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In this week's episode of Spinsterhood Reimagined, I talk to Australian author, Donna Ward. In her first book, She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations On Life, Donna explores, through a collection of essays, the meaning and purpose that she has found in her life as a woman who has lived almost entirely without a partner or children.  

Donna is the founder of literary journal, Indigo: The Journal of Western Australian Creative Writing, and her prose can be found in respected journals and anthologies internationally and online; she also has a past life as a psychotherapist and social worker.

In our conversation, Donna touches on her upbringing on the banks of the Swan River in Perth, her time as a social worker and a psychotherapist, how she realised in her forties that she would not achieve her desire to have a family, and her thoughts around the period of time when her friends ‘disappeared’ into family life. 

We also talk about the time Donna became aware of the the stigma associated with being single and childless; how she coined the term ‘familied’ in her book, and how she felt that she was “falling out of society” due to her position in life; her experience of being alone during lockdown in Melbourne during which time she wasn’t allowed to form a ‘bubble’; and how the community narrative during that time was primarily focussed on families.

Our conversation includes Donna’s experience of loneliness and how she refers to it as ‘the gritty beast’; and how, actually, facing the dark sides of life head on is what makes us the best version of ourselves. 

And finally, Donna shares her belief that the joys and ecstasies of life are the same whether you’re married with children, or single and childless. 

I sincerely hope that you all enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it.

Donna can be found on Instagram: @donnawardwriter. 

She can also be found on Twitter: @donnawardwriter. 

UK Link to Donna’s book, She I Dare Not Name: https://www.amazon.co.uk/She-Dare-Not-Name-Meditations/dp/1760876291

US Link to Donna’s book, She I Dare Not Name: https://www.amazon.com/She-I-Dare-Not-Name/dp/1760876291/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pdt_img_top?ie=UTF8

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And thank you so much for listening!