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	<title>Sarah Graham</title>
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	<description>Journalism • Feminism • Literature • Culture</description>
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		<title>Sarah Graham</title>
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		<title>Comedy business celebrates first birthday</title>
		<link>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/05/13/comedy-business-celebrates-first-birthday/</link>
		<comments>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/05/13/comedy-business-celebrates-first-birthday/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2013 15:48:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Graham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Comedy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bethany Black]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bristol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bristol Festival of Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Comedian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feminism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Royal Festival Hall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sara Pascoe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stand-up]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stand-up comedy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What The Frock!]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women comedians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women's Views on News]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Originally published at Women&#8217;s Views on News. ‘I really can’t thank the Bristol Festival of Ideas enough for helping What The Frock! get started.’ Women’s comedy business What The Frock! will celebrate its first birthday this weekend, with a bumper comedy fest featuring, among others, funny women Tiffany Stevenson, Bethany Black and Jayde Adams. The Bristol-based business &#8230; <span class="more-link"><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/05/13/comedy-business-celebrates-first-birthday/">Continue reading &#187;</a></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=sarah-graham.co.uk&#038;blog=25842999&#038;post=1959&#038;subd=sarahgraham7&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Originally published at <a href="http://www.womensviewsonnews.org/2013/05/comedy-business-celebrates-first-birthday/">Women&#8217;s Views on News</a>.<br />
<img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1960" alt="frockon" src="http://sarahgraham7.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/frockon.png?w=300&#038;h=257" width="300" height="257" />‘<strong>I really can’t thank the Bristol Festival of Ideas enough for helping What The Frock! get started.’</strong></p>
<p>Women’s comedy business <a href="http://www.whatthefrockcomedy.co.uk/" target="_blank">What The Frock!</a> will celebrate its first birthday this weekend, with a bumper comedy fest featuring, among others, funny women Tiffany Stevenson, Bethany Black and Jayde Adams.</p>
<p>The Bristol-based business was launched by Jane Duffus, a journalist and blogger, after her <a href="http://madamjmo.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/why-caitlin-moran-and-grace-dent-are.html">blog post</a> about TV panel shows went viral in January 2012.</p>
<p>“There was a lot of tension at the time about shows like Mock The Week rarely booking any women, and there was a lot of discussion about the absence of women in comedy going on,” Duffus told Women’s Views on News recently.</p>
<p>“It made me realise that it was hard to see female comedians in clubs anywhere, and it became a case of putting my money where my mouth was and doing it myself.”</p>
<p>The first What The Frock! comedy night took place on 18 May 2012, as part of the Bristol Festival of Ideas, and has since evolved into a full-time business venture.</p>
<p>Duffus said: “I really can’t thank the Festival enough for helping What The Frock! get started, and I’m very pleased to be doing an event with them on May 18 as part of their 2013 festival.”</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/bristol-festival-of-ideas-what-the-frock" target="_blank">anniversary gig</a> for the <a href="http://www.ideasfestival.co.uk/" target="_blank">Bristol Festival of Ideas</a> will take place at the Arnolfini, compered by Luisa Omielan, with sets from Tiffany Stevenson and Bethany Black.</p>
<p>But before all that, the celebrations kick off on Friday night with the <a href="http://whatthefrock.bigcartel.com/product/17-may-2013-first-birthday-party-tickets" target="_blank">What The Frock! birthday party</a> at The Square Club, Bristol.</p>
<p>Hosted by regular Frock! compere Jayde Adams, the birthday party will feature performances from Viv Groskop, Alice Frick, Sophie Johnson and Charlie Benson, plus plenty of other treats.</p>
<p>Ms Duffus said: “We’ve got free birthday cakes, sweets, special “Frock! On” badges and tons of other stuff.</p>
<p>“There’s a birthday present for the first 15 people to arrive on the night, and we’re doing a raffle for Bristol charity One25, who we’ve proudly fundraised about £500 for in the past year.”</p>
<p>What The Frock! certainly has plenty to celebrate – in January, after three pilot comedy nights, Duffus began running it as a business, and the show took up monthly residency at The Square Club.</p>
<p>“It just seemed the natural progression. All the shows sell out, the events have had some national attention, the momentum is there, and people want to be a part of it,” Duffus said.</p>
<p>“There’s a lot of good will for What The Frock! locally, which is fantastic, and there’s a few faces who I’ve seen at every single event I’ve put on.”</p>
<p>Just two months later, in March, What The Frock! was profiled on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour and hosted a comedy show at the Royal Festival Hall in London as part of the Women of the World Festival.</p>
<p>Celebrating International Women’s Day with the Women of the World gig has been “the absolute highlight” so far for Duffus: “It was our biggest crowd, and when else am I going to be sandwiched on a line-up between Jenni Murray and Sandi Toksvig?!”</p>
<p>Despite the financial challenge of running a small business, and the geographical challenge of booking London-based comics for her shows in Bristol, Duffus has big plans for the future of What The Frock!, including more focus on nurturing up-and-coming women comics.</p>
<p>“We launched our Open Mic Award in March, and the competition night is June 5.</p>
<p>“I was staggered that all 17 places were filled within 24 hours, and I’ve sadly since had to turn a lot of people down,” she said.</p>
<p>In the autumn What The Frock! branch out to Exeter on 26 October, and there is the launch of a Live at St Georges series in Bristol, on 19 October, with a triple-bill of comedy from Sara Pascoe, Shazia Mirza, and one more act yet to be confirmed.</p>
<p>“There are a ton of other plans as well, some of which are so secret I can’t tell you about in print,” Duffus said.</p>
<p>“But rest assured that they are very exciting and will guarantee that people realise the wims can be a bit funny, and that comedy by women isn’t just for women audiences. Far from it!”</p>
<p><em>What The Frock!’s first birthday party is on 17 May, at The Square Club, Bristol. Tickets are £15 on the door or <a href="http://whatthefrock.bigcartel.com/product/17-may-2013-first-birthday-party-tickets" target="_blank">£12 when booked in advance</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>On 18 May, What The Frock! will be at the Arnolfini, Bristol, for a showcase gig as part of the Bristol Festival of Ideas. Tickets are £12 pounds. To purchase, click <a href="http://www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/bristol-festival-of-ideas-what-the-frock" target="_blank">here</a>.</em></p>
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		<title>London Feminist Discussion Group: Dove &#8216;Real Beauty&#8217; Sketches Campaign edition</title>
		<link>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/04/25/london-feminist-discussion-group-dove-real-beauty-sketches-campaign-edition/</link>
		<comments>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/04/25/london-feminist-discussion-group-dove-real-beauty-sketches-campaign-edition/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:43:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Graham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dove]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dove Real Beauty Sketches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feminism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Soho]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarah-graham.co.uk/?p=1925</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Just a quick note to let you know that the next London Feminist Discussion Group, hosted by Rachel Hills and I, will be held on Tuesday May 7 at 7pm, at LEON on Old Compton Street in Soho. We’ll be talking about the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ Sketches Campaign. (Click through or see video below.) All women (and interested men) welcome. We &#8230; <span class="more-link"><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/04/25/london-feminist-discussion-group-dove-real-beauty-sketches-campaign-edition/">Continue reading &#187;</a></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=sarah-graham.co.uk&#038;blog=25842999&#038;post=1925&#038;subd=sarahgraham7&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div id="attachment_1775" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1775" alt="Photography: crl! [Flickr]" src="http://sarahgraham7.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/feminism.jpg?w=300&#038;h=225" width="300" height="225" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Photography: crl! [Flickr]</p></div>Just a quick note to let you know that the next <a href="http://rachelhills.tumblr.com/post/41365589872/london-feminist-discussiongroup">London Feminist Discussion Group</a>, hosted by <a href="http://rachelhills.tumblr.com/post/48853261830">Rachel Hills</a> and I, will be held on Tuesday May 7 at 7pm, at LEON on Old Compton Street in Soho. <strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpaOjMXyJGk">We’ll be talking about the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ Sketches Campaign. </a></strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpaOjMXyJGk">(Click through or see video below.)</a><strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpaOjMXyJGk"></p>
<p></a></strong>All women (and interested men) welcome. We are a trans-inclusive group. <strong>Just RSVP to</strong> <strong>londonfeministdiscussion[@]gmail[.]com (or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/LondonFeministDiscussion/177717829050385/?notif_t=like">join our Facebook group</a>) by Thursday May 2 </strong>so we can book an appropriately sized space.</p>
<p>A few articles you might want to take a look at before the meeting:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ayearwithoutmirrors.com/2013/04/four-reasons-dove.html">Dove vs Science: Thanks, But We Are NOT Our Own Worst Beauty Critics</a>(Mirror, Mirror… Off The Wall)<br />
<a href="http://jazzylittledrops.tumblr.com/post/48118645174/why-doves-real-beauty-sketches-video-makes-me">Why Dove’s ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ Video Makes Me Uncomfortable… and Kind of Makes Me Angry</a> (little drops)<br />
<a href="http://www.eatthedamncake.com/2013/04/17/the-problem-with-the-dove-real-beauty-sketches-campaign/">The problem with the Dove Real Beauty Sketches campaign</a> (Eat The Damn Cake)<br />
<a href="http://www.the-beheld.com/2013/04/one-narrative-fits-all-dove-and-real.html">One Narrative Fits All: Dove and “Real Beauty”</a> (The Beheld)<br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/20/dove-real-beauty-sketches-ad-women-perfection">Dove’s ‘real beauty’ sketches ad deserves some praise</a> (The Guardian)</p>
<p>And there are plenty more where that came from if you care to Google.</p>
<p>Hope to see you there!</p>
<span class='embed-youtube' style='text-align:center; display: block;'><iframe class='youtube-player' type='text/html' width='551' height='340' src='http://www.youtube.com/embed/XpaOjMXyJGk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;wmode=transparent' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>
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		<title>An iPhone-lite week</title>
		<link>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/04/17/an-iphone-lite-week/</link>
		<comments>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/04/17/an-iphone-lite-week/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:55:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Graham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Journo Diaries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Instagram]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iPhone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[journalism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Newton Stewart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scotland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smartphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarah-graham.co.uk/?p=1861</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Saturday I got back from a week of pure escapism in Scotland, staying in a small town called Newton Stewart near the &#8216;Dark Sky&#8216; accredited Galloway Forest, where my partner first took me as a surprise almost three years ago. To cut a long and slightly soppy story short, we&#8217;d always wanted to go &#8230; <span class="more-link"><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/04/17/an-iphone-lite-week/">Continue reading &#187;</a></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=sarah-graham.co.uk&#038;blog=25842999&#038;post=1861&#038;subd=sarahgraham7&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div id="attachment_1862" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1862" alt="Photography: Leeks [Flickr]" src="http://sarahgraham7.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/iphone-leeks.jpg?w=300&#038;h=201" width="300" height="201" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Photography: Leeks [Flickr]</p></div>On Saturday I got back from a week of pure escapism in Scotland, staying in a small town called Newton Stewart near the &#8216;<a href="http://www.darksky.org/">Dark Sky</a>&#8216; accredited Galloway Forest, where my partner first took me as a surprise almost three years ago.</p>
<p>To cut a long and slightly soppy story short, we&#8217;d always wanted to go back, so we booked to coincide with the new moon.</p>
<p>From the moment we first booked to go, just before Christmas, we&#8217;d agreed to make it an iPhone-free week, and by the time it came around I was really ready for a break from mine.</p>
<p>I never thought I needed a smartphone until I got one. Now &#8211; and especially as a journalist &#8211; I can&#8217;t imagine how I ever lived without.</p>
<p>Tasks as simple as getting from one place to another have taken on a whole new level of simplicity, and the ability to instantly know what&#8217;s going on in the news can be brilliant.</p>
<p>But sometimes being constantly connected is exhausting and stressful (not to mention distracting), and there are days when I wish I could bring myself to just switch it off.</p>
<p>Sadly I got my wish a little early, when six weeks before the holiday my iPhone broke, leaving me in the less than ideal (and at times very frustrating) situation of having to do  journalism with a £7.50 replacement phone whose most advanced function was an FM radio. Thank God for iPads, eh?</p>
<p>Six weeks later though, with my iPhone safely repaired and set to &#8216;Do not disturb&#8217; mode, we set off on our 1285 mile round-trip. Sadly various major life events kept us email-dependant so our iPhone-free holiday became iPhone-lite, but it was a pretty liberating experience all the same.</p>
<p>Between all the star-gazing, driving, and searching for otters, I  realised that regardless of whether I check my emails every 10 minutes or every 10 hours, I still get the same number of emails each day; a tiny minority of them are useful or interesting, and not one of them requires a response so urgent that it can&#8217;t wait a day or so.</p>
<p>When you spend so much of your life checking Twitter and news websites for updates, suddenly switching that all off and relaxing for a week is a wonderful thing. Having proper conversations all day rather than respectively checking Twitter and the football scores was something of a revelation to us both, as a couple of anti-social iPhone addicts, and &#8211; given recent events &#8211; it was a relief to be away from it all.</p>
<p>Besides, when you&#8217;re in a beautiful, pitch-black forest, gazing up at a sky full of stars, and there&#8217;s not another light, or human soul to be seen, Instagram is the last thing on your mind.</p>
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		<title>Vicky Pryce’s time in Holloway: famous past inmates</title>
		<link>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/19/vicky-pryces-time-in-holloway-famous-past-inmates/</link>
		<comments>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/19/vicky-pryces-time-in-holloway-famous-past-inmates/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:09:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Graham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Women's Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Annie Kenney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christabel Pankhurst]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emmeline Pankhurst]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fascism]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Islington]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington Now]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maxine Carr]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Myra Hindley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oscar Wilde]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Vicky Pryce]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Originally published at Islington Now. Vicky Pryce was moved to an open prison at the weekend to serve out her eight month prison sentence, after spending just four days in Holloway prison. As Ms Pryce settles in to East Sutton Park, we look at other famous inmates of Holloway’s cells. Built in 1852, Holloway was originally a &#8230; <span class="more-link"><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/19/vicky-pryces-time-in-holloway-famous-past-inmates/">Continue reading &#187;</a></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=sarah-graham.co.uk&#038;blog=25842999&#038;post=1906&#038;subd=sarahgraham7&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Originally published at <a href="http://islingtonnow.co.uk/vicky-pryces-time-in-holloway-famous-past-inmates/">Islington Now</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_1915" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1915" alt="Emmeline, Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst. Photography: Imperial War Museum" src="http://sarahgraham7.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/pankhursts-imperialwarmuseum.jpg?w=300&#038;h=240" width="300" height="240" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Suffragettes Emmeline, Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst. Photography: Imperial War Museum</p></div>
<p>Vicky Pryce was moved to an open prison at the weekend to serve out her eight month prison sentence, after spending just <a title="http://islingtonnow.co.uk/vicky-pryce-to-serve-part-of-sentence-in-holloway-prison/ • 33 clicks via bitly" href="http://bit.ly/Xk0Utf">four days in Holloway prison</a>.</p>
<p>As Ms Pryce settles in to <a href="http://www.justice.gov.uk/contacts/prison-finder/east-sutton-park">East Sutton Park</a>, we look at other famous inmates of Holloway’s cells.</p>
<p>Built in 1852, Holloway was originally a mixed prison, becoming women only 51 years later in 1903.</p>
<p>During that time, Holloway’s best known male prisoner was writer <a href="http://www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde/">Oscar Wilde</a>. He was incarcerated there on remand in 1895 before standing trial for “gross indecency” with other men, which he was later convicted of.</p>
<p><strong>Suffragettes</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>In the early 20th century, a host of suffragettes were among Holloway’s inmates, including <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/suffragettes/">Emmeline, Sylvia and Christabel Pankhurst</a>.</p>
<p>Christabel was arrested with fellow suffragette <a href="http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wkenney.htm">Annie Kenney </a>in 1905 after interrupting a Liberal Party meeting to demand voting rights for women. They were imprisoned in Holloway for refusing to pay the fine.</p>
<p>Her sister Sylvia was next to be arrested, in 1906, when she and a group of suffragettes started a protest meeting in the lobby of the House of Commons.</p>
<p>The magistrate ordered the women to be “of good behaviour” for six months or go to prison for six weeks, and so Sylvia found herself in Holloway.</p>
<p>Sylvia and Christabel’s mother Emmeline was also arrested and imprisoned in Holloway for six weeks in 1908. Here she was kept in solitary confinement and staged her first hunger strike. She would do this ten times over 18 months across several stints in jail.</p>
<p>Other suffragettes who spent time in Holloway in the early 20th century included <a href="http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wdespard.htm">Charlotte Despard</a>, <a href="http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/mary_richardson.htm">Mary Richardson</a> and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/easterrising/profiles/po10.shtml">Countess Constance Markievicz</a>, who was a Sinn Fein MP.</p>
<p><strong>Fascists</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong><a href="http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wdacrefox.htm">Norah Elam </a>was imprisoned in Holloway three times between May and July 1914 for “acts of terrorism” as part of her involvement with the suffragette movement.</p>
<p>She later joined the <a href="http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Pfascists.htm">British Union of Fascists</a> and was returned to Holloway in 1940 with other prominent female fascists including <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3595037/Diana-Mosley-unrepentantly-Nazi-and-effortlessly-charming.html">Lady Diana Mosley</a>.</p>
<p>Lady Mosley (née Diana Freeman-Mitford) was one of the Mitford sisters, and wife of British fascist <a href="http://www.oswaldmosley.com/">Sir Oswald Mosley</a>. Their wedding was hosted by <a href="http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/joseph_goebbels.htm">Joseph Goebbels </a>and attended by <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/adolf_hitler">Adolph Hitler</a>.</p>
<p>The mother of PR guru and press reform campaigner <a href="http://5x15stories.com/presenter/max-mosley/">Max Mosley,</a> Diana was arrested as a “public danger” just months after Max’s birth, and reportedly hid a photograph of Hitler under his cot mattress as police arrived.</p>
<p>She was imprisoned in Holloway for three years between 1940 and 1943 before being placed under house arrest until the end of the war.</p>
<p><strong>Murderers</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>Five women were executed at Holloway between 1903 and 1955, the first of whom were murderers Amelia Sach and Annie Walters, better known as the <a href="http://ukpaedos-exposed.com/2012/06/26/amelia-sachannie-walters-baby-farming-serial-killers/">Finchley baby farmers</a>, who murdered as many as several dozen babies during the early 1900s. Theirs was the first and only double hanging at Holloway.</p>
<p>In 1923 <a href="http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/nostalgia/crimelibrary/freddiebywaters/">Edith Thompson</a> was hanged for the murder of her husband, Percy. Her case attracted protest against the death penalty, particularly for women, and a petition was signed by almost a million people.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/christofi.html">Styllou Pantopioud Christofi </a>was hanged at Holloway in 1954 for the murder of her daughter-in-law and, eight months later, in 1955, <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2194061/Ruth-Ellis-death-penalty-Doomed-hang-refused-betray-lover--insisted-staying-tarty-blonde.html">Ruth Ellis </a>became the last woman to be executed in the UK, for the murder of her lover.</p>
<p>Moors murderer <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/myra-hindley-229551">Myra Hindley </a>was imprisoned in Holloway in 1966. While serving her life sentence there Hindley fell in love with prison officer <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-468630/Unmasked-nun-Myra-Hindleys-gay-lover.html">Patricia Cairns</a>, who assisted in her failed escape attempt.</p>
<p><strong>More recently…</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>In its more recent history, Holloway prison – which was rebuilt during the 1970s and currently has a population of 500 – has hosted murderesses including <a href="http://www.britishmurders.co.uk/murder-content.php?key=1782&amp;name=Amie%20Bartholomew">Amie Bartholomew</a>, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/feb/09/ukcrime.sandralaville">Rochelle Etherington</a>, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/apr/18/ukcrime.gender1">Emma Last</a>, Ginny Crutcher, <a href="http://www.theargus.co.uk/archive/2005/08/04/The+Argus+Archive/6803437.Mother__22__gets_life_for_murder/">Alison Walder</a>, and <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1055131/Jack-Straw-bans-unacceptable-prison-parties-killers-don-fake-blood-Halloween-masks.html">Bella Coll</a>.</p>
<p>Notable ex-inmates also include <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/4694325.stm">Jayne Richards</a>, who was dubbed ‘the tinsel fight murderer’, and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/aug/11/tracey-connelly-baby-p-mother">Tracey Connelly</a>, the mother of Baby P.</p>
<p><a href="http://innocent.org.uk/cases/sheilabowler/index.html">Sheila Bowler</a> was imprisoned in Holloway in 1993 after being wrongly convicted of the murder of her elderly aunt. She was acquitted four years later.</p>
<p>Three years earlier, <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/maxine-carr-granted-lifelong-anonymity-after-she-was-convicted-for-giving-ian-huntley-a-false-alibi-8045822.html">Maxine Carr</a>, the girlfriend of Soham murderer<a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/ian-huntley-the-most-terrifying-type-of-killer-8045803.html"> Ian Huntley</a>, was remanded in Holloway for providing Huntley with a false alibi, and remained there for several months after her conviction.</p>
<p><b>During her four days in Holloway prison, <a href="http://islingtonnow.co.uk/how-vicky-pryce-would-have-spent-her-first-nights-in-holloway/">Vicky Pryce followed in the footsteps</a> of suffragettes, fascists and notorious murderers. Her internment in the Elizabethan manor house of East Sutton Park prison in Kent, where she is the only notable inmate, will doubtless be a bit cosier.</b></p>
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		<title>From Clerkenwell or not from Clerkenwell, that is the question</title>
		<link>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/19/from-clerkenwell-or-not-from-clerkenwell-that-is-the-question/</link>
		<comments>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/19/from-clerkenwell-or-not-from-clerkenwell-that-is-the-question/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:00:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Graham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Theatre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[William Shakespeare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shakespeare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington Now]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clerkenwell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington Museum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philip Henslowe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grays Inn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dr Duncan Salkeld]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Originally published at Islington Now. William Shakespeare’s London career is traditionally associated with Southwark, where the famous bankside Globe Theatre stood between 1599 and 1644, not far from the site of it’s modern reconstruction. When he first arrived in London, Shakespeare was based at The Theatre in Shoreditch, and legend suggests he once lived on &#8230; <span class="more-link"><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/19/from-clerkenwell-or-not-from-clerkenwell-that-is-the-question/">Continue reading &#187;</a></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=sarah-graham.co.uk&#038;blog=25842999&#038;post=1903&#038;subd=sarahgraham7&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Originally published at <a href="http://islingtonnow.co.uk/from-clerkenwell-or-not-from-clerkenwell-that-is-the-question/">Islington Now</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_1904" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 235px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1904" alt="St. John’s Gate, Clerkenwell. Photography: Jim Linwood" src="http://sarahgraham7.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/st-johns-gate.jpg?w=225&#038;h=300" width="225" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">St. John’s Gate, Clerkenwell. Photography: Jim Linwood</p></div>
<p>William Shakespeare’s London career is traditionally associated with Southwark, where the famous bankside Globe Theatre stood between 1599 and 1644, not far from the site of it’s modern reconstruction.</p>
<p dir="ltr">When he first arrived in London, Shakespeare was based at The Theatre in Shoreditch, and legend suggests he once lived on Hoxton Street in Hackney. But could Islington have its own claims to Shakespearean fame?</p>
<p dir="ltr">One man who thinks so is Dr Duncan Salkeld, reader in Shakespeare Studies at the University of Chichester, who gave a talk at the Islington Museum last week on the bard’s links with Clerkenwell.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Dr Salkeld made national headlines last summer when he suggested that the “dark lady” of Shakespeare’s sonnets may have been a dark-skinned Clerkenwell prostitute known as Black Lucy.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The mysterious mistress, described as “black beauty”, appears throughout Shakespeare’s sonnets 127-152, and has been a source of much scholarly speculation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Dr Salkeld began investigating a possible Islington connection five years ago, when he found a reference to a “Black Luce” in local prison records. “I was struck by the similarity with the Lucy Negro [character] in literary texts and wanted to explore further,” he said.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The historical Black Lucy ran a notorious bawdy house in 16th century Clerkenwell, and is named repeatedly in court and prison records, but was never prosecuted.</p>
<p dir="ltr">She also appears to have been present at the Grays Inn Christmas revelry on 20 December 1597. Transcripts of the festivities reference a woman known as “Lucy Negro”, humourously described as “Abbess de Clerkenwell”.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Evidence shows that just eight days later, on 28 December, Shakespeare himself attended Grays Inn – where he associated with a number of the members – to perform The Comedy of Errors with his company.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The name Luciana, or Luce, appears throughout The Comedy of Errors, often linked with innuendo and bawdy jokes. Dr Salkeld believes Shakespeare changed the character’s name from Nell specially for the occasion, knowing the significance it would have for his prostitute-frequenting audience at Grays Inn.</p>
<p dir="ltr">References to Black Luce, and fellow Clerkenwell brothel owner Gilbert East, also appear in the diary of Philip Henslowe, owner of The Rose Theatre and The Globe’s biggest rival.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Dr Salkeld’s research doesn’t just focus on 16th century Clerkenwell’s seedy underbelly though; he also believes the bard may have had relatives in the area.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Parish records show a Matthew Shakespeare living in Clerkenwell during the 1570s, and a Humfrey Shakespeare, son of Hugh. There is no evidence to prove the link, but Dr Salkeld conjectures that the Clerkenwell Shakespeares may have been cousins of the playwright himself.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Most interesting is Matthew Shakespeare, who married an Isabel Peele in 1569. According to Dr Salkeld, Isabel’s connections with Christ Church and Christ’s Hospital, Greyfriars, make it “virtually certain” that she was the sister of George Peele, the dramatist who collaborated with Shakespeare on Titus Andronicus.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Islington may never rival Southwark or Stratford-Upon-Avon as a tourist hotspot for Shakespeare fanatics, but admirers of the bard can at least walk the streets of Clerkenwell in his footsteps.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Waiting time doubles for rehousing of domestic violence victims in Islington</title>
		<link>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/14/waiting-time-doubles-for-rehousing-of-domestic-violence-victims-in-islington/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:48:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Graham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Violence Against Women]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Domestic violence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fawcett Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington Council]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rehousing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VAW]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VAWG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[violence against women]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women's Aid]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarah-graham.co.uk/?p=1897</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Originally published at Islington Now, with additional reporting by Jess Denham. Victims of domestic violence are waiting more than a year for rehousing, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The waiting time for rehousing of domestic abuse victims more than doubled last year, averaging 13 months, compared with waits of five &#8230; <span class="more-link"><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/14/waiting-time-doubles-for-rehousing-of-domestic-violence-victims-in-islington/">Continue reading &#187;</a></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=sarah-graham.co.uk&#038;blog=25842999&#038;post=1897&#038;subd=sarahgraham7&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Originally published at <a href="http://islingtonnow.co.uk/waiting-time-for-rehousing-domestic-violence-victims-doubles/">Islington Now</a>, with additional reporting by <a href="http://jessdenham.net">Jess Denham</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_1898" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 222px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1898" alt="Domestic violence campaign poster courtesy of Islington Council" src="http://sarahgraham7.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/domestic-violence-low.jpg?w=212&#038;h=300" width="212" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Domestic violence campaign poster courtesy of Islington Council</p></div>
<p>Victims of domestic violence are waiting more than a year for rehousing, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.</p>
<p>The waiting time for rehousing of domestic abuse victims more than doubled last year, averaging 13 months, compared with waits of five months for those rehoused in 2011.</p>
<p>“Women and children who experience domestic violence are caught in a terrible dilemma – stay and live with the threats, fear and abuse, or leave and join the queue of homeless families,” said Mary Mason, CEO of Solace Women’s Aid, whose Islington branch works with 1,000 women and children a year.</p>
<p>“There needs to be a London-wide agreement that families fleeing domestic violence are given priority to ensure they are able to move into independence and healthy living as swiftly as possible,” she added.</p>
<p>In 2008, victims waited just two months on average for rehousing, and applicant numbers have remained almost level, around 50 per year, in the last five years.</p>
<p>Despite the increase, Islington’s waiting times remain amongst the lowest in London, with victims rehoused in Camden last year having waited an average of 65 months – almost five and a half years – and residents in Harrow waiting more than seven years on average.</p>
<p>Islington Council last week launched a powerful poster campaign to tackle domestic violence in the borough, but was unable to comment on the delays to rehousing.</p>
<p>Striking posters show a woman unconscious on the floor and a broken beer bottle, with a football match showing on a TV screen above, and the message: “Did your team lose? Domestic violence. There is no excuse.”</p>
<p>Produced by the council, in collaboration with the police and the NHS, the posters will be displayed in pubs, hospitals and GP surgeries.</p>
<p>In the 12 months to January 2013, more than 1,500 incidents of domestic crime were reported in the borough.</p>
<p>According to a report by equality campaign group East London Fawcett Society, the total number is likely to be around 7,000 as many cases are never reported.</p>
<p>Alva Bailey, Islington Council’s head of community safety, told the Islington Gazette: “There is no excuse for domestic violence against women and girls.</p>
<p>“This new campaign has a powerful image to grab people’s attention, and is part of our ongoing work to tackle domestic violence of all kinds.”</p>
<p><em>If you are affected by domestic violence, contact Solace Women&#8217;s Aid free on 0808 802 5565 or call the National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247. </em><em>In an emergency always dial 999.</em></p>
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			<media:title type="html">Domestic violence campaign poster courtesy of Islington Council</media:title>
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		<title>Newington Green graffiti celebrates Wollstonecraft</title>
		<link>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/13/newington-green-graffiti-celebrates-wollstonecraft/</link>
		<comments>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/13/newington-green-graffiti-celebrates-wollstonecraft/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2013 17:51:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Graham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Women's Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feminism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mary Wollstonecraft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vindication of the Rights of Woman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington Now]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Newington Green]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarah-graham.co.uk/?p=1888</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Originally published at Islington Now. Fans of famous feminist Mary Wollstonecraft are celebrating her surprise appearance in the form of graffiti on the side of a church in Newington Green. The stencilled image of the 18th century “mother of feminism”, by street artist Stewy, is a bonus for a local campaign to get a statue &#8230; <span class="more-link"><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/13/newington-green-graffiti-celebrates-wollstonecraft/">Continue reading &#187;</a></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=sarah-graham.co.uk&#038;blog=25842999&#038;post=1888&#038;subd=sarahgraham7&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Originally published at <a href="http://islingtonnow.co.uk/newington-green-graffiti-celebrates-wollstonecraft/">Islington Now</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_1889" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 235px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1889" alt="Newington Green's femininst icon." src="http://sarahgraham7.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/mary-wollstonecraft-low.jpg?w=225&#038;h=300" width="225" height="300" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Newington Green&#8217;s femininst icon.</p></div>
<p>Fans of famous feminist Mary Wollstonecraft are celebrating her surprise appearance in the form of graffiti on the side of a church in Newington Green.</p>
<p>The stencilled image of the 18th century “mother of feminism”, by street artist Stewy, is a bonus for a local campaign to get a statue of Ms Wollstonecraft erected in the borough.</p>
<p>Islington-based movement <a href="http://www.maryonthegreen.org/">Mary on the Green</a> tweeted a photo of Stewy’s artwork, saying: “What a boost to the campaign! Mary manifests on NG church <a href="https://twitter.com/newunity">@newunity</a>.”</p>
<p><a href="http://newingtongreen.org.uk/">Newington Green Action Group</a> set up the initiative in 2011 to make her life and work more accessible to local people.</p>
<p>Campaigner Bee Rowlatt said: “[Ms Wollstonecraft] is an internationally renowned champion of women’s rights and there’s no statue to her anywhere.</p>
<p>“What’s wonderful is to see her being recognised locally. She’s a local icon and we want her to be celebrated,” Ms Rowlatt said.</p>
<p>Ms Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, lived locally and attended the “radically-inclusive” New Unity church during her lifetime.</p>
<p>Described as Ms Wollstonecraft’s “spiritual home”, the Grade 2 Listed building has close ties to early feminist politics.</p>
<p>New Unity minister Andy Pakula said: “This is a mysterious apparition of the mother of feminism.” He described her as: “A daring figure who continues to inspire us in the fight for freedom and justice for all people.</p>
<p>“For her to miraculously appear is infinitely better than Jesus on grilled cheese.”</p>
<p>Turning to her influence, Pakula said: “Throughout the world there continues to be tremendous oppression of women, even in the 21st century. We can’t forget that.”</p>
<p><strong></strong><strong>Related posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2012/04/27/happy-birthday-mary-wollstonecraft/"><span style="line-height:13px;">Happy Birthday Mary Wollstonecraft</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2012/03/21/mary-shelley/">Mary Shelley</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Review: The Deep Space at the Old Red Lion theatre</title>
		<link>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/07/review-the-deep-space-at-the-old-red-lion-theatre/</link>
		<comments>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/07/review-the-deep-space-at-the-old-red-lion-theatre/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:56:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Graham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Theatre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington Now]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lila Whelan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Old Red Lion Theatre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[review]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Deep Space]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarah-graham.co.uk/?p=1868</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Originally published at Islington Now. The Deep Space is a dark, moving tragedy of domestic life with a haunting intimacy that lingers with the audience long after the four actors take their final bow. Described as a “modern horror story”, the play centres on the conversation between two women in an interrogation cell – Caitlin, a &#8230; <span class="more-link"><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/07/review-the-deep-space-at-the-old-red-lion-theatre/">Continue reading &#187;</a></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=sarah-graham.co.uk&#038;blog=25842999&#038;post=1868&#038;subd=sarahgraham7&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Originally published at <a href="http://islingtonnow.co.uk/review-the-deep-space-at-the-old-red-lion-theatre/">Islington Now</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_1869" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1869" alt="L-R: Lila Whelan (Caitlin), Oliver Yellop (Liam), Abbiegale Duncan (Sam) and Sarah Fraser (Kay). Photography: Sprocket Theatre." src="http://sarahgraham7.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/cast-of-the-deep-space.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200" width="300" height="200" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Left-right: Lila Whelan (Caitlin), Oliver Yellop (Liam), Abbiegale Duncan (Sam) and Sarah Fraser (Kay). Photography: Sprocket Theatre.</p></div>
<p><a href="http://www.sprocket-theatre.com/">The Deep Space</a> is a dark, moving tragedy of domestic life with a haunting intimacy that lingers with the audience long after the four actors take their final bow.</p>
<p>Described as a “modern horror story”, the play centres on the conversation between two women in an interrogation cell – Caitlin, a psychiatrist, and Sam, a mother whose family has died in a house fire.</p>
<p>Caitlin’s role is to uncover the truth about their tragic deaths, but as the play unfolds both women find themselves plumbing the depths of their darkest, most personal secrets. In the intimate space of the <a href="http://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/">Old Red Lion theatre</a>, the audience cannot avoid being drawn in.</p>
<p>With a starkly minimalist set, the play relies entirely on the compelling power of the script, which skillfully tackles the emotional complexity of each woman’s experience, and poignant performances from lead actors Lila Whelan (Caitlin) and Abbiegale Duncan (Sam).</p>
<p>Shifting smoothly between flashbacks and the present moment the small cast builds a convincing portrait of Sam’s life before the fire with two supporting actors doubling up as her mother and father, friend and husband.</p>
<p>The Deep Space is deliberately uncomfortable viewing taking in dark, heavy themes with uncompromising psychological realism. The audience hardly has time to get their heads around one disturbing revelation before they are confronted by another, and it is impossible not to feel emotionally involved.</p>
<p>Full of twists and turns – some more predictable than others – the play ends with both characters noticeably changed and one question left unanswered. I was left pondering this last secret for rest of the night.</p>
<p>Writer Lila Whelan, who plays Caitlin, has created a striking, heartbreaking debut with The Deep Space.</p>
<p><em>See The Deep Space at the Old Red Lion Theatre Pub, St John Street, until Saturday 9th March</em></p>
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			<media:title type="html">L-R: Lila Whelan (Caitlin), Oliver Yellop (Liam), Abbiegale Duncan (Sam) and Sarah Fraser (Kay). Photography: Sprocket Theatre.</media:title>
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		<title>Islington pub showcases young writer&#8217;s debut play</title>
		<link>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/05/islington-pub-showcases-young-writers-debut-play/</link>
		<comments>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/05/islington-pub-showcases-young-writers-debut-play/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:54:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Graham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Theatre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islington Now]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lila Whelan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manchester]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Old Red Lion Theatre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Publications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Deep Space]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarah-graham.co.uk/?p=1864</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Originally published at Islington Now. The latest offering from Islington’s Old Red Lion Theatre Pub is “modern horror story” The Deep Space. It was produced by Sprocket Theatre, whose ambitious young founder, Lila Whelan, both wrote the play and performs in it. Preston-born Lila graduated with a History degree from Newcastle University and spent five &#8230; <span class="more-link"><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/03/05/islington-pub-showcases-young-writers-debut-play/">Continue reading &#187;</a></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=sarah-graham.co.uk&#038;blog=25842999&#038;post=1864&#038;subd=sarahgraham7&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Originally published at <a href="http://islingtonnow.co.uk/islington-pub-showcases-young-writers-debut-play/">Islington Now</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_1865" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-full wp-image-1865" alt="Photography: Sprocket Theatre" src="http://sarahgraham7.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/arts-lila-whelan-for-interview-shes-the-brunette-one-300x200.jpg?w=551"   /><p class="wp-caption-text">Lila Whelan (left) with co-star Abbiegale Duncan. Photography: Sprocket Theatre</p></div>
<p><em>The latest offering from Islington’s Old Red Lion Theatre Pub is “modern horror story” The Deep Space. It was produced by Sprocket Theatre, whose ambitious young founder, Lila Whelan, both wrote the play and performs in it.</em></p>
<p><em>Preston-born Lila graduated with a History degree from Newcastle University and spent five years in Manchester, working as a journalist and taking part in amateur dramatics, before deciding to make acting more than just a hobby. She tells <strong>Sarah Graham</strong> about writing, producing and starring in her first play.</em></p>
<p><strong>What’s The Deep Space about, and what was the inspiration behind it?</strong></p>
<p>It was an item of news that sparked the idea – this awful thing had happened and this woman had been, instead of sentenced to jail, sent to a psychiatric institute. The basic plot is that there’s been a fire and two young children have died. The play opens with my character, Caitlin, and a young girl called Sam in an interrogation cell. My character has come to talk to Sam about this tragedy, to find out how it happened and why, and things are revealed over the course of the play.<strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>It touches on some quite dark themes then?</strong></p>
<p>Yes, there’s rape, incest, murder, paedophilia, and there’s bulimia – everything that could go wrong does go wrong.<strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>How do audiences react to that?</strong></p>
<p>They need a stiff drink. The interval comes at a good moment. Because it’s such an intimate theatre – 60 to 70 seats – the audience is very close so there’s no escape. It’s heavy, but it’s compelling. You don’t want to go and slit your wrists after it, but you’ll probably go and have a bit of a think about it.<br />
<strong><br />
It must have been quite a big undertaking to write and perform in the play – have you ever done anything like this before?</strong></p>
<p>No, I graduated from Central [School of Speech and Drama, London] last year, on the MA acting course, and I’d started writing the script a couple of months before we finished. I got a friend of mine from the course involved, and the director Claude Girardi, and the script got picked up by the Old Red Lion. It’s very much a learning on the job experience. It’s been very full-on, but I’ve really enjoyed it.<br />
<strong><br />
What have been the biggest challenges?</strong></p>
<p>All of it. Time was a challenge because we were given three months, which is a very short period of time to go from a script and a vague cast to a full-on production. I don’t think I quite realised how much needs to be done before you even get to the rehearsal process. The hardest thing was the realisation that this was my little baby and I had to actually give it away to other people – first the director, then the cast, and now the audience. As it’s my first one, that was tough but it has worked out really well.<br />
<strong><br />
Do you have any plans to take The Deep Space elsewhere?</strong></p>
<p>Yeah, that’s what we’re working on at the moment and we’ve got a couple of theatres who are interested. For the moment [it would be great] to stay in London, but it’s based in the North, so I would like to take it up North – I’d like to take it home to Manchester.<br />
<strong><br />
Would you do something like this again?</strong></p>
<p>Definitely. I’m already thinking about the next project. I think I’d be too shell-shocked if I finished the play and didn’t have something else to go on to. I’ve got another script in development, called Itchy Arse, my favourite title ever, which is a post-apocalyptic black comedy. And then I’m also thinking about doing a Shakespeare, possibly Taming of the Shrew.<br />
<strong><br />
Lila’s play The Deep Space is on at the Old Red Lion Theatre Pub, St John Street, until Saturday 9 March. Tickets are available from <a href="http://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/">www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk</a>.</strong></p>
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		<title>Vegan Week: The Experience</title>
		<link>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/02/16/vegan-week/</link>
		<comments>http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/02/16/vegan-week/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 16 Feb 2013 09:51:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Graham</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Journo Diaries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[journalism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lifestyle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Things I do for journalism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vegan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vegan Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Veganism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vegetarian]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://sarah-graham.co.uk/?p=1857</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Vegans, who follow a lifestyle completely free from animal derived products, account for only one per cent of the UK population. I’d never even been a vegetarian when I joined that one per cent for a week, but I like falafel and green tea so I was quietly confident that – as long as I &#8230; <span class="more-link"><a href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/02/16/vegan-week/">Continue reading &#187;</a></span><img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=sarah-graham.co.uk&#038;blog=25842999&#038;post=1857&#038;subd=sarahgraham7&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><div id="attachment_1858" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1858" alt="Photography: Sweet On Veg [Flickr]" src="http://sarahgraham7.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/vegan.jpg?w=300&#038;h=199" width="300" height="199" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Photography: Sweet On Veg [Flickr]</p></div>Vegans, who follow a lifestyle completely free from animal derived products, account for only one per cent of the UK population. I’d never even been a vegetarian when I joined that one per cent for a week, but I like falafel and green tea so I was quietly confident that – as long as I could avoid the tantalising smell of bacon sizzling in a frying pan – a week of veganism would be a piece of dairy-free cake.</p>
<p>I said goodbye to my omnivorous ways with a last supper of meaty pizza, smothered in cheese. This was my first mistake. I awoke the next morning to one leftover slice, still in its takeaway box, and sobbed into my cereal with soya milk while my partner enjoyed cold pizza for breakfast.</p>
<p>My second mistake was attempting to replicate my normal diet by stocking up on dairy-free replacements. I’ve long been suspicious of fake meat, and quickly learnt that fake cheese and fake chocolate are just as dubious. By day two of my vegan week, I’d learnt to wholeheartedly embrace the vegetables, and stocked up on normal, milk-free dark chocolate.</p>
<p>I also learnt that reaching out to other vegans for support is almost essential – the more experienced vegans I’d made contact with were a great support network throughout the week.</p>
<p>Twenty-seven-year-old Christina Wilmowski is a mentor for The <a class="zem_slink" title="Vegan Society" href="http://www.vegansociety.com/" target="_blank" rel="homepage">Vegan Society</a> and has been a vegan for an impressive seven years. Having already been a vegetarian for six years, Christina’s decision to go vegan was an ethical one: “I started looking into the dairy and egg industry more, and realised the reasons that had made me become a vegetarian were so applicable to the reasons why I felt I had to go vegan.”</p>
<p>According to The Vegan Society, “many [animals] suffer serious health problems and even death because they are selectively bred to grow, or produce milk or eggs, at a far greater rate than their bodies are capable of.” As well as providing a more ethical and environmentally friendly source of food than the livestock industry we’re so dependent on, The Vegan Society says veganism is a healthy diet that’s low in cholesterol and saturated fat.</p>
<p>The difficulty, I found, was keeping it balanced. As vegetarian nutrition graduate Michelle Fraser told me, it’s very hard to get enough iron, zinc and vitamin B12 on a vegan diet without relying on supplements. I didn’t take supplements, and did feel a bit anaemic at times, but keeping a plentiful supply of fruit, dark chocolate and nuts in my bag helped a bit.</p>
<p>On the plus side, veganism definitely forced me to be more creative in the kitchen, rustling up feasts full of lentils, beans, chickpeas and spinach. Asian cuisine seemed to be the easiest approach, and most evenings I found myself cooking creamy coconut milk curries or stir-fries.</p>
<p>For new vegan, 23-year-old Ben Martin, the hardest part is the limited choice of lunches at work. This certainly chimes with my experience – I had to plan ahead and prepare myself packed lunches of falafel and salad, rather than just nip to the nearest café. I will never again take for granted how animal-dependent our packaged-sandwich industry is.</p>
<p>Having never before had to think about what I’m eating, constantly reading labels made me feel like a calorie-obsessed dieter, but you really do have to check everything.</p>
<p>Perhaps the biggest shock was being told that a lot of wine and beer was out of bounds. Sceptical, I took a bottle of rosé out of the fridge and read the label: “Contains milk and eggs.” The mind boggles, frankly, but <a href="http://veggiewines.co.uk">VeggieWines.co.uk </a>was a godsend for working out what I could drink on a night out with friends.</p>
<p>For former vegan Scarlet Harris, the anti-social factor was the most difficult thing about the diet. 36-year-old Scarlet, who is a lifelong vegetarian, said she hated being the difficult one when she went out for dinner with friends.</p>
<p>My final challenge of the week was negotiating a meal in a restaurant. I checked menus online in advance, booked somewhere I knew I’d be able to get more than just salad, but still got a serious case of food-envy when my partner’s chocolate brownie arrived and I was eating fruit sorbet.</p>
<p>Naturally I celebrated the end of the week with a big, greasy fry-up, but I have learnt a lot. Veganism is cheaper and healthier than my normal diet, I’ve added some great new recipes to my repertoire and, having seen that it’s possible, I’ve resolved to eat less meat.</p>
<p><strong>Related posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a title="Vegan Week: The Recipes" href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/02/06/vegan-week-the-recipes/" target="_blank">Vegan Week: The Recipes</a></li>
<li><a title="Journo Diaries: Vegan Week" href="http://sarah-graham.co.uk/2013/01/29/journo-diaries-vegan-week/" target="_blank">Journo Diaries: Vegan Week</a></li>
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