This book has revolutionised my thinking. Seriously. I was wandering through my life thinking that I haven’t really been a victim of sexism – and then I read this book and realised that things I thought had been ‘banter’; or I’d thought I’d been oversensitive about are pretty terrible.

I remember every PE lesson boys plucking my bra – once making it come undone, and my friend had to redo it for me in the middle of the hockey field.

I remember boys taking pictures of my legs on the bus and threatening to post them online. I did report this – thank goodness, but I’ve never thought of that incident in this light. Women are not sexual objects to be taken pictures of without permission. What gives someone that right?

I remember boys shouting that I had a ‘camel toe’ the first time I wore trousers to school.

I remember having to use urban dictionary for a friend whose boyfriend kept on calling her ‘frigid’. We were thirteen and didn’t have a clue.

I remember taking up jogging at the age of fourteen and giving up because the only route I could take was over a motorway bridge. I got honked at by so many lorry drivers.

I remember the relief I felt being offered to trail a kilt at school so that I didn’t have to wear a pencil skirt anymore.

There were other instances which I’m not going to mention. One in particular which was pretty awful.

I can’t believe I just assumed all of these instances to be ‘boys will be boys’, ‘banter’ or just a part of life.

I know my experiences are very minor. But look at the impact these things have had on my life. I hated PE. I was scared on the bus. I am self-conscious about what I wear.

These are just my experiences – and I bet every woman has a story like or worse than the experiences I have had. Why do we put up with this?

Equally, why should men have to put up with inequalities such as the presumption that they can’t care for children alone. Why are little children told to ‘man up’ and ‘stop acting like a girl’? Why are men facing discrimination when they become nurses or hairdressers?

I would firmly press a copy of this book into anyone’s hand. Everyone must read this book.

Barriers need to be broken. This needs to stop.

Before I start this post I would just like to say that I found Yeonmi to be such an inspirational person I decided to write a poem about her journey. It is, of course, dedicated to Yeonmi but also to the millions of people under the North Korean regime.

I first read Yeonmi’s book ‘In order to live’ after I noticed it creeping up the Amazon bestsellers with hundreds of amazing reviews. What instantly struck me about this book is that Yeonmi says in a sentence what some people would write a whole book about – that is how much she has been through.

Having read the book I found it so amazing to see such a huge Human Rights activist right in front of me. She highlighted that there are so many Human rights abuses in North Korea – from no free speech to no right of free movement. She did say that there are limited but very important things that people can do to help the situation if they feel they want to help:

1. Petition the Chinese government to accept North Korean refugees as Political Refugees
2. Petition the Chinese government to stop sending North Korean refugees back – to possible death or prison camps
3. Educate yourself. The everyday reality of life in North Korea is not hugely talked about.
4. Educate your friends. Discuss the issues and make others aware.
5. If you feel that you would like to, research organisations that are working to get information into North Korea. For example, Yeonmi talked about an organisation that throws pen drives filled with information over the Chinese border and into North Korea.

Yeonmi talked about her childhood – she spent a month aged eight without her mother or proper food during famine. Her desperation for a ‘bucket of bread’. Escaping over the border with her mother. Sexual abuse aged only thirteen. Having to hide in China. Making the trek through the Gobi desert to Mongolia. Learning South Korean culture. Her educational successes.

She was so lovely when I got the opportunity to speak with her after the event. All she wants is to see a free North Korea. She talked about the death threats that she receives over Twitter and YouTube from North Korea. When asked if this scared her she just replied “If I was in North Korea right now I would be dead, I just live every day the best I can”.

Yeonmi is now studying for a degree in Finance in America, and working as a Human Rights Activist. This woman is so incredibly strong, She has come from a background where she thought that the ‘birds and mice’ would hear her and report her. A background where she thought the ‘Dear Leader’ controlled the weather. Just look at her now!

In dedication to the millions still trapped in North Korea

A life outside

My brain exhales after

fifteen years holding

thoughts in.

It sinks into a sofa the

Kims don’t control –

southern leather holding

my skin.

Choices fizz against my

tongue like sherbet – too

overwhelmed by

14 different brands of rice.

I nurture the seeds of my

new mind.

I am a teacher

marking work. That was

wrong and

this is right.

The other day my mum and I were in TK Maxx and I noticed that Joanna Basford’s ‘Lost Ocean’ postcards were vastly reduced. I decided to buy them for travelling or my hospital bag.

However, when I unpacked them I found that they are probably the most intricate designs I have ever seen – very beautiful, but very difficult. So I decided to set up a little project and log it on this blog. I’m going to aim to colour one or more of these postcards in per week and then send them off to people who have had a significant impact on my life or who I haven’t seen in a while.

I’ll keep posting about this but I’ve already finished the first postcard. It was about the most intricate thing I have ever done.

Over the past few weeks poets across Kendal have been preparing for the first ever Kendal Poetry Festival. It was held from the 24^th to the 26^th June.

A few months ago I entered the competition to be the Young Poet in Residence at the festival. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting anything to come of it. A couple of weeks later I received an email to tell me that I had actually won it! The judge was David Tait – a hugely respected poet, so this added to the honour. Being Young Poet in Residence added a few extra exciting details to my weekend. It meant that I got two performance slots alongside famous poets, I hosted an open mic and I got two one hour mentoring sessions. These mentoring were delivered by Clare Shaw who has to be one of my favourite poets of all time. It was so lovely to be able to discuss my work with someone else for that length of time, and I can honestly say that my writing has improved through her suggestions. They were invaluable. The reaction to my poems at my readings was incredible – like nothing I ever thought I would experience. As I am typing this I still can’t believe all of the encouragement and kind words people had for my work. I think it has special significance because these people did not know me – they didn’t have to come up to me afterwards and give me a compliment, they could have just walked past.

Not only this, but I had all of the usual programme of the weekend to enjoy. There were so many amazing poets performing. I can’t say that there was a single reading that I didn’t enjoy. However, I did have some highlights for me these were: Clare Shaw who paid tribute to the Orlando LGBT club shootings and read about her experience of flooding; Greta Stoddart who read her poem ‘The Curtain’ which is one of my all-time favourites and Helen Mort who read from her new collection about mountaineering women. It still makes me smile to think that I have seen this people in the flesh.

I also went to the Poetry Business Workshop with Peter and Ann Samson. It was such a well-timed and productive workshop. I have so many ‘baby poems’ (no, not poems about babies but poems I need to continue working on) sitting on the backburner now thanks to this workshop.

The young writers group I attend had a workshop run by Clare Shaw. This was such an amazing time to work individually but also as a group. It gave me the opportunity to experience a ‘group poem’ – something I have never done before. A ‘group poem’ means reading your work straight after the last person without a break. We created some pretty amazing poems as a collective.

Overall, the weekend was just a dream – and such an opportunity. I would like to thank all of the Brewery Poets who have put hours into making the festival a reality. It was something I never thought I would experience. I never thought I would read my work to a sold out audience or have people comment about my work in the positive way that they did.

Thank you to Martin Copley for providing the below picture.