Michael Williams

What an excellent weekend at @newcastlewritersfestival — a top notch show put together by @rosemariemilsom and her team. Was a delight to talk to several fantastic authors, including the Mushroom Tapes troika of Garner, @hooper_chloe and @sarahkwrites , who were in fine form.

And the third birthday of sibling birthday week, as ever, belongs to @lmccw . For every photo of Hector (or any other kid in Lucy’s orbit) monstering her with silliness and adoration, there’s another two of Lucy returning that chaos in kind, to their endless delight. Regardless of whatever is going on in her life, Lucy’s capacity to be generous, ridiculous, indulgent, silly and caring makes her a beloved aunty, mum, daughter, teacher, friend and sister alike. A proper trashbag and formidable smartarse,she is an inspiration and a delight. So tough, so funny, so loved. Happy birthday Lucy. ❤️

It’s sibling birthday week! The most wonderful time of year. And, like the massive cuck I am, I’ll once again buck the trend of deliberately unflattering pics of the others and lean into deep sentimentality about how bloody lucky I am to have such sisters. March 4 is Molly’s birthday, and she’s an absolutely bloody force. I think if you’d told either of us a decade ago that in our 40s we’d be sending each other “kudos” every second day in a running app, and comparing notes on routes and times and the sheer obsessive joy of running, we would have thought you were crazy. But it’s always been true that Molly could turn her brain and her focus and her energy to anything and excel at it. Lawyer, friend, mum, aunty, daughter, sister, her compassion, intellect, wit and sense of justice make her formidable and make life so much better for the rest of us. Plus she’s a big old dickhead, which makes her a fucking delight. We love you Molly. ❤️

❤️❤️❤️

A perfect prom day: whiskey bay and big drift. Pack of goons. 😍

And that’s another year! A good one at that. Amazing writers at their very best.

This brilliant, gorgeous woman makes life better. I love her very much and am very lucky to share my life with her. She’s smart, kind, funny, brilliant company. Plus she has one of the best laughs you’ll ever hear: fills any room and is truly wicked. What a wonder she is. ❤️❤️

That’s unmistakably the back of my mum’s head, but also you can tell she’s relaxed and absolutely beaming. Tireless and endlessly supportive, she is an extraordinary mum and grandma, a generous and thoughtful human being, alive to fun and possibility and joy, and energised by her loved ones finding those things. It’s her birthday, and she’s wonderful and we love her. ❤️❤️

This is the fourth of these grids I’ve posted now, of a six month period in the life of Read This. Six months of books we’ve loved, stories behind them, and the extraordinary writers who created them. Unfortunately, I’m posting it today with some sad news about an uncertain future for Read This. At the end of June, Schwartz Media are selling @7ampodcast and, as a consequence, getting out of podcasting altogether. After two more episodes, Read This no longer has a home. I’m so grateful to them for supporting the show from the start and putting it into the world in the first place. Almost 100 episodes ago, Schwartz Media, where I work as editor of @themonthlymagazine , agreed to publish a weekly book podcast. The country’s best audio storyteller and podcast producer, Sarah McVeigh (no longer on Instagram) had come up with the idea and together we’d planned and piloted and conceived of Read This. (Naming it was almost the hardest bit.) Since then, it has been countless hours of reading, talking and joy playing host to these authors. Editor @sankcee has been my partner in crime making these episodes happen and ensuring they sound as good as they do. She has done brilliant work and been a delight to work with Big thanks to the technical, musical and conceptual cleverness of @zoltan.pepper and Travis Evans who round out the team, and to all the other colleagues at Schwartz Media who supported and championed the show, from Morry Schwartz and @erikojensen to everyone else. The indefatigable Edward Federman of the ARA group was a major supporter of the show, and gives me confidence that we might be able to find a new publisher for the podcast that is such a privilege to make. So, here’s hoping it’s a hiatus: a reading break from which we’ll find a way to return with more great conversations. If you haven’t listened, find us wherever you get your podcasts, and like, subscribe and share. Saying “I have a podcast” as a middle aged white man feels in many ways excruciating and cliched — but not when it’s the pure joy and indulgence to make that Read This. I’m very proud of what we’ve made, and am determined to make sure we keep on going for years to come.

If you haven’t caught this week’s #ReadThis with @torreyadora , I recommend it with gusto. She packs more ideas, imagination and insight into half an hour of chat than you could possibly believe. And her new book Stag Dance is a brilliant and energising read. While you’re there (wherever you get your podcasts) do dig in to what we’ve been up to on #ReadThis, week in, week out. An astonishing array of writers being so generous with their time and their stories. Almost 100 episodes and counting. Like, share, subscribe and review. All of the things!

This guy. 15, with the energy of a 25-year-old, the self-assurance of a 35-year-old, the palate and tastes of a 45-year-old, and the conversational tendencies and curiosities of a 55-year-old. Always, irretrievably, unmistakably himself. Very Henry. Which is a delight and we love him. ❤️

And yesterday was the third of the March birthdays, posted. a day late as my excellent sister @lmccw hosted us all at her house — even though it was her birthday. We ate far too well and drank far too much and laughed and monstered one another for many hours. If you visit the school where Lucy is assistant principal, you see how devoted to her every kid, parent, other member of the school community is. To be Lucy’s brother visiting that school is to be the best kind of rockstar. And that’s the effect she has on the closer people in her lives too: her kids, her cousins, her friends, her nieces and nephews, her siblings. We are devoted to her because she is smart and funny and kind and silly. She’s also incredibly impressive: I am constantly impressed by her in countless ways — her strength and her clarity and her power. What a wonder. Happy birthday Lucy. Love you. ❤️