Artist of the Week: Rachel Smyth
Tell us a bit about yourself. I’m Roo and I primarily write music. I’m a music student and I focus a lot on composition and performance, which is mostly what I’m interested in. It’s strange to come to Oxford to do an academic course and then try to make my degree as practical as possible. [&
The Isis interviews Richard Ovenden, the 25th Bodley’s Librarian
Entering the innermost sanctum of the University – the office of the Bodley’s librarian, Richard Ovenden – Kiana and I are probably as close to Elysium as it gets for book enthusiasts. The office is perched at the very top of the Clarendon building, Oxford’s answer to Greek temple archit
Constructing Transness
I’m scrolling through Reddit (strike one). I soon find myself fighting the urge to respond to every comment written by cis people who just can’t understand (strike two). “I wanted to play with boy’s toys, so I did – it doesn’t mean I’m a boy!” I keep scrolling. “I don’t feel lik
Sally Rooney’s Musical Marginalia
Spotify is a virtual shelf-space upon which to stack year upon year of old playlists – to offer, in my case, an audible narrative to my late teens and early twenties. In the corner of Spotify occupied by the bibliophiles, I would scour for content, seeking new additions to my somewhat pretentious
Late August
Let me try again. It is cold. It is August. It is the last day for swimming so you run your hands up against me in the surf, and I laugh through a mouthful of salt, the stretch of your shoulders shining, wet with sunlight, aching my eyelids shut. The generous spill of […]
A book or a prank? My interview with a budding Canadian novelist
There was nothing particularly unusual about Terry, the cashier at my local independent bookstore. He was a lofty middle-aged man with a thick Canadian accent, and he often gave me recommendations whenever I stopped by with my friend. Last Summer, however, he suggested something a little different.
The Isis interviews Rebecca Black
“When you involve kids they will inevitably be exploited, because children can’t consent to anything in terms of working hours or signing contracts or being liable for anything… because they’re children”. Rebecca Black faced just this challenge in the entertainment industry at the
The Perfect Fit
I am pleased to advise the as-yet-uninitiated that writing a cover letter is just like writing a personal statement, except that your interests have been relegated to the bench. Don’t fret, they’re still included: it’s just time to be strategic about them, as any self-help book will tell you.