arts byMark Fisher


Books What We Did on our Holidays Felicity McCall Out now, Colmcille Press Ten short stories by the former NUJ Irish executive council member (and the first woman to be co-chair), sometime BBC broadcaster and prolific playwright. The Derry and North West branch member brings us tales of a bereaved mother, a seaside holiday and post-conflict city streets.


The Othered Woman Shahed Ezaydi March 20, Pluto The writer and editor argues that


In depth Punk: on the spot in Liverpool


Penny Kiley was a journalist in the right place at the right time. In 1976, she arrived at the University of Liverpool to study English. At the start of her second term, she made her first visit to Eric’s, the backstreet club synonymous with the city’s punk scene. She was hooked – on the music, on the atmosphere, on Liverpool itself. “I don’t think it’s


hindsight or nostalgia – Eric’s was a very special place,” says Kiley, who would rub shoulders with such future stars as Pete Wylie (a fellow student), Julian Cope, Ian McCulloch (pictured), Bill Drummond and Pete Burns. “I was so privileged.” In 1979, she filed her first review for Melody


20 | theJournalist


Maker. “It was a great time to be doing it because there was so much going on, so I got plenty of work,” she says. Now an NUJ activist and


member of Oxford branch, she has written a memoir, Atypical Girl, that looks back to a thrilling musical moment as well as trying to make sense of her own late-diagnosed autism. “There are already a lot


of books that are just about Liverpool music, so it turned into more of a personal story. It’s my perspective on the scene I was part of,” she says. “There are a lot of


autism memoirs where people tell you what a terrible time they’ve had in their life and I didn’t want to write a misery memoir. I wanted it to be entertaining.”


She adds: “I wrote it as


testimony, because women’s voices need to be heard, particularly those who are working in traditionally male environments such as the music business.” Written in the crisp,


lively prose that befits a winner of a Plain English Campaign award, the book is a reminder of the hard work involved in sustaining a career in freelance journalism (“I never made any money”). It was also a fresh


challenge for Kiley, schooled in short-form journalism, to write at length: “It was creatively very satisfying because it was difficult. I was learning new things all the time.” Atypical Girl, Penny Kiley, Birlinn, March 5


Films Breaking Social General release From March 6 A global view of corruption and kleptocracy making links between the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta and a river without water in Chile, Fredrik Gertten’s film considers ways to rebuild society after the injustices of the past.


Islamophobia has excluded Muslim women from feminist conversations. Subtitled ‘How white feminism harms Muslim women’, her book aims to upturn myths about victimhood and oppression.


Comedy Sam Nicoresti: Baby Doomer On tour until March 20 Winner of the 2025 Edinburgh Comedy Award, Nicoresti uncovers universal truths in the queer experience and scores big mainstream laughs out of touchy subjects such as misgendering, trans role models and buying clothes that fit.


Exhibitions Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2026 The Photographers’ Gallery, London March 6–June 7 The prize for artists who have made a significant contribution to photography over the past 12 months showcases the work of Jane Evelyn Atwood, Weronika Gęsicka, Amak Mahmoodian and Rene Matić. Their images deal with gender, fake news, exile and lives shaped by politics.


30-year career has put marginalised people in focus, while raising questions about politics, identity and power.


Events Storyhouse Women Storyhouse, Chester March 3–7 A week of events celebrating women and girls, with a view to creating a more equitable world. The programme includes a discussion about misogyny in sport and a comedy night starring Mel Owen and members of the Token comedy collective.


Catherine Opie: To Be Seen National Portrait Gallery, London March 5–May 31 First major exhibition in the UK of the American photographer whose


Kitchen Revolution Barbican, London March 31–April 1 Journalists Carole Cadwalladr and John Sackur are guests at this evening of dinner and debate organised by Belarus Free Theatre, the dissident company living in exile in London. It is inspired by kitchen discussions about art and politics in the old Soviet Union.


Orwell: 2+2=5 General release From March 27 Director Raoul Peck pays homage to


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