When the Need Arises
As the hills of Cumbria and Lancashire disappear behind me through the train window, Lana Del Rey’s Bluebird urges me to “find a way to fly” through my headphones. I …
Read MoreOn Taking Up Space
It’s a Monday in late March and I’m spinning around in my chair in the PhD study room, lip-synching to Susannah Joffe’s “Shit Out of Luck” as my flowing white …
Read MoreIf She Wanted To, She Wouldn’t
There’s a trend going around on social media where people imagine they’re meeting their younger self for coffee. When I picture sitting down and having a chat with a past …
Read MoreOn Failed Cakes and Linguistic Mistakes
Ahead of turning 27 tomorrow, I decided to give in to my whimsical side and bake a purple cake. For those unfamiliar with Eliza lore, there were a solid three …
Read MoreSo Long, Glasgow
I don’t know when the seasons changed. August turned to September and half the leaves are red, and I’m leaving Glasgow tomorrow. Today it’s eight years since I moved here, …
Read MoreOn Regret
My favourite urban legend is the story of the one time I successfully got over something and moved on with my life. It was December 2020, and after a truly …
Read MoreThe Tortured Poet’s Compartmentalising
My scalding hot take about The Tortured Poets Department is that Taylor Swift’s discography is infinitely more interesting if you zoom out and consider the possibility that she might be …
Read MoreSome Thoughts on the “Intense Artist” Stereotype
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the archetype of the “tortured artist” and the intensity that is so often associated with creative people. I am intense – I have …
Read More8 Lessons I’ve Learnt Whilst Writing My 8th Novel
I have been incredibly private about my writing in recent years. I tried various avenues of putting my creative work into the world, each one backfired, and I retreated into …
Read MoreThis Ain’t a Coming of Age Anymore
Every few months I read through my old diaries, sitting on the floor surrounded by stacks of mismatched notebooks. My past self was a faithful keeper of her archive. I …
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