Audio Stories by The Spill
By The Spill
The Spill is a UK-based online publication working exclusively with contributors from marginalised communities. Committed to amplifying the stories of people who have been pushed aside for too long, we want to bring interesting content that matters to us and them: stories about life experiences, culture, arts, politics, the environment, and explorations of the self. You can find all our stories online at www.thespillmag.com
Audio Stories by The SpillSep 06, 2023
‘untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play’: An Interview with Playwright Kimber Lee
“untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play” is at the Young Vic Theatre, London from 18th September to 4th November 2023. Author: The Spill Category: ARTS Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read. For more Arts-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/arts
Sponsored by Young Vic
Pakistani Migrants Always Live on the Lower Deck - Not Just on the Boat
The last few months have been hard on Pakistanis, and the media bias is real. Author: Anmol Irfan Category: LIFE Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read. For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
As a Brown Woman in the UK, I Have Felt Othered Throughout My Whole Dating Life
Between fetishisation and microaggressions, the dating game is even harder for women of colour. Author: Amrit Virdi Category: SELF Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read. For more Self-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/self
Inaccessibility Crushes Community Pride For Disabled People
We are here, we are queer and we are proud. And we deserve accessibility. Author: Hannah Shewan Stevens Category: LIFE Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read. For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
Heartbeats: 5 Minutes with The National Theatre’s River Stage 2023, Hackney Empire’s Young Producers Headliner Kali Claire
The free outdoor festival River Stage has returned to the National Theatre for summer 2023, with the upcoming performance of East London all-round artist Kali Claire. Author: The Spill Category: ARTS Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read. For more Arts-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/arts
Report: Are Clothing Rentals Good News for a Warming Planet?
A closer look at the thriving fashion rental market. Author: The Spill Category: ENVIRONMENT Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read. For more Environment-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/environment
6 Fresh Events to Check Out in England this Spring - Summer
From highly anticipated plays to dance festivals, there are so many events going on in England this season it could be hard to choose. We have chosen six with options for tickets on the cheaper side for arts lovers on a budget.
Author: The Spill
Category: ARTS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Arts-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/arts
From LinkedIn Predators to Real-Life Stalkers - Just Another Week in a Woman’s Life
Six years after #MeToo, has reality truly improved for women?
Author: Shems Rocha
Category: LIFE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
Modern Women Are Defying the Odds to Marry for Reproductive Roles
The ‘self care revolution’ is evolving. From merely being intentional about prioritising one’s own mental, emotional and physical health, it has now moved on to defying the unrealistic gender expectations that deeply tie a woman’s identity to a socially sanctioned establishment: marriage.
Author: Patience Tinotenda Mutsetse
Category: LIFE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
“Pronouncing someone’s name correctly is the first step in showing that you respect them”: An Interview with Dr. Praveen Shanbhag, Founder and CEO of Namecoach
After hearing his sister’s name mispronounced at her college graduation, Dr. Praveen Shanbhag felt compelled to develop Namecoach, an AI-powered company on a mission to solve the common problem of name mispronunciation and gender pronoun communication in the workplace and beyond, while finishing his Ph.D. at Stanford.
Author: The Spill [Sponsored by Namecoach]
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Culture-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
Maybe The Fact That I Stutter Doesn't Matter
As I walk back to my seat with my head hung low, my seatmate says: “I told you not to raise your hand, you know you stutter.” It now occurs to me she had wanted to spare me the embarrassment.
Author: Idayat Jinadu Category: SELF Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read. For more Self-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/self
10 Reasons Why Job Hunting Has Become the New Dating
Being in the job market is a lonely affair, just like searching for the right person.
Author: Chourouk Gorrab
Category: LIFE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Self-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
Misogynoir in The Influencer Economy: When Will Brands Learn to Stop Stealing From Black Women?
Being an influencer has grown to be one of the most coveted careers in the world, with the influencer economy valued at over USD 100 billion in 2022. Yet, its dark sides, from wage gaps to discrimination patterns, remain underexplored - hidden behind fancy red carpets and PR packages.
Author: Oluwatobi Omotoso
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Culture-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
Child, Not Bride
Welcome to Fiction: Exclusive short fiction stories by emerging authors from the global majority and beyond.
"I stood by the window and watched the ceremony unfold. Soon, I was going to be escorted out of the room by the other women. It was the last time I would ever call the room my own. It was the last time I would be a young girl."
Author: Kehinde Mercy
Category: ARTS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Arts-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/arts
Ramadan Reflections: Rejecting the ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Muslim Narratives, and Following My Own Path
Ramadan is here, and it's that time of the year when I feel better connected to who I am as a person and a Muslim woman - but also when additional scrutiny is on the Muslim community.
Author: Chourouk Gorrab
Category: SELF
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Self-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/self
6 Shows That Will Make Your Heart Sing and Your Body Dance This Spring/Summer
From live music to theatre plays and dance shows, there is no shortage of opportunities to experience the joy of performance art. On the plus side, these shows have adapted performances for people with disabilities and impairments.
Author: The Spill
Category: ARTS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Arts-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/arts
Women Are Celebrated This Month, but the Media Has Turned Their Suffering Into a Spectacle
Trigger warning: Murder, sexual assault, rape
Three months into 2023, misogyny and femicides are soaring, and a group of high-profile men is working hard to normalise them.
Author: Michaela Makusha
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
Black Women Aren’t Given Their Flowers On and Off Screen
I discovered this constant exposure to white-only love impacted my perception of romance and race at an impressionable age.
Author: Faridat Musa
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
Sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion: On the Intersectionality of Fashion’s Environmental Problem
The fashion industry needs a reminder that it wouldn’t exist without the labour and creations of marginalised communities, without their culture, fabrics and craftsmanship, and without their literal blood, sweat and tears.
Author: Chourouk Gorrab
Category: ENVIRONMENT
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Environment-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/environment
5 Eco-Friendly Sex Toys and Accessories to Heat Things Up on Valentine's Day
Who said pleasure couldn’t help the planet too?
Author: The Spill
Category: LIFE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
Heartbeats: LEXXE Is Back with Entrancing New Dark-Pop Disco Single "X"
2023 is kicking off with some bangers, including the dark-pop anthem “X”, the latest single from New York-based multidisciplinary artist Alexis Lucena, also known as LEXXE.
Author: The Spill
Category: ARTS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Politics-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/arts
Solidarity with Health Workers: Capitalism Is Killing the NHS
The NHS will never achieve its socialist goals for our health under the cruel hands of capitalism.
Author: Beauty Dhlamini
Category: POLITICS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Politics-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/politics
7 Books We’re Excited to Read in 2023
It’s our favourite time of the year. The time for the editorial team to compile the books we’re looking forward to reading during the next twelve months, whether holed up in bed with a nice cuppa, or sipping mojitos on a beach somewhere warm. Here are seven books on our radar in 2023.
Author: The Spill
Category: ARTS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Arts-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/arts
Real Talk: Powering through my Hormonal Imbalance and Making Sense of my Body
Welcome to Real Talk, where we discuss all things identity, body, and sex care without shame or filter. No taboos, no clichés, just real-life experiences so you won’t feel alone. We’re all in this together. In this piece, Shems Rocha shares her journey with hormonal imbalance and sexual energy rise one Summer.
Author: Shems Rocha
Category: SELF
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Self-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/self
Why We Need Spaces to Discuss Disabled Joy in All Its Complexity Rather than Inspiration
Patronising stereotypes. Sob stories. Homogenous representations of disability. Inspiration porn. Sadly, all these tropes will be familiar to disabled people, who so rarely get authentic, nuanced representation.
Author: Elspeth Wilson
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Culture-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
A Letter From the Founders: Let 2023 Be a Nourishing One
A personal note from our founders on the year just passed and what's yet to come
Author: Jennifer Hakim and Chourouk Gorrab
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Culture-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
From the Barbican to the Young Vic: 7 Events to Catch this Winter if You're in London
Spending the holidays in London and looking for something great to do? Here are 7 events we highly recommend this Winter.
Author: The Spill
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Culture-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
5 Charities to Help You Gift Differently This Christmas, and Help People in Need
Are you tired of buying new stuff, and mindlessly gifting for Christmas? We’ve got you. If you're looking for a way to give back this year, and contribute to something good, these charities could really use your help.
Author: The Spill
Category: LIFE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
Nobody Wants to Hire Me Now that I’ve Gone Public about my Depression
DEI is a mere buzzword in the average organisation because it excludes people with disabilities
Author: Mahevash Shaikh
Category: LIFE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
Spotify and Chill: 5 Reasons to Get Excited about Podcasts Again in 2023
These podcasts have something to say, and we’ve been listening to them non-stop.
Author: The Spill
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Culture-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
How to Navigate Climate Change During a Cost-of-living Crisis: What It Really Means to Live Sustainably
6 things you can actually do at home that are better for your health, your wallet, and the environment
Author: The Spill
Category: ENVIRONMENT
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Environment-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/environment
If you think bullying is just a Western problem, think again
American shows and films marked my childhood. A recurring theme in most of them was bullying, so I grew up believing that bullying was a serious problem for children in the West - and only in the West. TW: This article contains mentions of bullying, suicide.
Author: Aisha Kabiru Mohammed
Category: LIFE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
What Does Self-Love Actually Mean? On Pleasuring Myself and Learning to Be More in Tune with my Body
As I pushed the limits of my body I realised self-love is a practice that can pay off in more ways than one.
Author: Shems Rocha
Category: SELF
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Arts-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/self
Heartbeats: How I Coped with my Long Distance Relationship through Late-Night Album Listening Parties
This week, my boyfriend and I celebrated our anniversary; we met three muddy years ago at a festival in Oxfordshire. It’s a tale I’m quite smug about: besides the odd fling during my school days, I’d never met someone in person before and had it stick.
Author: Eleanor Noyce
Category: ARTS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Arts-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/arts
The Colour of Madness: Exploring the Experiences of People of Colour’s Mental Health in the UK
In ‘The Colour of Madness: Exploring BAME Mental Health in the UK’, a ground-breaking collection of memoirs, essays, poetry, short fiction and artwork, Rianna Walcott and Dr Samara Linton share and amplify the voices of people of colour and their experiences with mental health - particularly those who have been touched by medical inequalities in the UK. This interview with Rianna Walcott was recorded on 7th October 2022.
Author: Jennifer Hakim
Category: ARTS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Arts-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/arts
Recognising the Trauma African Daughters Encounter in Families Privileging the Lives of their Sons
In Nervous Conditions, the debut groundbreaking novel of Zimbabwean feminist writer Tsitsi Dangarembga, the narrator Tambu opens with a rather shocking statement that guides most of the story.
Author: Angel Nduka-Nwosu
Category: LIFE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
6 Awesome London Events that Will Get You Out of the House this Autumn
Film screenings, plays, comedy clubs workshops. Time to pause your hibernation plans because London has something for everyone this season.
Author: The Spill
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Self-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
Reigniting the Fire in my Kitchen: How I Reclaimed my Love for Cooking as a Disabled Woman
I’ve inherited my shaking hands from my mother. It accounts for both of our clumsiness. When I lived at home, I was protective of her, ever conscious of her aloneness, burdening myself with worry.
Author: Hannah Turner
Category: SELF
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Self-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/self
It’s time we have a serious conversation about the royal family, and their role in upholding colonial violence
Objectively, it is sad when anyone dies. And when it comes to Queen Elizabeth II, it is understood that she meant a lot to many, a constant in the national psyche for a lot of people, and with a large family who will probably miss her dearly.
Author: Michaela Makusha
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Culture-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
Battle Scars & Blossoms: A Journey Through the Mind With Micah Dawanyi
Mental health is a universal theme, yet not often incorporated into the stories of characters of colour in fiction - but Micah Dawanyi’s second book may help break the stigma.
Author: Jennifer Hakim
Category: ARTS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/arts
In Defence Of Letting Some Friendships Go and Putting Yourself First
Sometimes, the best way to love someone is to let them go. And sometimes, the best way to love yourself is a clean and final friendship breakup.
Author: Jennifer Hakim
Category: LIFE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
Dear Trade Unions: Could We Include Menstrual Leave in the Fight for Workers' Rights, or Is It Too Much to Ask?
Never have we needed trade unions more to protect our sexual and reproductive health rights.
Author: Beauty Dhlamini
Category: POLITICS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/politics
Goodbye Hustle Culture, Hello Anti-Ambition: Why This Cultural Shift Is Here To Stay
Setting aside the pandemic as a motivator for embracing the rising culture of anti-ambition, a shift in society’s relationship with ambition was already rising.
Author: Hannah Shewan Stevens
Category: LIFE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Life-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/life
What Would Beyoncé Do? How Bey Inspired Me To Wear Blonde Hair Extensions - And Trust My Own Gut
Seeing Beyoncé give the middle finger to the assumption Black women can't wear blonde hair was an awakening
Author: Mide Olabanji
Category: SELF
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Politics-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/self
Rishi Sunak’s NHS No-Show Fines Are a Direct Attack on Disabled People
I’m lying in bed recovering from a migraine when I receive a WhatsApp from my fellow disabled pal Cath. “Want some ableist rage?” she asks. With the message, she’d attached a link to a tweet from one of the candidates to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Ministerial hopeful Rishi Sunak, revealing that if he won, he would fine people £10 for missing GP and hospital appointments.
Author: Rachel Charlton-Dailey
Category: POLITICS
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Politics-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/politics
As Is: Acting in an LGBTI Play with Fellow LGBTI Actors, I Found Trans Joy, Community and Catharsis
As a trans person, my recent experience of being in a play with a trans writer, director and mostly trans and non-binary cast had a profound impact on me - and proved once again why authentic representation in performing arts is so important.
Author: Len Lukowski
Category: SELF
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Self-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/self
On Finding the Essence of Self-Reflection: How I Stopped Being Mean to My Inner Child
It’s so easy to live for other people that we sometimes forget to live for ourselves. This was me until a few months ago, living according to the goals and standards set by my family and society at large.
Author: Lynda Ndubuaku
Category: SELF
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Self-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/self
In a Relationship, I Just Want to Be Seen – And That’s Not Something You Can Teach or Randomly Fetch on a Dating App
When I was 20, I met my first love. Our relationship was by no means perfect – in fact, there were so many red flags, but I could barely see them. I stayed for longer than I should have because there was one thing about us that I couldn’t shake, and which I continued to miss for a long time after we broke up: I felt seen.
Author: Michele Theil
Category: SELF
Listen to the full story, or read it online- also available in Easy Read.
For more Self-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/self
Stranger Things Has Widened the Conversation about Music’s Healing Powers for Trauma - With a Little Help from New Gen Z Icon Kate Bush
After a three-year hiatus, Season 4 of Stranger Things is finally here - with the two last episodes of the season released only a few days ago.
This article contains Stranger Things season 3 and 4 spoilers.
Author: Eleanor Noyce
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online- also available in Easy Read.
For more Culture-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture
A Selection of 7 Must-Watch at The London Indian Film Festival
The London Indian Film Festival (LIFF) kicked off on 24 June and I’ve had a very hard time figuring out my favourites to watch. While I haven’t been able to attend and watch them all, here are some to catch before it ends.
Author: Chourouk Gorrab
Category: CULTURE
Listen to the full story, or read it online - also available in Easy Read.
For more Arts-related stories, head to https://www.thespillmag.com/culture