‘I thought about that a lot’ is a collection of 24 essays by 24 authors

In 2023, I thought a lot about: my employer’s BS approach to diversity and inclusion, choices, caregiving and my love life, money, my Abaji, the greatest storyteller and listener, my inner child, the friend who’s sad I’m single, Lego Star Wars, my wicked stepmother, loneliness, an old friend, being a rockstar, eggs, having a business and a baby, naked men, my Nokia 6680, charity shops, early menopause, dress codes, if the childless owe less to the planet, kindness, grief, the parts of myself I’ve ignored, whether I’ll ever have sex again.

In 2022, I thought a lot about: Tories, my Mum, the internet and a cashless society, how to live alongside a cat, my darling boy’s brain, and mine, my abortion, the joy of stuff, when my son asked if we belong here, Colleen and Bob, whether opposites attract, my ADHD diagnosis, the temporary distraction of running a marathon, Woozle, how storytelling helps us understand the world, how I've stopped telling people I’m Jewish, inviting my Dad to my wedding, poverty, my Mum’s mental health and mine, quitting faster, shallow pleasure, drink, drugs and double standards, control.

In 2021, I thought a lot about: how to get back to normal, disability and gratitude, the lack of control women have over their bodies, why it’s so hard to be helpful, how my ankles look just like my Dad’s, the wood that made my desk, Strictly Come Dancing, sobriety, the joys of non-monogamy, geese, how I ended up in a police cell, 2 very different running routes, the misery of exams, the brother I never met, being trapped in a leisure-less generation, what happened and why, Juan from Peru, being mixed-race, dogs, why I get obsessed with things (this year it’s the NFL), the nonsensical ‘othering’ in football, the joy of writing terrible novels, how I can raise a good person and how online dating has made my world smaller.

In 2020, I thought a lot about: how much the world has changed, Universal Basic Income, foxes, emotions from other cultures that resonate now, silence, pretend fighting fake injuries and made-up champions, fire, the importance of paying it forward, authenticity and toxicity in influencer culture, how to come to terms with Birmingham (and with myself), how hard it is to chit-chat on video calls, how one event triggered introspection, sleep, forest bathing, how to dispose of a body, the connection between physical and emotional places, balance, how friendships thrive, survive or die, my controlling ex and my relationship with food, why Caroline Quentin isn’t more famous, ‘old people’ food, fertility, how humans have responded to fear with kindness and the magic of community radio.