2021 | Philippa Writes

26Aug 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Talking about the Paralympics on BBC Radio Sheffield

I was on Paulette Edwards' show on BBC Radio Sheffield again, this time talking about the Paralympic Games and the visibility it gives to disabled people. There were a couple of other disabled people being interviewed, too, so I've clipped my bits here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRDUcxbbOHc Transcript Well, listen, I'm going to talk to Philippa now, Philippa Willitts freelance writer and blogger. So for the next couple of weeks, the Paralympics are going to be getting extensive coverage on TV and online. How important Philippa do you think that is? This X kind of exposure? Actually, I think it's brilliant because it brings a level of visibility that disabled people have normally have. We were not on TV 24 7, and when the Paralympic games is on the last, you know, two…

24Aug 2021 by Philippa Willitts

I was on BBC Radio Sussex talking disability discrimination against a disabled councillor

Disabled writer, Speaking

Claire Needs is a disabled local councillor but, because her council has now removed the option of attending meetings via Zoom, she is being excluded from participating in local democracy. I spoke to BBC Radio Sussex about it. https://youtu.be/f-eU2JmQDWw Transcript: Just the five Friday afternoon as we head towards the weekend. Hope you well. So as society opens up after COVID, for some it's shutting down, that's been the experience of one disabled Sussex counselor. Who's unable now to attend council meetings in person, Aaron district counselor, Claire needs lives in a residential care home and to protect other residents. She can't go out to crowded council. Chambers virtual meetings had been the perfect dancer, but since may, they haven't been allowed by the government. Our political reporter, Ben vice…

03Aug 2021 by Philippa Willitts

I was a guest on the Crippled Stomp podcast

Disabled writer, Podcast, Speaking

Last week, Shabaaz Mohammed invited me to be a guest on his intriguingly named podcast Crippled Stomp. Always keen to talk all things disability, I said yes. We had a great chat about white men failing upwards, abuse in ATUs, the French far right, having EMDR for PTSD. Amongst much, much more. The article I discussed is here. The transcript below was auto-transcribed, so expect errors. Hello, and welcome to another episode of crippled stomp. Today we have another guest. Oh you and Pippa will introduce yourself over the paper. Hi everybody, I'm Pippa or Philippa either goes, not pick that like that. But I'm Philippa Willitts I am a freelance writer and editor, and I have done a lot of disability rights campaigning and feminist campaigning and LGBTQ…

26Jul 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Just say no to unethical marketing: disablism in health copywriting

About Writing, Disabled writer

I got an email yesterday inviting me to be an affiliate for a health product. By complete coincidence, the product promised to rid its gullible audience of a condition I actually have, so I clicked with interest. The video sales letter, within three short minutes, was outrageously offensive. And I don't say that lightly. A man was offered life-saving surgery that involved amputating a leg. This is a big deal for anybody, of course. I would not downplay that. But the alternative was death. [caption id="attachment_2896" align="alignright" width="328"] An Indigenous Two-Spirit person ties their shoelaces while sitting in a chair. They are dressed in all black and have braided hair, tattoos, and a prosthetic leg.[/caption] Phew, you'd think. It will be a big change to my life to lose a…

20Jul 2021 by Philippa Willitts

I spoke on BBC Radio Sheffield about disability during lockdown and accessibility as we open up

Disabled writer, Speaking

Last week, I published an article with Now Then magazine about the strangeness of things becoming more accessible in many ways during the lockdowns, and the relentless accessibility checks I'm having to do again now that the world is opening back up. I was contacted by BBC Radio Sheffield to talk to them about it and this was my interview with Paulette Edwards. A transcript is below the video and the video also has subtitles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocSnQuUglgc Okay to me, but he was nice enough to join me for a quick call. So July the 19th was fun for Dan. However, a lot of people, a lot of us still anxious. Philippa Willitts is a freelance writer from Sheffield. She says that lockdown, while brutal for people living with some people,…

25Jun 2021 by Philippa Willitts

How writers and editors can use OneLook.com for linguistic queries

About Proofreading, About Writing

I discovered a website a few months ago that is proving to be pretty nifty when I need to really drill down on a particular word. OneLook.com lets you search for a word and gives you links to a range of definitions, from general dictionaries to specialised ones. It also allows you to find related words, rhyming words etc. I have found it particularly useful when proofreading and coming across specialised language and when writing and needing to be absolutely certain that I'm using an unusual word correctly. I made a mini video to show how it works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oWmsaNDklU Transcript: So I'm going to show you a nifty little website that I've discovered quite recently, Onelook.com, and it is a way to search multiple dictionaries for one word. As you…

12Jun 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Deadly Intersections presentation replay: disability and gender-based violence

Disabled writer, Speaking, Video

So I did my presentation on disability and gender-based violence for Festival of Debate and it went really well! It was great to have so many interested people attend and to be able to share my knowledge and experience with people who care and want to learn. Enjoy the video, and the transcript below (the transcript is automated so not always entirely accurate). The links I mention to attendees are here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJBj67-cqCI 00:00:00 Right. Well, first of all, welcome everybody. It's really nice to see so many people here. My name is Charlotte Mead and I'm the branch leader of the Women's Equality Party branch in Sheffield. It's really love to see, let me see. Well, so I'm just really, really here just to introduce the wonderful and amazing Philippa…

11May 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Festival of Debate: my upcoming presentation on disability and violence against women and girls

Disabled writer, Speaking

Earlier this year, I presented a webinar called Deadly Intersections: Disability and Gender-Based Violence. It was really well-attended and the questions and discussion at the end showed me that people had really absorbed the message I was trying to get across. It's full of facts and figures but also real stories of disabled women's experiences of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and sexual violence. The great news is that for Festival of Debate, in association with the Sheffield branch of the Women's Equality Party again, I am repeating the presentation again on 2nd June. It will be broadly the same as the February event, with a few added extras. Some people who came to the original expressed interest in seeing it again so they could fully grasp the numbers, so you…

27Apr 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Books on language for writers, proofreaders, translators and editors

About Proofreading, About Writing, Language

One of the reasons I work with words is that language is endlessly fascinating. From my degree in French to the podcasts I listen to and the books I read about the English language, there is always more to know. As a writer and proofreader, I rely on some of the books listed below for my work. But as a linguist, I read the rest for fun. The links below are for Amazon. If you would prefer to support independent bookshops, try Hive Books or Bookshop.org in the UK or Bookshop or IndieBound in the USA. For people in other countries, a quick Google should help you to find an independent alternative. Books about proofreading It's an art and a science and a business McGraw-Hill's Proofreading Handbook by Laura Killen…

22Mar 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Podcasts for language nerds

Language, Podcast

I'm unapologetically addicted to podcasts. I listen to them constantly and have made several of my own (with a potential new one in the pipeline), and listening is currently my favourite way to learn. When I need a new skill, I find podcasts that talk about it. When I need an update on a topic I already know about, I find podcasts that talk about it. When I need to relax, I listen to podcasts. When I need to laugh, I listen to podcasts... you get the idea. So it made sense to find a great pile of language-related podcasts to share here. Many writers, editors and proofreaders, and those who hire us, are language nerds so I have found you a wide range of podcasts on all aspects of…

Year: 2021