In episode 186 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked in with writer Will Hayes.
We came across Will through a response piece he wrote on the Centre for Male Psychology website entitled ‘Why Men don’t write about Sex and Dating’.
The original piece was published in The Guardian by journalist Imogen West-Knights entitled ‘Why do hardly any straight men write about sex and dating?’
Will started his writing journey by writing screenplays with his brother before he realised he needed to improve his skillset so, in his mid-30s, he went to university and did an undergraduate in English Literature, before doing a Masters in Creative Writing.
Whilst doing his Masters, he became disillusioned with the way his course was taught and how elements of the teaching was descending into identity politics and he then started writing about male issues and mental health.
In this episode we discuss how that disillusionment came about, a deep dive into his article about why straight men have no interest in being dating columnists, male desire and why Will says its being eradicated from society.
We also discuss the importance of men supporting other men as a sex class like women do with the sisterhood and a brief discussion about male domestic abuse victims.
For Will’s mental health, we discuss his negative experience of going to boarding school when he was 11 years old, the impact that boarding school has had on other men in the public eye and the positive tools he’s found to manage and improve his mental health.
As always, #itsokaytovent
You can contact Will at willhayes51@gmail.com.
You can read Will’s article on the Centre for Male Psychology website in full here.
You can read The Guardian piece by Imogen West-Knights here.
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