The multicultural, empathetic and modern, everywhere, is under attack in a newly racist and fascist world. But is it really new and can it change? Read the article in full for the answers.
“I’m with Oscar when he posits, “the truth is rarely pure and never simple.” Wilde! Not at all how a lot of folk, including famous philosophers, view truth – as the single unimpeachable edict on which we must build our world. Yet, the witty Irishman was, as always, spot on. The multiplicity of our planet makes undiluted, uncomplicated truth impossible, begging the terribly modern question of “whose truth?” There’s never just one side to a story, you see, though one of the numerous versions taking wing might brush closest to its empirical moorings…”
Please click here to read the essay in full
“…Amidst all this, there’s never a good time to unwind and reset, but don’t we ALL need a break? WH Davies said it best, “What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?” I rather plenty of shut-eye instead but the principle stands. Yet, what really is a break?”
Please click here to read the column in full
Over Christmas 2024, a British and a South African professor from the University of Durham (est.1832) and the University of Bath, discovered Shreya’s debut book ‘Memoirs of My Body’ (HarperCollins 2017) and decided to devote a whole episode of their Feminist Sports Lab book club vodcast to its exploration.
Professor Stephen Mumford, Head of Philosophy at Durham University, and Dr Sheree Bekker, Professor in the Department for Health at the University of Bath, authors of several successful books, talk about Shreya’s first book and its “incredible feminist writing” in an insightful, easy yet scholarly conversation. In their introduction to their discussion of the book, they have said:
“In this episode of FSL Book Club, Sheree Bekker and Stephen Mumford dive into Shreya Sen-Handley’s bold and evocative book, Memoirs of My Body. They discuss how this deeply personal memoir explores themes of identity, self-expression, and the evolving relationship we have with our bodies. Through candid storytelling and cultural critique, Sen-Handley’s work challenges societal norms and celebrates the power of self-acceptance. Sheree and Stephen reflect on the book’s impact, sharing their own insights on its relevance to body image, autonomy, and liberation. If you’re curious about the intersections of culture, feminism, and personal growth, this conversation is for you.”
One reader from the US had this to say about it: “”I really enjoyed her piece. She captured a dynamic that is very much related to the United States non-apology, non-reparations for slavery and for Native decimation. And her conclusion was beautifully bloodless. Wrestling with the past and not getting dragged down yourself in a victim-spiral is not easy. She seems to have her head on straight and now she can continue to get her peaceful revenge!”
Another one from India stated, “Extraordinary article! Monte Cristo has been my inspiration for as long as I can remember: I actually consider it the bible for the wronged, the finest revenge manual ever written. I am entirely with you, there’s nothing quite like revenge, the getting even in a soul-satisfying way. All this ‘sorry’ nonsense, and forgiveness bla is for wimps.”
Please click here to read the article
Image: E.T. or the author??
“The bus trip from Nottingham to London had taken many long hours more than I’d expected and I desperately needed the bathroom as soon as we got to the British royal residence. Vaguely waved towards a corridor, I dived in through the first door I suspected led to a toilet, to find myself in a time warp…”
Please click here to read the article in full.
Image: From The British Media, the author can be seen in the front row, with The Queen at the centre
Please click here to read the article in full.
Pic: Shreya, at the time of her Higher Secondary/A-Level-equivalent exams in India, looking like it was causing her an exam nightmare or twenty!
Please click on play to watch this 25-second HarperCollins video on the British media attention garnered by Shreya Sen-Handley’s third book ‘Handle With Care’ being presented to The Queen at Clarence House for Britain’s biggest literacy charity, the National Literacy Trust’s 30th anniversary. ‘Handle With Care’ (HarperCollins 2022) was selected from the many reader favourites nominated from across Britain for this special occasion.
Images with The Queen at Clarence House and in front of a rainswept Buckingham Palace from British media and NLT colleague
“Pussycat, pussycat where have you been? I’ve been to London to see The Queen. Pussycat, pussycat, what did you there?”
Shreya and her schoolgirl daughter were invited, in recognition of their efforts to encourage literacy in Britain, along with select Literacy Champions, to meet The Queen in London, to celebrate the National Literacy Trust’s 30th anniversary.
Shreya’s third book, ‘Handle With Care’ (HarperCollins 2022), was presented to The Queen at the celebration, selected from the many books nominated as ‘reader favourites’ from across Britain.
A wonderful royal adventure, with fab people, dampened only by the incessant rain (hence the waterproofs of the second photo)!
Shreya is also the author of award-winning ‘Memoirs of My Body’ (HarperCollins, 2017), short story collection ‘Strange’ (HarperCollins, 2019), and travelogue ‘Handle With Care’ (HarperCollins, 2022).
Please watch this space for further details!
Image: by Olivia Rose Barns at 200-year old Bromley House Library, for Nottingham Trent University and Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature
Shreya Sen-Handley 