A few months ago a British citizen angrily demanded, in response to a BBC series on black history: ‘Why is there never a White History Month?’ I assume the inquiry was in all seriousness. Rather like the goldfish asking ‘What is water?’ those who have grown up in a majority…

It helps that I live near a prison. When I go for my daily run in the common, I glance up. I am thankful my daily exercise is on this side of the wall. You become accomplished at counting blessings, when you live on your own in lockdown. It helps…

In late 2019 a doctor tried to alert Chinese authorities to a dangerous new virus, with the potential to become a deadly pandemic. He was accused of spreading false rumours, interrogated by police, and forced to sign a statement that he had disrupted social order. If a similar life-threatening risk…

AI: I’ve learned that the intended meaning of a sentence can be different, even the absolute opposite, of the literal meaning of the words used. I understand this is called sarcasm. Human: Yes. AI: Give me an example, so I can learn. Human: Well, the phrase ‘Yeah right’ which literally…

I write accessible books. The language is clear, the characters quickly identifiable; two of my three published novels follow the arc of a romantic comedy. I’m aiming to entertain, not win a literary prize, though I do seek to include some passages of reflection and depth. This doesn’t mean that…

There’s a word that recurs in readers’ and critics’ reactions to A Love of Two Halves, my new novel. I expected it, but the frequency of its appearance has prompted a touch of surprise — and much reflection. It is a short and simple word, sometimes intended as a compliment…

When I was in my 20s, my partner and I spent several weeks walking and backpacking, in the woods and the mountains of France, Portugal and, on a separate trip, different regions of South America. The only entertainment media we had were printed books plus the occasional movie in a…

I wanted to delay the decision, and preferably, avoid it. Why? Well, it was difficult, obviously. I tapped on the desk with my pen. I was using a keyboard but I still held a pen in my hand, most of the time. Nerves. I put my sweater back on because…

My dreams wake me To Charlotte I My dreams wake me and a strange but remembered image Will haunt me until the middle of this day So that the world about me seems different Compared with this time yesterday Has everything been slightly tilted, in time or in space? Am…