Tearing it up
I believe in consistency: I hold my sixth form’s record for most consecutive late detentions. I check the Wigan Athletic scores every weekend because I used to love their name. I rewatch Blades of Glory annually. And four years apart, in 2020 and 2024, I walked into Room 12 at the Spire Hospital t
The Isis HT25 pitch prompts
Personal essays Profess your undying love to someone (and name names). Interview your ex Tell us the thing about you which makes the least sense Explain why you never learnt to drive, to cook, to ride a bike, to swim…Defend yourself. God promised me a place at Oxford, do I deserve it? Write
In defence of Guns N’ Roses
I am not saying Guns N’ Roses are an ‘underrated’ band in the grand scheme of things. They’ve sold over 100 million records, joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, and everyone from the Manic Street Preachers to The Strokes have counted them as an influence
“Every man has the f***ing his mother dream at some point”: a review of Robert Icke’s Oedipus
Oedipus’ mother Merope warns that “Knowledge in advance is the gift of the gods.” In that case we must all be somewhat divine, because we know how the story of Oedipus will unfold. The big spoiler has been knocking around since the fifth century BCE. It has even evolved into our languag
PRESSURE POINT – Three cheers for parliament?
Discussion following the Commons’ vote last week on assisted dying has, understandably, continued to be oppositional. Kim Leadbeater’s bill still has a way to go before it becomes law, so the debate continues over whether we should legalise voluntary euthanasia, and, if so, whether the Terminall
How to survive a breakup
Well, you’re a girl so you will sit in your room, hold it in, and pray for him. You learnt from your mother. You learned to swallow fire, digest it in a few tears and get up quickly so that no one would ever know. You are better than your mother, you […]
Prizes
In 1993, Rachel Whiteread won the Turner Prize for House, a concrete cast of the interior of a terraced house in Bow, East London. The piece was exhibited where the house had once stood, and it was praised widely by critics, who were entranced by the uncanny mix of presence and absence the sc
Icon of the Week: Cocaine
“Do you mean the drink or the drug? It’s Oxford so I have to check!” said one person I was telling about this week’s Icon of the Week. “You’re doing it on cocaine?” another asked, presumably assuming this would be a 10,000-word article typed up in about 30 minutes.
