Hello!
I’m Claire Cohen, or CC as my friends call me - a freelance journalist and the author of BFF? The Truth About Female Friendship, a book all about what I consider to be the most important relationships in our lives.
Previously, I was the Women’s Editor of a national newspaper, which meant that I was able to write about the news of the week through the female gaze, and give lots of other women a platform to do the same and tell their stories. It was great and won me lots of fans, such as the commenter who called me “a ruptured firehose of period blood” and the man who said my nickname at home should be “the flange who must be obeyed”. Thanks chaps.
I also wrote a weekly newsletter in that job, called The 51 Per Cent, which some of you might have subscribed to - if so, welcome back and I’ll try to not mention my love of baths so often this time around.
This photo was taken not long before I decided to go freelance in the summer of 2022 and was trying to convince myself my new life would be all about rooftop-working with my laptop, and sunset glasses of wine. Sure.
Since leaving the cosy security of my office job - one I’d had for over a decade - I have been looking for a new home. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fortunate to have plenty of wonderful places where my journalism can live, from The Times to Grazia and Vogue. And I write from a bungalow in south London, where I live with my husband and a tiny cat called Maybe. I’m also an amateur potter - yes, truly a cliche.
But on Substack I hope to say the things that I don’t have the space to elsewhere.
The one thread running through my work, is that I try to hold a mirror up to the world as women see it. Which basically means calling out a lot of questionable shit and raising my eyebrows on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. Whether I’m writing about my endometriosis, misogyny in the police or exchanging DMs with women about the challenges of their female friendships, it’s what gets me up in the morning… now that having an actual job doesn’t.
There isn’t always an obvious place for everything that I want to write about, so here I am. This will be my honest take on everything I’m interested in, excited about and which has made me sit up straight in the past few days. There will be serious stuff but plenty of silliness, too. Don’t believe me? I’ve just had a human-sized cat cage, complete with a feline hammock, delivered to my front door.
I’m not going to lie, it’s quite scary going out on your own like this - with no salary or the formal support of an employer. But I strongly believe in the power of independent journalism and hope that you do, too.
I’m looking forward to talking to you all and hearing your thoughts, so that you can be my collaborators in helping to shape this Substack into something you’d like to read. So if you’ve ever liked my writing, my Instagram posts, my book, listened to my podcasts (BFF? and Imposters) or you simply like the sound of what you see here, I hope you’ll consider subscribing and supporting me - not to mention keeping Maybe in her preferred brand of cat food. In return, you’ll get the best of me, directly into your inbox every Friday.
So how is this going to work?
FREE SUBSCRIBERS WILL GET…
At least two newsletters a month directly into your inbox and about which you can write back to me. This is not going to be one way thing; we can have a conversation, sharing ideas, opinions and whatever else we like.
If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of hit the button below
BUT PAID SUBSCRIBERS WILL GET…
You will receive at least one newsletter every week, directly into your inbox. In addition to the two available to free subscribers, you will get longer and more intimate writing from me - a personal and open look at life.
There will probably also be a lot more of my musings along the way - bonus newsletters, voice notes, chats in threads and so on - I’m not sure what this will all look like just yet, but you’ll be first to get access.
But the most important thing is that, if you can afford it, please do support independent journalism so that I can keep some of this free for everyone
Does this sound like something you’d do? If so click button below
I ALSO HAVE A FOUNDING MEMBERSHIP…
This concept is completely new to me and, if I’m being honest, makes me queasy even asking you all.
My founding membership is for those people who can help my Substack off to a flying start. You will make the absolute difference. For starters, you’ll get a signed copy of my book BFF? The Truth About Female Friendship and there will be other, soon to be announced, extra benefits that will be exclusive to founding members only and mean you get more direct access to me.
Is this something you might be able to support? If so, click this button…
Finally, the most useful thing you can do is to help spread the word, so that anyone who might be interested in all this, can find my newsletter, help support independent journalism and have the chance to call me a ruptured firehose of period blood.
So there it is, for now, thank you for taking the time to read and it would mean so much to be if you’d subscribe. I hope it will be fun and thought-provoking, and that you’ll always want me to tell you about it.
Claire x
