2020 has been challenging for any number of reasons, but we cannot be any more proud of how our community and our Contributors pulled together to keep the website fresh and delivered exciting, engaging and thought-provoking content for everyone to enjoy.
Here are just 10 of the best pieces published over the course of this year! How many have you read? Were there others you think we missed off the list? Let us know in the comments!
The New Vic: Establishing community through the power of theatre
Author: Sadhana Nayaranan
Sadhana explores the historic nature of the New Vic theatre, and how it is rooted in the community. Interviewing everyone from the Artistic Director to a member of the local community, Sadhana weaved together a narrative of where the theatre came from and where it hopes to be going. It also had an accompanying podcast that provided additional details that didn’t make it into the article – so do give it a listen!
Image: David Hughes, Moonbrushed Media
Sleeping Beauties: British theatres have been left to rot
Author: Maddie Drury
In this excellently researched piece, Maddie walks us through the fight two communities are undertaking to save their local theatres. Both Doncaster’s Grand Theatre and Streatham Hill Theatre fell victim to the meteoric rise of Bingo halls, but once the daubing craze died these historic buildings were left to rot.
Image: Margaret Herbert
The continued effect of Covid-19 on the homeless population
Author: Saskia Calliste
Homelessness is never an easy experience, and the people who find themselves without permanent accommodation are often misunderstood and lacking in support. Thankfully efforts were made during the first lockdown to try and get homeless people into accommodation, but that support soon dropped off once lockdown was lifted. Assistant editor Saskia took a look at the situation and explored how the lifting of the eviction ban was only going to exacerbate this crisis.
Creating at home: How Voice Contributors are occupying their time in isolation
Author: Voice Contributor Collaborations
The Voice Contributors are a creative bunch even when the world hasn't come to a complete stand-still. During the first national lockdown – and knowing they had a lot of extra time we were curious to see what they had been getting up to. The results speak for themselves!
Image: Charlotte Hooker
The nursing shortage: ‘I could earn more at Aldi’
Author: Maddie Drury
With two young children, the story of full-time nurse Beverley Penman having to resort to a food bank was all over the press. Despite keeping the country alive, Beverley was struggling to keep her family life from crumbling, and her story isn't unique. How did we get here, and how can we fix it?
Image: Maddie Drury
Will Covid-19 affect attitudes to immigration?
Author: Oluwatayo Adewole
Covid-19 has been transformative to so much of the world as we know it, with everything having to rapidly pivot to accommodate. Tayo wanted to investigate whether or not this societal shift would extend to Britain becoming more accepting and tolerant towards immigration. If history truly repeats itself, then it’s not looking positive...
Image: Uk Border Agency
Black Lives Matter
Author: Tom Inniss
Countries throughout the world were ablaze this summer over the murder of George Floyd. Shock and outrage reached even the most unlikeliest corners of the world to show solidarity for the BLM movement. For some of us however, the murder of George Floyd was just another day in the life of being black. Editor Tom Inniss gets real about the struggle of the black community. He outlines societies blatant failings towards black people and why he was not as horrified by the events that took place as much as he was disappointed that hardly anything has changed since the 1960s.
Image: n/a
Gender exclusivity at Reading and Leeds is the tip of the iceberg for the music industry
Author: Rosa Todd
Reading and Leeds Festival – along with pretty much everything else – was eventually cancelled as a result of Covid-19, but fans were upset even before that announcement because of the line-up. But, rather than upset at who was playing, they were annoyed by who wasn’t. Of the 91 acts announced to be performing at the festival in August, only 20 include a woman, with only three of these acts playing on the main stage, and this wasn’t an isolated problem in the industry.
Image: Rich Jones
Sharing genetic data: Henrietta Lacks and the question of informed consent
Author: Rosie Doyle
In 1951 Henrietta Lacks unknowingly donated her cells to cancer research, unaware that they would both save lives and provoke fierce debate over what constitutes ethical medical research. Rosie explored the history of this fascinating story, and questions who owns the right to their genetic information.
Image: National Cancer Institute onUnsplash
Music — An industry built on bullying
Author: Chris Hill
In this brutally honest and emotionally raw piece, Chris details his harrowing reality of bullying, peer-pressure and self-admonishment within the music industry. It is not an easy read, and there are trigger warnings in place for harassment, sexual harassment and assault, and suicide. If you are able to read it though, it ends on a positive call for more love and support for one another – something I think we could all agree is needed more now than ever.
Image: cottonbro
Add to your reading list
We know this article is meant to be a Top 10 piece, but we have genuinely had such a fantastic year, with such incredible creativity and diversity, it would be doing everyone a disservice if we didn’t flag some of these other excellent posts from across 2020. If you have read everything on this list then give yourself a gold star – you’re obviously a Voice superfan!
How to navigate creative careers during a pandemic
I used Twitter’s API to find out what people thought of LNOP’s new Jerusalem
Mythbusting: The climate crisis
On the frontlines: talking to a NHS doctor
Racism isn't just an American problem
Should we teach racial politics in school?
Social media companies are ethically bankrupt, and our mental health is paying the price
The dichotomy of promoting diversity while stamping out POC businesses
The uprisings that preceded Stonewall
Things to look forward to in 2021
Videogames are an artform, and deserve to be recognised as such
Who’s afraid of the big bad beav’?
Now read the rest!
We're releasing Top 10 articles every day in the lead up to New Year! Click through on the banner below to find out what makes our list of the must consume culture!
Think we've missed something? Let us know in the comments below
.jpg#/media/File:UK_Border_Agency_(9758568652).jpg){kind=link}
0 Comments