UEA Live concluded in an epic way with the hilarious Raven Smith. As soon as he sat down at the front of the lecture theatre, he was cracking jokes and making the audience feel like we were part of the conversation. In talk with Dr Sarah Godfrey, Smith dived into his latest book, Raven Smith’s…
Shon Faye on her ‘Trojan Horse’ book at UEA Live
Walking in to a thunderous round of applause, Shon Faye takes her seat at the front of the lecture theatre. Lawyer turned writer and campaigner, with podcast Call Me Mother, Faye’s works have reached mass audiences. Her first book, The Transgender Issue, is a liberating piece analysing the trans experience in the UK. As a…
Shakespeare’s Impact: Fantastical Adaptations Across the Years
Shakespeare is known throughout the ages and across every continent. His plays are performed across countless theatres and are studied in countless schools. They’ve made a huge literary impact, so much so that adaptations are constantly being made. Teen film classics like 10 Things I Hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew) and She’s…
Queer Representation on Modern TV: A Deep Dive
It’s clear to anyone that we’re in a seemingly ‘Golden Age’ of Queer Television. Contrasted to 20 or 30 years in the past, where representation was sparse or villainised, we have a somewhat fair number of queer characters we can turn to in order to see ourselves represented. But it still isn’t enough. I discussed…
Hot and Heavy vs Cringe and Crude – The Best and Worst of Sex Scenes in Film
We all know the feeling of watching a film with our family only to be ambushed by a sex scene. We hide behind our hands, avoiding eye contact with everyone until it passes. I’ve had my fair share of wanting to disappear into the abyss whilst watching a movie with my mam. However, sometimes, you’ve…
Celebrating Disability Representation
Representation in books has always been important. However, when creating diverse reading lists, people’s minds immediately go to POC representation or LGBTQ+ representation. For whatever reason, I don’t really see much in the way of disability representation. Unless, of course, I look in certain spheres. Before university, I was an ignorant reader, my bookshelves weren’t…
The Beauty of Women’s Relationships
Women’s relationships have always shaped my life, whether I knew it or not. Growing up, my mam was a working mother, a nurse. I saw her travel around our county and help people, care for them. She cared for me. My mam turned me into a caring woman. In later years, her career changed slightly,…
Battling my own internalised misogyny
Growing up, I’ve often battled with internalised misogyny. Society teaches us to think a certain way; a woman in leadership is bossy whereas her male counterpart is ‘a good leader’, a woman discussing someone who’s upset her is bitching, whereas a man is having a conversation, a woman who has a sex is a slut,…
Shining the Light on Women Directors
When self-proclaimed ‘film buffs’ discuss their favourite directors, the names thrown into the mix are Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Alfred Hitchcock, or Steven Spielberg. They’re all older white men. Now, this isn’t to dismiss their works. It’s a simple observation. The fact is, women directors are often pushed out of these conversations, and it tends…
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