From November 1, 2023 through November 30, 2023 I’ll be reading Margaret Atwood, and you’re invited to join: yes, the 6th MARM is on the books. On the 18th, Margaret Atwood celebrates her 84th birthday and quietly I’ll be celebrating, by reading her work (maybe there will be cake).
If you want to join in the month-long celebration, just read one thing by Margaret Atwood or one hundred things. A poem or her Substack post. Something. Anything. Printed page, audiobook, download or display: whatever tickles your fancy.
Post about it where you love to bookchat and leave your link to that post in a comment below (either on this page or, as the month unfolds, on one of the event posts yet-to-come). I’ll curate and share at the end of the event.
Looking for more structure? This year I’m continuing with my reading of Dancing Girls, with discussion of “Rape Fantasies” (Week One), Hair Jewellery (Week Two), “When It Happens” with “A Travel Piece” (Week Three) and “The Resplendent Quetzel” (Week Four).
I’m also reading her newest collection, Old Babes in the Wood, and I’ll focus on the first three stories in weeks two, three, and four (and perhaps continue another time): “First Aid”, “Two Scorched Men”, and “Morte de Smudgie”. (I’m really nervous about Smudgie’s story.)
None of these stories is particularly long; if you’re keen to participate but overwhelmed by the number of other reading events in November, selecting a single story might suit your needs (later on, I’ll have more ideas for busy readers).
Alongside these short works, I’ll be leafing through Burning Questions, looking for some key pieces that align with other recent reading, and I’ve got some of her recommendations at hand, too. (Those will be surprises, but they’ve all been recommended in public, so if you follow her online, they might be familiar to you too.) And Bill let me know earlier this year that he’d be reading The Edible Woman, so I’ve been toying with the idea of rereading with him.
Because I caught up with the TV version of The Handmaid’s Tale last year, and the final and sixth season hasn’t been released yet (neither has the spinoff, based on The Testaments), I’ve got no specific viewing in mind. But there are so many platforms for her work now—videos, mini-series, TV series, films, theatre, podcasts, choral works—that’s there something for every mood. If you’re inspired to watch/listen/attend something: feel free to share those experiences as well.
I’ll have more thoughts as November nears, and meanwhile, if you’re looking for inspiration? Visit her Substack, her website, or check out the event’s accumulating posts from around the reading world.
Are you ready for MARM2023?
[…] November 2023 #MARM Margaret Atwood Reading Month Announcement – From November 1, 2023 through November 30, 2023 you’re invited to join a month-long celebration. Just read at least one thing by Margaret Atwood or one hundred things. A poem or her Substack post. Something. Anything. Printed page, audiobook, download or display: whatever tickles your fancy. […]
[…] MARM 2023 […]
I have The Handmaids’ Tale on my TBR for so long.
I must now read her masterpiece and no better way to do it
than during a #MARM (Reading Margaret Atwoon Month) event.
Also I want to read the book before I watch the series on Prime video.
Welcome, Nancy, lovely to see you here and to know that you’re going to discover Handmaid’s for the first time! I’m excited to hear about your encounter (hopefully not too, too much has been spoiled for you over the years).
[…] always a busy month in the blogging world, what with Nonfiction November, German Literature Month, Margaret Atwood Reading Month and the Beryl Bainbridge Reading Week going on too. Might be worth searching for novellas that […]
Hooray!! I’m so glad I came to visit your blog today! I’ve been out of the loop for so long, all my usual notifications that I’ve been ignoring have given up on me, I think.
I’m excited for MARM!
I know what you mean; from this side, my site’s been kicked out of regular rotation in some people’s feeds too, because it was quiet for so long.
What possibilities are you entertaining? Or, is it too soon for you to tell?
I will try to join in this year, I have short stories and essays and plenty I could reread. I read Old Babes in the Wood recently though didn’t do a full review.
That’s how I’m looking at it; how easily the shorter works can come together during the month. It can be a challenge to fully review collections, I agree.
I love your Marm posts!!! And I’m very excited to see your review of Babe in the Woods, I haven’t come across many reviews of that book (surprisingly?) so really looking forward to your post on that one. Also, those are beautiful flowers in that corner of the picture. The colours are incredible.
You should read the cat story: we can sniffle together! Co-sniffle?
What do you mean sniffle together? Did I miss something? LOL
Only that, unless you’ve recently grown a heart of stone, a dead cat story would make us both cry!
Oh yes, haha now I see what you mean. A dead cat would definitely make me cry!
I’ve never read anything by her but I have The Handmaid’s Tale on the shelf. I hope I can make it and participate.
Once you get into that one, it’s a surprisingly quick read: concise language, short chapters, unresolved matters. And, if it’s been on your shelf awhile, great excuse to finally investigate!
So glad you’ve come back to host this. I’m still unsure what I’ll read, but it’ll likely be a deep backlist title I have Chris ferret out from the university library stacks for me. I noted “Morte de Smudgie” as a highlight from Old Babes, so it can’t have been too distressing.
Fortunately she’s got a rich backlist from which to choose. I’ll be eager to hear which you choose.
Phew, I’m glad that story didn’t get marked with black asterisks. I’m still recovering from the melancholy that ensued from reading MacLeod’s short stories all in a row.
Yay! I’ve been saving Old Babes in the Wood all year, just for this event!!
Perfect! 🙂
I think some Atwood poetry sounds wonderful – I’m in once again!
You’re making the poetry plan sound so good, I might join with that too!
I will do my best to read an Atwood short story at least during the month, as it’s a while since I read any Atwood, but, November is such a busy month blog-wise and life-wise so I won’t make any promises. But it has been a year of short stories for me so why not add this one too!
I know you’ve got a lot happening right now, so I’ll put my mind to the shortest of her stories to see if there’s one that would work between boxes to give you a much-needed (but brief) break!
I haven’t read Old Babes in the Woods yet. It’s been sitting on my desk since March. Perhaps I will manage to finally pick it up by November. I’m sure you will remind me 🙂
I was hoping someone else would be dragging their butt (after purchasing it straight away) with the new collection; you betcha I’ll remind you! Anyone else for Babes? Hee Hee (I just like the way that sounds.)
Well, I’m committed now. Come the end of the month I’d better start reading The Edible Woman on top of everything else I’m reading.
Hah, well I didn’t include the dates you’d mentioned, so there’s that. You could finish on Nov30th and everyone else would think you’d planned it that way. /giggles
EW’s a very quick read (and I’d never complain, given how patient you’ve been with my slow progress through our second UKLG longlisted book.
I hope to join in, but regardless I’m looking forward to the posts and all the Atwood love!
Thanks, MadameBibi: I get it, it’s a busy month and there are endless stacks of choices for us! #goodfortune
It’s lovely to see your posts coming across my feed again! It’s sad but by this point in the year I’m kind of reading event-ed out and with all the new books hitting the shelves now and my monstrous TBR wishlist lurking, ready to let my reading go wherever. But maybe I’ll tuck a few Atwood poems in in the next couple of months!
Hehehe You and me too! Yesterday I reviewed my 2023 reading goals and eyed the stacks of recent arrivals and there’s a whole ‘nother (smaller) stack for MARM. What was I thinking! But it’s still only September, so I know I can work in some short things if I read e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g else…today. Poems are lovely for that. You could wait for her birthday and make a mini-event of it with a cup of, coffee? tea? other?
I’m ready and I do have a lovely non-fiction collection standing by!
Yay! So much to choose from there. LMK if you have any specific dates scheduled and I will include them in the weekly write-ups in advance (but for me it depends on the timing whether I’m organised in that way, sometimes it’s more spontaneous, which is totally fine too).