Natalie Scott

‘It is the scariest of times’: Margaret Atwood on defying Trump, banned books – and her score-settling memoir At 86, she’s a literary seer and saint – and queen of the Canadian resistance. So what does the writer make of our dystopian world?

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/n...

Phillis Wheatley, the first Black nature poet | The Observer Enslaved as a child, the 18th-century writer became the first published Black woman – and a pioneer of nature poetry whose legacy still inspires

observer.co.uk/culture/book...

A View with a Room: How Poetry Can Save the Human Brain I can’t write. It’s been over a year since I wrote a poem or anything at all, really, and this is not normal for me; I am always always writing. I’ve written my way through the hardest parts of my …

lithub.com/a-view-with-...

#NationalPoetryDay2025

allpoetry.com/poem/6459397...

National Poetry Day - Forward Arts Foundation The biggest celebration of poetry every year since 1994. With a different theme each year and events all across the UK.

Get ready! #NationalPoetryDay is tomorrow, 2 October! Let’s celebrate with joy, performance, and creativity. buff.ly/xH8h5Eb #Play

Liverpool poet Brian Patten dies at 79 His poetry often explored love and relationships and he wrote books for children including Gargling With Jelly

❤️

Liverpool poet Brian Patten dies at 79 www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

You have to write for the love, because the publishing process and response can be upsetting, and the accolades so few (especially for poetry) yet there are collections I love that received little attention. But that creative rush is very special – no one can take it away

Michaelina Wautier: the female Flemish artist now seen as an old master Opening in Vienna on Tuesday, an exhibition gathers her works into one show for the first time

www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

I toured UK council estates and learned this: all our lives are poems just waiting to be written | Rowan McCabe I knocked on doors, spoke to people about hopes and concerns, and wrote poetry to share with them. It could and should be an art form for everyone, says poet Rowan McCabe

Great article and great project!

I toured UK council estates and learned this: all our lives are poems just waiting to be written | Rowan McCabe www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Poem of the week: Solitude by Peter McDonald A wounded bird becomes an image for much wider damage to our world

Poem of the week: Solitude by Peter McDonald www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

As part of the National Poetry Competition, The Poetry Society presents a series of readings (prizewinning poem + recent poem) from past winners of the competition for our Then & Now series.

In this clip Mark Pajak reads 'Trick' (commended, 2020).

Mark's full reading can be found on our Vimeo.

Are you an otrovert? Why this personality type could be your greatest gift Feel like you don’t belong? Crave emotional independence? Constantly come up with original ideas? Like Frida Kahlo, Franz Kafka and Albert Einstein, you could have a distinct case of otroversion ...

Very interesting...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Giant portrait appears in sand on East Yorkshire beach - here's why A giant portrait has appeared in the sand on a beach in East Yorkshire to highlight how millions of youngsters miss out on days out during the…

www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/2539618...

Forgotten female Impressionist's art goes on display in Liverpool - BBC News A painting by Marie Bracquemond, whose husband cut short her career, goes on display in Liverpool.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It shows a photograph of Victorian era urinals, which were free but only accessible to men.

It shows a photograph of a Victorian era toilet stalls, which were accessible to both sexes but cost a penny per use. So men had to pay half the time, while women had to pay every time.

Did you know?

In the Victorian era, public toilets were not common in London, so there was an issue with people relieving themselves in the streets.

When the city changed this, urinals were free, but stalls cost a penny. So men could go for free, but women had to pay.

#Victorian #history

Loneliness is rife among young men. It’s time to get offline and talk to each other | Alexander Hurst It’s tempting to scoff, but don’t dismiss the data. Modern man’s failure to forge real, meaningful friendships is bad for everyone, says Guardian Europe columnist Alexander Hurst

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Petition: Make Universities free for all We want to make Universities accessible for all, as we think higher education should be a right not a privilege for the wealthy. End tuition fees at Universities and make higher education free and acc...

Like they used to be before 2010.

Signed.

#Education #UKEducation #UniversityFees #TuitionFree #FreeTuition #Universities

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

‘I’ve been spat on’: gender non-conforming women tell of toilet abuse after UK’s supreme court ruling Support groups report that women and non-binary people are increasingly being challenged in toilets and changing facilities – but others call it scaremongering

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

A photo of my computer screen. On it is a window that has 'Epson Printer Connection Checker' as a header bar, then a blue circle with an exclamation mark inside. Next to that are the words 'Problems are found. Fix them.'

Is everyone's printer this rude, or just mine?

Moonwater With eyes made keen by watching your face I've seen at dusk the sea violet the beckoning points of light then: moonwater. Jean Joubert, trans. Denise Levertov

With eyes made keen
by watching your face […]

Jean Joubert, trans. Denise Levertov

We'll be launching our first pamphlet and collection competition this autumn in memory of the late great John Foggin, who won a few similar competitions himself. Watch out for further details in the next few weeks.

#poetsonbluesky #poetry #collections #pamphlets

The City for Incurable Women review – riveting history wrings poetry from medical horrors Half lecture, half nightmare, this high-precision performance blurs the line between medic and patient in a Victorian asylum for mentally ill women

The City for Incurable Women review – riveting history wrings poetry from medical horrors www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/a...

‘Generations of women have been disfigured’: Jamie Lee Curtis lets rip on plastic surgery, power, and Hollywood’s age problem The actor explains how she is fighting back against the ‘cosmeceutical industrial complex’ and why she has finally found freedom at 66 years old

‘Generations of women have been disfigured’: Jamie Lee Curtis lets rip on plastic surgery, power, and Hollywood’s age problem www.theguardian.com/film/2025/ju...

Submissions for poetry anthology 'Woman, Mapped' A Rebecca Swift Foundation Anthology, edited by Jennifer Wong and published by Fly on the Wall Press!

"Woman, Mapped will explore the journey of becoming a woman: the joys, the pain, and the defining moments that shape. We are seeking work that speaks honestly to what it means to live as a woman — politically, bodily, emotionally — and to be seen on our own terms"

open.substack.com/pub/flyonthe...

Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath frontman and icon of British heavy metal, dies aged 76 The singer, who later became famous on reality TV show The Osbournes, dies less than three weeks after retirement concert

🖤https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jul/22/ozzy-osbourne-black-sabbath-frontman-and-icon-of-british-heavy-metal-dies-aged-76?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

A Eurasian Robin aka Robin Redbreast flying directly towards the camera with its wings tucked in.

Incoming Robin #Birds #Birdsinflight #SuperBob

Spot on!

Lecturer in Creative Writing at University of Hull Looking for a new job opportunity in academia? Check out this job opening for a Lecturer in Creative Writing on jobs.ac.uk!

New job listing: Lecturer in Creative Writing at Hull, closes 31st July www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNY852/l...

#FromTheArchive: Write a short story that starts with a scene in which your main character interacts with another character while in disguise. #PWFictionPrompt: at.pw.org/MistakenIdentity

Opportunities for Writers in Europe Summer round-up of literary events and opportunities, online and in person

It’s out! Our July roundup of opportunities for writers across Europe just hit subscriber inboxes📩

From mega grants to residencies and submission calls, we’re filling your dance card with deadlines to get you writing and achieve your dreams. Happy writing!