Issue 1444

Off the planet
Sara Royle can hardly contain herself as she watches the death-defying stunts happening under a big top in Hull. It’s all in a day’s work for Planet Circus’s performers though. In fact, it’s their entire lives. Photos: Ryan Ashcroft.

Tower of influence
Basil Bunting would have been a footnote in the history of interwar literature were it not for a vibrant beat poetry scene in Newcastle. Alex Niven makes the case for the posthumous acclaim due to the poet who celebrated Northern life in his stanzas.

Turn and turn again
Chinese women are finding solace from lockdowns – and finding themselves – through surfskating, a novice-friendly version of skateboarding, reports Tingshu Wang.

Plus
How food banks are adopting the ‘pantry model’ to better serve users, broadcaster Anita Rani’s letter to her younger self, arts and entertainment, and more.