‘I was looking for somewhere that gave me a bigger life without swallowing me whole’

Mollie Simpson’s writer’s edition

Dear Millers, 

I hope you’re having a lovely day. Mollie here, Mill writer, former Post editor, and now, writing my first editor’s edition to tell you about myself. If you didn’t catch me at the Mill’s second birthday, here’s one great photo from the night, captured by member Morris Bagnall:

Me and Dani onstage, photographed by Morris Bagnall.

Looking back over the last two years, it’s still amazing to me that everything’s worked out so well. I first found out about The Mill when I was scrolling through Twitter on a lazy day during lockdown, and it looked fresh and exciting. I messaged Joshi with a CV and a vague idea to write a story about influencers, and we met at the Metro Cafe, a greasy spoon in Chorlton, to discuss ideas.

One week later I wrote a piece based on memories of my own first year, a time that was alive with possibility, compared with the Freshers’ Week experience during lockdown, which sounded constrictive and downbeat. It was a defining moment: I felt proud to be part of…