Writer's Block Magazine

Interview: On Fictional Languages and They Should Pay Us For This

April 2, 2015

by Academia, Interview, Literature, Tessel Rijneveldshoek

“Valar morghulis.” This phrase may be familiar to you, if you have watched a season or four of the television series Game of Thrones or read a book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. It is a phrase from a language called ‘High Valyrian’, and it is translated as “all men must…

The Problem With Using Philosophy For Self-Help

March 30, 2015

by Phoebe Eccles, WB Column

This morning I awoke from an elongated stupor to find myself hunched in a dark corner of the library, surrounded by Nietzsche books and empty budget-coffee cups. Nearby undergrads eyed me up warily. I dimly recalled having thrown a dictionary at them earlier because they were eating fruit too loudly. Looking down at my hands,…

Seasonal Songs

March 26, 2015

by Jules Schlicher, Music, Playlist, Reviews, WB Column

We can all rejoice once more, as youngster Spring is slowly taking over from old man Winter. A change in temperature, hours of sunlight, scenery, smells and spirit lies in our immediate future. Each season is distinct in a number of things, including the list I just mentioned. What in particular I want to draw…

Stiftgedicht: Imagine a Kiss

March 23, 2015

by Erasure Poem, Isabel Harlaar, Stiftgedicht, WB Column

Click the image to view full screen. Page 366 from “What I loved” by Siri Hustvedt (2003).

Samba

March 20, 2015

by Film, Guest Editor, Reviews

During the Christmas holidays I went to see Samba with a friend of mine. A French film; we felt so cultured. I mostly went to get my money’s worth out of my Pathé Unlimited pass, if I’m completely honest. I hadn’t spent much time at the cinema; the Philosophy of Science exams had kept me…