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Find a book club
Find a Book Club, a club that does what it says on the tin, asked me to recommend 10 books for book clubs (including two of my own).
Author Archives: Angela
1926-2022 and 1952-2022
CHRIS JACKSON//GETTY IMAGES Queen Elizabeth II has died
Posted in Elizabeth II, The Queen
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Ask not what trees can do for us, but what we can do for trees
Last weekend I walked through a wood. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and made me think how medieval stonemasons must have been inspired by the branches of trees gathered in arching vaults above them when they imagined their cathedrals. In … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Climate Change, Creativity, Fiction, Places, Poetry, Recycling, Trees, Walking
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The Good Ally by Nova Reid
When Claudia Rankine, a Black poet and playwright, was asked by a white man, after a reading from Citizen: An American Lyric (Rankine’s 2014 anthology about the collective effects of racism in our society) ‘What can I do for you? … Continue reading
Queenhood by Simon Armitage
I’m not a monarchist nor a royalist but I am – as Helen Mirren said, recently – a Queenist. This country’s Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, is an extraordinary woman whose seventy years as head of state was celebrated in the UK … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Creativity, Democracy, Elizabeth II, Equality, Fiction, History, Women
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Reading Black Writers
Until George Floyd was murdered on 25 May 2020, I had not begun to acknowledge, let alone unearth, my inherent racism. That racism includes not reading or even thinking about the work of Black writers. But since that May I’ve … Continue reading
Stephen Lawrence Day 22 April 2022 #sldayfdn
This is from Stephen’s Story on the Stephen Lawrence Day website: Stephen Lawrence was born and grew up in south-east London, where he lived with his parents Neville and Doreen, his brother Stuart and sister Georgina. Like most young people, … Continue reading
Posted in Allyship, Antiracism, History, Human Rights, Mental Health, White Allies
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Ukraine: & how we can help #StandWithUkraine
Ukraine flag. Credit: Ayhan Altun/Getty Images click on the images below for links about where and how to donate money or supplies and how to support people directly. from the Guardian: from the BBC: from the UK government page: and … Continue reading
Posted in Allyship, Democracy, Gifts, History, Human Rights, Love, Refugees, Ukraine
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Valentine’s Day Traditions
There are at least three different saints who answer to the name Valentine or Valentinus. One legend of St Valentine tells how, when in prison, he sent a letter to a young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter. He signed it: ‘From … Continue reading
Posted in Flowers/Blossom, Food, Gifts, Jewellery, Love, Presents, Traditions, Valentine's Day
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Worldwide Ways of Welcoming New Year
Different peoples in different countries do different things to welcome a new year. In SIBERIA, in Lake Baikal, the largest freshwater lake in the world, and in the River Lena nearby, a Christmas Tree is taken to the bottom on … Continue reading
Posted in Allyship, Antiracism, Creativity, Flowers/Blossom, Food, Gifts, Human Rights, New Year Celebrations, Places, Racism
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Buy Black for Christmas (and beyond)
If you’re white, like me, perhaps you haven’t consciously thought about seeking out Black-owned businesses and shops to buy from. My own seeking-out was prompted by the marvellous Nova Reid (whose antiracism course has taught me so much about my … Continue reading
Posted in Allyship, Antiracism, Books, Christmas, Creativity, Gifts, Presents
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The Eleven, no, Twelve Days of COP26
When the Queen addressed world leaders at the beginning of COP26 she said: Act for our children and our children’s children. COP26, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, follows The Paris Agreement, a 2015 international agreement on … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Equality
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Betty Campbell taught Black British history every month
On September 29, 2021, in Cardiff, a statue was unveiled to Betty Campbell, the first Black British headteacher in Wales, and the first to teach Black British History all the time (not just in Black History Month – which began … Continue reading
Posted in Antiracism, Education, History, Human Rights, Racism
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White Allies Network, and Black British History
On 2 September, I joined the White Allies Network. They are, as they say on their website: A network of people that are committed to learn and do what it takes to be counted true allies against racism. It consists of … Continue reading
Posted in Allyship, Antiracism, Equality, History, Human Rights, Love, Morality, Psychology, Racism, White Allies
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Reading as a writer. Writing as a reader. And the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021
Last week a friend of mine and I talked about the six books shortlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction. We’ve done it before and it’s always illuminating (and fun) but because we both write fiction, our conversations are often … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Creativity, Fiction, Literary Prizes, Psychology, reading, Writers, Writing, Writing Courses
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Black Minds Matter (BMM) : donations #BMMUK21K
I’ve been in therapy, but the reasons for my therapy have never included the trauma of racism, of living inside a black or brown skin in a white-supremacist society. Nor have I been misinterpreted because the colour of my therapist’s … Continue reading
Posted in Antiracism, Fiction, Health, Mental Health, Psychology, Racism, Writing
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Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021
This week is the week of the Women’s Prize Virtual Shortlist Festival. For the (almost invisible) amount of £12 you’ll have access to three evenings of readings by the shortlisted writers: there are some wonderful works to hear extracts from on … Continue reading
Posted in Antiracism, Books, Creativity, Equality, Human Rights, Literary Prizes, Psychology, Racism, White Fragility, Women, Writing
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Stephen Lawrence Day, 22 April 2021
We will no longer ignore, the racism we all deplore. We will never forget Stephen Lawrence. Directed by Simon Frederick. Written by Simon Frederick, Marcus Jones & Max Cyrus. Narrated by Max Cyrus And, from the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation website: Stephen … Continue reading
Posted in Antiracism, Art, Books, Democracy, Equality, History, Human Rights, Morality
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How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: Bill Gates (& Gordon Brown)
In this Guardian review of Bill Gates’s How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Gordon Brown writes: Success [in combating climate change] will come by demonstrating that the real power countries can wield to create a better world is not the … Continue reading
Posted in Climate Change, Politics
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A Valentine to the Earth: Terra Carta
On 11 January the Prince of Wales announced Terra Carta, Earth Charter, a Magna Carta for the twenty-first century: the basis of a recovery plan for nature, people and the planet. A valentine to the earth, I thought. He said: Humanity … Continue reading
