Many people turn to fiction to read about the things they are going through. Whether it’s their sexuality, their relationship, or their mental health, books can prove to be a valuable mirror for what’s going on in the real world, and our own lives. BLOT spoke to Dr...
When Lynsey Pollard became a mother ten years ago, she realised it wasn’t just single mothers who were lacking representation in children’s books – the issue extended to race, disability, family set-ups, gender, culture, class and basically anything that fell...
Depression lies at the centre of some of the world’s most loved novels, from The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath to Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, readers can delve into the inner workings of someone else’s mind, or be hit with the realisation...
Historically, the publishing industry has been predominantly middle class and white. In 2023, the publishing industry is still predominantly middle class and white. Publishing is the least socially diverse of all the UK’s creative industries. 47% of all authors,...
“Being a single mother is twice the work, twice the stress, and twice the tears but also twice the hugs, twice the love, and twice the pride.” Stories about single mothers have always existed, from ‘scroungers’ to ‘superheroes’, the representation of...
