Mike Starkey

Currently writing: talks for St Michael’s Church Paris in November, and reviewing the new Alice Cooper autobiography. Both are a search for hope amid devastation. Both are tales of darkness and light. [Friends in Paris: I’m speaking at all services on Nov 8, 15 and 29.]

‘Wonderfully more informative than the press coverage I’ve seen.’ Dan Damon (BBC World Service) ‘Well worth a read.’ Mark Urban (Sunday Times) ‘One of the most accurate English-language articles I’ve read on the subject.’ Jack Colmer Gale (France 24 TV) flaneurnotes.com/post/the-fr…

A glass ad box at a tram stop in central Strasbourg is smashed up by this weekend's rioters. But the Carambar caramel ad video inside carries on playing. The Carambar man now looks up anxiously at where the baseball bat smashed his home.

Living in a French city right now is weird and unsettling. But today was livened up when I discovered why French people laugh when they talk about AI assistant ChatGPT. In French, ChatGPT sounds exactly like 'chat, j'ai pété' (cat, I farted).

Just received a message from a reporter at France 24 TV: ‘Wow, just read the article. I have not seen any other English-language article that is so accurate.’ flaneurnotes.com/post/the-fr…

My feature on the French riots went viral after being reposted by lots of journalists. I've added an important new paragraph on the Black Bloc, who believe urban warfare will bring in a new world, and a look at posters and graffiti here in Strasbourg. flaneurnotes.com/post/the-fr…

France is bracing for more riots this weekend. I’m in Strasbourg, taking pics. Main themes on posters and graffiti: • Class war/anarchy/anti-state • Attacking/defunding Police • Burning cars • Gaza/anti-Zionism • Trans/anti-TERF I’ve uploaded loads of pics to my FB page.

Welcome to new followers who valued my account of the French riots and my search for causes. I have more articles on my site (link in bio). Including one that went crazy viral – on the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, and why drag is revolting. flaneurnotes.com/post/draggi…

In November I'm doing a sermon series at St Michael's Paris, near the Place de la République. Called Finding Hope in Troubled Times, it's on theories of the End Times. Seemed like a fun idea when we set it up. Now I'm half expecting Aslan to appear, and the moon to turn to blood.

'My tram goes past the destroyed remains of the transport office, where wooden hoardings cover the smashed windows.' My eyewitness account of being caught up in the French riots, and a deep search for the roots of the violence. flaneurnotes.com/post/the-fr…

Lyon's lovely tourist information office burned down in today's riots. Local police say 'hostile individuals' are preventing firefighters from tackling the blaze. This is horrific.

Working in Strasbourg for October. The English congregation meets in a simple, austere Dominican Church. The congregation is wildly diverse, with 27 nationalities. Unusually for an English church in Europe, a high proportion of them are native French speakers.

Working in Strasbourg for October. Pics: European Parliament, European Court of Human Rights. Not pictured: all the destroyed bus and tram shelters in the city centre after yesterday’s riots.

'More than anybody else, Annie Dillard taught me to see the world not as a given, but as a gift. To see everything around me as if for the first time, with wide-eyed wonder.' Last of my current batch of Radio 2 Pause for Thought. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0pcrd…

A new Harris Poll in the US says Gen Z (defined as age 18-29) are more likely than their elders to identify as 'religious'. Here's my feature from 2023 on why 'Are you religious?' is the wrong question. And why I don't see myself as religious. flaneurnotes.com/post/on-not…

'At the time psychologists dismissed forgiveness because they thought it was a religious idea – not a suitable subject for scientific study. So Professor Enright did his own research on forgiveness, and what he found was fascinating.' New Radio 2 Thought. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0pbm6…

Grateful for the life of writer Annie Dillard, who has died. Her best book was the lovely Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (1974). Her big idea was paying close attention to things, and being filled with wonder. When I wrote books on restoring wonder (1997/1999) she was a big influence.

Last night at the Old Vic theatre in London: warning to the public about onstage 'egg and an item containing celery'.

'A church that has a firm centre, but fuzzy boundaries. In other words, it has a clear set of beliefs at its core. But it’s infinitely generous and welcoming to people who don’t yet share those beliefs.' My new Pause for Thought, on welcoming outsiders. bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0p9c1…

My Tiffany Twisted interview is creating waves, particularly in the US. It's a jaw-dropping story of rock & redemption. I was messaged by an influential American rock musician, thanking me for it. He didn’t know Hetti’s music before, but he’s now a fan. flaneurnotes.com/post/tiffan…