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The Usefulness of Pessimism

John Gray argues that pessimism can be a force for change.

• 9 mins

Dearly Beloved

Will Self ponders the contemporary power of the sermon.

• 9 mins

Taking Time

Michael Morpurgo takes us on a frosty walk near his home in Devon.

• 9 mins

A Lump of Coal and a Black Bun

Alex Massie on the changing face of a Scottish New Year.

• 9 mins

A Plate of Pfeffernusse

Zoe Strimpel on sugar's extraordinary power to bind generations.

• 9 mins

In the Grey Zone

Mark Damazer on how we judge our political masters.

• 9 mins

Identity and Theft

The theft of her backpack gets AL Kennedy thinking about questions of identity and loss.

• 9 mins

I See No Ships

Stephen Smith asks what's to become of Britain's naval tradition.

• 9 mins

On Ritual

Sara Wheeler ponders the value of ritual and its role in improving character and society.

• 9 mins

Why is my handwriting so bad?

Tom Shakespeare ponders the demise of his handwriting.

• 9 mins

Down the Rabbit Hole

Rebecca Stott reflects on what's to be gained by going 'down the rabbit hole'.

• 9 mins

The Carnival Is Over

Howard Jacobson on the liberation of laughter and a world turned upside down.

• 9 mins

The Death and Life of Modern Martyrs

Sarah Dunant on Alexei Navalny and the creation of a modern martyr.

• 9 mins

Peak Envy

Will Self reflects on an 'epidemic' of envy.

• 9 mins

Michael & Tony & Me

Adam Gopnik warns of our tendency to normalise evil behaviour.

• 9 mins

Trump's Second Coming

John Gray accuses US liberals of displaying a 'reckless hubris' in the election campaign.

• 9 mins

Work Work Work

AL Kennedy on taking on her workaholism.

• 9 mins

Motherland

Zoe Strimpel on crossing the rubicon into motherhood.

• 9 mins

It's all right for you

Sara Wheeler reflects on being a sibling to her brother who has a lifelong disability.

• 9 mins

On Anger

Caleb Azumah Nelson on why anger is no longer a stranger to him, but a friend.

• 9 mins

Me and my medical data

Will Self with a very personal take on the rise of medical records apps.

• 9 mins

Protagonists of Reality

Megan Nolan on New York as the Main Character Syndrome capital of the world.

• 9 mins

Apple Days

Rebecca Stott on her quest for a decent-tasting apple.

• 9 mins

A Clean Break

Tom Shakespeare calls for new thinking to fix the current crisis in our prisons.

• 9 mins

Permanently Restless

Sara Wheeler ponders whether holidays ever really deliver the escape that we yearn for.

• 9 mins

Orwell on the Campaign Trail

Mark Damazer on elections and the tricky business of political language.

• 9 mins

It's Me or the Lamborghini

Howard Jacobson ponders why men suddenly want to read about love.

• 9 mins

On Fandom

Zoe Strimpel reflects on the rise and rise of the superfan.

• 9 mins

Beyond Bricks and Mortar

Megan Nolan on why she's well suited to the insecurity of her generation's housing crisis.

• 9 mins

The Stuff of Museums

Mary Beard on the function of museums and the thorny issue of what should be in them.

• 9 mins