This week's guest on the podcast is the poet Amy Key. We're here to discuss her first work of prose, Arrangements in Blue: Notes on Love and Making a Life, which is a memoir inspired by the work of Amy's beloved musical icon, Joni Mitchell. Aged 44. Amy has been single for 22 years. Her book challenges us to consider the claim that life can both be wonderful in the absence of romantic love – and that it is yet still valid to want it nevertheless. Described by The Guardian as a ‘cathartic meditation on singledom’, Arrangements in Blue is a book that reflects on the universal question of what makes a life rich and whole, in a way that resonates regardless of your relationship status. It is also a nuanced discussion of different kinds of alonement, from the luxury of living alone (it's worth mentioning. Amy speaks to me from her flat in London, where the walls are painted a gorgeous shade of pink, and there's a piano and her books in the backdrop) to the highs and lows of solo travel.

We discuss, among other things:

• Why ‘alone’, for Amy, means ‘attunement’ [4:25]
• What was behind Amy’s decision to theme her book around Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue’ album [8:15]
• The challenge of living life on a different timeline to your peers [13:34]
• What people in long-term relationships could learn from Amy’s account of long-term singledom [16:34]
• Do single people face discrimination? [23:55]
• The contagious joy of holidaying alone [26:59]
• Practising self-care and personal boundaries as a single person [34:08]
• Amy’s platonic relationship with her mentor, the late poet Roddy Lumsden [38:30]
• Why Amy's asking for more, not less, from her dating life [44:46]

You can purchase Arrangements in Blue now at all good bookshops.

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You can also order my book, Alonement: How To Be Alone and Absolutely Own It, which is based on this very podcast, now from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

Thank you so much to WestLab for sponsoring this season of the podcast. Their bestselling Dead Sea bath salt range is a skin hero, containing a unique blend of magnesium, calcium and potassium, which is brilliant for protecting and repairing your skin barrier and managing conditions like eczema, psoriasis, acne and sensitive skin. Visit westlabsalts.co.uk/products/dead-sea-salt and quote the code ALONEMENT15 for 15% off when you spend £10 or more, excludes subscriptions,T&Cs apply. Code expires 31st August 2023.

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