NEW MERCH ALERT! This sweater, which you can buy at the link in my bio, is based on the front cover of a book that I wrote with @roughtradebooks . “In The End, It Was All About Love” is a book about moving to a new place with all of your hopes and fears and trying to find yourself. It’s a message for anyone who’s in the same position as I was when I moved to Berlin: to say that, in difficult times, the only way you’ll move forward is by finding community, by finding love in whatever form that takes. I will be giving 10% of the profits to @iwspace.de , a Berlin-based feminist, anti-racist political group with refugee and migrant women* and non-migrant women* as members. They fight patriarchy and document everyday violence, racism, sexism and all kinds of discrimination. I hope you like the sweater, I hope you have a moment to check out what this great group is about, and I hope you enjoy the company of people who want a kinder, better world. If of interest, please share.
Design: @andrew_j_weber
So I can now share this news! Recently I was elected an Honorary Fellow of St. John’s College, Oxford, which is the college’s highest honour and is awarded to its former students for distinction in the person‘s chosen field or in public life. The news came out of nowhere, when I was getting ready to give a reading in Leipzig, and this week I travelled back to Oxford for a dinner to welcome me and the other new Honorary Fellows. I was very emotional and excited, as you can see in the first two photos, and very merry from refreshment, which is implied by the last photo. In the first photo I am with Professor Mark Freedland, who is an amazing human being. Those three years at university were some of the happiest and also the toughest of my life. Mark was there to ensure that I made it through and always encouraged me to try and make the best of myself. It’s hard to describe just how kind and supportive he and his wife Geraldine have been. He has been there when I have needed him at several crucial stages of my life - sometimes with a kind message out of nowhere, other times with a conversation containing the wisest advice. It is an honour to have been his mentee and now to be his friend, and a joy to have spent yesterday evening with him at dinner. As I was walking to meet Mark last night I was thinking about so many memories, as you do - I am not going to include any of the euphoric ones because I think you will end up cringing - and so many of the challenges, and I had a moment when I thought - it’s actually all been worth it, all of it. I will be visiting Oxford more regularly now, hopefully every few months, to chat and catch up with faculty members and students; so I look forward to catching up with old friends there, and hopefully several new ones too.
(P.S. #RollneckSeason)
Musa Okwonga draws parallels between Christian Pulisic’s recent struggles and past World Cup legends who also faced pressure before shining on football’s biggest stage 🌍✨
Read more World Cup essays, insights, and stats in our First Touch Weekly newsletter, sign up now 📩🔥
Florentino Pérez: not leavin’. New Patreon episode up now.
Musa and Ryan chat about a wild press conference from the Real Madrid president, in what has been an increasingly dramatic month for the club, so there’s more talk about the chaos, the impending arrival of José Mourinho, the dressing room divide, who might stay, who might go and much, much more.
New podcast up! Musa and Ryan chat about Barcelona winning the league (and the Clásico), West Ham - Arsenal, Venezia’s title parade and more!
Available ad-free on Patreon, or on the free feed now!
Making music with friends is like a shared journey. My new album, “Music for Existing”, features many of my friend’s musical voices. They have shaped me and my music over the years.
I love having long conversations with my friend @okwonga and I’m so happy to have him on the album. Don’t skip the process, Love Making Something with Someone.
Pre-order for digi/vinyl up now. Release date May 15th 2026. All art by @jeroen_erosie
A bumper podcast is up now, featuring the UWCL semi-finals, Inter winning their 21st Scudetto, Venezia being promoted, Manchester United securing Champions League, some Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal chat, plus some Bundesliga and more!
Available on the free feed, or ad-free to members at patreon.com/stadio
Are you not entertained?
Champions League podcast is up now on Patreon!
PSG v Bayern, Atleti v Arsenal, the differences between the ties, the penalties, the non-penalties and much more.
Head to patreon.com/stadio to sign up!
I am giving a reading next week, on Thursday 7 May, and I’m really excited about it: it’s from an essay that I’ve written for the Erotic Review and it’s called “The Resilience of Desire”. It’s about everything it says in the title, and a lot more: about love, dating, race, and Berlin. It’s full of things I’ve never written about before, it’s something I would never have written without the guidance and encouragement of @lucy.roeber and @saskia.vogel , and I really look forward to sharing it with you. Hope to see some of you there, if you can join us at @desirelinesbooks then please come and say hi. Full details about the event below. 👇
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7TH MAY 2026
DESIRELINES BOOKS, BERLIN
Issue 5 Launch
Sex & Censorship
Join us at Desirelines Books for the launch of the spring/summer issue of the Erotic Review, where we’re exploring Sex and Censorship. We’ll have readings from Musa Okwonga and Lucy Roeber; screenings from Jamie Brisick and the Under the Counter archive; and conversation with Musa Okwonga, Saskia Vogel and Lucy Roeber.
Tickets €5 on the door or free when you preorder a copy of issue 5 through Desirelines Books.
