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Page Turner Awards • 6th October 2025

The Woven Basket | Page Turner Awards

New York

6th December 1956

Dear Bobby,

You must consider this a Christmas card - and forgive me that I haven’t sent a proper one. I’d saved a real nice one, with Santa on the front and glitter on the chimney and everything, but Eddie came in and said I had to send it to The Witch.
Anyway, Happy Christmas from New York! You know, this marks nearly two years of our correspondence - two years since I sent that first letter, thinking it would never go anywhere. And look where we are now!
I know I’ve...

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11th October 2025

Ideas of Sovereignty in Sherlock Holmes | Essay

As the 'only [consulting detective] in the world', Sherlock Holmes is revered for his ability to
discern the answer to even the most complex of problems. When faced with the concept of
sovereignty, however, even he might stumble. Who, or what, holds sovereignty in Sherlock's
adventures?

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Page Turner Awards • 6th October 2025

The Vow | Page Turner Awards

I hate weddings.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a bride and groom. Or a bride and bride. Or whoever wants to marry whoever. I don’t care.

But the wedding itself…I mean, seriously?

Whoever came up with the idea of a wedding was definitely a psychopath. Think about it. It’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life, right? Yet it’s also the one day where all the warring factions of your family are brought together under the pretence of peace and love.
If that isn’t asking for the next Hunger Gam...

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Global Undergraduate Awards • 6th October 2025

Making Kin in the Chthulucene: how do indigenous texts use multispecies thinking to address climate change?

In the Anthropocene – documenting land loss, climate change and biodiversity erasure – it has never been more prevalent to understand and preserve relationships between human and non-human species. Multispecies thinking is a critical move away from anthropocentrism to examine how humans and nonhumans are connected in a web of creation, reaction and complexity, which thus has enormous implications on our perceptions of climate change. If we cannot live without the species surrounding us, how must...

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First Story • 6th October 2025

Heartless | First Story

/ˈhɑːtləs/

Adjective
1. displaying a lack of feeling or consideration
2. lacking a heart

I hope you’re looking after it. I hope you’re looking after it like a mother looks after her child. Caring, sharing, hardly daring to breathe in case something goes wrong. I picture it by your side, always. Because that’s where I left it, wasn’t it? By your side; in your arms – thinking we’d be together forever and ever and ever. My heart sits on your bed, waiting for you to wake. It’s small – smaller than you’d think...

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11th October 2025

Sack of Potatoes

Poem published by CP Quarterly, 2021

-

Balancing, on the trapeze of the sofa's arm,

our feet tingled

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Page Turner Awards • 6th October 2025

Ronnie & Me | Page Turner Awards

Ronnie’s always going somewhere. Mum likes to joke the reason she was born three weeks before her due date was because she already had plans.

“Busy from day one,” Dad says, rolling his eyes. “Always a partier.”

He’s right about that. Today, when I open the door, she’s standing on the front step with a cigarette in one hand and her camera in the other. Pink cowboy hat, fringed boots, and that wicked, wicked smile.

“About time, Thea. I’m late already!”

She pushes past me into the hall. There’s...

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9th March 2023

A Flight of Locks

We call it the Pink House, though it’s really peach. The colour of the first swathes of sunrise
on a winter’s day. It looks like a house in Menton or Cassis, in France. Not perched on the
banks of the Grand Union Canal, on the outskirts of Hemel Hempstead, England.

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9th March 2023

Les Moulins

She wants to be a sage-femme.

The conversation crumbles between us like the rocks beneath my sandals. They’re not equipped for climbing to the windmill, nor am I equipped with more than a hesitant grasp of her language.

Words spill amongst the murmuring of the crickets; the sun is setting above Nissan-lez-Enserune, and they sing in force as we stumble among the white rocks and weeds of the fitness trail.

9th March 2023

The Autistic Traveller's Guide to Europe

It was only on the bus - careening its way across a tiny, fjord-side road – that I saw Aurlandsfjord for the first time. It was a brief glimpse, and I definitely didn’t comprehend the gravity of my surroundings until later, but for a first peek, it was enough. A dark, crimped surface of water, with the mountains shouldering each other like schoolboys ready to dive into the depths below.

Instagram • 9th March 2023

Maria | Travel The World (@words_of_the_wanderer_)

3,379 followers, 6,097 following, 223 posts – see Instagram photos and videos from Maria 🌅 | Travel The World ✨🌍 (@words_of_the_wanderer_)

9th March 2023

The Autistic Traveller's Guide to Europe

It was only on the bus - careening its way across a tiny, fjord-side road – that I saw Aurlandsfjord for the first time. It was a brief glimpse, and I definitely didn’t comprehend the gravity of my surroundings until later, but for a first peek, it was enough. A dark, crimped surface of water, with the mountains shouldering each other like schoolboys ready to dive into the depths below.

Viva • 11th March 2023

I Shouldn't Need to Write This

Once upon a time there was a princess, trapped in a tower. Then one day, a prince came along and rescued her…and they both lived happily ever after.

The princess, locked away, imprisoned against her will. We’re always told that there’s something guarding her; something keeping her inside. A dragon, perhaps. Or a big kraken, scaling the cliffs up to the castle.

9th March 2023

Staying connected

If someone had told me, before I started my first year at Lancaster, that I would be ending it at home, online, I wouldn’t have believed them.

If someone had told me that my flatmate - a stranger, eight months ago, from the other side of the world - would move into my childhood home, I would have probably laughed.

Before I started university, I had no idea what to expect. The ideas I had - studying, socialising, sleeping in - never came close to imagining the global pandemic of COVID-19.

I wa

Bandit Fiction • 9th September 2021

The Lemon Grove by Maria Clark

Tourists, definitely. You’d never get hair that messy on un’italiana. A mother and two daughters, playing it safe.

The restaurant is full, but the queue keeps extending, sliding around the corner and along la terrazza to the bit where the tourists take selfies with the bay.

I love it when that happens. Sometimes it’s difficult not to just stop and watch them: the parents fidgeting, checking their watches to catch the last train; the children, eyes wide, mouths open, as they stare at the diners

Lancaster University • 9th March 2023

Making a home away from home

One of the most stressful things about going to university is leaving home and the environment where you feel safe and secure. It's crucial to make your new home as comfortable as possible, and decorating your room is the best way to make it feel like your space. Most university websites show only generic pictures of accommodation, so I wanted to share with you some different students’ rooms and how they have decorated them. Before I came to university,

Lancaster University • 9th March 2023

University packing list

Packing for university is one of those events where you don’t quite know where to start. Do you need a toaster? How much stuff can you actually fit in your room? I think it’s inevitable that every student arrives at their new accommodation with enough things to keep their entire flat going. But do you really need that second spatula? Or the extra-large baking dish, just in case you magically become a master chef overnight? Here’s a list of th

Interrail • 9th March 2023

Iconic Cities in Europe

Maybe you're visiting Europe for the first time, or simply want to see all the famous cities on one trip. Whatever you're looking for, we've got you covered...

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Lancaster University • 11th March 2023

Christmas Traditions I'm Missing

Every year in the UK, we start celebrating Christmas earlier and earlier. The minute Halloween’s over, we swap skeletons for Santa and trick-or-treating for tinsel. One of the best parts of celebrating Christmas at university is being able to decorate your flat or house exactly when and how you feel like it. Maybe you’re a stickler for rules and only start decorating on 1st December, or maybe you start at the end of November.

9th March 2023

Why I Moved 223 Miles From Home

With Lancaster being 2nd in the UK for graduate employability (Guardian University League Tables 2020), it’s safe to say that the Careers Service is an incredible addition to the university, providing support for students with careers fairs, programmes, work experience and internships. The service runs courses to enhance employability and workshops designed for improving CVs and cover letters, helping students to find part-time jobs and eventually full-time employment.

I’m really looking forwar

Experience Zakynthos • 9th March 2023

Experience Zakynthos

10-17th September We’ve all have that dream. That one goal, hidden at the back of our minds. Something we believe it’s almost impossible to achieve, so maybe there’s no point trying. It might be something personal, like moving abroad or nurturing a hidden talent, or it might be something professional. Maybe you’ve always wanted to … More Personal & Professional Coaching with Lesley Kaye

9th March 2023

Secret Traditions of Zakynthos – Experience Zakynthos

Zakynthos is a treasure chest of beauty and wonder, with its sweeping landscapes and glittering panoramas of the Ionian Sea. But look a little closer – hidden between the traditional houses, and amongst the beautiful architecture – and you’ll find a rich culture, bursting with traditions and customs. Here are some of our favourite secret traditions of Zakynthos, spread across the year…

Imagine wandering through the shades of an olive grove, watching as the dark jewels bounce off the trees, and

9th March 2023

About Us – Experience Zakynthos

Authenticity is our middle name

With its tranquil setting and ceaseless wonders, Zakynthos is the perfect place for a holiday. But for us, it’s also our home. We’re here to show you the island’s wonders and spectacular sights, but also to give you a truly unique and authentic experience.

You want to go off-the-beaten track, right? We’ve got something even better.

It’s still a well-trodden path – but the path of the local community, marked with rich cultural traditions and heritage. With the h

9th March 2023

La Bella Italia

The capital of Bavaria, Munich, is known for its magnificent museums, safe atmosphere and impressive mix of architecture. There's plenty to explore in this vibrant city.
• None Admire the façade of the Neues Rathaus, the Gothic town hall in Marienplatz.
• None Visit some of Munich's best museums and galleries, including the Alte Pinakothek, Glyptothek and the BMW Museum.
• None Join the locals with their food shopping at the Viktualienmarkt, where you can sample traditional Bavarian delicacies a