30 Comments

Emma this was a JOY to read!! What a wonderful day - may need to consider a ticket for next year ๐Ÿ˜‰

I have also (twice!) had the pleasure of meeting Julia Gillard, and briefly wondered if her Welsh roots could mean there is a distant relation ... but sadly I think not. She is an enthralling speaker though.

Thanks for giving us such a lovely insight to this event, and your experiences in the literary world! ๐Ÿ“š

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Oh I will so be going next year - join me?! ๐Ÿ˜

She spoke a lot about her Welsh roots and I think thatโ€™s a huge part of what makes her both enthralling and utterly relatable. Such grace, wisdom and humility. A joy to listen to! ๐Ÿซถ

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Yes please!

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Ooh I'll look out for dates and might take you up on that ๐Ÿ˜‰

Yes couldn't agree more! ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ

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Had this saved to read for ages and just got to it... Love love love! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ’•xx

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Aah thanks so much! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

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Yes please!

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Yaay!! Iโ€™ll set a place! ๐Ÿซถ

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I stumbled onto your Substack today and subscribed because this post was utterly delightful and left me smiling. Thanks for sharing!

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Aah thanks so much, I'm very glad you stumbled!! Lovely to connect with you xx

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You new game of Six Degrees of Cathy Rentzenbrink got me thinking about how she built a place in the book world by working hard, meeting people, making connections, delivering workshops, doing talks and readings, and interviewing authors and reading every single book. She didnโ€™t come from a literary elite, start with connections and she doesnโ€™t live in London. She reads, writes and meets people. She is an inspiration to us all. And a reminder that takes time and effort.

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She is inspirational indeed, in so many ways. You and I both know how much hard work is involved that's for sure and so much goes unseen xx

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Love this! So powerful about women friendships, congrats on your new bookโ€ฆ what a lovely feeling to accomplish! Your photos speak volumes of love and support amongst these writers! Bravo for becoming authors, calling yourself a writer, highlighting how lifting others up makes us all stronger! Well done, Emma! ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿซถโค๏ธ

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Oh thank you so much Joan, what a lovely comment. Am so very pleased to 'meet' you!! ๐Ÿ’•๐Ÿซถ

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Likewiseโ€ฆfollowing! ๐Ÿฅฐ

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Just found you today through Notes and am now an instant fan! This was so much fun to read and I too have found such a massively supportive community here.

I'm so happy to have stumbled upon your Stack today!! ๐Ÿ˜Š

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Oh Mesa that makes me so happy! How wonderful that we have stumbled across each other. Love this community ๐Ÿซถ

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Your writing is brilliant emma! So funny and relatable. I canโ€™t wait to read your books xx ๐Ÿงก

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Aaw bless you Kate what a lovely thing to say. Thank you โค๏ธ

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Sign me up for dinner parties and tea! ๐Ÿ˜

What a day, absolutely loved reading this. I love the way you write.

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Oh thank you so much!!! And yaay for coming to my dinner party ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿซถ

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What a wonderful day you had! It will only get better as you become as famous as they are - or more famous!! Keep it up!

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Haha it was such fun! Not sure Iโ€™d ever want to be famous but I do really want to have all of those ladies over for dinner ๐Ÿคฃ

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What a fabulous read Emma and what a brilliant day! I might not have been at the Women's Prize (sounds like my kind of day/evening) but I did spend the evening with eight female friends for an overdue chat over dinner. We meet every few months and the conversations are so varied, so honest, so funny and we always leave smiling, feeling lighter and wondering why we don't do it more often. Here's to the women in the midlife....

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Oh that sounds perfect - and YES to the women in midlife. I think that whilst we dial up our โ€˜donโ€™t give a fuckโ€™ barometer, we also learn to really hold close the things and people that actually matter, to shed the extraneous and understand and embrace what we value. Like those true friends and moments of connection. Just wonderful โค๏ธ

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Me! ๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™€๏ธ

Your next DP sounds like itโ€™s going to be brilliant! Love this piece Em x

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Thank you honey!! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

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Wow to all of this, what an experience, thank you for recounting it! I would absolutely adore to come to your dinner party xx

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Yes!!!! There is a place at my table for you!!! โค๏ธโค๏ธ

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What a day!

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