Author: Contributing Writer

Literature, uncategorized

Book Review: Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

By Leah Hocking Although a rather bold departure from her previous two novels, ÔÇÿBeautiful World, Where Are YouÔÇÖ is still stamped with Sally RooneyÔÇÖs signature minimalist writing style and overarching theme – young adults struggling to make sense of the world. Her third novel features her largest cast of characters yet with four protagonists: Alice, a successful novelist; Felix, a warehouse worker; Eileen, a writer … Continue reading Book Review: Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

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Live Reviews, Music

Girli @ Clwb Ifor Bach- Live Review (8/11/21)

Words and Images by Francesca Ionescu Stepping through the door of Clwb Ifor Bach, the light suddenly disappears and is replaced by a dark pink hue and pink neon accents reminding you of who youÔÇÖre about to see. The crowd is young and chatty, itÔÇÖs full of pink hair, pink shirts, fishnets, and an amazing t-shirt that asks the age-old question: ÔÇÿWhy canÔÇÖt I be … Continue reading Girli @ Clwb Ifor Bach- Live Review (8/11/21)

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Features

Check Your Chest: An Introduction To CardiffÔÇÖs CoppaFeel! Society

CoppaFeel! is a breast cancer awareness charity founded in 2009 by twin sisters Kris and Maren Hallenga. Here at Cardiff, the UBT (Uni Boob Team) are ambassadors for CoppaFeel!, representing the charity on campus by fundraising and spreading the chest-checking message. CoppaFeel!ÔÇÖs co-founder Kris Hallenga was just 23 when she was diagnosed with stage four, incurable, breast cancer. Kris, like many others, was unaware that … Continue reading Check Your Chest: An Introduction To CardiffÔÇÖs CoppaFeel! Society

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Film & TV

Review: No Time To Die

By Libbi Kettle ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà The highly anticipated 25th adaptation of Ian FlemingÔÇÖs James Bond series┬áwas finally released to our big screens on September 30th. More than a year after its initial release date (April 2020) due to the pandemic, we┬á are delivered the epic conclusion of Daniel CraigÔÇÖs successful run as 007. It has all the ingredients for a box office hit; a villain played … Continue reading Review: No Time To Die

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Fashion

Was This YearÔÇÖs Met Gala The Most Boring Ever?

Words By Monica Garcia As an opportunity to fund the newly founded Costume Institute, fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert established ÔÇÿThe Met GalaÔÇÖ in 1984 – this marked the opening for the Costume InstituteÔÇÖs annual exhibit. As the years went on, The Met Gala became one of the many annual benefits held for New YorkÔÇÖs charitable institutions, where attendees consisted mostly of New York elites (ÔÇÿhigh … Continue reading Was This YearÔÇÖs Met Gala The Most Boring Ever?

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Literature

Being a Reader-Writer

By Niamh Newman As someone who studied English Literature through the entirety of secondary school, I find it difficult to write without regularly reading! In my mind, the two are very much intertwined, with many of the most prominent authors of our time taking inspiration from books they have read in order to enhance their own work.  Alex MichaelidesÔÇÖ psychological thriller The Silent Patient, my … Continue reading Being a Reader-Writer

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Music

Opinion: Is it ever too early for Christmas music?

December is looming. Tesco have brought out their festive meal deal options, the tree is up outside Cardiff Castle and every shop has begun to play those same old Christmas tunes. But when is the right time to start playing Christmas music? We asked some of our contributors one of the most controversial Christmas questions. Time to pick a side. By Phoebe Williams┬á An opinion … Continue reading Opinion: Is it ever too early for Christmas music?

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Features

A Cult of Trauma: is ÔÇÿtraumaÔÇÖ overused in the age of social media?

In the age of social media more and more resources have been made available online surrounding ÔÇÿtrauma.ÔÇÖ These educational tools can be incredibly enlightening, gen-z seem to have acquired an acute awareness of trauma in terms of what it is and how we respond to it. More than ever we are able to conceptualise that childhood trauma can even stem from events that are deceptively … Continue reading A Cult of Trauma: is ÔÇÿtraumaÔÇÖ overused in the age of social media?

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A collage of all the Twilight novels.
Literature

Our Favorite Hate Reads

By Laura Mae My favourite hate-read needs no introduction. The movies dominated basically every aspect ofsociety in the years that the franchise peaked; not only capturing the hearts of pre-teen girlseverywhere, but provoking strong criticisms from many people. The Twilight saga. I initially read the books in my teenage years and recently revisited them due to the recentrelease of ÔÇÿMidnight SunÔÇÖ. I donÔÇÖt recall what … Continue reading Our Favorite Hate Reads

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Live Reviews, Music

Holly Humberstone @ Clwb Ifor Bach- Live Review (4/11/21)

Words and Image by Craig Strachan A frosty evening on Womanby street brings in a subdued crowd made quiet by the cold. Holly Humberstone soon expelled such frigidity, the natural warmth of her vocals seemingly bringing this room back to life. The 21-year-old is embarking on her first headline tour, originally scheduled for pre-Covid but (as with everything) was postponed. If anything that has played … Continue reading Holly Humberstone @ Clwb Ifor Bach- Live Review (4/11/21)

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Film & TV

Review: Spencer

By Rowan Davies ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Where the f*** am I? The first spoken line from Pablo Larra├¡nÔÇÖs Spencer, and the first sentence I muttered to myself as the credits rolled. Every detail from cinematography to score was meticulously choreographed which, ultimately, crafted a beautifully sombre portrait of the peopleÔÇÖs princess.  As the camera casts a birdÔÇÖs eye shot over an aesthetically depressing Sandringham Estate, DianaÔÇÖs desire … Continue reading Review: Spencer

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Love

Is the Netflix Series, ‘Sex Education’ really Sexually Educational?

I think itÔÇÖs too bad that Netflix only released ÔÇÿSex EducationÔÇÖ in 2019. It would have saved me a lot of embarrassing Google searches and maybe even have dispelled some of the stigma around the big S-E-X and all matters associated with it. Created by Laurie Nunn, ÔÇÿSex EducationÔÇÖ takes viewers to Moordale Secondary School, whereÔÇö in the words of Eric Eong ÔÇöÔÇ£everyone is either … Continue reading Is the Netflix Series, ‘Sex Education’ really Sexually Educational?

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Fashion

Are Schools Crushing Creative Expression?

Words by Lucia Cubb Uniform has been a long and widely debated topic ÔÇô should we be able to dress as we want, or should we stick to the rules and continue quietly? Following the newest season of the popular tv series Sex Education, there has been more of an open discussion surrounding gender expression and its relation to clothing and whether self-expression is limited … Continue reading Are Schools Crushing Creative Expression?

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Collage of Harry Styles with Haruki Murakami books as the background.
Literature

Celebrities and Book Recommendations

By Emma Williams Truthfully, I used to think that wanting to know what books celebrities were reading was a strange trend; after all, celebrities are just normal people, arenÔÇÖt they? I did not understand that reading the same literature as the people who inspire them enables people to feel more connected to their idols, until one of my own, Harry Styles, began making recommendations. My … Continue reading Celebrities and Book Recommendations

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Love

Goldilocks and the World of Bras

By Amy Leadbitter So, what makes the perfect fit? What makes a bra just right? Bras seem to be the bane of many peopleÔÇÖs existence. Feeling uncomfortable, with digging straps and a sore back. What if it didnÔÇÖt have to be this way? Unfortunately, research suggests almost 80% of people are wearing the wrong size bra. It is something many wear every day for the … Continue reading Goldilocks and the World of Bras

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Fashion

PHOTOSHOP NO MORE: The Brands That Are Saying No To Image Editing

Words By Eve Davies Photoshop in marketing is no secret. It only takes a few seconds of scrolling through Instagram to be inundated with retouched advertisements posted by influencers, celebrities, and fashion and beauty brands. Skin is smoothed over, features are altered, body shapes and sizes are tweaked to look ÔÇÿflawlessÔÇÖ, presenting unattainable body image ideals to men and women of all ages, all over … Continue reading PHOTOSHOP NO MORE: The Brands That Are Saying No To Image Editing

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Music

Taylor’s Version: How Taylor Swift is reclaiming her art.

Words by Pui Kuan Cheah Illustration by Shafia Motaleb (@artsyfifi) One of the biggest news that engulfed the music industry, and subsequently transformed the way musicians dealt with their records and labels, was the dispute between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun over the master rights to her first six albums (recap: thatÔÇÖs 2006ÔÇÖs Taylor Swift all the way to 2017ÔÇÖs Reputation). This was in fact … Continue reading Taylor’s Version: How Taylor Swift is reclaiming her art.

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Literature

How is technology changing our reading habits

by Alexa Price It goes without saying that the constant developments of the modern world is changing our reading habits, and that books have proven themselves to be pretty versatile! Today reading is much more accessible and can be done impressively with a simple touch of a button. While the internet gives readers a wider range of reading materials than your local bookshop, one has … Continue reading How is technology changing our reading habits

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Film & TV

To The Top Of The Leaderboard: Squid GameÔÇÖs Worldwide Success

By Eszter Gurbicz A few weeks ago I decided to hop on the bandwagon and watch the new worldwide success Netflix show everyone was talking about: Squid Game. Not surprisingly, it didnÔÇÖt take long to finish the series but doesn’t this happen all the time? Something becomes popular and everyone starts watching it, regardless of whether they are interested in the theme or not. We … Continue reading To The Top Of The Leaderboard: Squid GameÔÇÖs Worldwide Success

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