Latest Reflections
9 ways men dominated the 2025 Grammys
Luba Kassova | February 06, 2025
Anyone following the news coverage of the Grammys ahead of Sunday’s ceremony cannot fail to have noticed the extraordinary focus on Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and other female artists who led the nominations for...
The Gift by Edith Eger: A blueprint for remaining free in an increasingly authoritarian world
Luba Kassova | January 21, 2025
When your heart aches at the cacophony of hawkish voices that surround you, inciting widespread fear that leads to social apathy or political capitulation, what do you do? You turn to masters of survival for advice. One such master is the giant that is...
How our bias to favour those who look like us results in unfair journalism
Luba Kassova | December 18, 2024
There are some articles you read that you simply cannot get out of your head. You really try to… but no. This commentary by Jonathan Freedland about the unfathomable overlooked suffering in Sudan is one of them. It’s been haunting me for...
Ageing with acceptance of what was, what is and what will be
Luba Kassova | December 17, 2024
No, the reflection doesn’t lie. I have looked better in the past. The mirror installation in Manchester City centre reminding us that we have looked better made me laugh. It is funny because it is true. Imagine all the drunk people day...
Do you know what women’s deepest fantasies are? Read Want.
Luba Kassova | September 27, 2024
Wow! I just finished reading Gillian Anderson’s Want, which is a compilation of anonymous essays written by women, describing their deepest sexual desires and fantasies, often previously never shared with anyone. Oh my, are they deep indeed…...
Should we follow the wisdom of the crowds or critics? How to choose your next book.
Luba Kassova | August 30, 2024
There are numerous best book lists knocking about to help us decide what to read next. The New York Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian/Observer, The Telegraph, The Booker Prizes, Faber & Faber, Penguin, and many others frequently push out book...
Why does the feeling of being at fault travel so easily between generations of women
Luba Kassova | August 14, 2024
My heart is gripped listening to Gracie Abrams’ song Unsteady from her 2023 Good Riddance album. “…I should be cool, but I panic Out of the blue and I end up on the ground Weaker all around.” ...
Learn from Ronaldo… cry “like a little girl”
Luba Kassova | July 11, 2024
A lot has been said recently about Cristiano Ronaldo breaking down in inconsolable tears after missing a penalty, following a disappointingly mediocre performance during his country’s game against Slovenia at the Euros. And it’s been not all...
Ten tips for engaging Gen Z in general election news coverage
Luba Kassova | June 19, 2024
A few days ago, my 13-year-old son was reading The Week, a weekly news round up magazine, when, after spending less than half an hour with it, he closed it ceremoniously and proclaimed that he was done. “The only articles left are the boring politics...
The quietly raging war inside me
Luba Kassova | May 26, 2024
Inside me there is a war quietly raging. A war between a dictator and a loving rebel. The dictator is sitting on a heavy oak throne. He was born many generations ago and his raison d’être is to “protect me”. But he holds me captive...