Spinoff staff writer Gabi Lardies recently had a big win at the Voyager Media Awards, for best junior feature writer. Gabi first worked at the Spinoff in 2022 so is categorically a junior writer, but as she confesses, she’s secretly 33 years old and has had a colourful work history prior to becoming a journalist.

Her recognised work focuses on observational feature writing, stepping into a very specific scene and painting a picture of it for the reader. And this week, Gabi painted a picture of a hunger strike, particularly Will Alexander’s, who announced a strike for Palestine on May 18 and called it off after 19 days at the request of Palestinians. Gabi joins Madeleine Chapman on Behind the Story to talk switching careers, the importance of mentoring and what happens when your story is overtaken by events.Stories discussed:

An interview with Will Alexander, who was willing to die for the people of Palestine

A morning at the death cafe

Where did the age of consent come from, and how does it work today?

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