In Conversation With: Bob Boilen, Founder of Tiny Desk Concerts
“It is very difficult indeed to go anywhere in the world … where people haven’t heard about and watched Tiny Desk Concerts. This is the very definition of a global phenomenon”, read a note to staff from NPR earlier this year. The series of musical performances behind an NPR office des
Icons of the Week: Katie Stamp and Jakub Trybull, Creators of A Bear’s Favour
A Bear’s Favour (niedźwiedzia przysługa) is a work-in-progress documentary made by six students from the University of Oxford, who sought to unpick the political climate in Poland. Since the fall of Communism in 1989, post-communist prosperity and living conditions drastically improved. In 2018,
In conversation with: Maggie Nelson, author of The Argonauts
“I write the thing I think is best, not the thing I think will please the most people.” When my friend gifted me a copy of Maggie Nelson’s bestseller The Argonauts for my birthday, I mentally placed it onto my ‘to read’ pile. It was a hot summer’s day, and frankly, I wasn’t quit
In Conversation With: Chris Hendricks, Club Penguin Composer
When I was waddling around Club Penguin’s virtual island as a small child, it was far from my imagination that I would, one day, be holed up from a real-life blizzard in North Denmark and speaking to the game’s composer: Chris Hendricks. Just a few years prior to that, Hendricks himself w
Icon of the Week: Peter Sutton, Artistic Director of the Jesus College Shakespeare Project
Peter Sutton is Jesus College’s Alumni Engagement Manager and the artistic director of the Jesus College Shakespeare Project [JCSP], which aims to stage all of Shakespeare’s plays, one per term, finishing in Hilary Term 2034. To widen access to Shakespeare and drama, the Project also brings in s
Do I Drink Enough Beer for the AfD?
As political tensions rise in my native Germany, I can’t help but feel a sense of helplessness. Gone are the days when I could comfortably look down upon the UK for its messy politics and the strength of its far right. With the conservative CDU (Christian Democratic Union) and right-wing AfD (Alte
What Do You Do With Your Last Day At Home?
Who do you see? There’s so much pressure to say goodbye to people; you might not see them for 6 months, for a year. Some of them are staying behind; some of them are flying even further away. What do you eat? Will I miss aloo parathas or dosas more? How can I decide? What […]
Pearl Necklaces, ‘Dada’ Bracelets and Crucifixes: Jewellery and Image-making
In the intricate realm of crafting one’s image, be it in the political or personal spheres, the choice of jewellery serves as a nuanced yet impactful form of self-expression. Whether it’s the enduring charm of pearls, favoured by iconic women like Jackie Kennedy and Lady Churchill