I would like to offer you the chance to win £50 and also to have your poem published as the preface in my forthcoming book: "Womb Twin Survivors : the Lost Twin in the Dream of the Womb."
To enter: Write your poem as a SONNET, that is in 14 lines, according to the rules set out here:
Email it to me with full contact details. Only one entry per person. Deadline midnight GMT March 31st 2010. The winner will be announced on May 1st 2010. Prize money awarded on publication, plus a complimentary copy of the book. The poet keeps the copyright on the poem and agrees to this single use of the poem as a preface to the book.
All submissions will be posted on the wombtwinsurvivors website in early May 2010.
I look forward to reading the entries.
When a twin dies before birth, the sole survivor needs help and understanding. Womb twin survivors are the sole survivors of a twin or multiple pregnancy. This group, 1 in 10 of the population, includes survivors of a stillbirth, miscarriage, abortion and a "vanishing twin" pregnancy. It is a story of a twin bond broken by death, leaving a lonely survivor.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
A Hungarian Womb Twin poet
I have been introduced to Hungarian poet Miklós Radnóti (1909-1944) whose twin - and his mother - died at birth. His poetry is wonderful but the theme of death is everywhere. It does seem that death is never far from the mind of a womb twin survivor. More.
Miklós Radnóti was born in Budapest into a Jewish family. Radnóti's mother, Ilona Grosz, died while giving birth to him and his twin brother, who was stillborn. When he was 12 Radnóti lost his father, Jakab Glatter, who had remarried – he died of brain thrombosis. Radnóti was not told about his mother's and twin brother's death until he was ten. Later in the autobiographical sketch, Ikek hava (1939) he described the shock of finding himself an orphan. Also the prose piece 'Gemini' (1939) was an examination of this traumatic expence. Death, guilt, and sacrifice would become a frequent subject of Radnóti's prose and poetry.
Miklós Radnóti was born in Budapest into a Jewish family. Radnóti's mother, Ilona Grosz, died while giving birth to him and his twin brother, who was stillborn. When he was 12 Radnóti lost his father, Jakab Glatter, who had remarried – he died of brain thrombosis. Radnóti was not told about his mother's and twin brother's death until he was ten. Later in the autobiographical sketch, Ikek hava (1939) he described the shock of finding himself an orphan. Also the prose piece 'Gemini' (1939) was an examination of this traumatic expence. Death, guilt, and sacrifice would become a frequent subject of Radnóti's prose and poetry.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Chapter five complete!
Encouraged by a sudden increase in personal space to write and more energy as a long awaited Spring approaches, Chapter Five is finished ( for the moment) and my beloved mentors are struggling with the death of a twin in the first trimester.
Now I'm off into the realms of the biologically-improbable-but-true, as I discuss the Twin Within.
As I approach the end of Part One this seems the time to make a web page for this book. So I did:
Friday, February 19, 2010
The APPAH congress - I am to be a speaker!
Yes APPPAH they have decided that they can't wait to hear about my womb twin survivors research!
This is what they say about the 2010 congress on their web site.
"The 4-day event will be held at the gorgeous Asilomar Conference Grounds on November 11-14, 2010. Asilomar is northern California’s "Refuge by the Sea" making it an ideal location for attendees, as they come together to be in community with one another. The theme of the conference this year is, Embracing the Science of Prenatal and Birth Psychology: What We Know and How We Know It. That is, the congress is emphasizing the importance of research in our leading edge field.
So, why would a Congress theme on research be a good one for you to come to? Have you ever had the experience of talking with colleagues about the validity of the prenatal and birth periods, only to have them raise a doubting eye? Beginning your conversation with "Research shows that …" can help. But this Congress also emphasizes going beyond being just consumers of research to creators of it as well. And learning more about the scientific method helps us in obtaining a greater understanding of our field (and ourselves!), and today’s world, much emphasis is on empiricism. Thus, staying on top of that wave is important. "
"You will have the opportunity to begin each day with a meditation by the beach while walking on the Monterey Peninsula, communing and getting in touch with your body, mind, and spirit. For your enjoyment, music will be played and vendors will be open, as you arrive and depart from the Keynote addresses."
"Also, this Congress has been planned to be a bit smaller than its predecessors. It will remain rich in Keynote speakers (8) but have fewer presentations (15) so that the audiences for each one will be larger, enhancing the discussions. Yet we have made every effort to provide a wide variety of topics and options that will help you optimize your Congress experience, even some scheduled time for you to enjoy the beach."
I will be presenting a rather more sophisticated version of the results I posted here last December.
A Powerpoint presentation, lots of handouts and a lot of books to be signed later!!!
Cant wait.
This is what they say about the 2010 congress on their web site.
"The 4-day event will be held at the gorgeous Asilomar Conference Grounds on November 11-14, 2010. Asilomar is northern California’s "Refuge by the Sea" making it an ideal location for attendees, as they come together to be in community with one another. The theme of the conference this year is, Embracing the Science of Prenatal and Birth Psychology: What We Know and How We Know It. That is, the congress is emphasizing the importance of research in our leading edge field.
So, why would a Congress theme on research be a good one for you to come to? Have you ever had the experience of talking with colleagues about the validity of the prenatal and birth periods, only to have them raise a doubting eye? Beginning your conversation with "Research shows that …" can help. But this Congress also emphasizes going beyond being just consumers of research to creators of it as well. And learning more about the scientific method helps us in obtaining a greater understanding of our field (and ourselves!), and today’s world, much emphasis is on empiricism. Thus, staying on top of that wave is important. "
"You will have the opportunity to begin each day with a meditation by the beach while walking on the Monterey Peninsula, communing and getting in touch with your body, mind, and spirit. For your enjoyment, music will be played and vendors will be open, as you arrive and depart from the Keynote addresses."
"Also, this Congress has been planned to be a bit smaller than its predecessors. It will remain rich in Keynote speakers (8) but have fewer presentations (15) so that the audiences for each one will be larger, enhancing the discussions. Yet we have made every effort to provide a wide variety of topics and options that will help you optimize your Congress experience, even some scheduled time for you to enjoy the beach."
I will be presenting a rather more sophisticated version of the results I posted here last December.
A Powerpoint presentation, lots of handouts and a lot of books to be signed later!!!
Cant wait.
Friday, February 12, 2010
WOMBTWIN IRELAND: Workshop in Dublin, April 24th 2010
I will be presenting a Womb Twin Survivors seminar in Dublin on 24th April 10am - 4 pm with an additional Healing Path workshop from 4.30 - 6pm.
Download brochure and booking form
Send us an email to register your interest or get more detail
Womb Twin Survivors - an introduction
More on the wombtwin.ie blog
See you there!
Download brochure and booking form
Send us an email to register your interest or get more detail
Womb Twin Survivors - an introduction
More on the wombtwin.ie blog
See you there!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
New Wiki to provide feedback on my books
Enjoyed "A Silent Cry?"
Found "Untwinned" too technical?
Tried "A healing Path" but it didn't work for you?
Can't wait to read the new Womb Twin book?
Whatever your opinion, I want to hear it. So if you have ever bought one of my books, please visit my new wiki where there can be discussions on every book!
WIKI HERE
Found "Untwinned" too technical?
Tried "A healing Path" but it didn't work for you?
Can't wait to read the new Womb Twin book?
Whatever your opinion, I want to hear it. So if you have ever bought one of my books, please visit my new wiki where there can be discussions on every book!
WIKI HERE
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Twin research - new article on the wombtwin survivors site
Twins are unusual. They are interesting because they are so rare. They have always been a favourite subject of myths, folk tales and drama. Identical twins in particular are objects of great fascination and their similarity has caused us to ponder the deepest questions about the nature of human identity. (1) Few people are indifferent to witnessing the birth of twins. The womb, which is clearly designed to carry one baby, manages to carries two, and they are both born alive. Of course the twins we see are always in pairs. They are often, if not always, together. They seem to be bonded by a connection that goes back to their time together in the womb. A lone twin is a sad sight, for in the public eye this person surely is no longer a twin, because twins come in twos, we all know that.
A short history of twins
The scientific study of twins and twinning, as far as we know, is relatively recent when compared to other branches of obstetrics. One of the first publications to consider in detail the biological nature of twinning in humans was published in 1883.(2) It was written by Francis Galton, who was one of those remarkable nineteenth century English thinkers who laid the basis for almost all the later theories on twinning - that is, until the development of ultrasound and artificial methods of reproduction a hundred years later. He gathered his material by “sending circulars of inquiry to persons who were either twins themselves or near relations of twins.” He wanted to discover if the obvious similarity between twins was due to “trifling accidental circumstances” or something much more profound and as yet unnoticed and un-remarked.
Galton was aware from animal studies that twins arise out of two very different events. One is where two or more are born, each developing from a separate ovum. The other is caused by the development of “two germinal spots” in the same ovum, each of which becomes baby. Galton noticed that if the ovum divides, the twins are wrapped in the same membrane – the chorion - and invariably of the same sex. He was puzzled that all twins were not alike, and that boy/girl twins in particular were never alike. He also noticed the phenomenon of the Alpa and Beta twin in many twin pairs but, lacking our modern vocabulary, he described them thus:
The one was the more vigorous, fearless, energetic; the other was gentle, clinging, and timid; or the one was more ardent, the other more calm and placid; or again, the one was the more independent, original, and selfcontained; the other the more generous, hasty, and vivacious. In short, the difference was that of intensity or energy in one or other of its protean forms; it did not extend more deeply into the structure of the characters. (3)
Galton was the first to name the Nature - Nurture debate as such, and saw that twins who were very alike in their youth “…continue their lives, keeping time like two watches, hardly to be thrown out of accord except by some physical jar.” It was clear to Galton and others at that time, following the publication in 1858 of Darwin’s Origin of Species, that these twins had similar genes. The science of genetics - and its dark twin eugenics - was developing rapidly......[more]
A short history of twins
The scientific study of twins and twinning, as far as we know, is relatively recent when compared to other branches of obstetrics. One of the first publications to consider in detail the biological nature of twinning in humans was published in 1883.(2) It was written by Francis Galton, who was one of those remarkable nineteenth century English thinkers who laid the basis for almost all the later theories on twinning - that is, until the development of ultrasound and artificial methods of reproduction a hundred years later. He gathered his material by “sending circulars of inquiry to persons who were either twins themselves or near relations of twins.” He wanted to discover if the obvious similarity between twins was due to “trifling accidental circumstances” or something much more profound and as yet unnoticed and un-remarked.
Galton was aware from animal studies that twins arise out of two very different events. One is where two or more are born, each developing from a separate ovum. The other is caused by the development of “two germinal spots” in the same ovum, each of which becomes baby. Galton noticed that if the ovum divides, the twins are wrapped in the same membrane – the chorion - and invariably of the same sex. He was puzzled that all twins were not alike, and that boy/girl twins in particular were never alike. He also noticed the phenomenon of the Alpa and Beta twin in many twin pairs but, lacking our modern vocabulary, he described them thus:
The one was the more vigorous, fearless, energetic; the other was gentle, clinging, and timid; or the one was more ardent, the other more calm and placid; or again, the one was the more independent, original, and selfcontained; the other the more generous, hasty, and vivacious. In short, the difference was that of intensity or energy in one or other of its protean forms; it did not extend more deeply into the structure of the characters. (3)
Galton was the first to name the Nature - Nurture debate as such, and saw that twins who were very alike in their youth “…continue their lives, keeping time like two watches, hardly to be thrown out of accord except by some physical jar.” It was clear to Galton and others at that time, following the publication in 1858 of Darwin’s Origin of Species, that these twins had similar genes. The science of genetics - and its dark twin eugenics - was developing rapidly......[more]
Monday, February 08, 2010
The new newsletter
Well, after several weeks of messing about with websites and so on, I have shifted the newsletter "Gemini Voices" to Mail Chimp.
This is a splendid arrangement that takes care of subscribes and unsubscribes and duplicates etc. What a relief! I made a template that is like a mini version of the web site and I sent out about 250 on 4th, but that was an old list. Of these about 70 have opened the latest one, so that is a start. I'll take the rest off in a couple of months if they don't open it, but I will tell them first!
So, if you are a follower of this blog and you don't yet get the newsletter, you can subscribe here:
This is a splendid arrangement that takes care of subscribes and unsubscribes and duplicates etc. What a relief! I made a template that is like a mini version of the web site and I sent out about 250 on 4th, but that was an old list. Of these about 70 have opened the latest one, so that is a start. I'll take the rest off in a couple of months if they don't open it, but I will tell them first!
So, if you are a follower of this blog and you don't yet get the newsletter, you can subscribe here:
Sunday, February 07, 2010
The new Womb Twin web site is up!
It's here at last, at www.wombtwin.com
Many, many thanks to Kevin from IT4C who helped me to move into the 21st century with a CMS site.
We still have a bit more to do, but its 80% done and its time to make it available.
The idea is that now, instead of me struggling with my web site design software and not able to delegate anything to anyone, I can delegate different pages of the web site to different people.
Eventually, as I work my way towards retirement in about 5 years time, I will have been able to delegate the whole business of the WombTwin website to other people.
And there are pages for local and national groups. Take a look and see if there is one for you, and if not, why not make one? It's free, it's easy and it helps womb twin survivors to overcome that terrible sense of isolation that is so characteristic.
And you get a special WombTwin.com email address to protect your privacy - that has to be good!
Many, many thanks to Kevin from IT4C who helped me to move into the 21st century with a CMS site.
We still have a bit more to do, but its 80% done and its time to make it available.
The idea is that now, instead of me struggling with my web site design software and not able to delegate anything to anyone, I can delegate different pages of the web site to different people.
Eventually, as I work my way towards retirement in about 5 years time, I will have been able to delegate the whole business of the WombTwin website to other people.
And there are pages for local and national groups. Take a look and see if there is one for you, and if not, why not make one? It's free, it's easy and it helps womb twin survivors to overcome that terrible sense of isolation that is so characteristic.
And you get a special WombTwin.com email address to protect your privacy - that has to be good!
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