My Ten Top Stories on Medium by Marla Bishop

Summary

Marla Bishop, a writer and relationship coach based in London, reflects on her top ten stories published on Medium, which span topics from personal encounters with celebrities to issues of race, equality, and parenting, showcasing her diverse interests and expertise.

Abstract

Marla Bishop has been a prolific writer on Medium since September 2019, covering a range of subjects including parenting, relationships, race, equality, and life lessons. Her articles often draw from her personal experiences, such as meeting Denzel Washington and confronting unconscious bias within her family. Bishop's work has been recognized and curated in various Medium publications, although she humbly notes she has yet to join the $100 a month earning club. Her stories delve into sensitive topics like Britain's historical involvement in the slave trade and the challenges of parenting during lockdown. Bishop's writing is not only a reflection of her own life but also a commentary on broader societal issues, aiming to shed light on injustices and encourage open conversations.

Opinions

Bishop values the opportunity Medium provides for writers to be compensated for their work, despite not yet reaching a significant financial milestone.
She believes in the importance of discussing sexuality openly, especially with age and changing societal expectations.
Bishop emphasizes the difficulty and importance of supporting a friend in an abusive relationship while respecting their autonomy.
She is critical of the British government's "hostile environment" policy, which she sees as targeting Black individuals who have long resided in the UK.
Bishop is committed to addressing racism, even when it manifests in subtle forms such as unconscious bias within her own family.
She uses poetry as a medium to express her concerns about societal issues, such as the insensitive handling of a murdered activist's name by Sky TV.
Bishop is proud of her curated articles, particularly those that were initially rejected by other publications.
As a former BBC employee, she is disappointed by the organization's continued struggles with cross-race identification.
She advocates for therapeutic parenting techniques, especially during challenging times like the COVID-19 lockdown.
Bishop has a deep interest in Black history and aims to educate others about the long-standing presence of Black people in Britain and the country's historical profiteering from slavery.

They weren’t all curated but I consider them to be my best ones

I have been writing for over thirty years and in Medium since September 2019. After years of blogging for free, it was great to find a platform that paid us for writing – however little. I’m yet to hit the $100 a month club but I’m getting close. I write on parenting, relationships, race and equality, and life lessons, among others.

1. Meeting Denzel Washington in the 1980s when he was an up-and-coming actor and I was a young journalist was one of the highlights of my career. I wrote about our original meeting and about following up with him thirty years later. Published in An Injustice. Not curated.

2. My first article for PS: I Love You, and curated in Sexuality. I love exploring the topic of sexuality, especially as I get older and what people might think matters less to me, as I explain here.

3. How do you respond when a friend shares she may be in danger from domestic violence? I struggled to decide on the best action to take, then did what I could and Let Go and Let God. My first story for Fearless She Wrote. Curated in Women and Relationships

4. The hostile environment created by the current British government was apparently set up to deport illegal immigrants but somehow ended up targetting Black people who had lived in the UK for decades. Published in An Injustice and curated in Race, World, and Equality.

5. It isn’t easy to write about unconscious bias when it affects you on the homefront. But I felt I had to share this story because it reminds me that racism isn’t always about hatred; sometimes it’s about ignorance. Turned down by a race publication but welcomed into Illumination. Not curated.

6. This isn’t an article but it’s close to my heart. Sometimes it’s not clear what action if any to take when something offends you. In this case, I wrote a poem. Published in Illumination. Not (yet) curated but hanging tight!

7. My first curated article for Illumination. I was particularly proud of this one as it had been turned down by two publications on writing which I’d submitted it to previously. Curated in Writing

8. One of my first articles for the publication An Injustice; as a former employee of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) I was disappointed to see them still suffering from the cross-race effect well into the twenty-first century. Curated in Race and Equality

9. My family and I came went through a particularly difficult period with our youngest family member during lockdown — not because of COVID-19 but because she resisted sheltering in place. I had to learn new ways of coping which I wrote about here. Published in PS: I Love You and curated in Parenting and Family

10. I love history and in particular Black history which is often hidden from view. Many people assume that black people arrived in Britain in the 20th century but in fact, we have been here since the 12th. Here is a story about how Britain made money from slavery right up until the bitter end. My latest story to be published in Illumination. Curated in History

Marla Bishop is a relationship coach and writer: On medium.com she is the creator of Lilith and an editor of The Bad Influence. She lives in London UK with her family. You can follow her here.

My Ten Top Stories on Medium by Marla Bishop

They weren’t all curated but I consider them to be my best ones

The night I had dinner with Denzel

It was one of those chance experiences you remember forever

Why It’s Easier to Talk About Sex When You’re Over the Hill

(For one thing, you care a hell of a lot less about what people think).

What is My Role in a Friend’s Abusive Relationship?

My friend’s partner spat in her face and now I fear for her safety

The False Promise of ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’

How the British Government’s hostile environment is targeting Black Brits

Dad, That’s Racist!

Our daughter called out her father on his thoughtless remark because I was left speechless

Sky TV Effed-Up Captioning

Mockery made of murdered activist Sandra Bland’s name

When A Writer Can’t Write

Ten top tips for getting unstuck

Why Does the BBC Keep Mixing Up Black People?

In a week they’ve done it twice

How To Parent Therapeutically

It’s counter-intuitive but effective

Britain’s Role in the Slave Trade Lasted Centuries

It started long before Europe colonised America