New Statesman, Church Times, iNewspaper and other articles April – Jun 2020

Today, ladies and gentlemen, I am the news.

“Two things have wrecked my life,” says Marlow. “One is the disease and the other is the trauma from not being believed.”

Kasia Delgado interviewed me in response to the great news that DecodeME has been launched, which is a huge study – 20,000 participants – to study the genetics of those with ME. It’s a real breakthrough that the Medical Research Council have funded it after years of only funding psychiatric studies into ME, and it’s got some great people behind it.

Do click through to read this excellent article (with me in it). 

Also this week, The Times (London) have published a flurry of articles on ME, announcing a sea change in their response to ME. No longer dismissing it as ‘yuppy flu’, the Times view by Sean O’Neill was that it needs to be taken seriously and biomedical funding. My great hope is that we are reaching tipping point, and all the excellent campaigning by ME charities and the beautiful films by Jen Brea (Unrest – on Netflix now) and Ryan Prior have made a difference so we can properly fund biomedical research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

See also (and share) The Times coverage (paywall):

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Search for genetic clues

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: It felt like I’d been in a car crash

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: ME families accused of child abuse

The Times View on Taking ME Seriously

The Guardian also covered the story:

UK to launch world’s biggest genetic study into Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The details of the study and how to participate are here (PLEASE sign up if you have ME, especially long-term ME or severe ME).

Where else have I been featured…?

New Statesman – Emily K Beater – 14 April 2020

Emily K Beater did a wonderful survey of how disabled and chronically ill people had been neglected by the UK government in the coronavirus crisis. I was mentioned:

“Now that everyone else is in this situation, I’m not noticing any consultation with disabled people,” observes Tanya Marlow, author of Those Who Wait, who has only been able to go out every two weeks in a wheelchair for a decade.

“Imagine that society is this great, walled city which disabled and chronically ill people are shut out of. We’ve had to make our own temporary lodgings outside. Now, the people who’ve said, repeatedly, ‘No we can’t bring our services into your tent’ have now flooded our tent. They’re taking over the organisation of it, and ignoring the expertise of the people who live there.”

Wonderfully, I also shared print space with my friend Jenny Rowbory:

Jenny Rowbory, a poet and blogger who has had ME and Ehlers Danlos syndrome for 15 years, echoes this. “All the things that I haven’t had access to while bed-bound are suddenly magically possible now that abled people want them.

“Plays are available for streaming online. Universal Pictures are making cinema releases to watch at home. It’s upsetting, because before coronavirus, there was already a whole population of people who needed these things.”

Do read the rest of the article – it’s important and still relevant.

Church Times – Hattie Williams – 1 May 2020

Hattie Williams interviewed me for my take on the isolation faced by disabled people in these times: Disabled People More Likely to Be Alone During Coronavirus Lockdown, ONS Study Finds.

In that same edition, there was a brilliant article by disability and faith scholar Dr Naomi Jacobs, which is well worth your time: Disabled People say Welcome to Our World. 

Premier Christianity – June

I was included in Premier Christianity Magazine‘s feature article – 24 Leaders Share Their Lockdown Highs and Lows. You can sign up for a free 30 day trial and check out the June 2020 magazine here. 

Premier Digital Article – 30 March 2020:

“It is tempting to think we need to show up in prayer only after overcoming our despair and anxiety, but Isaiah shows us that we can bring those emotions directly to God. Lament is the kind of prayer where you climb onto the lap of the Almighty and like a child, shout, “How long, O Lord?”

– Tanya Marlow

Check out my article for Premier Digital – How Long, Lord? Two Prayers for a Time of Uncertainty 

Woman Alive Magazine – July 2020

The upcoming Woman Alive July 2020 magazine is a special edition focused on reading and books. They’re carrying a feature piece from me on how reading saves us in times of uncertainty: A Stack of Stories. When the July edition comes out, you can order yours from here. 

Newsletter

Soon I’ll be sending out a newsletter, which is a more chatty inside scoop in my life and a sneak peek at my upcoming projects. Do sign up and receive my first book in ebook form, Coming Back to God When You Feel Empty.  

I’m doing a series of blog posts to catch you up on my recent

1. Broadcasting and speaking
2. TV
3. Newspaper and magazine articles
4. Announcements.

This one is a round-up of recent newspaper articles I’ve been featured in and magazine articles I’ve written lately. Enjoy and feel free to share!