Laurie Penny

Laurie Penny (born 28 September 1986) is an English columnist and author. She has contributed articles to publications such as The Guardian and the New Statesman, and has written two books on feminism. 2Early life and education Penny was born in London, the daughter of the late lawyer Ray Barnett. She is of Irish, Jewish, and Maltese descent and, in personal comment on her website, described herself as an "atheist child of a lapsed Jew and a lapsed Catholic". She grew up in Brighton and Lewes. Penny attended the independent school Brighton College, with a 'large scholarship'. She has written about her hospitalisation at age 17 for anorexia and subsequent recovery. Penny studied English at Wadham College, Oxford, graduating in 2008 with a 2:1. Whilst a student, she joined and performed in a burlesque troupe, and appeared in amateur dramatic productions with the Oxford University Light Entertainment Society, of which she was a committee member. She then completed her NCTJ journalism training certificate in Londo