‘Well, I always liked Madrid!’ is my father’s verdict on the city; a verbal shrug that manages both to damn with faint praise and gesture at a powerful, unspoken criticism. There is some truth in both: Madrid often finds herself crowded out of ‘Great Cities of the World’ lists and has struggled to win top billing as a tourist attraction, even within Spain itself. The perpetual bridesmaid ... (read more)
Abi Stephenson
Abi Stephenson is a writer and curator of ideas-led events, broadcasts, festivals, and animations. For more than a decade she programmed and produced the RSA’s high-profile public events, and was the editor and producer of the award-winning RSA Animates and RSA Shorts. She was the runner-up for the Lascaux Review Creative Non-Fiction prize in 2020, and has a new essay forthcoming with Aeon magazine. For many years she was a senior bookseller and literature festival producer, and she has a degree in Philosophy and English from the University of Sussex.