Journalism student publishes book of columns chronicling life during the pandemic

Jenny began writing a weekly column about student life during the pandemic for the Chichester Observer and over a dozen sister titles across Sussex, beginning soon after lockdown began in March 2020, at a time when she was in despair at the cancellation of her impending A-level exams. She has now gathered just under 50 columns into a book Lockdown Observed: Becoming an Adult Without Leaving the House, self-published and available on Amazon.

Jenny is now finishing the first year of a Journalism BA(Hons) degree, and will launch the book in The Conference Hall at Chichester College on 30 June at 7pm – the very room in which she should have sat her A levels in summer 2020. Tickets are £3 each from the Festival of Chichester website. 100% of the proceeds from tickets sales will be donated to Freedom4GirlsUK, a charity providing period products and education to those in period poverty in the UK and abroad.

Jenny Bathurst

Speaking to the Chichester Observer, Jenny said: “As a student journalist, my work centres around non-fiction, but the idea of one day publishing a work of fiction would be fantastic. I am a first-time author, and this is all incredibly new to me! Self-publishing was a real test of resilience and time management whilst simultaneously sitting university exams, so I am so pleased that I have managed to make this book a reality.

“There is an excellent quote by writer Katherine Mansfield that I find so helpful to reflect on when these counter-intuitive thoughts enter my mind: 'Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in.'”

Listen to a podcast interview with Jenny talking about her route to studying at University of Brighton and why she chose her course.