‘The book is unfortunately a very lugubrious one; but I had to get it out of my system; and I look upon it only as the first third of a whole, the second of which I look upon as noisily comic - if I can bring it off.’ (ed. Butter, 1974) Edwin Muir to his sister & brother in law in 1932 on Poor Tom

Breathing!

Thank you @bars.bsky.social for publishing my review of the Lives and Letters of the Tennyson Women. www.romtext.org.uk/reviews/rt25...

‘I scorn death and vow that I meet it innocent of any crime’ A privilege to view Mary’s last letter (Feb 1587) in Perth Museum yesterday with @hannahgrim02.bsky.social and Ollie. The exhibition is free and open until the 26th April - a rare chance to read Mary as portrayed in her own words.

So excited to be editing May’s edition of The Blether! We have some amazing contributors on board who will be writing about all things Mary… Sign up below to read: us4.list-manage.com/contact-form...

Three editions in the works plus a special edition! Subscribe today via our contact form us4.list-manage.com/contact-form...

Just cast my vote at my old primary school that I attended in the late 60’s early 70’s. Reminded me of the difference in times … please use your vote today

Not that I am biased or anything but this excellent tome is now out in paperback!

Time out with this lady!

Back soon!

Tickets are now available for THE SELKIE'S SONG: Song Cycle at Camphill Blair Drummond, Stirling. www.ticketsource.com/three-rivers... music to new poems by Nalini Paul.

This superb book by some bloke called James Coleman will be available in paperback soon. Available to preorder via @edinburghup.bsky.social edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-remembe... #heismyweebrother

In today’s By The Way, @ginorgym.bsky.social takes a look at Tom Leonard’s glass ‘hawf fuhl’ poem and how we cope with the madness of submissions, exams, and dissertations! Subscribe today via the link in our profile. #theblether #thebletherpgr #scottishliterature

Two days of just Edwin and I! Checking quotes, references, and writing! Lots of writing! #edwinmuir #scottishliterature #poetry

Looking for clues! We Moderns by Edward Moore aka Edwin Muir! … not my favourite of his works! #edwinmuir

So grateful to everyone who is supporting our developing project. The pieces in our Arran edition are great reads.

What do hills, spiders, caves and castles all have in common? Sign up to the Blether today via the link below and find out in our special Arran editions. us4.list-manage.com/contact-form... #thebletherpgr #theblether #scottishliterature

Subscribe via us4.list-manage.com/contact-form...

‘Of course she did!’ #iykyk

Arran!

Our first February Blether is out today! Oor Sandra is chatting about romance and onions???? Don’t miss an issue by signing up via us4.list-manage.com/contact-form... #thebletherpgr #theblether

Our email subscribers are enjoying an article by @laurzzs.bsky.social on her work on Agnes Owens. Thank you for supporting us Laura and we can’t wait to visit @aowensarchive.bsky.social Subscribe today via us4.list-manage.com/contact-form... #thebletherpgr #theblether #agnesowens

Am I the only one who hates (yes hates) being called a ‘mature student’? I am a student/postgraduate student/ post grad … but please DO NOT term me a mature student … Why? Cos that’s why!!! #thingsthatdrivememad

Our February Bletherings are out from tomorrow. Sign up via the link below to make sure you don’t miss out. us4.list-manage.com/contact-form... #thebletherpgr #theblether #lovehurts

Don’t forget to sign up to receive our Bletherings! Some great content this month and only available via email. #teamblether #thebletherpgr

It is definitely a big coffee mug kinda morning! #caffeine #coffee

Better days emerging!

Episode 4 is out: Scottish Folk and European Music with Kirsteen McCue, Professor of Scottish Literature and Song Culture at @glasgow.ac.uk We discuss the history of Scottish folk music and particularly its influence on the birth of modern music — from Beethoven to Bob Dylan. 🎼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Link⬇️

My turn to edit!!! Looking forward to it!

It has been a morning of checking quotes … !

January may be out but our #BurnsSupper225 global survey remains open for submissions! Thank you to all who have submitted so far; we’re delighted to have captured 200+ events already spanning 7 continents - but there’s plenty of room for more! Please share widely: forms.office.com/pages/respon...

Seems an appropriate day to be reading this. Massie’s introduction made me rethink my literary critical skills. When you have to develop a confident argument for and against his introduction to Muir’s Scott and Scotland, you realise how far you still have to go. @alexmassie.bsky.social

CFP: 2026 Scottish Literature PG Symposium (Mis)placing Scottish Literature 8 May 2026, University of Glasgow Details: ucsl-scotland.com/2026-pg-symp... Deadline 15 March, student travel bursaries available!

Coffee, shortbread and Burns at Dad’s wonderful care home! He even managed to recite all of tae a wee moosey (as one lovely lady kept saying) @glasgowburns.bsky.social

A very happy Friday to all our new followers & subscribers. Our Burns Bletherings will finish on Monday with @hannahgrim02.bsky.social review of a great ‘everyday’ Burns book. Don’t forget to let @glasgowburns.bsky.social know how you are celebrating Burns! Check out gla.ac.uk/robertburnsstudies

I hear it's National Handwriting Day! My research relies on those individuals who spent most of their days with a pen in their hand and, presumably, ink all over their fingers. Thanks to the neat letters, the messy annotations, the lazy inkblots, the cursory crossses, and all of the doodles. 🪶

A pleasure to write this short article for @sahavoice.bsky.social about the ambitions of ‘The Burns Supper at 225 Years: Scottish Tradition, Global Reinvention’ project: saha.scot/the-burns-su.... Access our #BurnsSupper225 survey here: forms.office.com/pages/respon...! @paulinemackay.bsky.social

To celebrate Burns Night on Sunday, I wrote an article for @theconversation.com about the role that Robert Burns played in the afterlife of Mary, Queen of Scots. Have a read below!

Eeek

Testing out a sign up link today! #comingsoon

Had great fun reading and editing the Blether this month! A great spectrum of insights and opinions on the Scottish Bard which I’m sure will be thought-provoking to all of our readers 🧐💭

Fantastic piece by @katekane1542.bsky.social ! Drop @thebletherscotlit.bsky.social an email on [email protected] to sign up for our monthly Daily Bletherings!

It is Daily Blether week so, if you have subscribed, keep an eye on your inbox. Of course we have gone all Burns, so if you haven’t signed up to receive our Daily Blether then drop us a DM and we will send you the link. #thebletherpgr #theblether #burnsnight

Mary, Queen of Scots is remembered as a ‘Jeezabel’ in George Blake’s ‘Scottish Treasure Trove’ (1928). The collection contains ‘the most interesting historical extracts and literary quotations about Scotland’. Quotation from John Gibson Lockhart’s 1823 satirical bildungsroman ‘Reginald Dalton’.

Robert Burns never set foot in America but his words did, says leading Scots American Ian Houston ahead of his lecture @glasgowburns.bsky.social conference on 17 Jan 2026. As the US turns 250, discover how Scotland’s national bard shaped a nation’s conscience.

PLEASE SHARE — WE’RE OPEN 📚 The Agnes Owens Archive is now open at @agrayarchive.bsky.social AGA’s first satellite archive, restoring Owens to her rightful place in Scottish literature. Free tours Jan 23 & 31, 2026. Book via Eventbrite (link in bio). #agnesowens #theagnesowensarchive

Looking forward to this event @uofgarc.bsky.social today! #memory

Dr Moira Hansen discussing the “Hollywood” moment in Robert Burns’s life, when he suddenly found fame and success in 1786 Edinburgh – a pivotal point but which took its toll on the poet’s mental health. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Listen to the rest of the podcast here: pod.link/1865430519