Jessica Grene

Great work here.

Budget 2026: Basic income for artists to become permanent The Basic Income for the Arts scheme will be put on a permanent footing in the Budget tomorrow.

The Basic Income for the Arts scheme will be put on a permanent footing in the Budget tomorrow

Sean Bean Sean bhean

🥳🥳🥳

I’m going to use that.

Agus? Please tell us how to say this as Gaeilge!

Agreed! Flashlight is excellent. Also liked The Land In Winter a lot.
I really didn’t rate Flesh, though.

Which was your favourite?

Thoughts and prayers.

New statement from Irish foreign minister Simon Harris:
"There is a genocide taking place in Gaza and the findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry earlier this week make clear that this is the case.
The need for action has never been more urgent. In fact, it is long past due."

Irish media reporting on road collisions too often dehumanises victims and hides driver responsibility. Cyclists and pedestrians are people first — the language we use matters.

Read our full statement below.

Okay, fair point.
However, I can’t concede the rule that anyone referring to plant-based liquid as ‘milk’ must complete a study module called Oats Don’t Lactate.

Damn right on the crisp bags.
When I’m in charge only full fat milk will be available, so no need for colour coding.

Dismayed by the "I loathe Gl**ner but his arrest should scare us all" takes. The bar for arrest over a social media post *should be extremely high*, but a guy who's harassed trans people 19 hours a day for 8 years, telling his 600k fans to attack any trans women they see, clears that bar v easily?

To be clear, we definitely don’t want him back in Ireland either.

Kitty O'Brien: "The video of me being beaten went viral because I’m white, but the violence I experienced is just a drop in the ocean compared to what my Palestinian, Arab and other racialised comrades have endured at the hands of the German state police over the past two years.”

Sadly, it didn’t send me to sleep. We switched it off after 20 minutes. The fabulous cast couldn’t make it work.

Ah Jazes, she’s not running for president, is she?

Interesting to read Adam Roberts’ review of ‘The Rest of Our Lives’ by Ben Markovits.

Screenshot: Text ‘AUTHORS SIMILAR TO Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie beside a picture of Adiche. Below pictures and names of Damilare Kuku, William Shakespeare, and Yael van der Wouden.

Audible’s ‘AUTHORS SIMILAR TO Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’ are Damilare Kuku, William Shakespeare, and Yael van der Wouden.
I mean, I *could* write an essay about the commonality of themes in their work, but it’s not leaping out at me.

Absolutely horrifying.

Ugh. In college they would maybe have *one* left-hander chair per room, and some dexterous dope would always plonk themselves in it without noticing, and I’d have to interrogate if they needed it.

It’s ‘in case’ not ‘encase’.

We acknowledge that no one has the bandwidth for this, but if it helps:

- It’s ‘voilà,’ not ‘wallah!’
- It’s ‘a lot,’ not ‘alot.’
- It’s ‘further ado,’ not ‘farther adieu.’
- It’s ‘flesh out,’ not ‘flush out.’
- It’s ‘sneak peek,’ not ‘sneak peak.’

No worries if not!!!

An upside to the Salt Path kerfuffle is that it's been a catalyst for getting some well-reasoned and relevant essays about chronic illness, disability, writing and publishing, into the public eye.
Polly Atkin writes about the expectation of a narrative featuring inspirational recovery.

Years ago I was in Stoke Newington in London. Builders doing renovations in a small trendy café decided for a laugh to stick pages in the window saying ‘STARBUCKS COMING SOON’
Pretty sure the protest committee was formed before I got back to Stamford Hill.

I read the reviews for books I’ve finished; Flesh, The Land in Winter, and Seascraper. Very keen to read your take on Flashlight.

I’ve just discovered these reviews of the Booker longlist by Adam Roberts @adamroberts.bsky.social . Really insightful, based on close reading.

Excellent review. 100% agree with your reading of it. Joyless Jilly Cooper indeed.