Why the current state of X is probably giving writers space to breathe

& Barack Obama's book faves, Durham Book Festival, Journo Resources fellowship, & talking to Media Minister

My dear wordsmiths,

Hello if you are new here - please subscribe and like - it means the world and it’s free. Lovely to meet you! A brief one this week as, honestly, your girl is tired.

How many words have you written this week? Or have you, like me, doom-scrolled aimlessly and at huge detriment to one’s mental health through piles of trash on a variety of social media platforms? If the latter sounds familiar, I’m not judging, as I’m guilty myself of using media as a prop when I’m not working. As a journalist I’m literally trained not to miss anything so we generally have attention spans of caffeinated gnats. When applied to social this is both useful and harmful - though I have to say it’s veered toward the latter in recent times.

I used to love Twitter, now X, in particular You could choose who to follow, pick accounts of mutual interest (writers) and then actually see what they are posting. Sadly that’s no longer the case and we are inflicted with the un fact-checked opinions and random rantings/painful soliloquys from those chosen by the platform’s owner - but mainly it’s just Elon Musk forcing himself into the feed via his own questionable agenda-fuelled algorithm. It’s tedious but hard to detach from a platform which used to be so good and helpful for both journalists and for authors to build a brand. There are alternatives - including right here - but for many of us our larger follower count is still X.

But I’m just not turning to it anymore which is a good thing. Slowly I can feel the feeling coming back into my writing fingers as I give myself space from X. It’s like giving up junk food - suddenly I can taste again - and think.

Is it just time to look away - and breathe?

News, events and opportunities

Journalism:

Journo Resources fellowship: Open to anyone who's just about to start a career in journalism and includes a paid commission, the support of both a professional editor and a separate dedicated mentor, and training. This a scheme for anyone looking to break into the journalism industry; there's no age cut-off and they are particularly keen to hear from people from underrepresented or marginalised backgrounds. Those on the scheme will receive a paid commission for our website and the support of a professional editor to make it the best it can be. You'll also be matched with a dedicated mentor and take part in six bespoke training sessions.

Impact of BBC on local journalism in UK: This week I was in Yorkshire to talk to Media Minister Stephanie Peacock following the coverage of riots in local communities. Issues on the agenda included trusted journalism and the impact of the BBC expanded local journalism on regional news in the future. My colleague Chris Burn at Yorkshire Post wrote this. You may also be interested to read this from The Times.

Books and writing:

Durham Books Festival: Booker Prize-winning authors, local writers and international best-sellers are all on the line-up of a city's literary festival. Durham Book Festival will take place between 10 and 13 October with authors including Helen Fielding, Jodi Picoult and Rebecca F. Kuang, the author of Yellowface. Highlights include an exclusive reading from the latest novel of the acclaimed Durham author, Pat Barker CBE, and Sunderland-born author Terry Deary – of Horrible Histories fame – discusses his first history book for adults.

LISTEN TO BOOKY PODCAST

Barack Obama gets literary: Former US president Barack Obama has released his summer reading list for 2024, an annual tradition he began in 2015 when he was still in the White House. Talking on Instagram and X he said: “I’ve read some great books over the last few months and wanted to share some of my favourites. Let me know if you have any recommendations for books I should check out!”. Among the titles Obama picked are the Booker Prize longlisted Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel, and The Ministry of Time by British debut author Kaliane Bradley, James by Percival Everett, also longlisted for the Booker Prize and Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman, a book chronicling the lives of warehouse workers.

Hope those are useful! Happy wordsmithing! Nx