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  • [ 23rd October 2026 ] Out of the City of Culture, In With Portsmouth 100 Culture
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  • [ 14th October 2026 ] Planetbuilding Blues: Gosport Time Machine Culture
  • [ 24th September 2026 ] Planetbuilding Blues: A Letter to My Dead Parents Events
  • [ 24th September 2026 ] Local Authors to Launch New Novels at the Portsmouth Guildhall Culture
HomeAuthorsTom Sykes

Articles by Tom Sykes

Memoir

Isle of Dinosaurs: A Journey into the Lost World of the Wight

15th March 2018

As a Portsmouth-based planetary modeller, David Angus hand-makes representations of the planets and their terrains. In 2001, a childhood dream came true: he was asked to work with the BBC on their Dinosaur Island show. Long ago [… read more ]

Social Issues

What is Going On? Addressing Commercial Media in Portsmouth

14th March 2018

On March 5th, S&C‘s What is Going On? event brought together a broad range of local people to discuss the state of media in our city. One of our panellists, the media scholar Dr Sophia [… read more ]

Memoir

If it’s Not a Heart Attack: A Portsmouth Novelist is Rushed to A&E

12th March 2018

Last month, fantasy novelist Rick Haynes was sitting at his desk when he felt a slight twinge on the left side of his chest. Here’s what happened next. Thinking nothing of the mild pain, I [… read more ]

Culture

The Price of Blackwell’s and the Value of Nothing

6th March 2018

Portsmouth-based author, publisher and S&C regular, Matt Wingett, argues that last week’s closure of Blackwell’s bookshop bears the mark of a wider malady: the corporatisation of art, culture and higher education in our time. Sadly, [… read more ]

News

Reclaiming Local News: An Interview with S&C’s Founders

5th March 2018

To mark S&C’s event on the state of local news tonight, we’re publishing an interview with Editor-in-Chief Sarah Cheverton and Founding Editor Tom Sykes about why they started the site, how they run it on [… read more ]

Reviews

Getting Real About Depression: Johann Hari’s Lost Connections

23rd February 2018

Contrary to the dominant view, Johann Hari’s important new book Lost Connections argues that depression is caused largely by social factors. University of Portsmouth Senior Lecturer and author of Madness, Power and the Media, Dr [… read more ]

News

The Rubbish State of Recycling in Portsmouth

22nd February 2018

Portsmouth City Council (PCC) has one of the lowest recycling rates in the UK, coming in at 340th out of 352 local authorities for the period April 2016 to March 2017, with only 24.7% of [… read more ]

Events

Portsmouth MysteryFest: Calling All Lovers of Crime Fiction

21st February 2018

Bookfest, Portsmouth’s three week celebration of literature, is collaborating with Mystery People, the crime fiction promotion group, to put on an exhilarating event involving some of the best crime writers in the business. Local novelist [… read more ]

Memoir

The Cathedral of Medicine: Gareth Rees vs Serious Illness

19th February 2018

Since December 2017, Portsmouth author and S&C regular Gareth Rees has been battling serious illness and pondering some deep questions about his own existence. Here he recounts finding solace in Charles Dickens, chirpy NHS staff [… read more ]

Memoir

This Too Will Pass: A Portsmouth Writer Fights Serious Ilness

8th February 2018

S&C regular contributor and author of the memoir Read Rees, Gareth Rees, was fit and healthy all his life until just before last Christmas when he was admitted to Queen Alexandra Hospital with mysterious pains [… read more ]

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Latest News

Culture

Out of the City of Culture, In With Portsmouth 100

23rd October 2026

Portsmouth may have missed out on making the shortlist for the UK City of Culture, but there’s also good news: from this Monday the city will be celebrating 100 years of history. Veteran journalist Peter [… read more ]

Events

Planetbuilding Blues: A Letter to My Dead Parents

24th September 2026

Writer and planetary modeller David Angus recalls recent global and personal events in a letter to his dead parents, from anti-vaxxers to flying a Spitfire. By now Jill Mole should be with you and Arthur [… read more ]

News

Portsmouth Union Branch Calls on University to Address Pension Inequality

10th September 2026

The Portsmouth branch of the UCU (University and College Union) has passed a motion calling on the management of the University of Portsmouth (UoP) to address pension inequality. The Branch contends that UoP has been [… read more ]

News

Portsmouth Constituents Urge Stephen Morgan to Protest Oil Drilling and Support Fair Energy Transition

21st August 2026

Portsmouth constituents have sent a clear message to their MP Stephen Morgan demanding urgent action to help bring our energy bills down and increase energy security for our communities. The UK government is set to [… read more ]

News

Green Open Homes Week: How Portsmouth Residents are Taking on the Energy Crisis

26th June 2026

Energy prices are a growing concern – but for some, getting ahead of the crisis has paid off. Local residents have been opening their doors to Nicholas Sebley of Portsmouth Climate Action to reveal how they [… read more ]

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