Hi Everyone!
Although the photo might suggest otherwise, I don’t own a ginger cat. He belongs to my neighbour but loves to hang out with us, including sitting on my keyboard when I’m trying to write.
Writing Process
Speaking of writing… I love putting pen to paper. Quite literally, in fact, because I tend to write a lot of my content in notebooks before the words ever make it onto my computer screen. For me, writing by hand feels more intimate.
When I was completing my PhD in Victorian Literature – which feels like a lifetime ago now – I used to joke that my entire thesis (all 87,000 words of it) had, at one point, been handwritten.
Needless to say, I own various notebooks containing everything from snippets of ideas to full pieces of short fiction. Some of it even gets published online; at least, it does when I have the time!
Creative Non-fiction
Here are links to some of my creative non-fiction:
- “On Writing” is a piece I composed about the act of writing and what the process sparks within me.
- “Letter to Mother” is a deeply personal memoir piece about navigating difficult mother-daughter relationships.
- “A Somali Girl’s Small Act of Kindness” is written from the perspective of Bilan, a young girl who grew up in Somalia. It is inspired by a story my friend Safia told me about a girl she knew growing up, which I didn’t have space to include in her AW80W article.
- “Confession of a Wolf-Biter” is a short exploration of my battle with compulsive behaviour and mental health struggles.
Culture, Feminism, and Politics
I also enjoy writing about current issues, so here are links to articles that fall in this category:
- “Glass Walls are the New Glass Ceiling for Women in Politics” was partly inspired by my interview with Kateryna for her AW80W article (Ukraine). It discusses the barriers women face when striving to pursue a career in politics.
- “War Stories of Women and Girls from Ukraine: Part One” presents various accounts of women and girls navigating the invasion of Russian troops in February 2022.
- “How I’m Up-Levelling My Feminist Game” discusses the ways I’m trying to become a better feminist.
- “How I Read 70+ Books in 2024” provides useful tips for anyone looking to read more in 2025
Prose and Poetry
More recently, I’ve been dabbling in creative writing on Medium, including poetry and flash fiction:
- “River Haiku” is a tiny poem that explores the wisdom of nature.
- “Museum of Their Lives” is a piece of flash fiction about a woman glancing at items in her attic, yet the story has an unnerving twist.
What Will Your Story Look Like?
As always, I encourage women to contact me to share their stories. Respect and tolerance are important to me, so the term ’women’ is used in its most inclusive sense.
I’d love to hear your story so don’t hesitate to email me at AW80W.project@gmail.com or use the contact form on this website.
I particularly encourage those from underrepresented or marginalised groups to take part. As many diverse voices as possible need to be heard.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Take care,
Rachel 🙂
