#1 The freelance struggle. When I decided to move to Berlin and enter the world of freelance I knew it wouldn’t be an easy gig. Away from the (relative) safety of a fixed salary with paid holidays and the luxury (!) of being paid for sick days, life is a whole lot tougher. Obviously these workers’ […]
Author: rachelloxton1
I'm a journalist from Aberdeen who has worked in Glasgow and Berlin. I enjoy travelling, reading, politics and being outdoors.
Berlin holds its first African literary festival
Deutsche Welle, 25 April 2018 Berlin’s first literature festival with and by African writers, “Writing in Migration” explores these authors’ trans-cultural experiences. Ahead of the event, DW spoke to three authors taking part in its program Migration, identity and storytelling will be in the spotlight at a groundbreaking new literature festival by African writers. Around […]
Berlin Irish campaign to repeal Eighth Amendment
The Irish Times, April 9 2018 Banner at the warehouse hidden inside a bare industrial estate between Berlin’s diverse Neukölln and Treptow areas. Photograph: Rachel Loxton If it wasn’t for a giant banner of a pair of knickers on the wall, it would look like a typical Friday night at a Berlin club. The poster, […]
The Shocking (and healthy) truth about bread
The Debrief, March 12, 2018 (picture: Studio Pop) © Studio Pop Spoiler: It Isn’t The Enemy There are few situations that can’t be helped with toasted bread and a generous helping of butter. It’s what I eat to cheer myself up when I’m ill or hungover, when I’m in need of a late night snack that’s […]
Mogwai’s Barry Burns on beers, babies and Berlin
The Herald Arts Magazine, December 9 2017. HOME. Mogwai’s Barry Burns is unsure where it is. He enjoys the easygoing way of life in Berlin where people still smoke in bars and swig beer on trains or while walking down the street. But Burns, who is a multi-instrumentalist for the postrockers, also loves the Glasgow […]
Shifting political contours in Germany
Cable Magazine Scotland, November 1 2017 The German elections in September saw Angela Merkel win a fourth term as German Chancellor. However, her victory was somewhat overshadowed by the shifting political terrain in Germany. Writing from Berlin, Rachel Loxton reflects upon the mood of the election and casts an eye across the issues facing German politics. As […]
A lot of thoughts, a lot of anger
Today I woke up feeling angry. It’s rare for me to wake up with this emotion. Tired? Yes, almost always. Sad? Sometimes. Happy? Now and again when I sleep for 10 hours without waking once. But today: angry. Restless. I woke up a few times during the night. I thought about the stories I’d read […]
Magical things I’ve seen in Berlin
I was inspired to write this after spotting a gorgeous piece of artwork by Mari Andrew. Mari captures everyday life and emotions in her drawings, from being homesick to feeling broken hearted, alienated or alone to joyful moments; like buying a new scarf and how seeing a flock of birds in the sky can make you feel hopeful. […]
A love letter to Glasgow’s gig scene
Twice I’ve seen Beach Boys’ legend Brian Wilson perform and twice I’ve had some kind of out of body experience. The first was at T in the Park when my pal and I became great friends with a hippy couple for the whole of his set. We swayed around the dark tent holding on to each other, […]
The politics of language
There’s a chapter in an English as a foreign language text book called: ‘How to avoid saying no directly’. I burst out laughing when I saw it. Is there anything more stereotypically British? I came across it at the language school I work at, where we regularly teach the art of small talk to students. […]
German Election special: The main players
One of the many things I’ve learned since moving to Germany is that politics doesn’t start and end with the UK. Obviously world politics has always been interesting – and is a hyped-up crazy spectacle right now – but I feel the UK is fairly inward looking. It always frustrated me that the newspaper industry in Scotland, […]
When Nigel Farage visited Berlin
Here’s a short tale about the time a man, nicknamed “Mr Brexit”, was invited by a far-right political party to speak at a rally of their supporters in Berlin. It was a slightly bizarre setting. A renaissance fortress, in Spandau, west Berlin, was taken over last Friday by members of the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) […]
