Sam Cleasby interviewing Charly Cox

Charly Cox – Validate Me at Off the Shelf festival

On 10th October, I was honoured to interview Charly Cox in front of a live audience for Off the Shelf festival in Sheffield. She is a poet whose work has inspired many on instagram and through her books.

Text: Hello my name is Charly Cox and I am code dependent. Will you please, please validate me?

Charly Cox

“Charly Cox’s writing focuses on destigmatising mental health and young women surviving the modern world. she must be mad was the best-selling poetry debut of 2018. Her latest Validate Me explores the havoc the digital hemisphere plays on relationships and mental health and how a life lived online is both liberating and screwing us all up. Funny, heartbreaking and achingly relatable, Charly’s writing has the power to make us all feel less alone.”

Charly Cox poet and Sam Cleasby presenter for Off the Shelf festival Sheffield

Though I interview people every week on my BBC Sheffield radio show, it was a very different beast to do it live on a stage in front of an audience. But I absolutely loved it. Charly Cox was such a great guest and was generous in her answers and in giving a lot of herself. It was an absolute pleasure to chat with her. She also read some of her poetry for the audience and hearing it read out loud was just beautiful.

Charly Cox poet and Sam Cleasby presenter for Off the Shelf festival Sheffield

Validate Me

You can find Charly’s book Validate Me here, it is a collection of poetry that is so relatable to women living in a modern, social media obsessed world.

“This is an account of a life lived online. Swiping for approval. Scrolling for gratification. Searching for connection. From the glow of a screen in the middle of the night, to the harsh glare of the hospital waiting room, Validate Me is a raw and honest look at the highs and the lows of a digital life. The new voice of a generation, Charly’s words have the power to make us all feel less alone.”

Head over and follow Charly on instagram today. You can find out more about events and talks I am part of here.

Peace and Love

Sam xx

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