I have watched eleventy million* videos on how to tell the difference between lutz and toe loop and axels and salchows and… nope. They are all just delicious air twizzles to me. *3

Absolutely true, and the rates vary WILDLY. Had two quotes for one book. One artist asked for 250 Euro. The other for £10,000. No joke.

Boyfriend says the French figure skating coach looks like a bald John Bishop and now I can’t unsee it.

Another delight from Discovery ice dance commentary woman (Stevie from Miranda in my head): ‘Well that was bob on cracking!’

Huge congratulations to our editorial board member @joannanadin.bsky.social. Carnegie Longlister!!! 🔥😍

It happened! I’m over the moon to have been longlisted for the 2026 Carnegie Medal for Writing for Birdy Arbuthnot, and alongside so many friends. Massive thanks to the judges. Birdy and I are very grateful. #Carnegies2026 @carnegiemedals.bsky.social

Morning

The organisers of the vital Little Rebels Award @littlerebelsprize.bsky.social have paused this year's prize as they look for funding for a part time award administrator. Can you help? They hope to regroup and come back with a bang in 2027. Find out more: booksforkeeps.co.uk/little-rebel...

I love ice dance more than any sport but there is only so much Ricky Martin one woman can take.

It's not even midnight and we're already at "Deport Elmo."

"Talent is a gatekeeping mechanism" is a hell of a quote.

Watching My New York Year, based on a memoir about working in a NY lit agency, and they keep handing each other full length manuscripts that can’t be more than 80 pages long. Does any film about writing or publishing ever not fuck up? I mean, I’m grateful no one lives in a castle, but still.

It is a NEW BOOK DAY! 'Writing for Young People', by me, is an accessible look at how fiction for children and young adults is crafted. In eight chapters, we take a DEEP DIVE into picturebooks, MG and YA with AUTHOR INTERVIEWS and WRITING EXERCISES #kidlit #ukkidlit uk.bookshop.org/p/books/writ...

I want my life to be written by Sorkin. And also star Bradley Whitford.

I consider it a major character flaw that I was Team Dawson throughout the entire six seasons.

I wrote a pamphlet called Hope Must Be Held In A Clenched Fist. It’s limited to 1000 copies. It’s about hope and fear, the emboldening of the far right and the need for direct action. Buy it here www.nikesh-shukla.com/store

When you next hear a billionaire screaming at you that trans people are a “danger to women and girls”, just remember who’s in the Epstein files. Trans people: zero. Billionaires: all of them.

A win for the Green Party at the Gorton & Denton by-election on 26th February would halt the Reform Party's momentum and send a clear message to Keir Starmer. Want to help? Chip in here: donatetothe.greenparty.org.uk/parliamentar...

I didn’t know it was Jurgen Klopp, but the whole advert is like a bad minute on old man Hinge in Swindon.

On a long drive recently, I counted more than 100 apple trees. These weren’t planted by farmers in small orchards close to quiet B roads, but were scattered along the sides of motorways, the result of cores thrown from open windows. Something about this makes me very happy. Hope from waste, maybe.

I dreamt my dead friend was alive again, and I got to tell him about his funeral, and how much he was loved. I really hope he knew it.

A TV show you love with 3 seasons or fewer (I cannot let that grammar go)

In more good news (aside from the no goat dirty bottoms): There’s going to be a Dirty Dancing sequel. Baby is coming back out of the corner!

Government to offer free training to all adults to help them learn to enjoy the smooth smooth taste of Benson and Hedges

I genuinely think the best approach for everyday AI is to stay away from it as long as you possibly can, don't talk to it, don't look at it, if ever there was a thing that was just cursed it's that. If you need it, good luck I guess but it's not your friend

I never feel more like a YA writer than when I am writing a teen protagonist who dismisses modern music and favours old school songs that just happen to date back to what was popular when I was a teenager.

For anyone in need of good news, this from my local WhatsApp goat monitoring group: Went to visit. No dirty bottoms.

It's the Ship of Theseus but all the original parts are being used to build a second, crappier ship.

Reform is basically a suburban petrol station's DVD bin of Tory politicians.

In celebration of Primate releasing this week here's a thread of fictional primates and if I think I could beat them in a fight

Calling KS2 and KS3 teachers: this is happening - FREE - for Children’s Mental Health Week. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/childrens-...

Taster sessions for anyone interested in writing for children. #kidlituk

One time one of my old friends mum contacted me via social media to ask if I knew how to get in touch with Nick Knowles. She'd seen a reconstruction of a caveman who looked like him. I have no connection with Nick Knowles.

'Leaf Journal' is a scholarly journal that publishes insights and observations on the act of creative writing for young people. We are currently welcoming submissions of articles for Volume 4. ojs.library.lancs.ac.uk/lj/about/sub... #UKkidLit #academicsky

It's finally coming to London! 🇨🇾 ISLAND OF LOVE blends myth, folklore, history & bio to tell the stories of me, my family and our motherland of Cyprus through the prism of our home deity, Aphrodite: goddess of love, beauty, desire... and conflict. 9 April, Theatre Deli storypickandmix.co.uk#april

Dave, only we replace Trump with Claudia Winkleman.

Prisoners earn more per hour than my kid does in retail at a very high end shop in Knightsbridge. This is not an argument to lower prison pay; this is an argument that London Living Wage should be mandatory. (And when you’re shopping with your Coutts card, remember how little your fitter is paid.)

The people in charge may be playing high stakes dodgem cars, but the wise and wonderful souls at PLR have worked out all the library loans right down to the 2 loans of The Yoghurt Plot ebook. 25p for those. But cumulatively magic! So thank you libraries, and librarians all, you really are heroes!

Super pleased that When the World Ends (out 5th Feb!) is already a Chapter Book of the Month for @theobserveruk.bsky.social Plus rather delightful to be called ‘fantastic’… observer.co.uk/culture/book...

Birkbeck is hiring a Lecturer in Medieval Studies (c.1300-1500), full-time and open-ended. They will be formally based in English but expected to be able to contribute about 0.5FTE to History, including teaching and supervision. Closing date Feb 23rd: cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...

I am screaming #TheTraitors

The list of people leaving Twitter over the Grok horror and I am WHY THE EFFING HELL WERE YOU STILL THERE ANYWAY? Shame on you for staying.

Deadline is approaching for the Faber Academy writing a novel course I teach. My previous students include Sarah Harman and Nicola Dinan. faberacademy.com/product/writ...

Boy on Junior Bake Off: I don’t know why you’d want to go to space. There’s nowt to do there. Just go for a walk and come back. Same, wise child, same.

I’ve been searching for an archive of Just Seventeen magazine 1986-1987 for reasons and finally unearthed one in London. Is it at CSM? LCC? Is it heck as like. Take a bow, London School of Economics. Sterling work.

Are you looking for a new challenge in 2026? We are on the hunt for a new Operations Manager to oversee our office and events at our Bedford Row office in London. Closing date is 14th January. buff.ly/ZMppmhS

Another week, another Greek retelling without a Greek or Cypriot author attached.

If Sam is not the secret traitor I will eat my hat*. *I don’t own hats because I can’t have things on my head so basically I will eat more violet creams.

Missing simpler childhood pleasures. Like waiting for the annual UK Farming Accidents log to be posted on the wall in the Rural Studies classroom so we could see how many people died from falling into slurry pits.

Why does tomorrow feel like Monday?