Good morning!
Unfortunately I haven’t had time to write my usual short essay this week. I have taken on a lot of extra freelance work (I am going part time next month and have been trying to make some extra money in advance) and this weekend left me feeling a bit burnt out. Instead of writing yesterday, I ended up going back to bed!
But I wanted to share the usuals with…!
Obligatory book plug
This week I met my publicist who gave me my own copy of the print proof. So cool! We discussed lots of potential events and essays, so watch this space!
Here’s a photo of me posing with the book against a brutalist background.
You can pre-order the book from the Verso website here.
What I’ve been writing
It’s been a busy week and my stories ended up leading on the Byline Times digital front page. I covered men’s violence against women, the far-right, immigration detention, and the earthquake.
Here’s the lowdown in chronological order…
What the Knowsley Riot Tells Us About the Far Right Today
LGBTQ+ People at Risk of Abuse and Trauma in Immigration Detention
Met Police Cannot Say How Many Officers Disciplined for Inappropriate Sexual Relationships
The Risks to Girls from Violence and Exploitation Following the Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
The Global Network Behind Arrested Anti-Abortion Protestor
Dr Iain Overton and myself also reported on rape at knifepoint, reports of which has increased over the past decade (although proportion is static).
Number of Women Reporting Rape at Knifepoint Triples in 10 Years
What I loved
Loved is probably not the right word, but as a feat of journalism, The Shamima Begum Story is worth watching. Produced by the BBC and led by the investigative journalist Josh Baker, the documentary explores the horrifying complexities of her case. She is both perpetrator and victim. There are no easy answers although I strongly believe that she should be returned to the UK and face the UK justice system.
What I’m reading
My main read this week has been Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe about the Troubles. It’s an absolutely stunning exploration of that horrible and difficult time, told through the McConville murder.
Anyone with an interest in this period of history should pick it up. It also made me think how ‘say nothing’ is all too often Britain’s approach to the Troubles. We don’t talk about it. We say nothing. And yet it was so recent, the legacy persists, and as Brexit proves, it continues to have huge implications in all our lives.
I’m now reading his Empire of Pain, about the opioid crisis. His writing is making me think very seriously about *how* I want to write non-fiction (in the same way Donna Tartt has made me think about *how* I want to write fiction).
I realised I had never read Curtis Sittenfield so have started Prep and am definitely going to be reading more.
What I’m watching
As you may have picked up from previous emails, I do enjoy a Golden Age murder mystery and so I had a lot of fun watching the caper See How They Run. Sam Rockwell is always so good in everything!
I saw The Barber of Seville at the Royal Opera House – my first bel canto opera. I enjoyed it (it was very sexual! Oh oh oh oh!) but I know in my heart I am a Puccini girl.
I hope despite the absence of the essay, you enjoyed this quick hit of a post full of recommendations! Next week will hopefully be easier… and I won’t crash and burn at the weekend!