Letters of Note: why is written correspondence so compelling?
Despite the decline in written correspondence, we still find letters compelling. The account ‘@LettersOfNote’ has 607.7k followers on X, formerly Twitter, and 184k on Instagram. We are drawn to the…
Review: An Audience with Dolly Alderton
On Sunday 19 November, Edinburgh’s Usher Hall was treated to a reunion of the High Low podcast with An Audience with Dolly Alderton, interviewed by her former co-host, Pandora Sykes.…
The Importance of Public Libraries: Environmentalism and Community
Scottish author Ali Smith describes her collection of short stories, Public Library and Other Stories, as a book that “celebrates the ways our lives have been at least enhanced and…
Is it time to give up the ghost?
The publication of Millie Bobby Brown’s first novel Nineteen Steps has sparked uproar about the role of ghostwriters in the publishing industry. The novel is based on Brown’s grandmother’s experience…
The Death of the Author
In 1967, French literary critic and theorist Roland Barthes published his essay The Death of the Author, and writers and critics have been wrestling with his ideas ever since. Barthes…