Dear fellow writer,
Welcome to Swordswings, my monthly podcast series for writers in motion. These recordings are intended for you to listen to when you’re moving around — which is a great way to get your writing moving as well.
Today's episode is excerpted from a conversation that I held back in 2021 with genre-defying writer Professor Douglas Hofstadter.
Doug is a transdisciplinary thinker who teaches cognitive science and comparative literature (among other things) at Indiana University. Doug’s enduring passion for languages, music, and the sciences finds expression in his ongoing discursive explorations in poetry, translations, script-inspired “Whirly Art,” and wordplay - all of which keep him writing “perpetually in search of beauty.”
In this extract we discuss what beauty is, how beauty manifests itself in writing, and how pushing boundaries of thought and expression can help you discover beauty in your own writing.
For more of Doug’s wisdom on writing and beauty, I recommend that you watch the full two-hour Special Event video (see below).
Enjoy!
You can listen to my monthly Swordswings series wherever you download your podcasts.
Love the music? Check out the website of singer-songwriter Caitlin Smith, co-writer and performer of our gospel-infused theme song, “Hour of Gold.”
The full video of my 2021 WriteSPACE Special Event with Douglas Hofstadter is available to WriteSPACE members in the Videos section of your WriteSPACE or WS Studio Library. You can also find downloadable audio files and transcripts of all Swordswings episodes in the WriteSPACE Audio section.
Kia pai tō koutou rā (have a great day) – and keep on writing!
Helen
Write more, right now! Join me and fellow writers from 30+ countries in the WriteSPACE, the ultimate membership site for scholarly and professional writers who aim to lift their writing game. To try free for 30 days, click here and enter the discount code SNEAKPEEK.
The Writing and Beauty Walk