Harriet Marsden

Journalist

harriet1marsden@gmail.com

Freelance journalist, editor and author. Most recent recipient of Local Trust's 12-month journalist-at-large fellowship. I'm currently based in London but I'm always open to international and collaborative work.

Beat: politics, social affairs, arts and culture — the quirkier, the better. My first novel, a feminist retelling of the six wives of Henry VIII, is available here.

Follow me on Twitter for trite takes, TikTok for attempted relevance or Instagram for pictures of my cat.

Recent favourites

Cosmopolitan • 15th August 2022

"They gave me electric shocks and called me a b*tch": Life for Afghan women under Taliban rule

Before Afghanistan fell, Wajiha Amiri, now 29, was working for a radio station in Kunduz, in the north of the country, on a show that promoted women’s right to education and employment. While such topics might sound ordinary here in the UK, in Afghanistan, a country with a complex history when it comes to women’s education, Wajiha’s work was risky. But she wasn’t scared.

Metro • 30th June 2022

Will Roe v Wade ruling spark return of underground abortion groups in America?

In the 60s an underground organisation in Chicago helped women access abortions – will the Roe v Wade ruling spark its return? The world is reeling from the Supreme Court decision to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling that legalised abortion in America.

Metro • 7th June 2022

How has LGBTQ+ healthcare developed over the last 50 years?

This July will mark 50 years since the UK’s first official Gay Pride rally, held in London in 1972. Fifty years ago, the landscape for LGBTQ+ people was rapidly changing. The dawn of the decade, after the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 partially decriminalised male homosexuality, saw the LGBTQ+ community begin to gain visibility and the security to campaign for better rights and medical access.

The Independent • 8th March 2022

Withernsea pier: a beacon of hope for all seaside towns

When native Norwegian Torkel Larsen first washed up on the shores of East Yorkshire, he never imagined he would be the one to rebuild its most significant pier. But for the last six years, Larsen has led residents of Withernsea in a battle to recreate the lost pier – and to resurrect the spirit of the town. Council delays, spiralling costs and successive lockdowns have all got in the way, but the team remains undeterred.

The Independent • 8th February 2022

Food clubs wade in to deal with the hunger crisis in Britain

The UK, one of the world’s wealthiest nations, is going hungry – and food poverty is on the rise. About 5 per cent of the population cannot afford enough food to meet their basic needs and avoid hunger. Hospitals are seeing a recurrence of deficiency diseases such as scurvy and rickets due to poor nutrition. New data released just this week by the Food Foundation showed that food insecurity had risen nearly 1 per cent in the past month alone.

The Telegraph • 8th November 2021

‘I thought, if I f--- this up I’ll need witness protection’: Chris Columbus on directing Harry Potter

When Chris Columbus first heard that he would be directing the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, he was ecstatic – for about 20 seconds. “Then I was overcome with a wave of incredible terror,” the Pennsylvania native tells me. “I thought, oh my God, I’ve got the weight of millions and millions of people who love this book – if I f--k it up, I’m going to have to get into witness protection.”