Rife: Twenty Stories from Britain’s Youth
By Nikesh Shukla
A book of essays by writers under 24, edited
Publication date: Summer 2019
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The country is messed up and our future is looking gloomy. We, Britain’s young people, have to live with the repercussions of what the oldies have done --- we didn’t vote for Brexit, we didn’t vote in Theresa May, and you know what? We’re sick of being talked about instead of talked to. So here’s our book. Written for you by us. You’re welcome. If you think that’s all a bit in your face, you should know that it’s never been harder to be young, so it’s no wonder we’re angry. One in four people under 25 will be affected by mental illness. 52% of all people under 25 have looked for advice on homelessness. As university fees rise, job opportunities dry up and houses get more expensive, we are facing an ever-expanding chasm of doubt, instability and, basically, buckling down for a really, really rough time for the rest of our lives.
The voice of this generation is noticeably absent from mainstream media, online comment pieces and from news reports. Oi, editors! What are you so scared of? Why aren’t you commissioning us?
As usual, it looks like it’s up to us to commission ourselves.
Curated by author and editor of The Good Immigrant, Nikesh Shukla and journalist/Rife alumna Sammy Jones, Rife: 20 Stories From Britain's Youth collects twenty young people’s essays about money, mental health, sex, gender, equality, education, crime and the future.
The writers, all under 24 and selected from all over the UK, include Ella Marshall, Liv Little, Amber Kirk-Ford, Rosalind Jana, Ailsa Fineron and many more. Some have been chosen from Rife Magazine, Bristol’s youth magazine for 13-19 year olds, mentored by Nikesh and produced by Watershed, and some have been chosen for their outstanding contributions to a spectrum of crucial conversations.
What they all have in common are their essential insights into what it means to be young in Britain right now. Against the apocalyptic backdrop 2016 has provided us with, our stories prove we are still full of ideas and aspirations. And maybe they’ll fill you with hope too.
If you’re under 24, with an interesting story to tell, get in touch with editor@rifemagazine.co.uk - we have plenty of room for writers new to us with important stories to tell!
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Nikesh Shukla
Nikesh Shukla is the editor of Rife Magazine, an online magazine for young people, and the author of the novels Coconut Unlimited (Quartet), which was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, and Meatspace (Friday Project). He is the editor of the acclaimed collection of essays about race and immigration by 21 writers of colour, The Good Immigrant (Unbound), which was shortlisted for the Liberty Human Rights Arts Award and won the Reader's Choice at the Books Are My Bag Awards.
Sammy Jones is a writer based in Bristol. Now freelance, her most recent role was at Crack Magazine as the music and culture magazine’s Junior Digital Editor. She still regularly contributes reviews and features. She completed her tenure at Rife as part of the second intake and has enjoyed being involved in Rife’s projects ever since. Her recent projects include contributing copy to a blue chip brand’s website redesign and creating a zine about Welsh shame in response to Brexit.
Rife is a Watershed project, made by young people for young people. Rife Magazine and Guide are supported by Bristol Youth Links in partnership with Bristol City Council.
Nikesh Shukla has written 1 private update. You can pledge to get access to them all.
25th October 2018 It's coming!Hey there
We knows... we know... it's been ages since we updated you on this project. It's taken a while. We're really sorry about that. Partly, the delay has been we made it awesome and then saw ways to make it even more awesome. The good news is that the book is pretty much done now, barring some copyediting work that's happening at the moment. So, expect the book in July next year. It's going…
3rd April 2017 GUEST POST: Announcing Our Contributors!We are so thrilled to announce that we have now decided on all of our writers for our book ‘RIFE: Stories from Britain’s Youth’. Below is the full list of our fantastic contributors and everything you need to know about them.
Don’t forget, the crowdfunder is still going, and we are nearly 60% funded. We want to give these people a voice so please help us get funded as soon as you can. If you've…
14th March 2017 A Message From Tina, The Official Rife Magazine PuppyTina, the official Rife puppy, has a special message for you about the book, and getting us to 100%. She's cold and wet and won't be let back indoors* till we hit our target.
Poor Tina.
Help her shelter from Bristol's rain and wind.
* this is not true, she said it was okay for us to pretend so to elicit maximum guilt points.
2nd March 2017 Book Giveaway To Celebrate World Book DayOkay, call this a cynical marketing ploy to get more funders...cos that's what it is. But also, it's World Book Day and we love books. So here's a deal: Nikesh has a bunch of books he's up for giving away. They are doubles of books he already owns, all ones he has read and adored, and all for you:
So, if you want to win copies of:
Citizen by Claudia Rankine
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly…
These people are helping to fund Rife: Twenty Stories from Britain’s Youth.
View more
Daisy Hill
Amy Horton
Gabriel Vogt
Daniel Shurz
Amy South
Kate Lockwood Jefford
Ben Horton
Tara Morse
Johanna von Fischer
Alex Rutherford
Martha Adam-Bushell
Alexander Clover
Philip Hewitt
Ella Gatfield
Ailbhe Malone
John Sparkhall
Akane Vallery Uchida
Courtney Rodrigues
Mamataj Begum
Fatih Uzuner
Michelle Gately
Mary Adeson
- Please Sign in to ask a question to join in the conversation
Do you have a date for book launch party and also a location ?
It's all TBC and dependent on getting to 100% funding. Then we'll set the release date of the book and launch accordingly.
I am in dude, but why do we wanna look in Nikesh's shed? Is that where the dosas are?
HAHAHAHAHAHA! The dosa are in the hut, the dosa hut. :o)
(1) I have long been baffled as to how any young person gets started in life in Britain today, so I'm interested in getting the story from those who eke an existence where the cost of living is eye-wateringly expensive. (2) Paperback is fine, but a hardback would be better. Why no hardback? (3) Why does your video need English sub-titles? Even a geriatric old-fart like me could understand you, so it seems a bit patronising.
1) Us too. So excited for these guys to tell their stories. 2) We wanted to ensure we get a good amount of young readers and paperback is just more accessible and cost effective as we want to offer a discount to under 24s. 3) It's for accessibility, for people who are hearing impaired. :o)
Is there a chance to pledge as a gift? So that not my own name is in the book, but the one of the receiver? How would I do that? Thanks, Martin.
Hi Martin, You can change the name that will appear in the back of the book once you've pledged for the book. Just go to 'My Account' and choose to update the name in the back of the book. Best, Unbounders
Is there a chance to pledge as a gift? So that not my own name is in the book, but the one of the receiver? How would I do that? Thanks, Martin.
Hi Martin, you can indeed as someone else's name to the book. Just read out help article here for details on how to change the name: http://help.unbound.com/unbound-for-readers/managing-your-subscriptions/changing-the-supporter-name-thats-printed-in-a-book. Best wishes, Caitlin - Community Manager