Hi y'all.
Here's to you some inspirations 'On History and Writing'. Enjoy.
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Until next time - Majken xx
HaHaHa-HaHaHaHaHaHaaa-HaHa-HaHaHaHaaaa
World Laughter Day is only 3 1/2 weeks away(*, and I thought we’d better start getting into shape. Apart from binge-watching sketches with your favourite stand-up comedian [*check out Laura Ramoso, please*], you can train your laughter muscles by doing some lovely laughter yoga. I tried a similar thing during my studies - yes, practising how to laugh on purpose also existed two decades ago! (and probably long before that) - and it hahahHaHahaha was, it hahaha was hhaaaaHaHaHaaaa, it was hahahahilarious. (It really was!). Anyway, laughter yoga is not a comedy, as it says on the LY website. It’s an exercise program “where anyone can laugh without relying on humour, jokes or comedies,”. It combines laughter and yoga breathing techniques, bringing more oxygen to your body and brain and making you feel more energetic and healthy. So please, get on with it, do some daily laughing yoga exercises - or watch some comedy or whatever gets you in a bubbly laughing mood.
(*World Laughter Day: May 5, 2024 (first Sunday of May).
The incredible history of the Chinese doctor Li Shizhen
I invite you to lean back and enjoy the episode of In Our Time on BBC, in which we hear about the fantastic life of Li Shizhen. Li Shizhen-who?? - You’d probably ask. Okay, it gets a bit nerdy now, but it’s definitely worth a listen. So Shizhen was - still is - a most celebrated man in China. Back in his days - he lived from 1518-1593 - he trained as a doctor before he spent almost 30 years travelling all over China, inspecting local plants and animals to see if they could help cure human diseases. He described all his findings in his “Bencao Gangmu”, a medical compendium spanning 53 volumes and in which he presents 2,000 ingredients for over 11,000 different medicines [*aaand breathe!]. Shizhen has, much deservedly, been called the uncrowned king of Chinese naturalists, and the programme's host reveals that he’s as famous over there as Newton and other great thinkers are in this part of the world.
Female storytellers who are trying to make this world a little better
In this BBC’s Cultural Frontline episode, we meet a handful of courageous female storytellers. They come from different parts of the world, and through their creative work, they try to make this world a little better.
There’s the Syrian filmmaker Waad al-Kateab, who’s made the documentary “For Sama” about the time during the siege of Aleppo during which she gave birth to her daughter. [You can watch it here in UK, US, DK (for free) or check out Blockbuster.]
There’s the British activist Charlie Craggs, who’s created the free walk-in beauty salon Nail Transphobia, where people can get their nails done for free by a transgender person. This is Craggs’ creative-activistic way of trying to reduce prejudices against transgender people. It’s quite a success - and my! What a brilliant idea.
The novelist, Sarah Blau, is from Israel, and she’s written the novel "The Others" about women who’ve chosen not to have children - which is a big taboo in Israel. Blau is one of these women herself, and she reveals that even after writing the book, she still hasn’t spoken with her parents about her decision.
Then there’s the American best-selling crime writer Patricia Cornwell, who puts female characters in front in her books. She tells how the pioneering female author Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, set her on course to be a writer. (Oh, I want to read that book again!)
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‘On History and Writing’ is a blog post from me to you in which I share historically rooted real-life stories from around the world - told in exciting and creative ways - along with thoughts that circle the creative process of writing non-fiction texts. I post an email once every fortnight. If you're not already a subscriber, you are welcome to join the list. Thanks for reading! Majken xx
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