Taylor Swift’s 2020 albums are a product of the pandemic, but they also allow a break from it. Through her writing, she shows us what escapism really means.
Lyrical Landscapes in Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermore
JT Welsch
Lecturer in English and Creative Industries at the University of York.
Black Joy
The ground shakes on impact and we scream, shout and make inhuman noises. Our teachers look on, smiling at our rambunctious, too-smart-for-their-own-good group full of black joy.
What even is the point of books anymore?
I don’t care about what a book looks like on a shelf. I have never cared about the aesthetics of being a reader – books simpering on their pedestals, waiting to pose against a gravel backdrop and gain a million likes.
It’s A Sin and lessons of the AIDS crisis
ussell T Davies’ new drama It’s a Sin hit channel 4 screens during HIV Testing Week 2021. It is apt that Davies’ series finds its feet in a similar climate of health anxiety to that of his cast.
If Trans Representation matters, then where is it?
Not long ago, I believed that transgender characters played by cisgender actors were largely positive and helped to progress conversations about trans lives. Yet, they were all played by cisgender men, and in some cases reiterated dangerous stereotypes or tropes.
My English Degree and My Love/Hate Relationship with Books
I chose to study English literature at university because I liked reading. What 17-year-old me didn’t realise was that I liked reading in moderation, and on my own terms.
Dr Alex George – a Real Influencer
Dr Alex George, who became a household name after appearing on ITV’s Love Island in 2018, has been appointed as a ‘Young Mental Health Ambassador’. Dr Alex has been given this position by the Prime Minister himself as a result of his constant campaigning and advice regarding mental health during the pandemic.
‘Too Sexy for Chess’: The Success of The Queen’s Gambit
The Queen’s Gambit really needs no introduction. Drop the title into Google and you’ll find near-hundreds of headlines lauding it as one of the most-watched shows ever. Crikey, okay, big stuff. About chess? Surely not.
Criticism or Blind Contempt? The Integrity of Publishing
One of the focal points of Joe Biden’s inauguration was Amanda Gorman and the poem she performed, The Hill We Climb. As the inaugural poet, Gorman presented her piece with an eloquence that summarised a hope for a nation that still has time to change.
Mental Health or Money: What Does ‘Essential’ Really Mean?
Alongside ‘unprecedented’, it is a word that has been used excessively during the pandemic. It has sparked a mountain of debate over what should be deemed ‘essential’ during lockdown, with some ‘essentials’ provoking more heated disputes than others.
