depression
All singing, all dancing, all rather toxic
D H Kelly enjoys the brilliant comic songs in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend but is disappointed by the show’s treatment of mental ill health and its reliance on toxic heteronormative romantic messages
A howl in the darkness
Jennifer Brough finds that opera is an ideal medium for this new production of Sarah Kane’s classic play 4.48 Psychosis
Bubbling up
Lissy Lovett is impressed with Sofie Hagen’s stand up hour at the Brighton Comedy Festival
The first EdFringe 2015 theatre digest
From the experiences of young black women to depression in men via the armed forces and gendered toys, this is the first round-up of theatre reviews from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015 from Megan Stodel
Badass and disinclined to diet
Megan Stodel leaves Luisa Omielan’s stand-up show feeling inspired despite the occasional misstep
Weekly round-up and open thread
Hello, F Word readers, and Happy 2015! Welcome to the first weekly round-up and open thread of the year. Below are some recent news stories that caught the attention of The F Word Collective this week (linking does not necessarily imply endorsement or agreement by members of the collective or the author of this post). Please note that these links range from "ooh yay!" to "oy vey" and some articles may be triggering. Want to discuss these topics or add your own? Please share this post, and comment below!
Weekly round-up and open thread
Hello and welcome to the weekly round-up and open thread! Below are some recent news stories that caught the attention of The F Word Collective this week (linking does not necessarily imply endorsement or agreement by members of the collective or the author of this post). Please note that these links range from "ooh yay!" to "very interesting" to *headdesk to very sad or rage-enducing, and some articles may be triggering. Want to discuss these topics or add your own? Please comment below!
Me and the rabbit
I can never get you clean enough
In slippered morning manic
Indulging the precarious
We straddle porcelain
Me and the rabbit
Straining necks to check
Meringue stiff stucco
Egg white whiskered
This is not the view we wished for
A rusty plug holed whore
My Hitchcock retrospective
Dizzy with psychobabble
Down there all is wet and slick
Loose gloop staining all
For a second balance falters
Imagine the catastrophe
Alone and foetally deprived
Split skull - bleeding into tap
Flushed away with the coffee dregs
Metallic stopper
Silenced.
Coping with Christmas: a survival guide for when festivities are tough
Christmas is supposed to be joyful, but for many people it is a time full of triggers, loneliness and bad memories. Philippa offers advice and further information for those dreading the seasonal festivities.
Happiness is a feminist issue
Caroline Pearce reflects on how the shopgirl is the "perfect modern avatar for frustrated feminist ideals of happiness"
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
Published 26 years later, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal reveals the painful truth behind the fabrications Jeanette Winterson used as protection in her highly acclaimed first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Laura Brightwell considers the importance of Winterson's revelations, particularly as a building-block to mental health