The News in Pictures - and why one reader can sometimes be enough.
Hello. John-Paul Flintoff here. I hope you're well.
The News, Tuesday to Friday
Tuesday: meeting at Balmoral
Thursday evening: Breaking news on the BBC
Friday: King Charles III makes his first broadcast
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Watching historic events on the telly, I found myself sketching what I could see.
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As a longstanding fan of Shakespeare, and having studied Hamlet specifically five years in a row (five!), I was pleased when the new King quoted from that play – expressing the hope that flights of angels might sing the late Queen to her rest.
It got me thinking about the magnificent baroque paintings of historic figures being gathered up to heaven – pictures by the likes of Rubens. I wondered what a modern version might look like.
One Reader May Be Enough
I shall be publishing a new book in October, and would love to send you a few emails about it in advance. But I will only do so if you specifically opt in to that particular series of emails here: Psalms For The City.
They'll be written in real-time. I'll write one, send it to you, and you may possibly be moved to reply. If you do, your response will help me to shape the next email.
At the end, I'll go back, edit the emails lightly, and create an automated series for others to read later, if they feel like it. (Being able to create and send automations is one of the best things about having a newsletter.)
If you don't want to read about my new book that's absolutely fine - no hard feelings. I phoned somebody yesterday afternoon and he said he'd be glad to receive them.
One reader is all I need.
It's all anybody needs, to be honest. A few years ago, I was teaching a residential course at Arvon, when one of the participants had the wonderful realisation that she could "publish" her family memoir as a series of emails to just one interested nephew. What a relief!
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Till next time. JPF
Once again, the link is here: Psalms For The City