative descriptions and stage directions to set the scene for a reading, rather than viewing, audience. The story grapples with Harry’s struggles, as an abused orphan himself, to parent his middle son, Albus—who of course, in turn, struggles with being the son of the ‘Boy Who Lived.’
It’s nice to see how our favourite boy hero and his friends are doing all grown up, and nicer still to see them still—like any good characters—struggling to figure it all out: how to be a good parent, how to have a work/life balance, and so on. The focus on Albus and his friend Scorpius’ POVs, however, ensures that the story never loses its YA flavour.
It’s also neat to see moments from Harry’s past that we haven’t been privy to before—one scene that particularly tugged on my heartstrings was Hagrid’s first meeting with baby Harry. (SPOILER: I may have teared up a little when he tells Harry “I’m gonna be yer best friend”).
It’s not earth-shattering literature, by any means, but it is a nice romp through the Harry Potter universe we all know so well. Definitely a fun, light summer read and one I recommend!
