Still life with teapot

by Brigid Lowry

The good thing about being my age is that if you haven't grown up already, you don't have to.

What do you do when you start talking to yourself on the bus? If you're the writer Brigid Lowry, you change tack and write a book about what it means to be an ageing woman in the 21st century

In Still Life with Teapot Lowry offers advice, observations, hope and reality checks in equal measure. She drops us straight into the writer's world – into the nuts and bolts of writing practice and into the art of life and ways to write about it.

Still Life with Teapot is an essential brew for people who love to make lists, for people who love to write and for people who love to read about writing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Writing, Biography, Biography Memoir

184 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2016

About the author

Brigid Lowry was born in New Zealand into a rather strange but very creative family. Here she learned a love of books, too many swear words and how to cook a decent omelette. Brigid's early, rather awful poetry was made into a small book by her father, a printer and typographer, and sold to kindly relatives for two and sixpence a copy. Thus her writing career was launched, but it took about twenty years for her to take it to a higher place. In the meantime she tried being a hippie, a waitress, a software tutor, a librarian, a mother, a wife and a primary school teacher.

At the age of thirty five Brigid returned to university and began to publish poetry and short fiction. Her first young adult book was Fizz & Max & Me, which was published in the Dolly Fiction series. As well as teaching her how to write dialogue, this book paid Brigid the grand sum of $3000 and inspired her to apply for an Arts Council Grant for funding to write a second young adult book. With the grant safely in the bank, armed with nothing more than a flimsy idea about a girl who wanted a nose-ring, Brigid wrote Guitar Highway Rose. Constructed in a quirky collage style, this book was a runaway success. It was shortlisted for a number of major prizes in Australia, and won the WA Hoffman Young Readers Choice Award.

Brigid's star sign is Aries, and she has a tattoo of an island, a palm tree and a planet on her left shoulder. She has an MA in Creative Writing and teaches creative writing here and there. Brigid is currently working on a new young adult book and has recently returned to live in her homeland, New Zealand, after living for 27 wonderful years in Australia.

Reviews

[HalcyonDaze · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be on anyone's bookshelf that wants to refresh their thinking, their observations of life, their modus operandi, their joie de vie and their sense of who they are.
Enlightening, quirky, kind, funny, brilliant prose and a heart and mind that wraps you in yes you can and yes you are. One of the best.

[Meryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvelous confection!

[Helen Lehndorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving, funny, true and wise book about getting older, hanging in for the long haul with a creative life, zen practice, coping with life's traumas and disappointments.

I read this book in two binge-sittings - it is rather like having a delicious, deep, generous conversation with a beloved friend. Yum.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I won this book from a giveaway

I was disappointed by this book, I was expecting something different to what the blurb said. The minimal 'chapters' of the book made it hard for me to understand what was happening. I like the intention of the book, but it wasn't my cup of tea...pot

[Typhaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part memoir, part meditation, part life insights and writing advice. I thoroughly enjoyed this book full of poetry and simple yet profound ideas on creativity, writing and life. It inspired me to look at my every day life with more attention. I felt all my senses were engaged while reading it and now I cannot stop thinking about drinking tea. One concept is staying front of mind: the Buddhist teaching she mentions called the 'second arrow of suffering' which tells us that we cannot always control the first arrow of suffering when it strikes us, but the second arrow is always within our control and is optional as it is our reaction to the first.

[Helen Bookwoods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honest and entertaining. A miscellany to dip into - food, writers festivals, sisterly relationships, everyday things, cups of tea, joys and hazards of writing memoir. The author's very engaging personality comes through.

[Lyn Quilty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. It reflects the messiness of life, the joy in small things, the disappointments and frustrations that pass. Especially enjoyed the first chapter. A book that left me wanting more.
Did find it sad that the author considers herself old though. Not yet! Still much life to be lived.

[Meg Dunk · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is much about this book to like. The author knows herself well and gives pause to better know yourself. From a rocky start in life she's reinvented herself multiple times and learned what's important to her in life. She's creative, curious, a bit nostalgic though perhaps not a dreamer.

[Mary-Clare Terrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky and wonderful. Found myself laughing out aloud. At times, stream of conciousness that is strangely captivating in its oddness and its truth.

Playful and intense,  sometimes shocking but always an engaging and interesting read. I especially enjoyed the parts on writing.

[Alison Ivey · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a patchwork, written as a rather self indulgent exploration of thoughts, flights of fancy, and philosophies. Not to be read as a novel, but in bits when there’s an idle moment, but overall the characterisation of being a quirky, colourful person gets in the way of honest self reflection.

[Dianne Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has its ups and downs. I don't care for the author, at all, but it gave me a jumping off point for my own thoughts. Read while road tripping, so I guess the disjointed, wild flow suited that well.

[Katrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting insight but a little too disjointed and directionless at times

[Felicity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem of a book, all about how, when you reach a certain age you’re allowed to please yourself about what you do. You can make lists, talk to yourself, read all day, whatever! I loved some of her list categories, Things that Bring a Strange Delight, Things that Might Happen Tomorrow or Peaceful Things. Here she gives an honest and funny insight into a writer's life - the thoughts, routines, note taking and even time wasting, all done in the best possible taste, in the cause of research!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the end of the first chapter I thought 'I love this woman' and 'this woman is a little bit crazy (in a good way)'. After reading the whole book I stand by both comments. I feel somehow enriched by reading it and enjoyed her unique take on things. It's hard to describe the book as it covers: tips of writing, snippets of her life in diary form and short stories, quotes, lists and other stuff I can't remember but know I enjoyed. A real pleasure to read.

[Jennifer Rolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the gentle flow of this book. I felt it showed how memoir can be written without dwelling on the more harrowing events of one's life. I particularly liked her thoughts on writer's block which I felt could apply to any creative process.

[Bernie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A curious book. At first it was hard to relate to Brigid and her life. But as the story continued, so did the writing and Brigid's life. Her notes and advice here and there on writing I thought were very inspiring. Suggested to me by a friend, this book is well worth a look.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this, but a lot of the author's musings resonated with me, and I could imagine having a cup of tea with her and putting the world to rights......

[Robyn Mundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, a gift from a writing friend to me, a writer. (Thank you, friend.) Funny, touching, generous and honest; enjoyed over a couple of sittings.

[Marlish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as it’s full of delightful yet sobering meditations on living a creative life. Be it as a cook, gardener or writer, this gem of a book would be a great read for anyone.

[Andrea]

DNF at page 50

I don't know why, but I'm just not feeling this right now.