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Poems

‘Heartaches’ by Donovan Lord: Poetry Review

We’re at the end of Pride Month and our very last post of the month is an incredibly special one. We were so lucky to be given an advance reader copy of Heartaches by Donovan Lord. This collection of poetry is an extremely personal narrative of the author’s life. Lord, a bi-racial, gay man, takes on the task of documenting great portions of his life, often painful and challenging. The content of Heartaches reflects exactly what its title denotes: a montage of painful moments. Of mental health, and mental illness. Of love and loss. Of unrequited love. Of racism. Of…

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Movies

Rocketman: Movie Review

I am a lover of musicals. Pretty much any musical, of any genre, finds its way onto my ‘to-watch’ list and is included in my ‘Musicals’ playlist on Spotify. So, of course, when I found out there was to be a whole movie dedicated to the life and songs of Elton John, there was no doubt I would be buying a ticket to see it. Last week, I finally got around to watching it, and let me tell you: emotions were felt. For those of you who have been living under a rock, Rocketman stars Taron Egerton portraying Reginald Dwight…

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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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