Resurrecting Killed Darlings: “Write, Cut, Rewrite” at the Weston Library
Joan Didion needed a drink before she edited her writing. She admits as much to an audience packed into the New York Public Library one day in November 2011. “The drink loosens me up enough to actually mark up my work, you know”, she twangs as she gazes, unblushing, into the crowd. Dry humour is
In Conversation With: Tapir
Following the release of their first album The Pilgrim, Their God and The King of My Decrepit Mountain, Ike Gray, Ronnie Longfellow, and Wilfred Cartwright from the six-piece band Tapir! performed an intimate gig at Truck Store, Oxford. Despite the reduced size of the band, they deliver an incredibl
One Must Imagine Wittgenstein Cruising
Wittgenstein, the most influential philosopher of the 20th century, was gay. Or maybe bi. Or perhaps he had especially close friendships with men for whom he had a certain aesthetic appreciation but with whom – no sir – he most definitely never ever had gay sex! There is something slightl
“To Penetrate or to Envelop?” Deborah Cameron On How We Talk About Sex
Have you shagged anyone this term? Maybe you’ve fucked someone, or, God forbid, been fucked? Did you partake in a bit of fifth week love-making? Did you get railed, or did you screw someone? “One thing that’s changed is people do talk about sex, and they do so publicly”, Profes
“Psychedelics can be life-changing compounds.” Icon of the Week: Rebecca Smausz
Rebecca and I walk around for a bit, trying to find the best place to have our conversation. Being Balliolites, we stick to its vicinity. We try the JCR at first — but there seems to be a Balliol Left Caucus meeting. The light spills out from the windows of a pub with a horse […]
Autism and ADHD: Sex, Drinking, and Self-Diagnosis
TW: Mentions of alcohol abuse and sexual assault. Charlotte Mia and Jess Joy are a modern-day platonic love story. They first gravitated towards each other during Freshers’ Week at Plymouth University 11 years ago, and from that moment onwards, have braved the rollercoaster of life hand-in-
‘Gay night out and then a kebab!’ In Conversation With: Stephen Bailey
The first thing you notice about speaking to Stephen Bailey is how the conversation immediately settles itself into a startlingly familiar and comfortable shape; the feeling of sinking into dialogue as if onto a plush velvet couch. If you forget yourself for just a moment, you may be laughing at a c
Icon of the Week: Pedr Charlesworth, The Man Behind Byke
Pedr Charlesworth is the man behind Byke (formerly Oxbikes), the business re-vamping old bikes and giving them a second life on an easy-to-use platform so that they can pick them up “anytime, anywhere”. As we become increasingly conscious of our impact on the environment, Byke is working to impr
British Bombs: The Rise of Declan McKenna
Sitting in silence on a Zoom call with a group of strangers and waiting for Declan McKenna to appear is a peculiar experience. We are all students, amateurs, hyper-self-aware and never more acutely aware of our immaturity than in this very moment. What do people do with their hands on a Zoom call? A
