One year on, I still haven’t delivered this note
08 March 2026
In this issue: lentils and a speechwriter, the Dogs of Hampstead (part three), a few links worth your time – and, at the end, a note about the Writers Support Group that you’ll want to see.
But first:
Lentils and a speechwriter
My friend Kamin left Iran after the 1979 revolution. I met her through her sister, who was at university with me. Kamin’s an author and broadcaster. This week she’s been growing lentil sprouts in preparation for Nowruz, the Persian new year. This struck me as a very fine thing to be doing right now, what with everything.
She wrote about it, and recorded a video, here.
Another author friend is Terry, an American, who wrote speeches for Barack Obama for eight years. “With everything going on in the world,” Terry wrote the other day, “it’s more important than ever that – whatever our role – we’re communicating with clarity, empathy, and civility, and with messages that give our audiences hope for the future.”
Quite right too.
Terry is coming to the UK, and I’ve been thinking about how he launched his book – a masterclass in how to keep “talking about the book” interestingly for an extended time. I wrote it all up here.
French bulldog outside Gail’s | Outstagram
I’m attempting a kind of canine reportage with these drawings: they’re not posing for the camera but just going about their business.
French bulldogs are fine dogs, especially when kitted out like this.
In other dog news: if you are a schnauzer fiend (as I am) you may like to know that the schnauzer smashed it in the Utility Dog section at Crufts. It’s on Channel Four (Day 3 part 2, 47 mins) but to watch it you have submit to tons of ads, my gosh.
Other World News In Brief
- Fifty residents of a Chilean community spent a Saturday operating an entirely human-powered chatbot – answering questions and making silly pictures on demand – to highlight the environmental toll of AI data centres in the region. Read here
- How far back in time can you understand English? Further than you might think – and less far than you’d hope. Find out here
A Speccy Man has a Breakdown
As you may know already, I’ve started sending a short daily email through March, documenting the making of a new book.
If you’re curious, you can read (and / or listen to) Day 1 here and Day 2 here
A couple of housekeeping notes
The Writers Support Group – which meets on Zoom on the fourth Thursday of each month – is moving. From April it will meet on the second Thursday instead. The reason is simple: the end of the month is vulnerable to Christmas, and the first week sometimes falls on a bank holiday. The second Thursday turns out to be reliably just… a Thursday. I hope that works for you. Find out more
As ever, Unoffice Hours runs every Wednesday lunchtime – half an hour, one to one, bookable whenever you need it. Book your slot