By Cosmo Adair To idealise: all writing is a campaign against cliché. Not just clichés of the pen but clichés of the mind and clichés

By Ida Bridgeman I saw the first signs of spring one week, snow drops had opened. In the quiet of the early morning, glowing sky,

By Xanthe de Wesselow Expanding from its roots in ancient Pagan rituals, Lent has evolved into a sacred period within the Christian tradition. Manifesting itself

By Cosmo Adair James Marriott is a columnist and podcast reviewer for The Times. The interview began with the ping of a notification: James Marriott

By Maisie Jennings #THEFUTUREISNOW is the hashtag encapsulating this year’s theme for DUCFS – ‘The Age of Inception’, and in its 41st year of running,

By Cosmo Adair I sleep better when I’ve had something to drink. Apparently, that’s impossible—at least, my brother likes to say so. Everytime I come

By Ollie de Winton The first of January arrives, the gym car park is rammed, social media platforms are brimming with aspirations and goals for

By Edward Bayliss A few days ago, Sandra Bond gave us the most brilliantly awful poem in her local regional newspaper as she made her

By Cosmo Adair & Maggie Baring. Bishop Auckland, November 29th — grey with a smattering of drizzle. Standing in the town square, it’s obvious that

Image Credit: Oldthing

By Maggie Baring Around 2% of children in the UK experience the neurodevelopmental condition of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, more commonly known as ADHD. The

By Maisie Jennings First, a confession: I’m probably chronically online. I’d like to think that this is a result of some novice cultural observation instead

By Emelie Robinson. As we approach the colder months, you’ll be hard pushed not to spot somebody wrapped up in a classic You Look Hot

By Emilia Brookfield St. John’s College. 7:36pm. The window looks tiredly below at St. Mary the Less. The bar is not open yet, there can

Summer term Going into the summer term of my second year at Durham, I anticipated scenes of warmth, freedom, and partying. As I stared out

By Henry Worsley A couple of weeks ago I picked up a copy of Robert Pirsig’s Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. It is

By Annabel Roest. Today, we often assume that gender stereotypes and subtle biases have diminished significantly compared to times gone by. However, as a young

By Izzie James. I sat down with Ailis Osobase and Clara Smith to discuss their small business ‘Bottoms Up The Brand’. Walking around Durham, you’re

By Lawrence Gartshore. As a student of theology, one of the major criticisms that one learns about God’s existence (or lack thereof) relates to a

By Emma Large. Curb the indignation just for a moment. Brian Tomasik wants to spark a conversation about the ethical duty he contends we have

By Lawrence Gartshore. Something that is becoming increasingly apparent to me is the fact that certain situations will not, as one continues to struggle with

By Sia Jyoti. I have come to accept that someone with my level of faith in humanity is destined to feel  perpetually disappointed with reality.

By Lawrence Gartshore. I should begin here with a confession. When I speak of abandonment, I do not refer to the notion of physical isolation.

By Annabel Roest. I knew going into 2022 that my chosen New Year’s Resolution would be a hard one to see through, but I never

By Lawrence Gartshore. The notion of clothing has always been one that has perturbed me. Quite simply, I cannot in all good reason understand its

By Lawrence Gartshore. My mother doesn’t believe in depression. Don’t get me wrong, she isn’t some callous, emotionally distant parental figure. Far from it. As

By Henry Munns. Recently I’ve been asked by a few people whether my passion for climate change is ‘just a phase’. I don’t blame them;

By Emily Mahoney. Fight Night is a night organised by Wilder Events to raise money for their charities (BlOKes UK and SolidariTEE), promising 20 students

By Izzie James. When thinking about combatting homelessness, and providing dignity to those experiencing it, the significance of language is not something that first comes

By Emma Large. Content Warning: References to Sexual Assault. The one thing that we all tend to take for granted – knickers.  The crucial undergarments

By Lizzie Walsh.
It was like picking up a thousand tiny pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. But I was the puzzle and I’d been shaken and broken, splintered.
There were parts where I’d forced lives which didn’t fit back together.

By Jasmine Sykes. Content Warning: Mention of Eating Disorder pilgrimage—  a journey (usually of a long distance) made to a sacred place as an act

By Dora Black. I’m sure that I’m not alone in feeling kind of bombarded by the influx of celebrity biopics in the last few years:

By Sia Jyoti. Raised in a traditional, well-mannered household, the idea of smoking was introduced to me as wholly  unacceptable. Cigarettes took the shape of

By Mimi Nation-Dixon. I have often found myself losing focus when watching a TV show or a film – but I always find myself completely

By Izzie James. Content Warning: References to Sexual Assault This past week, fans of the artist Alexander O’Connor, known by his stage name ‘Rex Orange

By Thea Opperman. Autumn leaves turning; thick knitwear and coats being brought out again; the fading, but still somewhat fresh tan from summer giving the

By Emily Mahoney. The first question I had when approaching the Trashion team was, what is Trashion? Having seen the sleek, yet somewhat cryptic Instagram

By Amelia Melvin. About halfway through my audio tour, which guides me through the so-called Masterpieces of the Louvre Museum, I come across Caravaggio’s, ‘Death

By Izzie James. When discussing contraception with friends, there will often be someone who has a negative story to tell. Experiences of acne, mood swings,

By Samir Singh. On the 29th of July 2022, a twenty-eight-year-old, mild-mannered Londoner performed an hour-long Boiler Room set to an energetic crowd. The artist

By Ella Bishop. Are graduate applications geared against women? The never-ending process of situational judgement tests, numerical reasoning, online tests, interviews, is draining enough without

Simply the Best Ben Hutchison Simps are a much-maligned species. Long thought to operate only in the dark underbelly of society, Simps involuntarily came to

Why ‘The Little Prince’ still matters as a grown-up Isabel Davies Jones   the origin story of quite a bad tattoo About a week before

Crossing the Channel of Difference in Covid Albane Colleau and Constance Byé There’s no denying that 2020 has been tough for everyone, and students have

It’s 2021, Why Are Creative Industries Still Undervalued? Beth Perry As October rolled in and I returned to Durham following six months of lockdown, the

Eyes on the Prize: Preparing Myself For A Lifetime of Failure Ollie Taylor Coronavirus has almost entirely put a halt to all dramatic proceedings at

“Hope is soonest found among the comfortless” – Theodor Adorno, Minima Moralia Everyone starts somewhere All great artists learn how to write, paint, or sing

To Club or Not to Club Imogen Nation-Dixon Spiking, specifically drink spiking, has been on the rise for years. Growing up, it was  an accepted

Knowing About the Unknown Claudia Whaites   Why are you crying? Why are you in a mood? Why don’t you smile like you used to?

Maasai Diaries Part Three: Koko Laura Hutchinson Koko is perhaps the most honored woman in the village. But it’s not because of her age –

Why Has HIV Been Central to the Conversation Surrounding Spiking? Katie Rutter   The rise in reported cases of spiking in university towns over the

Echoes of a Religion Emma Simon   I might be wrong but it’s possible that the emotional and social similarities of environmentalism and religion might

Reputations and Realities: Racism in Durham Izzy Gibson   In 2020, Black Lives Mattered. Last year, our news platforms, social media accounts, and educational institutions

Can You Draw the Clitoris? Katie White   What started as a light-hearted question to friends quickly became a major concern. Nota single person I

A Response to South College Formal Izzy Gibson   I had no idea who Rod Liddle was prior to last nights events, but perhaps I

New Year’s Resolutions: Futile or Fundamental for Self-Improvement? Holly Downes   It has become that time again – the time of looking back on the

Social Media: Friend or Foe in the Increasing Digitalisation of Politics? Callum Loveless   The advent of social media has had a consequential effect upon

Casual Instagram is an Even Greater Performance Elizabeth Nowak   A comment left underneath a video inspired TikTok user @cozyaliki to argue that those seemingly