Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image description: Crowded stacks of second hand books Some places are just special, stamped with a cosmic seal of approval which is felt by anyone who visits: Hay-on-Wye is one of those places. Located in Powys on the border between England and Wales, Hay, or Y-Gelli Gandryll (‘the shattered grove’) as it is known in Welsh, […]
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Image description: The Sheldonian Theatre statues TW: mention of alcohol and substance abuse and mental health issues relating Oxford University (like Cambridge and other prestigious institutions around the world) has a reputation for very high standards in academics, sport, and other extra-curricular aspects of university life such as in student-run campaigns and societies. While they […]
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Image description: a silhouette with a raised fist over a light orange background The year is 1991. You pick up a copy of the Bikini Kill zine and find the Riot Grrl manifesto. Towards the top of the page there is the statement: BECAUSE viewing our work as being connected to our girlfriends-politics-real lives is […]
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Image description: Daði & Gagnamagnið performing on stage with a purple and blue background and sparkling lights Picture it now, and wipe a tear from your eye. Last year, Gay Christmas was cancelled. Due to go ahead in May 2020, the pandemic forced the 65th Eurovision Song Contest off our screens, and a microwave meal […]
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Image description: yellow mannequins covered in splashes of red paint and political messages such as #MeToo CW: Sexual assault and rape If sex is what underpins ‘The Oldest Profession’, then it is sex which also underpins much of our most ancient art, as academics (and, subsequently, sensationalist newspapers) pose that World’s Oldest Art is Female […]
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Image description: Hand writing a list in a notebook The etymological emergence of the term “bucket list” has a surprisingly short and uneventful history, peeking in a failed blockbuster and ending in an unintended yet enduring idiomatic legacy. Released in the notorious year of 2007, Rob Reiner and Justin Zacham’s The Bucket List follows the […]
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Image Description: A lighthouse visible in the evening light The light near my tiny bedroom is always on. Darkness surrounds me, except for the presence of that light. Accompanying me to sleep every night. That is my lighthouse here in Oxford. I feel as if I am no longer lonely. A subtle desire […]
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Image Description: Person in a robe and facemask against a purple background, confronted by several extended hands “I am sorry that your PhD scholarship application fails……” Ouch…. another heartbreak, another scholarship failure. How many scholarships have I failed? How many rejections have I got? How many denials have I been facing, so far? […]
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Image Description: The DPhil Diaries Can you believe it? We reached 8th week! I’m sure many of you are really excited and relieved to have gotten to this point. I wanted to personally congratulate you all on making it to the end of term. What with lockdown and everything that comes with it, this term […]
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Image Description: Nupur Patel’s DPhil Diaries The last time I noted down my thoughts here, I was in a bit of a miserable place with my DPhil. In all honesty, I was bored, fed up and anxious about the thought of getting stuck into corrections and preparing for a second draft. Being so close to […]
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Image Description: Nupur Patel’s DPhil Diaries This week, I’ve been trying to enjoy a few of the sunny days that February has already gifted us with. When I’ve seen the sunrays hitting my window in the morning, I’ve instantly felt better and eager to get outside for a bit of fresh air. With the floods […]
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With Black Friday having just passed, one of the largest shopping days in the world, we reminded again of the humanitarian and environmental dangers of fast fashion. Brands such as Pretty Little Thing have been accused of encouraging unsustainable consumption with their deals of up to 99% off – including dresses for as little as […]
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Image description: A woman holding shopping bags with a geometric edit on her face You wake up in the morning – it’s a beautiful day and you’re feeling good. You get up, brush your teeth (hopefully), check the weather forecast (unless you’re a reckless maniac), open the doors of your wardrobe, and get to it. […]
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Image Description: Photograph of the top of Maggi Hambling’s silver-bronzed sculpture honouring Mary Wollstonecraft, which features a naked female figure rising from an amalgamation of other female forms. Anyone who has been to North London’s Newington Green (or has visited the quagmire of social media recently) will have seen Maggi Hambling’s new statue commemorating Mary Wollstonecraft. […]
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Image Description: A number of pots sculpted by Grayson Perry are exhibited in a gallery, with one in the foreground reading ‘This Artwork Will Regenerate the Local Economy’ It hardly needs to be said that the arts industry has been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Whilst many sectors, such as the hospitality industry, have been […]
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Image Description: the publicity poster for V-Card (a pink background, with ‘V-Card’ written in white and filled with peach, banana, and water drop emojis). It’s Michaelmas Term 2019, and preparations are underway for V-Card, a comedy I’ve written about sexuality and the virginity myth, which I’m hoping to put on at the Burton Taylor Studio next […]
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Image description: People sit on benches looking at paintings in one of the galleries at Tate Britain. As the pandemic continues, arts organisations have begun exploring new ways of generating income. Many galleries and museums are now running paid events online. The Royal Opera House is selling a David Hockney portrait, estimated to be worth […]
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Tintin and Alph-Art is the 24th and final volume of my favourite comic series growing up. Its creator, Hergé, died before its completion. Just three pages are in pencil, another 42 comprise rough sketches, and scattered throughout the volume are various notes (translated from the Belgian) alongside a number of rediscovered pages. In the last […]
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The prospect of online tutorials initially strikes dread into many of our hearts. What if I get trapped alone in a video call with my tutor? How on earth do we break the painful silences? There is a distance that comes with speaking to someone via a camera rather than in person, and it is […]
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