The Local Germany, 22 November 2019 Gemütlichkeit is one of my favourite German words because it denotes coziness and warmth. And now that winter is here, the country embraces this attitude, wholeheartedly, in cafes and bars, with candles, blankets and warm drinks. Yet winter in Germany also brings with it something distinctly un-positive: second-hand smoke. In […]
Audio: 30 years since the Berlin Wall came down
In November 2019, I joined Radio New Zealand (RNZ), a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster, in an interview to talk about the 30th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution in Germany, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. You can listen here.
To pube or not to pube: Why do women have no choice when it comes to body hair?
Glamour, 16 June 2018 “Society’s policing of female body hair is so strong that most women don’t question it anymore.” It’s a heatwave and you’re off to the beach. Sun cream? Check. A good book? Got it. Very little body hair? Hmm, probably. Sound familiar? That’s because most women wouldn’t dream of leaving their body […]
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 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, […]
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) […]
How a Brit handled the Berlin dating scene
Refinery29, May 29 2017 If you’re dating right now then you know. You know how difficult it is to swipe left and right when all you want is to enjoy a half-decent conversation in real life. You know how tedious it can be to flirt over the internet with people you may or may not […]
Rachel Loxton 