Welcome to 'The Wobbly Road'

Feb 25, 2024

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Howdy friend, and welcome to The Wobbly Road.

Today is my birthday, and it felt like the perfect time to introduce my newsletter. The concept of The Wobbly Road came to me when I was living in the Simpson Desert, Australia for a month in 2016. I had no contact with the outside world, just me, my friend, Gidgee the dog, and five camels. It was in this untamed environment that the idea for The Wobbly Road whispered over the dunes and into my consciousness. It rested in my mind until 2019 when I created my first-ever podcast, a small series that reignited my creativity.

Some projects exist in a moment of time, and others stretch out. When I thought of a newsletter, The Wobbly Road sang out to me, a plea to be resurrected. So here I am rearranging the grains of sand into this new quest!

Tatum stands with four camels who are holding lots of luggage on their backs, they are surrounded by desert greenery

A large reason for starting a newsletter is that I’ve fallen out of love with social media and I want new ways to connect with you. The Wobbly Road will weave together stories, insights, recommendations, spells, and musings from this messy, beautiful, winding path of life.

I’m a classic Pisces, forever inspired by the things around me. I love theatre, poetry, magick, queer culture, audio, memes, adventuring, film, folklore, food… oh gosh the list goes on, strap in! I am very excited that my notes app won’t be the only receiver of the things that make me FEEL something.

So who am I?

I’m Tatum, I live in a council estate in Somers Town London, with my cat Burdock (the best familiar I could ask for). I have Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive muscle wasting disease with no known cure. I’m a multi-disciplinary creative (I refuse to limit what I love), I’m an audiomaker, presenter, access consultant, and performer.

I have a project called Honey and the Hex which explores the origins, traditions, and intersections of folklore and where they lie today. I’m fascinated by the entanglement of myth and reality, and how the passing down of stories shapes us.

Honey and the Hex written in orange and green on a black background with grey clouds.

A recent big project I worked on is ‘Witch’, a radio documentary series exploring the realms of witches, magick, rituals, land rights, healthcare disparities, and many more winding paths.

Want to know more? Read the article I wrote for Radio 4.

Today’s Offerings…

I got to experience Searows Live this week and live my sadboi dream. Alec is a trans singer-songwriter from Portland, whose melancholy folk music will break and heal your heart all at once.

I’m reflecting on his Song ‘Older’ as I arrive at another birthday and feel grateful that I’m still here despite it all.

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“You think you look older

I think you look alive

You were right before when you told me

Living takes more than to just survive"

A poem by Jan Dean reminded me to note life’s gifts. Featuring Burdock’s helpful feet.

At day’s end I remember three good things. Apples maybe- their skinshine smell and soft froth of juice. Water maybe- the pond in the park dark, and full of secret fish. A mountain maybe- that I saw in a film, or climbed last holiday, and suddenly today it thundered up into a playground game. Or else an owl- I heard an owl today, And I made bread. My head is full of all these things, It’s hard to choose just three I let remembering fill me up with good things so that good things will overflow into my sleeping self, and in the morning good things will be waiting when I wake. By Jan Dean

More soon,

Thank you for being here x

The Wobbly Road

Welcome to 'The Wobbly Road'

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