How is it already May? I keep asking myself. It seems like this year’s early start of the cherry blossom season has fastened everything forward and now here we are: spring is giving its last twirl and early summer can be felt and seen on Princes Street. After five years of living in Edinburgh I am finally one of the natives and sported a t-shirt the other day, whilst letting the sun shine on my bare arms. I think it was 14 degrees.
Walking along the promenade of Portobello last weekend to enjoy another Full Moon Dance (I recommended “Move to Feel” in last month’s newsletter) I already saw people embracing the sunnier evenings with picnics and barbecues, despite the freezing wind and barely warm temperatures: Scottish summer is a feeling not an actuality!
And to celebrate it in all it’s facets, here are five things you could try this month:
If you’re into poetry or want to seem very intellectual and sensitive in front of your next date, you should go to Toppings Poetry Group on the 13th of May. This month they’re discussing The Lights by Ben Lerner which records the pleasures, risks, and absurdities of making art and family and meaning against a backdrop of interlocking, accelerating crises. I read Ben Lerner’s landmark essay “The Hatred of Poetry” a while ago and am really intrigued to read his actual poetry for once.
Having lived here for 5 years, I still have yet to visit Jupiter Artland. This May I am planing to do a double-bill though. Finally see the art and sculpture park and book a swimming session in Joana Vasconcelos’s sculpture/pool Gateway. As the pool is open over the summer months to be used by the public, you can book swimming sessions here.
Fancy something refreshing and sparkling this summer? As someone who frequently orders ginger beer in the pub, this workshop by Earth in Common is right up my street. You will learn how to make a ‘ginger bug’ and create your own ginger beer from scratch. Sounds fun and delicious? You can book a ticket here.
Another great idea for a date (Is there a theme this month? Is love in the air?) is going to a comedy show and this one on Leith Walk is also free, so really the stakes are low. Every Tuesday night at Artisan Roast “Open Comedy Edinburgh”.
And lastly, the author Sheila Heiti is presenting her new book Alphabetic Diaries at the Portobello Bookshop on the 21st of May. If you’re like me heavily into essay/memoir writing you should pick up one of her books asap.
I hope you got something out of this month’s list.
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x
The Edinburgh Muse is curated by Sophia Hembeck – a writer and visual artist based in Leith. You can find her bestselling Substack The Muse Letter here.