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Reflections

On the Social Responsibility of Writers

Do they have any? With Pride month upon us, it is perhaps no surprise that the question of social activism is on my mind. And since I am in the midst of writing my doctorate thesis, the question of social activism and writing has occupied my thoughts. Particularly the wonder of whether or not writers have a social responsibility to be activists, especially if they are writing about social issues? I am unashamed to admit that social activism plays a large role in my life: I am an openly feminist person of colour, an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and ardently…

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Reflections

3 Ways Having a Planner Has Helped Me

I am someone who didn’t realize they had Type-A tendencies for the longest time, and because of that, I always neglected using a planner. Because I can also be quite laid back (see: “procrastinator”), I convinced myself that I could simply organize and prioritize my tasks in my mind. I slowly began to realize, however, that I was becoming more and more absent-minded because of this (as one does when you have a million things going on in your brain). So, I would write down task lists and appointments on my phone’s Notes app, but the simplistic nature of the…

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Reflections

My ‘Crave’ List

2 Shows I’ve Started Watching, and 3 That I Haven’t I’m going to be completely honest: when I first bought Crave, a streaming service that rivals Netflix, I got it solely to watch the new and final season of Game of Thrones. However, I was pleasantly surprised – rather, shocked – to see what an amazing roster of shows and films were on here. All the HBO shows I’ve never had a chance to watch on any other platform, and many other prestige shows (from networks like Hulu, Showtime, and FX) were on here, and suddenly, Netflix paled in comparison.…

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Reflections

Self-Help Books: Do They Work?

Carrying on with the theme of Mental Health Awareness Month, and Mental Health Awareness Week which starts today in the UK, today’s post is looking at self-help books. The self-help genre has become a multi-billion dollar industry around the world. In the United States alone, self-help books earn around $2.5 billion a year. So, what is it about self-help books that make them so popular and do they actually work? Quite often when I talk about self-help books to other people, I am confronted with a more than healthy dose of cynicism, with the words “a load of hogwash” or…

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Reflections

5 Best Podcasts to Check Out: Mental Health Awareness Edition

May is Mental Health Awareness month. This month, we’re actively pushing ourselves to branch out and check out new media, be it books, shows, music, podcasts or film, that centre around mental health awareness and the destigmatization of mental illness. Today’s post is a bit of a First Impressions post: I’m highlighting five podcasts that I’ve only heard an episode or two from, that I’m looking forward to completing. These are podcasts that actively centre on mental health and illness as its subject matter, and do so in vastly different ways. Most importantly, these podcasts emphasize an importance on recognizing…

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Poems

“she must be mad” by Charly Cox

Poetry is a genre that I don’t often find myself reaching for, but I walked passed Carly Cox’s new collection of poetry and prose at the bookstore and I couldn’t resist. she must be mad is 22-year-old Cox’s first book, a compilation of her poetry and lyrical prose written from her teenage year onwards. At first glance, it had the same feel as Rupi Kaur’s writing, which, though controversial in the poetry world, I have enjoyed. I honestly can’t pinpoint exactly what it was that had me reaching for she must be mad. But undoubtedly, it had something to do…

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