My debut novel AT THE EDGE OF THE WOODS is out today! Thanks to
@TwoDollarRadio
,
@mfredturner
and everyone who made it happen.
You can buy a copy here:
Young people: please continue being careful. I caught Covid last March and I'm still unwell. I can't exercise at all ☹️ (even yoga) or drink alcohol 😭 (even a small glass of wine) and my mental health is all over the place. It's painful, scary and v boring. You don't want this.
I'm in exactly the same position – thought I'd be ill for two weeks, instead it's been half a year. I'm 32 and otherwise healthy, was exercising 5x a week and now I can barely do 15 minutes of yoga. Please be careful.
On the other hand, there are plenty of cis women who are fully aware of the threats women face from predatory men - sometimes following first-hand experience - and still 100% support trans rights.
Just a friendly reminder that you are not being “cancelled” because your views are not “woke”, you are being “criticised” because your views are not “tolerant”
For the avoidance of doubt: trans women are women. The rights of cis women are not in opposition to trans rights; in fact trans people are far more likely to be subjected to discrimination, sexual violence and murder than cis women. We should stand together, not apart 🏳️⚧️
So who exactly is it who decides which women should “wheesht” and which are allowed to speak? This is an intimidation campaign, plain and simple. Just because I've written an opinion piece it doesn't mean I have to allow everyone on the internet to spam my Twitter page with hate
Things that are NOT OK:
* Drinking a mojito over a long weekend
* Mildly inconveniencing a few people in a bid to raise awareness of the oncoming climate catastrophe that will kill us all
Things that are 💯% fine:
* Breaking electoral law
* Faking footage to appeal to racists
On the plus side: I had my first vaccine dose (Astrazeneca) a month and a half ago, and it has helped with a lot of the symptoms, so fingers crossed for the second dose. Have also found meditating, breathing exercises and cold showers incredibly helpful
New piece on Zone of Interest: the speech, the lies, most of all, Glazer's harrowing warning about how genocide can become "ambient."
This is what feels most contemporary, most of this terrible moment, about Glazer’s staggering film.
🎉 Some Personal News 🎉 V excited to announce that from next week I’ll be acting deputy editor of the
@guideguardian
for the next year or so. Send me (good! & relevant) pitches
Clearly herd immunity was the plan all along, and they're finally getting their wish. This is what you get when you elect an anti-science, anti-expert populist buffoon who doesn't care about the vulnerable and thinks you can out-macho a virus. I just don't know what to say.
After being ill with long Covid for 16 months I've finally been double jabbed, which has helped with a lot of the symptoms and means I should be ready to go and get back to my life. But several people I know have been (badly) infected with Delta after being fully vaccinated...
Bizarre article that relies entirely on quotes from canonical white male writers (and George Eliot) in order to devalue the work of some of the best young female voices in contemporary fiction because... their work acknowledges sociopolitical context?
I'm really afraid that this is the moment Gen Z lose their political hope, like many millennials did after the Iraq War protests. Not only have they been ignored for years while trying to make those in charge pay attention to the ongoing destruction of the planet...
APNews: Arts Council England (
@ace_national
) has updated its policies, warning that "political statements" made by individuals linked to an organisation can cause "reputational risk", breaching funding agreements (1/5)
It was an honour to interview Emilia Clarke ahead of her British stage debut in The Seagull. She talked about grief, fame, illness, bad reviews, baking, Brad Pitt and much more
Jonathan Glazer's Oscars speech was brave, principled and has already made history. Can't wait for 2074, when Hollywood tries to take credit for this industry-defining moment
More than 450 Jewish creatives, executives and Hollywood professionals have signed an open letter denouncing Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” Oscar speech.
Given how many people feel that genocide can be justified under the right circumstances, I think we can safely say that wokeness has not, in fact, got out of hand
This "freedom" day might mean greater liberties for the anti lockdown crowd, but it just means endless shielding for people like me. I'm furious with the government for just allowing this variant in, and now the plan to "let it rip" is seriously unhinged.
My partner and I were meant to get married last June; instead we've both been ill for more than a year and haven't seen our families since December 2019. Boris Johnson is directly responsible, and is now using this photo op to bury bad news. Have some respect.
It was such an honour to speak to
@robertosaviano
for this – one of the most thoughtful, intelligent and well-informed people I've ever interviewed. Italy (and the world) needs more public figures like him.
The amount of time, resources and money that has been wasted on this Brexit farce instead of on the main issues the country is facing (inequality, jobs, housing, the environment, the NHS, education) is absolutely unforgivable
Amazing what you can achieve when you wake up at 5am. I couldn't get back to sleep so I watched seven episodes of Love is Blind in a row and did two different types of face mask
Last March I had a 'mild' case of Covid. Didn't end up in hospital. I still can't breathe properly, or exercise, or drink alcohol, and I'm in constant pain – long Covid is a nightmare. Hospitalisations aren't the only thing we should be worrying about.
I've only been at the Guide since earlier this year but this is devastating news – it's such a fun, vibrant, wide-ranging publication and has been a joy to work for. Solidarity with the other sections too. BUT we won't be shut straight away so please keep buying the paper 💗
I'm just not willing to risk getting this again - the impact on my physical and mental health would be too great. I haven't been in a shop since December - the only places I go are home and the local park - and I've just had to cancel the very modest plans I had for my week off.
So this my last day
@guideguardian
– the past 12 months have been awful in almost every way imaginable, but putting the magazine together has been a blast in spite of it all. Thanks to
@gwilymmumford
,
@MichaelCragg
& the rest of the brilliant team. Will miss all the terrible puns
It has been clear for a long time that the police not only fail to protect, but actually pose a very real risk to, women and people of colour. Cressida Dick should resign. Solidarity with everyone at Clapham Common tonight ✊
#DefundThePolice
Today marks one year since I first started to feel ill with Covid. I'm still not better. I wrote about my experience a few months ago – here is the piece again, in case anyone missed it at the time
But watching a genocide unfold in real time while the “adults in the room” applaud or look away... that's the kind of thing that changes you on a fundamental level. I hope I'm wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see mass disengagement from the political system from now on.
Really enjoyed diving deep into
@mitskileaks
's deliciously twisted Be the Cowboy, which I've listened to more than is probably healthy this year. Thanks
@laurasnapes
for the commission!
I've been essentially living in tier 4 since March, and let me tell you, the only thing worse than living in tier 4 is living in tier 4 with Covid after-effects for ~9 months
Hugely proud of the redesigned New Review. Everyone has worked really hard on it and it's a really fantastic issue. Make sure you buy it on Sunday – it means a lot to us.
Finished The Sopranos yesterday and, as anyone I’ve spoken to over the past six months can attest, I have fully become one of those “You HAVE to watch The Sopranos” people.
Thrilled to announce that my first book, 876 Reasons Why I Love Pret’s Cheese And Tomato Croissants: An Odyssey (Faber & Faber, £29.99), will be published in June 2019
Thinking about all the people who watched Zone of Interest and came away with the conclusion: "The indiscriminate slaughter of thousands of innocent people *can* sometimes be justified."
@kathryn42
Thank you for writing this Kathryn. Wonderful piece vI was surprised and moved to find your reference to our band in there. Much love Warren x
I commission album reviews for the Observer and can absolutely confirm that there is no sinister "Guardian-wide ban" on coverage of
@amandapalmer
's music. V much stand by
@laurasnapes
and
@ben_bt
in this bizarre feud situation
Over the past year
@carolecadwalla
has been ridiculed, threatened with lawsuits, threatened with violence, had her face Photoshopped into a variety of insulting scenarios, been given a stupid nickname by Julian Assange, and made a lot of very powerful people very angry.
Some truly blessed band names coming up
@thegreatescape
: Be Forest, Bitch Falcon, Cocaine Piss, Crack Cloud, Dry Cleaning, Ed the Dog, Feet, GGAllan Partridge, Great Dad, Haggard Cat, Just Mustard, Le Superhomard, Los Bitchos, Nice Biscuit, Weird Milk, Wetter
1. Please stop trying to make me care about the royals
2. The way this unfathomably powerful, wealthy, racist institution – and its right-wing media cronies – is ganging up against a pregnant Black woman is obviously appalling
3. Abolish the monarchy
Hi
@EditorsUK
, do you have any stats on how many journalists with disabilities have won National Press Awards in the past 10 years? Would be really interested in finding out.
I know this is basically a Carole Cadwalladr fan account anyway, but I am just so proud of her bravery and tenacity & it’s such an honour to work with her 🙌
"The UK media is not bigoted and will not be swayed from its vital role holding the rich and powerful to account following the attack on the press by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex": Robust statement from
@EditorsUK
following Meghan and Harry's interview
Huge solidarity today with everyone who lost a loved one to Covid-19, and the more than 1 million people still suffering from long Covid in the UK. We know exactly who to blame.
Really love those Netflix docu-series in which 17 different characters take turns saying "That's when things started to get *really* weird," over and over again over 10 hour-long episodes until something mildly weird happens
Can you imagine if they bombed a hospital anywhere else in the world - say, the US, Israel, the UK - killing doctors and patients and babies because “there was a terrorist hiding there”. These are war crimes, and anyone defending them should never work in media or politics again
Your faves are problematic: I wrote about ableism in Lizzo, Love Island and Lapvona, and why this summer has been so exhausting for people with disabilities
Say what you like about lockdown, but it’s been a really fruitful time for my subconscious to reveal all my deepest neuroses to me in a series of horrifying nightmares.