I'm always kind of terrible at linking to things that I've written elsewhere, because I feel it'll read like self-promotion... but realistically if you're reading this blog it's probably a sign that you feel like reading my writing.
If this is the case, you should definitely look at the article I wrote for Untapped Paris on the Jardin d'Agronomie Tropicale on the eastern edge of the Bois de Vincennes in Paris. Buildings from the 1907 Paris Colonial Exposition are still there and open to the public, most in a state of ruin and now inhabited by trees. I'm really excited about this article and about contributing to Untapped Cities, which has been one of my favourite online publications for quite a while now!
On a side note, it's interesting that the view of Angkor (abandoned, overtaken by trees) that the French government used to garner support for colonisation in this period is actually more applicable to a site created to celebrate the French empire than it ever was to Angkor. Angkor was always a pilgrimage site and wasn't at all forgotten, while this isn't quite abandoned -it's controlled by the city of Paris and there are plans for its future, which I mention in my article- but the 1907 Exposition is largely forgotten.
I'm going to be writing more articles for Untapped Paris soon, so after reading this one you should keep an eye out for the next!
In other news, I am now the (founding) editor of the Pembroke College Graduate Society's blog, Whisky & Biscuits. I like how it looks so far, with stories of cooking crickets and suggestions for Cambridge in winter, but there should be more on there once I talk people into writing about their winter term breaks.
I also have a couple of things coming up printed on actual paper in books and magazines, but I'll mention them once they're actually released and available to read.