Thursday, March 20, 2025

Profiles

Samantha Shannon: ‘My mantra with the series is ‘Don’t be afraid to take big risks’ and so far, I’ve stuck to it’

Samantha Shannon is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, and an alumnus of St Anne’s College, Oxford. She is the author of two ongoing fantasy series:...

Ever wondered about the man singing on Cornmarket Street? Meet Richard

CW: Drug or alcohol abuse You may not know him by name, but you’ve definitely...

Adam Leslie: ‘It felt like an ongoing adventure with characters I knew. That’s when writing became a language of its own’

Adam Leslie has always wandered among stories – daydreaming them, curating them, and now...

Student Spotlight: swap shops, self-defence classes and mutual aid with Cowley Community Closet

Cowley Community Closet is a self-described, “sustainable, anti-capitalist, queer-run collective”, founded by students Delphi,...

“Everywhere we go, we ask: ‘What are the dominant narratives about the city? And what are they hiding?”

I’ve walked past the Clarendon Building on Broad Street many times – but I’d never thought to ask what it had been used for...

“If you want to understand the mess we’re in today, you need to know some history.”

Eugene Rogan, a historian of the Middle East and fellow of St. Anthony’s College is a tutor I feel slightly in awe of: charismatic...

Seeking asylum from Myanmar: an interview with Jack Sanga

He was a student when Myanmar's military launched a coup against its sitting government in 2021 and has since had to flee after protesting against...

“Poetry is political because it’s so immediate.”

In search of localised wisdom, Cherwell spoke to one of Oxford’s own. Poetry sensation, Birmingham Young Poet Laureate (2018-20), Foyle Young Poet of the...

You see that Cherwell interview? That’s your mum, that is.

David Baddiel gets asked a lot of questions. And, often, they’re all versions of each other: what was it like being the first comic...

“What you’re seeing is a distillation of millions of person hours into a two hour movie.” 

Have you ever wondered how James Bond jumps out of an aeroplane? How Interstellar’s astronaut Cooper enters a black hole? How Rocky rides the...

Wizardry, canal boats, and the Vicky Arms

“It’ll be a fucking feast,” Mother Catweazle declares. Strapping in for the second Catweazle Club of February, Common Ground is abuzz with anticipation.  Streams of...

“To know how somebody really feels about you, ignore everything they say. Look at how they touch you.”

Robin Dunbar is Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of Oxford, famous for his research on social networks and friendships. He is...

Spotlight: The Gatehouse’s Community Café

The Gatehouse must be one of the only social enterprises in Oxford where an upsurge in usage is not necessarily a good thing. Since...

In conversation with Chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, Laura Marks CBE

Today marks 79 years since the liberation of the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Since 2001, on this day, there has been an international commemoration of...

On scouring for words, snollygosters and soaked trousers with Mark Forsyth

If you could hear my bursts of laughter through the hallways of the Glink in the summer of ‘23, I apologise. But all credits...

Adidas, Auden, and the author: on Zoom with Mark Ford

The emails I exchanged with Mark Ford had the paw prints of a poet: frequent ellipses and the sparing sign-off ‘M’, like our interview,...

“Don’t be in such a hurry. Enjoy the world.”

Kate Ewart-Biggs’ mission with the British Council is to build lasting connections between the UK and other countries through arts and language. Coming from...

Quickfire with Martha Lane Fox

Martha Lane Fox studied at Magdalen College. She co-founded lastminute.com with Brent Hoberman in 1998, offering late holiday deals online, and was a pioneer...

“There is always light and shadow, when viewing the history of a family, the history of a country”: In conversation with Georg Friedrich, Prince of...

Freddie Evans interviews Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, about the history of the House of Hohenzollern and its role in Germany today, his support...

“Comedy is humanity’s highest art form”: In Conversation With David Mitchell

Freddie Evans and Sophie Magalhaes interview David Mitchell about the enduring appeal of “Peep Show”, insights into panel shows and improvisation, his new book...

“I’m a Black lesbian feminist woman, who is absolutely in support and stands in solidarity with my trans siblings.”: In conversation with founder of...

Lady Phyll is a British political activist who advocates for racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ equality. She is a co-founder of UK Black Pride, a...

From War to Freedom: In conversation with an Ukrainian refugee

Aleksandr is from Kharkiv Oblast’ in Ukraine. When the war broke out, he and his family drove all the way from Ukraine to England,...

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