The debate surrounding the #YesAllWomen hashtag has been continuing for a while now, and while I’m pleased to see sexism finally being discussed in a mainstream setting, I still hear a lot of men claiming they aren’t sexist, so by default other men aren’t either. In some corners of the internet, some men claim that […]
#FridayFlash – Stitched Up
She thought of him often, but today, as she stitched, she realised he’d never loved her. He’d never be able to love her. None of them had. Maybe some of them wanted to, but couldn’t. The needle followed its smooth path, the black stitches small and neat. Her mother taught her to sew when she […]
#BookReview – Fever
I’ve long had a fascination with disease and its spread, and figures like Typhoid Mary hold a certain interest for me as part of that intersection between social and medical history. I’m also keenly fond of historical fiction, so Fever ticked two boxes for me before I’d even opened it. Mary Beth Keane tells the […]
#FridayFlash – A Place at the Table
Nell crouched behind the old tree stump at the bottom of the sand dunes. A stone slab lay on the beach some ten yards away, its upper surface covered in seaweed that hung over the edges like a tablecloth. At the moment it rested on the sand, but the tide would come in soon, surrounding […]
Are magic and fantasy important?
The Great North Museum (formerly the Hancock) is currently running their Magic Worlds exhibition, dedicated to fantasy and illusion. It’s on until 22nd June but I decided to pop along before the school holidays in the hope it would be quiet (aside from a noisy group of schoolchildren, one of whom even questioned whether or […]
Why Newcastle needs The Late Shows
There has been something of a cultural renaissance in Newcastle upon Tyne, and The Late Shows have definitely been part of that. Co-ordinated by Tyne & Wear Museums in association with Museums at Night, the Late Shows aim to get people in Newcastle and Gateshead interested in the culture that’s happening right on their doorstep. […]