if you don’t like the process of writing then don’t be a fucking writer, it’s not that complicated

Museum of Youth Culture to open in London www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...

* Face Palm Sunday

I would like to propose that the UK's new towns should be called Camberwick Green, Chigley and Trumpton.

The evidence is overwhelming: Brexit has been a disaster for London and the UK. Rejoining the EU is now clearly in our national interest. The option to rejoin should be on the ballot at the next General Election. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

We've had beautiful wildlife banknotes in Scotland for a while. Little works of art

I feel for the BBC archive staff in this; a dispiriting story of senior management getting twitchy about people even knowing that archive material is there, presumably being told that one *can* expose the metadata without having to open the files but deciding it's simpler just to hide it all.

Coming soon to the gorgeous Rise in York! How come we've forgotten the story of our first, fiercest mythic mothers? Queens of Albion sets the record straight - as well as spilling the beans on how a giant made me miss my ninth birthday party. #storytelling #spoken-word shorturl.at/xkTVl

I can’t watch this scene without thinking about this perfect comic by @alibeehaw.bsky.social

I have seen a lot of cursed stuff in my time in academia but this is among the *most* cursed. Grammarly is generating miniature LLMs based on academic work so that users can have their writing ‘reviewed’ by experts like David Abulafia, who died less than two months ago.

In a very 1980s move, I've just joined CND ☮️ cnduk.org

Millions of players across the world have grown up alongside the 21-title series.

Request that all Yorkshire Catherines automatically get tickets for #WutheringHeights. I've no idea how many Yorkshire Heathcliffes are knocking about although my great grandma did work for one in Huddersfield, so.

My new book, exploring folk tales in Lincolnshire, is now available for pre-order! Publication: April 2026. fiveleaves.co.uk/product/devi...

Colleague sent me an article on commercial gen AI in higher ed, asking for my thoughts. I apparently have MANY feelings about the value of writing to know/learn.

Next week! Get your tickets for the #Broadside Day 2026 conference on 14 Feb at @sheffielduni.bsky.social with the Traditional Song Forum, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library @efdss.bsky.social and @cfrc-folklore.bsky.social www.efdss.org/whats-on/61-...

It's been a joy to be involved even in a small way in #Rotherham Children's Capital of Culture, and booking is now open for it's epically exciting conference Rotherham Reimagined. www.childrenscapitalofculture.co.uk/events/event...

Where is the Dark Academia novel in which Dark Academics spend 80% of their time writing grant applications to the Dark Funding Council and most of the rest being harrassed by Dark ResearchFish (RIP)?

Thinkinge of askinge Chat GPT a questioun about your plannes, thoughtes, ideas? Trye a tarot deck ynstead. Cheaper, bettir for the environment, bettir resultes, not evil.

The UK shouldn’t rush to a social media ban for children under 16 @sonialivingstone.bsky.social @lsemedia.bsky.social for @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social

Need to find a piper for when I crack this beauty open #BurnsNight 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I'd be too morto to admit that not only was I using this for all my work, but over 2 years I never backed up my computer

My first experience of #wassailing in #Woodseats Community Garden this morning, singing to the fruit trees with the lovely Forge and Fledge, and wishing them, and us, a thriving year ahead 🍎 Hope trees like toast.

Crumbs! I'm so excited to hear that a permanent home has been found for the #CosgroveHall Films archive within #Sale Library. Duckula and Danger Mouse preserved for the ages.

📢 New publication from our team! 🎮 Children's contextualised digital play drivers and subjective well-being Our latest journal article has just been published and can be read Open Access now via New Media and Society 🎉 🔗 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... #DigitalPlay #DigitalChildhoods

for real

Lots of you will be logging off at the end of today. So what's coming up in 2026? It'll be packed. M'colleagues @drhick.bsky.social and @draflint.bsky.social from the 'All Our Footsteps' project will be publishing a book on 'Outdoor Singing in Modern Britain'! www.cambridge.org/core/element...

Seeing as the call for submissions is now open, what would you select as a part of 'intangible cultural heritage' in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? livingheritage.unesco.org.uk/get-involved...

And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, where the shadows lie, One Tim to rule them all, One Tim to find them, One Tim to bring them all, and in the darkness, bind them.

🎄Merry Christmas! 🎄 Baby boomers are a crime wave disguised as a generation

It is the winter solstice tomorrow (in the northern hemisphere) this is your reminder that English Heritage live stream the sun rising over Stonehenge on their YouTube channel from 7.30am tomorrow morning. www.youtube.com/live/FEnQmoc...

Lonely carrot seeks snowman.

The @histchild.bsky.social conference is coming to the @sheffielduni.bsky.social in July 2026. Call for papers has been extended until Monday 22nd December. Please share - especially with research students and ECRs! www.histchild.org/pages/sheffi...

Dying malls are among the most uncanny liminal spaces...

As part of the Inspiring Voices poetry festival (for ages 11-25), English Heritage have shared these fab story dice as poetry prompts. Even if you aren't entering the competition, these are a fun way to spark a new poem inspired by heritage and history! storydice.english-heritage.org.uk

I am SEETHING with rage at the suggestion that Muppets do not have souls and I - as a often cited expert on ghosts - have set the record straight. I will fight people on this. www.theghostgeek.com/p/in-defence...

A thoughtful piece on the Girl Guiding trans ban with some comments by me. tfn.scot/news/long-re...

Ewww. Nope.

Tree full of angry cats at the Christmas Tree Festival.

are we still on about em dashes and ai. imo human writers should just use the em dashes even harder. we should be out here pummeling out those em dashes like we're emily dickinson

Doug my beloved.

Huge congratulations to Steve Roud on being awarded a honorary degree by The Open University in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the study of folk song and culture!

We're launching our in-person #folklore #writing group for #TUOS PGRs, ECRs and staff writing academically / creatively on folklore themes. Taster session 10-11.30am, 14 November, Doctoral School Centre (by Jessop West). No need to register! contemporaryfolklore.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/centre-activ...

Flying visit to the #Research Arcade in @sheffieldmuseums.bsky.social Sheffield to catch up with some amazing projects from @sheffielduni.bsky.social and @sheffieldhallamuni.bsky.social . Brilliant to see @sabinelittle.bsky.social and the beautiful Quilt of Welcome coming together.

We',re experiencing a local explosion in #Penny for the #Guy - there were 3 outside our shops this week. My own kids were inspired to have a go lured by riches but hit a new snag of the cashless society 😂🎆🔥 #folklore

Had a lot of fun and revisited some old frights writing this seasonal piece on scary books for children for @uk.theconversation.com ! #Halloween theconversation.com/scary-storie...

Cover by Pete Costanza.

I will never stop being tired of Digital Humanities professors who never approach archivists as peers deeming fit to tell archivists how and why to do their jobs differently. It happens time and time again, rarely with a spirit of collaboration and often with an uncomfortable tech-disruptor energy

Folklorist Job Alert! University of London seeks a part time PDRA on Project Storymachine, which aims to preserve, explore and increase access to folklore in Germany and the UK through digital infrastructure. Application details here: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOY261/p...

CFP! Journal of Festive Studies is inviting abstracts for an issue on TINY/giant: Playing with Scale. Themes include giant puppets, toy theatres, effigies for celebration or excoriation, miniature collectibles... Deadline 15 Nov, more info here: networks.h-net.org/group/announ...