Parakeets: pretty pests posing problems
The emotive response, on both sides, to the presence of parakeets in the UK reflects back our discomfort at the infrastructure by which our country governs; as we further reconcile a coloniser past and deepen out understanding of the nuances of diversity and inclusion, the way we view and mythologise the arrival of this bird is telling.
Invisible String: The misogyny undermining the simple pleasure of being a Taylor Swift fan
Invisible String: The Misogyny Undermining The Simple Pleasure Of Being A Taylor Swift Fan
One Second a day - How a video diary can Prove you’re not wasting Your life
Filming or photographing a second a day of your life, every day for a year, will make you appreciate it more.
Capturing just a fleeting second (or 1.5 seconds) each day may seem trivial, but the 1SE app helped me achieve something of consequence for my own self-esteem… It proved, concretely, that I’m not squandering my days.
Dance First, the samuel beckett biopic that made me want to write first instead
The casting of Gabriel Byrne and Fionn O’Shea (playing him in his later and earlier days, respectively) was sound, they afforded him the necessary nuance to be perceived beyond the facsimile of writer, womaniser, depressive.
Book review: A room called earth
A Room Called Earth is a book that I could call home while I read it. I slipped off all my protective layers, let the mask fall, and felt entirely safe and held by this satisfyingly singular story where a woman just exists, as she is, for the entire thing. The character’s state of being is neither good nor bad, but it felt so eerily unattainable to me that I longed to stay closer to her beyond the pages her story spanned.
Book Review: An American Marriage
In a love story, we want it to be obvious that one partner is the ‘right‘ one. We are looking for signs and hundred percents and proof of destiny; this book gives you none of those things and is all the better for refusing to do so.
i’m a feminist but… I’d happily be a groupie for Jesse Malin
I’m a feminist but… I’d happily be a groupie for Jesse Malin. How a NYC native, and Americana icon, stole the heart of a Welsh girl.
the best long-form podcasts by investigative journalists
A list of top quality podcasts that are all researched or presented by academics, historians and journalists. Stories that are worth hearing, from some of the best outlets around: Gimlet Media, Pineapple Street Studios, The New Yorker, Vox Media, Wondery, Curbed, Crooked Media, Serial Productions and Radiotopia.
Why Idris Elba should be in charge of all reality TV shows - review of bBC’s ‘Idris Elba’s Fight School’
Idris Elba has delivered top notch reality TV, minus the cynical sob stories, lip filler and corny catchphrases. Fight School served more reality in 5 episodes than a whole series of Love Island, or The Voice, could ever hope to achieve.
In defence of rats
The Chinese Zodiac follows the lunar year, spanning a 12 year cycle, with an animal at the helm of each one. The leader of that astrological pack, is none other than the rat.
