On my radar: Daisy Johnson’s cultural highlights
Born in Devon in 1990, Daisy Johnson studied English literature at Lancaster University and received a master’s degree in creative writing from Oxford. After winning the 2016 Harper’s Bazaar short story prize she published the collection Fen, which took the 2017 Edge Hill short story prize. Her 2018 debut novel, Everything Under, made her the youngest author to be shortlisted for the Booker prize; her second novel, Sisters, came out in 2020. Her new book, The Hotel, a collection of gothic short stories set in the Fens, will be published on 17 October by Jonathan Cape. She lives in Oxford.
1. Podcast
I do not often listen to podcasts, but recently I found myself in a stretch of time where everyone in the family was ill and grumpy and I needed both distraction and inspiration. There is something quite peaceful about listening to writers describe their erratic processes, from RO Kwon’s morning caffeine pill and “writing shawl” to Ottessa Moshfegh’s decimated social calendar. Brad Listi is a really great host and there are enough episodes here to keep anyone like me happy for a long time.
2. Activism
I recently found myself interested in the sea currents around Siberia and Norway. It turns out that you can track the progress of Greenpeace boats. The Greenpeace boat Witness is now running a study in the Norwegian Sea near Bear Island to gather data on whales and dolphins in the area who might be affected by planned deep sea diving. Not only is it possible to see the process of the boats but you can also see what whales and dolphins have been identified on the map.
3. Book
Oh god, I love Miranda July. She blows my mind! She makes me laugh in joy and horror. All Fours is as close to a perfect book as there could be. It’s about a struggling writer who goes on a road trip to New York and instead ends up in a motel half an hour from home. She spends her days dancing and seducing a local car salesman while his designer wife decorates her motel room.
4. Place
Harcourt Arboretum, Oxfordshire
My partner and I got married at the arboretum towards the end of August and had the most wonderful day beneath the giant redwoods. We used to push my eldest son around and around the paths when he wouldn’t sleep and it was a joy to see him, now, climbing to the top of the rhododendrons which grow in a tangle all over. There are also some very noisy and curious peacocks who will come and investigate anything you might be eating.
5. Food
To the Rise Bakery, Eastbourne
My sister and her husband used to live atop the Birling Gap cliff. On windy mornings we would pile everyone into the car, drive to Eastbourne and crawl towards the delicious smell of To the Rise. I have discovered, since having children, that the only really necessary items on those lists of things to buy for new parents are: coffee and sugar. I recommend a takeaway coffee and something frosted in a brown paper bag, carried down to the end of the boardwalk and on to the stony Eastbourne beaches.
6. TV
Severance (Apple TV+)
I suspect that I am very late to this one but if you are also working your way very slowly through this golden age of TV, join me. Imagine a world in which it is possible, through an operation, to surgically cut off the memories of your work life from your personal life. Part of you exists outside the office and the other part comes to life only when the elevator doors open on your work. It is such a brilliant idea and every episode has me gasping and covering my eyes.
