Michaela Makusha

Birmingham, Durham

Writer at Freelance

journalist: Black Ballad, The Guardian, The New European, Glamour, Teen Vogue 📩 [email protected]

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Articles

My unexpected Pride icon: they were not cool, but bands like Mumford & Sons eased the turmoil of coming out

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Michaela Makusha

I am coming out again, this time as a lover of stomp and clap music. This will probably get me in trouble with my mother in a way that coming out as bisexual never did, because she believed that you should always be your authentic self, so long as you have good taste. Stomp clap music has often been the subject of much derision and a bit of a punchline. But despite the ridicule, I’m willing to defend my taste. Singing about not telling someone you love them out of fear … the Lumineers.
Relax, Sabrina Carpenter’s album cover is just savvy pub...

2 weeks ago | observer.co.uk | Michaela Makusha

To insist that every woman in the public eye must be a beacon of feminist virtue is always going to be an exercise in disappointment Art is by nature subject to criticism. But a woman’s art – especially if it involves the artist posing on all fours like a sexy labradoodle – is subject to endless questions, including that hardy perennial: is this feminist enough?
why you should try out a bookshop crawl

2 weeks ago | msn.com | Michaela Makusha

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
‘The best way to discover hidden gems’: why you should try out a bookshop crawl

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Michaela Makusha

We’ve all heard of bar crawls, but what about a bookshop crawl? The premise is essentially the same – you hop from venue to venue – but instead of drinking beers you browse books. Having begun as a trend among TikTok users, mainly in the US, the idea has begun to be adopted across the globe.
I am 23. I miss Club Penguin and the safe, old days of th...

2 weeks ago | observer.co.uk | Michaela Makusha

I feel as though I finally understand how my parents’ generation feel when I ask them about fax machines. Over the weekend, a 10-year-old asked me a question that hurt my head: “What’s Club Penguin?”I gasped, for how do I explain that wonderful world? For those who may not know – too young, too old or just not au fait with noughties online niches – Club Penguin was a multiplayer, social site for children aged six to 14.
Apparently I hate Winston Churchill

1 month ago | theneweuropean.co.uk | Michaela Makusha

It was my birthday, which is traditionally a time of year when I wander around, picking up books I don’t need. But this year the weather was lovely, so I took myself to the recently reopened Birmingham Museum and Gallery. I walked in, iced coffee in hand, to be told, “Sorry you can’t drink that in here”. My first summer job was at this place when I was an awkward 16-year-old who loved history. Now, I’m an awkward 23-year-old who still loves history, but is perhaps a little more cynical nowadays.
Who will blink in Birmingham’s battle over waste?

2 months ago | theneweuropean.co.uk | Michaela Makusha

When I walk down to the massive waste bin, it’s already full. The pile of rubbish that has built up around it is now two weeks old. I’m sure my bin bags from last week are in there somewhere. And the week before that. The usual dilemma around doing the bins used to be whether I could be bothered. Now everyone is bothered. The refuse collectors here in Birmingham have been on strike for weeks now. The stench of old rubbish is terrible. A cat nudges at a torn bin bag and stalks away.
Kanye’s KKK costume proves Black men aren’t immune to being radicalised

2 months ago | independent.co.uk | Michaela Makusha

commentBlack men embracing white supremacy is still a wild sight, but Kanye isn’t the first and he won’t be the last, warns Michaela Makusha. We’re facing the Black manosphere online – and it’s infectiousOh, Kanye West. It seems that nearly every week, the once-genius rapper seems more focused on being in the news for everything else but music.
Women’s voices in a world that still questions them

Mar 11, 2025 | theneweuropean.co.uk | Michaela Makusha

March has finally arrived, and with it, the sunshine, but there’s still a chill in the air. So I put a scarf over my lighter jacket and head out into the Birmingham city centre lunchtime rush. I find a place and it’s packed, but manage to snag a seat and enough space for the laptop. I can’t help people-watching. To my left are two men – typical city workers. They’re discussing shares and I find myself almost immediately tuning out. Two young women are giggling over their drinks, and I smile.
The hypocrisy of Kemi Badenoch

Feb 6, 2025 | theneweuropean.co.uk | Michaela Makusha

Last month, Kemi Badenoch said “peasants” from “sub-communities” in some countries are the ones in grooming and rape gangs. Aside from sounding like a 14th-century noble, the xenophobia and racism in her statement are surprising in that it comes from someone like Kemi Badenoch. The leader of the Conservative Party has long confused me.