by Alex Thurley-Ratcliff. If you’ve missed the references or don’t know much about LGBTQ+ history, then I hope you’ll forgive me for reminding you that this year we are commemorating 50 years since the Stonewall riots in New York – the start of the modern gay liberation movement and...
Book review: Lessons in Stoicism by John Sellars
reviewed by Chris Richards. John Sellars’ Lessons in Stoicism is a slim volume introducing Stoicism to a new audience; inspiring readers to become followers. Any and all readers will find wisdom and tangible pathways to contentedness in some form. Like many of the best ideas and wisdom, once found...
Daniel Crow & a space: transforming city’s art scene
by Sally Churchward. God’s House Tower, a new multi-million arts venue in Southampton’s Old Town, will open in September. It will house a permanent exhibition about the building’s heritage, changing exhibitions, talks, workshops, events, a cafe and a shop, and is set to become a major tourist attraction on...
Book review: RMS Titanic: The Bridlington Connections by Richard M Jones
reviewed by Chris Richards. This history book is about the RMS Titanic and its links to Bridlington in Yorkshire. The tone is sensitive and celebratory of the people who made history over the last hundred years. Richard M Jones was an eleven-year-old boy when his enthusiasm for the Titanic...
Recipe: raspberry and lemon cheesecake
by Hannah Pinchin of Hannah Banana Bakery. SERVES 8 Ingredients: Biscuit base 300g Vegan digestive biscuits (or lotus spread biscuits for a spicy twist) 3tbsp Vegan margarine Zingy lemony middle 225g Cashew nuts (soaked in water over night or boiled for 10 minutes) 125ml Maple syrup 250 ml Coconut...
Opinion: why I joined Extinction Rebellion
By Elaine Hunter. I was inspired to get involved in Extinction Rebellion (XR) after the rebellion in London. For me, the rebellion heralded a sense of hope and a feeling that things could change for the better. I, along with other members of the public, really empathised with XR....
Book review: The Quarter by Naguib Mahfouz
reviewed by Will Vigar. To my shame, Naguib Mahfouz is not a name I knew before receiving his book ‘The Quarter’. When you consider that he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988, this oversight seems all the more shameful. But rather than descend into a Catholic guilt...
Book review: Dead Popular by Sue Wallman
reviewed by Georgina Lippiett. Dead Popular is a Young Adult novel set in Mount Norton School, one of the most expensive boarding schools in the country. With its coastal setting and state-of-the-art facilities, the students are entitled, confident and guaranteed to succeed. It’s the beginning of term and Kate...
Book review: Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie
Reviewed by Chris Richards You don’t read this story. You feel it. Luan Goldie’s Nightingale Point is visceral, not cerebral. It is powerful, engaging, important, and at times painful. A tale of chances, chaos, and consequences. There are criticisms that can be made but, ultimately, it is perfectly imperfect....
October Books: how the radical bookshop is booming
by Sally Churchward. For the staff and volunteers at October Books, there is delicious irony in the fact that the building in which the radical bookshop is now based used to house a bank. “I love it, it’s so ironic,” exclaims volunteer Glyn Oliver, who has been helping with...