We Need to Talk About Vulvas

Like most of the world, I’ve been quarantined at home for over two months. I miss a lot of things, including book clubs, writing classes and random Brighton events. Last week, I saw an event by ohne x This is a Vulva and it was exactly the kind of event I’d drag my female friends…

Kink in Quarantine

It wasn’t until the last few years of my twenties that I realised that rough sex is more common than I originally thought. Yes, hair-pulling is a common sexual preference and Pornhub is awash with all manner of synonyms for “BDSM”, but when you know where to look, you’ll find a crowd you had previously…

Oceans

Your voice envelopes me across oceans. Letters on the page transcribe a deeper intimacy and the confidence with which you speak rouses me down the telephone line. And I feel like I’ve known you for years.   Photo by Sithamshu Manoj on Unsplash

Lockdown Life

Eight weeks into a global lockdown there seems to be a shift in people’s mentalities: The first six weeks were characterised by silent roads during Monday morning’s rush hour, empty town centres on Saturday afternoons and quizzes on Friday nights. Now, the traffic on our roads is almost returning to normal, town centres are a…

Feeling Normal in Non-Normal Times

Last month, I wrote about dating during the time of a pandemic. Since then, not much has changed; we’re still all stuck indoors and trying to get our kicks online. But with a lot of time to think, I’ve been considering ways we’re connecting romantically with others. Can we form romantic connections online with people…

A Hopeful Letter – My Response to My Ex

Dear A, What a beautiful, candid letter. A mix of emotions rose up: eyes watering and a smile pinching at my cheeks; thank you for your honesty. I didn’t expect us to get to where we are now so soon. It’s been a rough few months, hasn’t it? Breaking up (unknowingly) just before a global…

Moving Forward; A’s Letter – Guest Blog

With time and after a few tearful phone calls, A and I have reached a stage of calmness, acceptance and positivity. Here’s his recent letter to me (you can read his first one here). As with the previous letter, A has given consent for me to post it on the blog. Dear H, First of…

A’s Love Letter – Guest Blog

*Guest Blog* Last year, when A and I were blissfully happy, I shared this blog with him. It has always been hidden from boyfriends because of the content but I trusted him to read my writing and he promised not to censor anything I wanted to write about. True to his word, he’s said he…

Pop

You don’t like it when I mention the breakup; My words pop the bubble you’ve formed around yourself – like a comfort blanket. No one’s broken up during a global pandemic before; there are no hard-and-fast rules (not that we were subscribing to rules, but some guidance might be nice). We’ve been apart for four…

Entwined

So entwined in each others’ lives we are, that as I was about to head downstairs to talk to you, you came up and asked if we could talk. Our personal D-Day was fast approaching and you felt it was time to take stock and assess our progress. Whilst you felt things were looking better,…