Conversations with Annalisa Barbieri

My series of podcasts, Conversations with Annalisa Barbieri, launched on 20th May 2021 and is now on Series 13. The idea for these came about quite a few years ago; every time I…
Game of Drones. Do Not Disturb magazine

Seven years ago, I became obsessed with keeping bees. It was a powerful calling that came out of nowhere, the like of which people might get to be a nun or a priests; but with…
Update on: “I escaped 14 years of domestic abuse but I worry I’m not a good enough mother and student”. The Guardian

Nearly four years ago now, I got a letter which I answered in my column from a woman who had left her husband, after 14 years of domestic abuse. I was struck by how genuinely…
I seem to enjoy life more when my partner is away. The Guardian.

Just a few weeks ago, I got a letter from a reader who said that she seemed to prefer life when her partner was away (read the original column here). This morning, strangely, I…
Children’s mental health: do we care nearly enough? The Week

The subject of child mental health is very close to my heart. I was a depressed teenager. I had emotions I could neither name nor deal with, but which came out in strange…
Masters of Sex: prostitutes, peepholes and propositions

IT’S REFRESHING to see a television programme that, instead of making sex an incidental, cynical part of the plot, simply to facilitate shots of naked people, makes it the…
David Cameron sounds nice. Until his eyes narrow and his cheeks go red. The Week.

DAVID CAMERON started his 2013 party conference speech with the emphasis on hard work. Indeed “hardworking people” was in the very first sentence. You could tell that…
Is Call the Midwife anything like the real profession?

If the snow makes you feel like snuggling up with your loved one in front of the fire, and if you think that snuggling up may lead to sex … stop! The birth rate in the UK is the…
My mother’s suitcase. Published in National Geographic Traveller.

The first suitcase I ever picked up was my mother’s. It had travelled with her from Italy and lived in the depths of her wood-lined wardrobe. The suitcase was, impractically,…
The taste of al fresco. Does food taste better outdoors? Intelligent Life.

The dream and the reality are never so divorced as when dining al fresco. As soon as someone says “let’s eat outdoors”, the spirits lift. The imagination fires and we…
Waiting for baby. New Statesman.

I am not alone. In my tummy, curled up and waiting for a moment to unfurl and press the exit button, is a baby. If being pregnant is a group affair that invites comment and…
Windows of the mind. The Guardian

I’d always wanted a loft, perhaps fuelled by watching at an impressionable age films in which they featured. Ten years ago, I got one. The only doors were the front door and…
Rod, I salute your train set. Published in The Guardian.

What a service prejudices can sometimes provide. Rod Stewart is pictured with a copy of Model Railroader in his car and easy headlines are made, “Do ya think I’m sexy…
The Queen Mother taught me how to sew beautifully. Published in the New Statesman.

I may have mentioned, in passing, that I was once seamstress to the Queen Mother. This is not exactly true, because it evokes an image of me sat at Her Majesty’s heel…
Diary. The New Statesman.

I like to start the week talking about breasts – and thus it was that I did. There we were Monday morning, ten women sitting around a table at University College Hospital,…
Amo, amas, I love a lass, published in The Guardian.

At last, it seems as if the cavalry is coming. For years, the subjunctive has been in hiding in the barren hills of What Once Was: unwanted, misunderstood and frequently passed…
The most dangerous trousers in the world. Published in The Guardian.

When it came, I always knew Mother Fashion’s revenge would be cruel. That she would spawn something so seductive that all attempts at style and beauty would be sacrificed…
Adultery al dente. The Independent.

Italians are, according to a recent report, more forgiving of adultery than ever before. No news there, you may think – except that this time it’s the women who are…
Interiors: catches worth landing. Anissa Helou. Published in The Independent on Sunday.

THE HAIR is the first thing you notice. It’s big. “Explosive”, according to the art historian George Melly. But you are barely through Anissa El Helou’s…
In love with my curves. Published in The Independent.

It started with the ornaments. There were two of them on the mantelpiece in my childhood home, both showing boy/girl configurations. One pair was tall and elegant, the other squat…
Bananas about pyjamas. Published in The Independent.

AGED 18, the very first thing I bought from my very first pay packet was a pair of Derek Rose red flannel pyjamas. At pounds 25, they left me little change from the meagre pounds…
Football: I hated Brazil’s Nelinho and Dirceu for getting their blasted stupid goals past my Zoff and making him sad and downcast. Published in The Independent.

I was 12. He was 36 (I still celebrate his birthday, 28 February). I loved him. Dino Zoff. At the time, goalie for Italy. Big hands, responsive. But I never imagined him doing…
Interview with Miuccia Prada. The Independent.

In Milan, two well-dressed women race each other to the shelf displaying the last pounds 200 nylon bag. In a few minutes they will fight. In London, a girl shyly unrolls a pounds…

My friend has cancer and talks about ending her life. Should I tell her family?

Dear Annalisa I am in my 80s and an old friend has several health issues. She will probably die in the not too distant future due to the inoperable cancer she has…

I don’t want to invite my father to my wedding but feel coerced into doing so. The Guardian.

Dear Annalisa My sister and I have always had a rather fraught relationship with my father. He failed to form bonds and took no interest in…

Conversations with Annalisa Barbieri

My teenage daughter is in a miserable state; she has lost hope. The Guardian.

Dear Annalisa I am desperately worried about my teenage granddaughter, who is in a very miserable state. Her self-esteem is at rock bottom, she has no…

My parents moved to a new area after my mother retired and now she is really isolated. The Guardian.

Dear Annalisa A year ago, once my siblings and I had left home, my parents moved to the other side of the country. They have made…

How can I develop true self-confidence? The Guardian.

Dear Annalisa I am from a dysfunctional family where I was ignored, criticised and never given love or affection. I learned to be quiet, to never…

How can I cope with my manipulative mother? The Guardian.

Dear Annalisa I am a woman in my 50s looking for advice on how to cope with my needy and manipulative mother, who is in her…

My husband wants a divorce after 30 years. What do I tell the children? The Guardian.

Dear Annalisa Some time ago, out of the blue, my husband told me he wanted a divorce. I was horrified and astonished – we had been…

After the Manchester attack: how do I talk to my children about distressing news stories? The Guardian.

I have only once actively hidden a news item from my daughter. She was three when Madeleine McCann went missing, far too young to know about…

My husband and I can’t agree on where we should live. The Guardian.

Dear Annalisa I have been with my husband for 10 years. I am from London, where we live, and he is from the south-west of England,…

I’ve fallen in love with a colleague – but I’m married with children. The Guardian.

Dear Annalisa I’m 40 and married with three children. I have a loving wife and a career that, while it doesn’t pay that much, keeps me…

Conversations with Annalisa Barbieri

Game of Drones. Do Not Disturb magazine

Update on: “I escaped 14 years of domestic abuse but I worry I’m not a good enough mother and student”. The Guardian

I seem to enjoy life more when my partner is away. The Guardian.

Children’s mental health: do we care nearly enough? The Week

Masters of Sex: prostitutes, peepholes and propositions

David Cameron sounds nice. Until his eyes narrow and his cheeks go red. The Week.

Is Call the Midwife anything like the real profession?

My mother’s suitcase. Published in National Geographic Traveller.

The taste of al fresco. Does food taste better outdoors? Intelligent Life.

Waiting for baby. New Statesman.

Windows of the mind. The Guardian

Rod, I salute your train set. Published in The Guardian.

The Queen Mother taught me how to sew beautifully. Published in the New Statesman.

Diary. The New Statesman.

Amo, amas, I love a lass, published in The Guardian.

The most dangerous trousers in the world. Published in The Guardian.

Adultery al dente. The Independent.

Interiors: catches worth landing. Anissa Helou. Published in The Independent on Sunday.

In love with my curves. Published in The Independent.

Bananas about pyjamas. Published in The Independent.

Football: I hated Brazil’s Nelinho and Dirceu for getting their blasted stupid goals past my Zoff and making him sad and downcast. Published in The Independent.

Interview with Miuccia Prada. The Independent.