Brexit is a term that most of us in the UK hear, on estimation, at least once a day. Whether it’s on the radio, on the TV, or in conversation, Brexit is everywhere. The bombardment of information is overwhelming, and the slaloming actions of parliament are becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with. In this age of uncertainty of the …
Jean Rhys was an author who innovated writing upon women’s emotions, mental health, and sexuality in a way that became a cornerstone of the modernist period of literature. Her definitive yet flawed female protagonists in her works like Good Morning, Midnight, Leaving Mr McKenzie, and her iconic, Wide Sargasso Sea, put her on the map for centuries to come as …
Time and Repetition in Jean Rhys’ Good Morning, Midnight By Joanne Norris At the time that Jean Rhys was writing Good Morning, Midnight, expressing the complexities and sadness of the female experience was an uncommon subject. When the novel came out in 1939, it was deemed too depressing. Even as a modern reader, it feels shocking to be privy to …
“Focus on your truth, focus on your message, focus on you.” (Eggurue, ‘What A Time To Be Alone’) By Erin Stott Flowering from feminist roots and unapologetic black pride, The Slumflower’s manifesto for self love guides us: on how to take charge of our lives and relationships; how to stay true to ourselves; and how we can realistically – and …
There’s not a lot of literature about inclusive Christmas marketing, and upon a deep-dive Google search, I found there was more to be said against inclusive “holiday” period festivities than for them. Broadly speaking, December is a time of excitement and generosity, whether you celebrate Christmas religiously or not. For many, it is a time to be with family and …
When you think of the words ‘self help book,’ what image does that conjure up? For me, it was always something verging on embarrassment. Used for comedic effect (think Bridget Jones and her shelf of books for the unlucky in love), or else simply not spoken about, the self help book holds a strange place on our bookshelves. For a …
By Riziki Millanzi A couple of years ago I did a semester abroad at the University of Kentucky and I was lucky enough to enrol in a Women’s Literature course that was taught by the fantastic Janet Eldred. In this class, we attempted to unroot why things such as disaster, tragedy or war were often (and still are today) regarded …
By Joanne Norris Throughout history, what is unspoken can shape the future just as fundamentally as what is heard. Things get concealed and forgotten, leaving other events and other voices to shape the narrative and dictate how that history will be perceived in years to come. There are notable examples of how explicit this concealment can be, such as the …
By Riziki Millanzi “…she was a marvel, witness to a world I could not imagine, beyond the reach of the huts and the vicious fields of Faith.” I am fascinated by the idea of reincarnation, how exactly it would work and what the outcome would be. Would we reborn somebody different? Would everything be new? Would my life be better? …
By Joanne Norris Whilst travelling in India, I came across a quotation painted on a rock that I couldn’t get out of my head whilst reading Washington Black. “The universe is not made of atoms; it’s made of tiny stories.” I’ve since learned that the quotation comes from a collection of short stories, entitled “The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories.” …
