I am the author of A Hedonists Guide to Toronto, part of the guidebook series Hg2.
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"Poetry, please!" What is it that makes a poem memorable? Stephanie Plentl asks a selection of famous readers for their favourite verse. Funny, moving, engaging, sad and even intriguing – in the past five weeks, since we launched our Poetry for Performance competition in association with the Rose Theatre, Kingston, we have received nearly 3,000 poems from readers, ranging from seven-year-olds to one 98-year-old.
Go to link"No British dancer to fill Darcey's pointe shoes" (with Chris Hastings). Darcey Bussell is an icon of ballet and the most famous British dancer since Dame Margot Fonteyn. But now, as she prepares to bow out after 20 years at the top, there are fears that there will be no other British dancer to fill her shoes.
Go to link"Diamonds are no longer a girl's best friend" (with Chris Hastings & Beth Jones) Diamonds have been synonymous with Hollywood glamour since Marilyn Monroe declared them to be a girl's best friend in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. But now a new generation of Hollywood stars is shunning the stones as a new film exposes the darker side of the international diamond trade.
Go to link"Screen giants: the scenery-chewing starts of Earth, the year's biggest film." Forget Depp and Maguire. Step aside Knightley and Dunst. Here are the big beasts tipped to transfix film fans later this year. Earth, the cinematic spin-off of the award-winning BBC television series Planet Earth, stars three families of polar bears, elephants and whales.
Go to link"The head's too big: the trouble with painting Tony Blair" (with Chris Hastings & Beth Jones) His 10-year premiership was consumed by an obsession with image and for years he refused to submit himself to the scrutiny of an official portrait. Now, it can be revealed, the first official painting of Tony Blair has been completed and is to be unveiled later this month on St George's Day.
Go to link"Beatles in, Queen Victoria out: The 50 key dates in British history" (with Chris Hastings) The country's longest-serving monarch is among the most controversial omissions from the list, which sets out to encapsulate the things every Briton should know about their nation's past.
Go to link"The Bertie Wooster offensive" (with Chris Hastings) Archives reveal how Britain planned to trick Hitler with a network of boozy aristocrats.
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