I used to think I have complete control over my body. Every anxious feeling, every desire, every shrapnel of shame that clogs up my oesophagus and holds me hostage – it all passes through me with consent. Only because I allow myself to feel a certain way, even the terrible stuff, do I have to withstand it?

Author: Ami Venrar

Category: SELF

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The last ten years have seen social media evolve beyond recognition. From the days of MySpace to the reign of Instagram, trends and subcultures have changed at lightning speed, but one thing has remained consistent: our use of social networks to paint an alluring, enticing image of ourselves for potential love interests and followers alike. So much, in fact, that terminology has emerged to label this behaviour. Welcome to the era of thirst traps. 

Author: Eleanor Noyce

Category: CULTURE

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Environmental racism isn’t new, but it has never been worse. In the UK specifically, marginalised and ethnically diverse communities are thrice as likely as others to be exposed to pollution daily, and live in areas close to waste incinerators (Source: Guardian).

Author: Aishwarya Jagani

Category: ENVIRONMENT

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An arresting debut collection from a young poet, Monika Radojevic’s Teeth in the Back of My Neck was the inaugural winner of the #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize, launched by Stormzy and Penguin Random House UK in 2018.

Author: The Spill

Category: ARTS

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If you’re anything like us, you may have cultivated a love/hate relationship with fashion over the last few years. Between the industry’s lack of inclusivity and its catastrophic contribution to climate change, there are good reasons to give up on fashion brands altogether. But all is not lost, and there are still incredible labels out there making sure everyone is feeling included and represented, while also not costing the earth. Here are five of our favourite unisex ethical clothing brands.

Author: The Spill

Category: ENVIRONMENT

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I got my first period when I was ten and still in primary school - before all my friends. I felt too young to feel my body changing so rapidly. I have Spastic Triplegic Cerebral Palsy, a neurological disorder caused by brain damage. In my case, the brain damage was caused by a lack of oxygen during labour and after birth, although it can also occur in other ways. 

Author: Francesca Hughes

Category: SELF

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In Mixed/Other: Explorations of Multiraciality in Modern Britain (out now), Mancunian writer and Metro columnist Natalie Morris explores the multifaceted experience of mixed-race people in the UK. Examining identity, dating, family life, beauty, culture, and more through a plethora of people across the UK, Mixed/Other shines a light on what it means to be mixed race today.

Author: The Spill

Category: ARTS

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This is the fourth instalment of My Coming Out, a monthly interview series sharing the unique stories of people all over the world, who came out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or questioning. This month we chat with Jo Maenzanise (they/them), a trans non-binary lover of coffee, comedy, and pitbulls' smiles. They are “their ancestors' wildly queer kid”.

Author: The Spill

Category: SELF

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"No tyres screeching, no blaring of sirens and no panicked shoppers scattering across aisles," said News24 South Africa of the Mall of Africa silent heist in 2019 - one that saw its prime suspect vanish into thin air. When I hear of bank robberies and heists, my thoughts immediately shift to armed bandits, masked and ready to shoot any person between them and the money they are after. But a few people are now changing how I am viewing heists - at least, real world heists. And one of them is a woman from my own country, Zambia. 

Author: Fiske Nyirongo

Category: CULTURE

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Art galleries and museums around the world may have seen sporadic opening hours and all too many cancellations in the past year, but behind the scenes and away from white gallery interiors, the world of arts has been working hard to adapt. From inherent issues of neoliberal capitalism laid bare by the pandemic, to the movements addressing the Global North’s systemic racism that has permeated popular discourse, art makers are at the forefront of these developments. 

Author: Sandy Yu

Category: ARTS

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