Author: Lynne Bateson
Walking on linguistic eggshells: race and racism in America
An exchange I had with a black bouncer at a Hollywood night club showed the tangle Americans get into when talking about race and ethnicity.
Read the full story..Tequila, por favor
At first, I blamed my two pre-dinner margarita cocktails for the man who wasn’t there.
Read the full story..Flying the Flag: “Isn’t freedom what America is supposed to be about?”
The sight of the Stars and Stripes gently fluttering in the blue sky has always enchanted me.
Read the full story..The Sale of Your Life: why Americans love estate sales
On the sunniest days in Southern California, my mind takes me to the dark underbelly of Victorian England conjured up in one of the most chilling scenes in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Read the full story..“The land of the free locks up people at an alarming rate, especially black people.” US justice on trial
The pitiful-looking guy who kept talking to himself seemed like he was mentally ill, or an addict. He was facing a charge for second-degree robbery. He was not the only one on trial.
Read the full story..God Save The Queen: how the US views the monarchy
The other day I fell into a random conversation, the way that we Northerners often do, with two fellow commuters on a Los Angeles train.
Read the full story..America’s sickening health system
Despite my bad back, I did a fingertip search for the pill I dropped on the floor.
Read the full story..Lady Liberty is no Liberal
I nearly missed seeing the Statue of Liberty from the deck of the QE2 while cruising into New York harbour years ago.
Read the full story..Storing Up Trouble
Many of my American friends harbour a dark secret: they keep stuff in storage units, pretty much permanently.
Read the full story..Editor's Picks
- Exploring the North via video games
- Book Review: Excavate! The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall
- World Autism Awareness Week 2021: Henry Normal shares poems to, and inspired by, his son Johnny
- “Around lunchtime, you’d break out all the bangers that everyone knows.” Northern Soul talks to buskers about life under lockdown
Advertising and Sponsorship Opportunities
Is your organisation interested in supporting quality journalism about culture, life and enterprise in the North of England?
For advertising and sponsorship opportunities contact Northern Soul’s Founder and Editor Helen Hugent at helennugent@northernsoul.me.uk.
Sign up for Northern Soul newsletter
The Northern Soul Poll

Recent Tweets for @Northern_Soul_
Proper Good Picture of the Week: Yorkshire Garden bird by Paul Hunter @Landscape_fotog pic.twitter.com/VesmDeZyzT
Fancy something brilliant to read? This week's Right Good Mid-Week Read is We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan. pic.twitter.com/jY6tv6u4ux
Exploring the North via video games Northern Soul's @WillNelson1998 explores the landscape of the North in video games, including modern iconography, a medieval region and the North in the 1980s. northernsoul.me.uk/exploring-… #gaming pic.twitter.com/uv9WiSqmAT
Featuring Forza Horizon 4 from @WeArePlayground, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla from @Ubisoft and The Occupation from @WhitePaperGames
Northern Soul's @WillNelson1998 explores the landscape of the North in video games, including modern iconography, a medieval region and the North in the 1980s. northernsoul.me.uk/exploring-… pic.twitter.com/S5jEXaBOe1