Amelia Gregory discusses The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, America’s first literary award for women and non-binary writers.
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The US Midterms: A truly mixed bag
A figure hurtles across a car park on a skateboard. On another day he plays punky riffs which echo out of his garage. These are not the weekend hobbies of a teenager whose politics can barely be articulated beyond anger at “the system” and whose intellectual curiosity extends as far as Trevor Noah. This figure […]
Demons downed by Blitz in Devon derby
THE Exeter Demons fell to a heartbreaking 6-14 loss at Coombe Dingle as a last-minute punt was blocked and returned for the decisive Plymouth touchdown. The match was initially supposed to be played at Duckes Meadow, but weather conditions dictated otherwise. Instead of the familiar Exeter fields, the game would be played at Coombe Dingle, […]
Resist, do not abandon: the danger of deserting American academics
It is not an understatement to say that the world is infuriated with the policies and presence of President Donald Trump: from the 4.8 million participants in the Women’s Marches worldwide to the thousands in the UK protesting his banning of refugees and nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The hope that […]
Melania Trump: What can we expect from the new First Lady?
As the election results start to settle in, attention has increasingly turned towads the future First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump. Married to Donald Trump for twelve years, Melania remained elusive over the majority of the Presidential campaign. But with recent announcements that she would not be moving to Washington with her husband, […]
Why Bernie Sanders wouldn’t have won
As the dust settles after one of the most extraordinary elections in American history, the hot takes as to why things happened as they did have only just begun. Many will try and reduce the result to ‘economic anxiety’ motivating white working-class voters. Others will blame right-wing media outlets for consistently fanning the flames of […]
We need to talk about the Dakota Access Pipeline
You probably have seen talk about #NoDAPL making the rounds on social media over the past few months, and rightly so. This hashtag refers to the ongoing controversy surrounding the construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota, the protests against it, and its implications for the people living on and around the Standing Rock reservation […]
Syria truce: turning point or status quo?
Monday 12 September, the first day of Islam’s most important annual festival, Eid al-Adha, marked the beginning of a “cessation of hostilities” in the ever-bloody conflict in Syria, according to a deal brokered by diplomats from the United States and Russia. This truce was not the first of its kind in Syria and will certainly […]
‘Play ball!’: An interview with Derrick Hall
The sun is shining brightly in a rich blue summer sky. There’s an expectant murmur from the crowd, suddenly punctuated by the sound of a ball hitting a mitt at high velocity, and a cry of “strike three!” This is baseball. What could possibly be more stereotypically American? Yet it seems Major League Baseball, the […]
Let’s Get Satirical: Donald Trumpkin’s Halloween takeover
I n a controversial new policy announcement, Donald Trump revealed that, were he to be elected President in 2016, October 31 would officially be declared National Trump Day. “After the nation-wide success of Trumpkins, it’s clear that the American people want me to defend their homes, communities, and their country,” Trump commented, referencing the recent […]