young guns

Write choice

This is not fiction.

We would all love to grow up and become famous, right? A doctor, an athlete or even a writer maybe. But what would you say if I told you that you could be a writer and a famous one, only if you tried? It’s true. Daisy Ashford was only nine when she wrote the bestselling novella of her times, The Young Visiters, in 1890, and no, we haven’t misspelt the title. The book wasn’t found until years later by a publisher who published it in 1919, along with the spelling mistakes and errors, hence the title. The manuscript was written in pencil in a stout little notebook. The perspective is that of a nine-year-old girl and offers a funny view of class and the foolishness of adults. Ashford wrote another novel, The Hangman’s Daughter, as well as several other short stories. Ashford stopped writing after she turned a teenager.

Up, above

Tea time

A tea-break in space?

If things truly go off as planned, your tea could be made in the skies. Malaysia is planning to send its first astronaut into space — aboard a Russian rocket next year. The astronaut plans to make teh tarik — the nation’s favourite hot drink — for the first time in space. Russia will choose the astronaut who will go into orbit on September 2 next year.