Having just followed her on Instagram and read all of her books, I greatly appreciate Sarah J. Maas’ account as an accomplished writer. She has got three different book series: A court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR), Throne of Glass (TOG) and Crescent City.

I believe that social media, and especially Instagram are great ways of putting oneself out there, especially when it comes to building an audience or maintaining a community of readers – in the case of an author. But I’ve got to admit that Sarah J. Maas has maintained and is still keeping up an amazing Social Media presence, her Instagram bio accurately describing who she is and what she has done in just five short rows – her name, then contouring the fact that she is a best-selling author, and the titles of all three of her novel series. Besides that, she has got a useful link to her website which allows not only her 1.7 million followers to access more of the ‘Sarah J. Maas’ universe, as I like to call it, but also anyone who happens to visit her page.

Another very important aspect that I think adds a lot to her profile is the fact that she has created so many informative highlights, each of them bearing the title of one of her books or whatever information is contained within. However, after analysing these more in-depth, I realised that although these highlights exist, they are not updated correctly. Her ‘newest release’ highlight contains a single, blurred photo of one of her books that was released four years ago, part of a series that has now reached its 3rd book. More than that, most of her other highlights date back to 2021 or earlier, which also gives the impression that she is not as keen on thoroughly updating her page. 

In terms of her posts, pretty much all of them revolve around her books and writing. This is especially important as it is clear that her Instagram page is only dedicated to that, rather than her personal life – despite the occasional baby photo! There are a lot of photos containing quotes or small excerpts from her books which allow her new audience to dive in just briefly and have a little insight into what this multiverse is. Yet even to me, as an older reader these quotes only remind me of the beauty of her books, and therefore inspire me to read her books again. She has currently got 628 posts, at the time of this review, and follows only 130 people – most of them being high-profile politicians, writers, hotels and so on. These highlight her interests as a writer and show, more than anything, how serious she is not only as a person but as a high-profile writer herself. 

Overall, I would definitely say that Sarah J. Maas’ Instagram page is well-organised, despite some minor details that could be changed or updated. It effectively highlights who she is in terms of her career, what she has written, what her interests are and she manages to maintain a constant social media presence through her posts which, therefore, keeps the audience and readers connected to the author.

Poor Things is a comedy sci-fi Oscar nominated movie directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and it’s based on Alasdair Grey’s book which was published in 1992.

In my opinion, it’s the brilliant plot that makes the film interesting, alongside a star-sudden cast composed by Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, William Dafoe and Margaret Qualley.

It can be described as an organized fever dream, which takes place in London during the Victorian Era, such as a sort of modern Frankenstein but characterized by a woman. What is it about: Bella Baxter is a young woman brought back to life by Dr. Godwin Baxter. She was born from an experiment by its creator, who implanted the brain of a suicidal woman’s fetus that she was carrying in her womb into the body of Bella. Bella is therefore reborn with the intelligence of a newborn, ready and quick to learn, she grows and makes progress under the tutelage of Dr. Baxter, who wants his creature to develop a free mind from prejudice and open to all types of knowledge. 

Soon, however, Bella, driven by her strong desire to discover the world, runs away with Duncan Wedderburn, a shrewd and dissolute lawyer, for an overwhelming adventure that takes her around Europe, until she acquires self-awareness.

I enjoyed how Bella’s growth journey leads her to confront her own prejudices and those of others, challenging social conventions and opening up new experiences and relationships. Next to her, Mark Ruffalo offers a delightfully ambiguous interpretation of a male character who finds himself confronting a new reality, questioning his own role in society.

I was mesmerized by the costumes, the acting, the comic relief, the philosophy, the filmography, the directing, it was truly art and worthy of an Oscar’s nomination. My favorite scene was the one where Bella is taken to Alexandria. That’s when Bella first finds out about the suffering that comes with human existence by looking at the poor people and their dead children. Her worldview is completely shattered, yet pain and suffering are the most fundamental parts of personhood and she must acquire them.

I personally think that the film offers a profound reflection on the human condition and the dynamics of power between the sexes, without ever ending up in didactics or moralism. Unexpectedly, the movie raises deep questions about human nature and social relationships, thanks to witty humor and feminist and social reflections through Bella’s character. And also it explores themes such as personal transformation.

By Alice Testa.

Listening to Aaron Kent talk was one of the most inspiring speaker events I have ever attended, because never before had I heard someone talk so candidly and openly about their past, present and future experiences in the arts. Through his experiences in not only publishing but also writing poetry himself, Aaron shared a multitude of vitally important titbits that would help so many aspiring authors in pursuit of their dreams.

Becoming a better writer by reading

Reading and writing have always gone arm in arm, but I think a lot of aspiring writers are either so confident in their own abilities that they feel as though they don’t need to take advice from existing media, or so anxious that any novel they read sways their writing technique until they’re sent into a panic (me being the latter). But Aaron places significant importance on reading as a way to better your own writing ability. As a man who started out with a very difficult lifestyle and faced many struggles, reading was a way for him to gain a better connection with his writing abilities, and a way for him to influence his own poetry, and I feel like that’s something we should all be doing. The power that other works can have on your own is incredibly important, especially when you’re just starting out.

Being given permission to try

Starting out as a writer, it can be very difficult to find a doorway into the writing world, and it often takes more than one person to make a project reality. Aaron spoke about being given permission to try, which of course takes a group of like minded people willing to give you a chance. Being given permission to try allowed Aaron to do what he needed to do to get his business off the ground. This is the dream for so many writers, and being given permission to at least try poses the starting point for any project.

Works should be available regardless of your situation when it is released

In today’s current climate, there are so many ways in which a person can be deprived. Aaron draws attention specifically to the lack of availability of new works established as limited runs. His ethos encapsulates the idea that publishing a book on a limited run leads to ‘parasitic behaviour.’ This is the literal surge of people in privileged positions that rush to buy books on the release day simply to put them on a shelf and sell them when the value has increased. This whole culture is built around survival of the richest, and Aaron works hard to ensure that everyone has access to both hardback and paperback editions, because books and literature should be available to all in every format.

Reaching out

One thing that Aaron picked up on that I think is so important and so difficult for so many people to do is reaching out for help. The writing world is a tough place to establish yourself, especially if you have no backing from anyone in the game to begin with. Networking is vitally important, but reaching out can sometimes be really hard. Aaron spoke of the benefits of doing so, though, and how it can be such a rewarding experience if you know the right people. Now, Aaron dedicates his life to helping people in less fortunate situations access the beauty of literature, as well as the support they require. There is still so much more we can do, but Aaron is leading the charge to a better future.

Lastly, it is important to remember that teamwork brings dreams alive and, as Aaron said, ‘I had a vision, but my vision got better when it was other people’s vision too.’

Thank you so much!

Charlie Jolly