News

Each week we hear more stories of Artificial Intelligence encroaching on our lives, sometimes for good, though usually not - how it is unregulated, unchecked and increasingly threatening livelihoods.

In the past few days though I've been encouraged by people seeking to counter the negative impact of AI.

A little while ago I interviewed a Suffolk artist, Charlotte Day for a magazine called 'Pressing Matters'. Charlotte works as a freelance illustrator for books and brands and found that the use of computers for this task was now so pervasive she needed other means for her creative expression. So she took up printmaking, taking hours to create intricate etchings of botanical images.

She said of her work: 'Handmade art offers something that technology cannot replace - people want the personal connection and unique imagination of the artist...People respond differently to work that carries a sense of craftmanship and human effort. There will always be space for work that celebrates the maker's touch.' You can read my article here. 

And a brand strategy agency, Sonder & Tell, has said that in the turmoil of the world at the moment, there is 'space for different voices to emerge. While tech bros yell louder and AI churns out bland corporate soup, brands have an opportunity to show up differently. To be the voices of calm in the storm, of brutal honesty in the sea of nonsense, of genuine connection in our increasingly artificial world.' 

I've found it helpful to see how people are responding positively, rather than getting bogged down with the negativity. I hope we all see more examples of real life interactions and creativity this week!

Thank you for reading.

It's difficult to make sense of all that's happening in the world today, but for young people it must be particularly tough.

Indeed we're seeing some shocking results of surveys showing how some of them are responding - according to a new poll, half of 13- to 27-year-olds can’t see the point of democracy.

Why do they not know that authoritarianism is worse, asked David Mitchell in a recent article, and many commentators have joined him in wondering how we've come to this place.

The children's laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce says that young people are experiencing a 'happiness recession' and for him the decline in reading has played its part in this.

Last week he arranged a Reading Rights Summit in Liverpool to address this issue, seeking to influence government in encouraging reading for pleasure.

'Our children are near the top of the global leagues when it comes to the mechanical skill of reading,' he said, 'but near the bottom when it comes to reading for pleasure'.

And another report this week found that fewer than half (44%) of 1,000 parents of reception-aged children said they thought children starting school should know how to use books correctly, turning the pages rather than swiping or tapping as if using an electronic device. 

We know, as our little community of booklovers here, that reading for pleasure brings about mental and emotional well-being, and helps us come to terms with, and understand, complex matters facing us as a society. We need to do our bit, then, in encouraging young people to get into a habit of discovering and enjoying books for themselves. 

I read a quote attributed to Albert Einstein recently: 'If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.'

Whether or not Einstein actually said this, let's continue to delight in stories - and share our pleasure with all the children we know.

Thank you for reading.

Life today feels very much like living in a futuristic film or a science fiction novel, doesn't it? Driverless cars, fridges ordering your groceries and home voice assistants who can answer any question - all are become accepted practices. Now with political changes and the growing dominance of certain technology companies, matters of state and governance are taking a different turn from anything we have experienced before.

There was a fascinating film screened at The Riverside recently which combined recent archive footage about world affairs and advances in technology with a speculation about how our society and landscape might look in 50 years' time.

The film was called '2073' and combined documentary with a science fiction drama to help us to realise the possible (or likely) consequences of decisions made today. Storytelling has more impact on us than reportage, the director sought to argue. And the film certainly made an impact on me. 

I was intrigued, then, to read in an article this week that science fiction writers were invited to join researchers and policymakers working in crisis management at a recent event. At this conference, supported by the Ministry of Defence, the skills and knowledge of sci-fi writers were sought to help with planning for the worst.

'Taking a very character-based approach can help reveal aspects of future scenarios that you might not necessarily get from a more pulled-out approach,' said Emma Newman, a sci-fi novelist who was at the event.

It's an approach which has been used in the US for some time. Apparently novelists were among those who successfully lobbied Ronald Reagan to create the proposed missile defence system known as the 'Star Wars' programme.

Chair of the British Science Fiction Association, Allen Stroud, said: 'We work and live in societies revolving around a western governmental way of thinking that encourages us to have short-term thinking, but how do you plan for something that is going to take 50 years at least before it materialises? That’s where I think there is a benefit in having the involvement of people who can conceptualise what society could be like as far in the future as that.'

Let's hope they come up with some good ideas on how we might face the challenges of the next century. In the near future though, there are plans to produce and sell a volume of stories from the project!

Thank you for reading.
 

It's been another dull, damp week in January but tourist boards are working hard to encourage us to plan our holidays and also to find joy in any and every circumstance - though preferably while in the region they're publicising.

Do you remember the word 'hygge'? A few years ago, it was everywhere, even if no one really knew the correct way to pronounce it. A Danish word, it is used to conjure up a feeling of cosiness, contentment and fireside relaxation and it was the buzzword for numerous books, themed activities, and trips to Scandinavia.

Other countries subsequently sought to build on this success - Sweden worked hard on 'lagom' which means 'everything in moderation' and the Japanese gave us 'ikigai' which means 'a reason for being'. VisitScotland brought us 'cosagach' which they hoped to convey a feeling of being snug, but sadly, as the word also means 'a wee nook or hole', the message was muddied. 

Now in a 2025 publicity drive Visit Wales hopes that the word 'hwyl' will attract people to its country's hills, valleys, coastlines and cities. The word means a 'deep state of joy that comes from being totally immersed in the moment'.

It certainly sounds timely advice. Instead of fretting about things we cannot influence or change, perhaps we can look at what there is to enjoy of our surroundings, of our family and friends, our health and home. And the books we have to hand waiting to be read?!

Thank you for reading.

PS Though we're thinking about being present in the moment, I need to remind you of book group meetings coming up in the next few days! On Wednesday, it's the first book group meeting of the year in Framlingham and a few days later, on Monday 27 January, we'll be meeting in Woodbridge. It feels such a long time since we were together so it will be great to see everyone again. 

At the beginning of each year I enjoy taking my clean and tidy diary and marking dates for birthdays and anniversaries.

I value the opportunity to let friends know I'm thinking of them and keep in touch with a message in a carefully chosen card, sent in the post (and I love receiving them too).

In addition to marking these personal landmarks, though, this year I am mindful of anniversaries which we may be acknowledging more widely as a nation or a community.

Undoubtedly there are a huge number in this coming year, but ones I've particularly noted so far and linked to forthcoming books which I'll be mentioning - 100 years of the Shipping Forecast, 60 years since the death of Winston Churchill, 80 years since the end of WWII and 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen. 

This year I feel it will be particularly valuable to have these dates as a prompt to look back, I think.

Our world today is looking increasingly precarious and we're all feeling a bit unsettled and nervous about all that's happening. Remembering what earlier generations have experienced, and how they have survived and flourished can be encouraging, inspiring and enlightening.

Even in my reading this week - looking at women living in medieval times and 1950s Yorkshire - brought some solace, hope and comfort. Not least, it's good to step away from our current concerns and enter the lives of a different time. We need our books now more than ever! 

Thank you for reading.