The Hyphen: The Child-Free By Choice Convo

Hi friends—

How are you?

I’ve had quite the week, connecting and chatting to so many different women (mothers, non-mothers, soon-to-be mothers, hoping-to-be mothers) in my DMs, emails, tweets about the childfree-by-choice dialogue off the back of a few articles I wrote this week.

It’s been so interesting and enriching to connect in this way on such a layered and nuanced subject. I’ve had so many beautiful messages; and felt genuinely honoured that so many strangers would open up to me and let me in to some of their deepest most private thoughts. It’s made me even more excited about OLIVE coming out — which, of course, is why I’m talking about this topic.

I didn't actually plan to put myself out there so publicly regarding the childfree-by-choice conversation (there's a reason why I chose to write about this as a novel) but it turns out I really want to, because I think the conversation matters.

My protagonist OLIVE knows she doesn’t want children, and she’s navigating her own path alongside her three best friends who all are — or want to be — mothers. It’s about friendship, crossroads, and carving our own unique path.

I wrote a piece for ELLE called “The Motherhood Rejection: 'We Didn’t Need A Baby To Make Us Feel Complete” and apparently this was one of the top read articles on their website this week! Sounds like it’s a conversation that is really kicking off and I’m so pleased about that because I know the first time I read an article by a child-free woman it made me feel less alone, and therefore quite relieved.

I also wrote a piece for Grazia for their print issue which is now also online called “I'm Child-Free By Choice - And Not Everyone Accepts That.” I've had comments describing child-free women as 'selfish;' telling me I’ll 'have regrets' and ‘never experience true love’. I’ve even been told, ‘You’ll be miserable when you’re old and grey.’

All I'm trying to do here is to show that a happy fulfilled life has many different versions to it. These type of comments don’t bother me too much, but can be extremely hurtful to women whose lives turned out differently to what they expected. This is why I wrote OLIVE, to crack open this conversation across the spectrum.

(Oh… and… keep your eye out on Thursday — OLIVE’s publication day — for a very special podcast announcement…)

DID I MENTION THAT OLIVE IS OUT IN 4 DAYS*
*then I’m going on holiday and you won’t hear a peep out of me.
*for a bit.

Hope you enjoy today’s newsletter. (If there’s anything you’d like me to share in next week’s newsletter, you can email me at hello@emmagannon.co.uk)

Love,
Emma xo

You are invited to my (virtual)

OLIVE BOOK LAUNCH

(on 22nd July, 7pm!)

What’s New on

Ctrl Alt Delete Podcast?

New on the blog…

Things I consumed this week…

• How capitalism drives cancel culture

• Millennial Black Author Sophie Williams is writing a guide to anti-racism

• How to use writing prompts, movement, creativity

• Demi Moore’s erotica podcast

• Too afraid to take annual leave and too wired to enjoy it 

• The complexities and joys of adult female friendship

• Leigh Stein talks with Emily Gould

• Why Instagram influencers are unionising

• What to read when you’ve made it halfway through 2020

• The thin, white lie: challenging the 'French women' stereotype

• Fans insist it’s time to #FreeBritney

• Thanks to lockdown, making new friends has never been easier

• A New York Minute with: E. Alex Jung

• With(out) Child: Sarah Driscoll

• The Lounge: A new membership platform from Girls' Night In

• Self-employed mothers launch legal action

• Seven rules of Zoom meeting etiquette

In case you missed it:

— I’m doing an event with How To Academy on Monday (tomorrow!!). I think you can still grab a ticket here.
— Come and join Good Housekeeping’s Summer Book Day (I’m doing a livestream on their FB page on 26th July).