Star & Crescent – News for and by the people of Portsmouth

The Haunting of the Union Jack

17th May 2022

In light of recent electoral results in Northern Ireland and the upcoming Queen’s Jubilee, writer and postgraduate student Claire Udy considers how British identity is shaped by assumptions about not only the past but the [… read more ]

Guide Dogs Charity Needs Portsmouth Volunteers: Could it be You?

8th April 2022

The local branch of charity Guide Dogs is urgently appealing for new volunteers to sign up as Fundraisers and My Sighted Guides. Volunteering Coordinator Pat Janecka reached out to S&C Editor Sarah Cheverton to tell [… read more ]

Stephen Morgan’s Voting Record: War Crimes, ‘Spycops’, Brexit and Other Discrepancies

28th March 2022

Since he was first elected to the Portsmouth South constituency in 2017, Stephen Morgan has almost always voted in parliament with the Labour leadership. But his loyalty to Keir Starmer, who since 2020 has taken [… read more ]

Guide Dogs Charity Needs Portsmouth Volunteers: Could it be You?

8th April 2022

Portsmouth College Basketball Academy in the Community

28th September 2021

While Portsmouth is well-known for its football club, the city also has a basketball academy that does a lot for the community. Community Reporter Paris Ali-Pilling interviewed Rob Milner, chairman of the club, about challenges [… read more ]

Making a Conspiracy Out of a Crisis: Covid-19, Fake News and Anti-Elite Anger

18th August 2021

Dr Stephen Harper, media studies lecturer at the University of Portsmouth and member of the Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB), argues that Covid-related misinformation is a product of our paranoid and resentful age of [… read more ]

‘Come On Then, Make Me Laugh’: An Interview with Ed Gamble

29th March 2022

In preparation for his headline UK Tour, Lucy Nother spoke to Ed Gamble about festivals, podcasts and what to expect from his latest string of award-winning shows. Ed Gamble is one of the hottest names [… read more ]

‘Ladies, Jellybeans and Non-Binary Sweets’: Inside Open Ya Mouth! by Trash Arts

7th March 2022

On a cold and quiet Monday evening, Paul Beresford found himself in Portsmouth’s iconic Wedgewood Rooms, watching Open Ya Mouth, an open-mic event hosted by local creative group Trash Arts. He spoke with Omar Mahmood [… read more ]

Wanted: Your Creative Writing

7th March 2022

We are thrilled to announce that we have appointed two Literary Editors to the team, Prof Sue Harper and long-time contributor to the site, Paul Valentine. Sue and Paul are keen to read work submitted [… read more ]

Taking the Back Roads with Martin: A Story of Love, Loss, Travel and Nature

3rd May 2022

Rose Rayner shares a poignant and vivid memoir about love, loss, travel and the healing power of nature. The first time Martin and I drive together in his car he confounds me by not using [… read more ]

Renewal

8th April 2022

We present an extract from RC Birchley’s Portsmouth-focused walks book Jagged Edges: A Search for Space in an Island City. Here Birchley focuses on walking in late winter, when new signs of life are starting [… read more ]

The Ugly Duckling: Of Courtship and Competition

25th March 2022

Now resident in Portsmouth, Joan Farnell spent some time living in Pakistan. In this narrative she recalls being unwittingly drawn into a family drama of courtship and competition. I sat on the flat roof gazing [… read more ]

The Haunting of the Union Jack

The Haunting of the Union Jack

Stephen Morgan’s Voting Record: War Crimes, ‘Spycops’, Brexit and Other Discrepancies

‘Come On Then, Make Me Laugh’: An Interview with Ed Gamble

‘Ladies, Jellybeans and Non-Binary Sweets’: Inside Open Ya Mouth! by Trash Arts

Wanted: Your Creative Writing

Taking the Back Roads with Martin: A Story of Love, Loss, Travel and Nature

Renewal

The Ugly Duckling: Of Courtship and Competition

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