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You Call This Fiction, But It is More Ben Lerner’s Transcription Lest I sound like just another gay guy who heard of Ben Lerner via Lorde’s Instagram story last week (“No living writer has affected me more”, the singer wrote on April 14th), let me set the record straight by saying that actually I’ve been reading him since I was sixteen, thank you very much. Lerner was the writer that first introduced me to literary criticism (in his extraordinary monograph The Hatred of Poe

Right. Tone shift. None of that soft, therapy-talk nonsense you’ve been getting lately—this is straight off a Speight’s cap. Your Unc is back. You’ve got a situation on your hands. You’re keen to get with someone who’s already told you exactly who they are. They’re here for a good time, not building anything serious. On top of that, there’s a 7-ish year age gap, and your mates are all saying “don’t go there.” That’s worth paying attention to. So before you do anything, cut th

On Breakups, Rejection and #NoBoyfriend2026 Dear dating diary, I recently became single for the first time since entering my 20’s and it has truly been an eye-opening experience. I’ve had to flirt with people at the club, reject people simply because I’m not interested, and learn to be truly comfortable on my own. The life of a single woman in her early 20’s is foreign territory to me, but I’m loving it and learning how to navigate the treacherous waters of dating. B

“Within the span of a week, I’ll be trying to accomplish a long-term task just to see if it’s possible, and to see what I can get out of it. Life lessons? Skills? Resilience training? The stimulation alone should be enough motivation.” A story my dad will never stop bringing up is how, when I was nine, I managed to crash our homemade Go-Cart into a local Primary School building. From that point on, I realized I have zero fear when it comes to vehicular speeds. Moving to Welly

Hunk unc!! My flatmates are not nice people but I’m in a freaking one year tenancy with them. What. Do. I. Do??? Right. Hunk Unc is putting his Unc Hunk pants on to answer this question, so expect fewer gym references and more actual advice today. The first thing this Unc would suggest is going to the VUWSA Advocates. They’re a 100% confidential service run by the Student Union, and your fees pay for them, so you may as well make the most of it. They give advice to students i

Good news stories (and more) for the planet Kia ora, Salient reader! Welcome to our new fortnightly column on the environment, sustainable living, and the small, stubborn act of hope amongst a world on fire! Check in every second week for waste-free recipes, genuinely good news, and practical ways to lend a hand—nudging a happier, healthier Earth a little closer into view. Waste-free recipe of the week: Tortillas are a staple of the student diet. Whether you’re going full g