As we head into our 20th year of publishing We have the same 'mission statement' we did when we first started. To find stories that the mainstream thought too risky to publish. 31 books short listed or won lit prizes. 2 books adapted for BBC TV. Magic. @thebookseller.com

I was saying I was signing off but watching my 5 yr old playing happily with another child age 5 - neither speaks the other’s language - it just warms my heart. They have no prejudice at this age. such a contrast to the behaviour of British citizens in the immigration hall at Arrecife airport.

Clocking off for the week. Merry Christmas to everyone

Dr Miles Kerr Peterson was shown a trunk of family documents by the owner of the manufacturing company he worked for in Glasgow. It led to rediscovery of writings about the island of St Kilda by Christina MacDonald Chalmers. www.thenational.scot/culture/2570...

Takes me right back to 2001 when a bunch of us went to see Stereophonics at Belfast Odyssey Arena. Feeder were as good, if not better that night.

Re-reading Middlemarch and I’m reminded of the very first undergrad essay I ever wrote at Oxford where I unconsciously conveyed my Irishness by narrating the fact that Causabon ”takes a stroke“. My lovely tutor gently noted in the margins, “suffers a stroke”.

I don't usually indulge in sentiment but having just held my last tutorial with my final honours cohort - after 11 weeks studying writers most dear to my heart - I will be sad to move on. However, I feel really hopeful knowing that these great people will be unleashed on the world in June. #SEL3379

Am semi-amused and semi-disturbed that the plagiarism check software that my part-time course provider uses has flagged three false positives in an essay that I submitted. I wonder how many other students whose institutions might use this have been unfairly accused of using AI. Tool of injustice?

What could be a worse form of trolling than Teams allowing you to join with camera off but microphone on?! Colleagues across the institution got treated to delightful munching sounds as I scrambled to eat raw carrot and broccoli at my desk.

Following on from our Roundtable, join us for our BARS Digital Event: Romantic Creativity Workshop! Mon Dec 15, 4pm-5:30pm GMT This creative writing workshop will reflect critically on key ideas delivered by the speakers from the previous session. Free tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bars-digit...

Sharing this lovely feedback 🖤from yesterday’s Romantic Creativity roundtable to inspire you (yes, YOU) to come along to next week’s workshop - I’m planning to take up Kate Singer’s suggestion of writing an encomium to an engaged student - what will you write?

Coming soon: Disability and the Gothic: The Nineteenth Century. Cambridge Gothic Elements series. Publication date is 24 March 2026 www.cambridge.org/core/element...

Next Monday, 1-2pm, Séverine Angers takes us into the world of women’s patriotism during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars – told through intimate letters from military families. Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/ships-seaf... #earlymodern #history #letters #WarofIndependence 🗃️

Great collaborative event happening tonight in #Edinburgh at the Scottish Poetry Library, if you’re in the area

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poetry-juk... A significant bridging of Scots & Ulster-Scots poetry, new writing prompted by old. At Scottish Poetry Library Thurs 5 Dec @byleaveswelive.bsky.social I'm proud to be 1 of 10 commissioned poets. @asls.org.uk @poetryireland.bsky.social @booksireland.bsky.social

One of the nicest things about this year’s Linen Hall Library writing competition was the strong field of entries supported by dedicated women’s writing groups. Poetry runner up Dayna Jost (being hugged by me below) is one to watch.

Thirst Trap” by Gráinne O’Hare, “Leonard and Hungry Paul” by Rónán Hession, “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt, “The Life and Times of United Irishmen” by R. R. Madden, “The Wild Irish Girl” by Sydney Owenson

Nominations are open for the newly-founded Scottish Literary Studies Book Prize, administered by the Universities Committee for Scottish Literature and awarded biennially to an outstanding work of scholarship in the field of Scottish literary studies. £300 prize. ucsl-scotland.com/scottish-lit...

Almost sent an email referring to a 'word count' but without one of the crucial vowels...

Been up half the night with The Child. Poured coffee into my yoghurt and berries. Think I’ve accidentally invented something amazing

The wonderful TV adaptation of Leonard and Hungry Paul has ended. Can I, therefore, advise those suffering from @ronanhession.bsky.social withdrawal symptoms that there is one of his short stories available on t'inter web... www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...

Writing my first essay on psychodynamic approaches and am opening with one of my favourite episodes from Frasier. "I will not let you treat me like this, Lilith ... MARIS!" - great illustration of the Freudian slip. As I discovered in my Oxford finals, not everyone appreciates the pop cult approach.

Your annual reminder that the most revealing difference between Irish and Scottish Gaelic is definitely in the words for December: Mí na Nollag (Month of Christmas) in Ireland, and An Dubhlachd (the Blackness) in Scotland. So once again may I wish you all a lovely Blackness.

Feels a relief to check off all of the November tasks (albeit on 1 Dec). With a few rather large curve balls coming my way this month, it has been an intense one. My schedule is looking like a GP surgery for the next two weeks but hoping to get ahead with next semester's brand new teaching prep.

Have you got a new book out about Irish America? Regardless of discipline, if it came out in 2025, you can submit it to the ACIS Lawrence McCaffrey Prize for Books on Irish America! You need to fill out the form on this website and the books need to be sent by 1 January! acisweb.org/mccaffrey-pr...

From my return journey back over the coast. Rock away, rock away From Cullercoats to Whitley bay.

Ending my brief but lovely trip back home with a gig: the brilliant Ashley Campbell with Thor Jensen and band at the Bangor Courthouse.

Doing the media bit ahead of the Linenhall’s annual Ulster Scots Writing Competition. Me and my homeboy in the corner of the Governor’s room while Prof Hutchinson is waxing lyrical on the quality of this year’s entry

A brief skip over home

5 days to submit! Scribble down those ideas! ✍️

"While other universities report that the humanities are shrinking, at Berkeley, the opposite is true. The music major is the fastest-growing major on campus. We are finding bigger classrooms because film is exploding. English is back to the numbers we saw 15 years ago. We are hiring" bit.ly/4ohKuOe

The 'humanities' undergird all learning - all of it. Do we have to call it a 'resource'? It's more important than that.

True nightmare material from Persuasion: “Every emendation of Anne’s had been on the side of honesty against importance. She wanted more vigorous measures, a more complete reformation, a quicker release from debt, a much higher tone of indifference for every thing but justice and equity.”

Lovely review. I have loved Colin's work for years and was really happy that he gave permission for me to use his 'Carlisle Memorial Church' painting on the cover of my first book.

You just need to submit a proposal for the @bars.bsky.social conference before 30 Nov and write a *short* application note to apply for the bursary. Of you're a historian, filmmaker, lawyer, architect, consultant, teacher, librarian - or anything else - share your new #romanticism insights with us!

Really excited to be on the judging panel for the 2026 BARS First Book Prize - details of eligibility, nomination, and submission can be found on @bars.bsky.social’s blog: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6174 Do share widely!

So exciting to see this in print - congratulations @claireconnolly.bsky.social

I had forgotten all about that Hale and Pace sketch about the Scottish rap act The Wee Cow’rin Tim’rous Beastie Boys

Call for paper for a special issue on the Brontës and poetry - on their work as poets - on poetry in the novels - on poetic influences and legacies - hoping for creative responses too! Abstracts due April 26 Articles due December 26 #Romanticism #Victorian #Gothic Please share!

“The working-class comedy novel is a rarer thing still... Working-class domestic humour – i.e., comedy both for and about working-class families – is a knowledge gap in scholarly literature, with such discussion as there is tending to be limited to the anecdotal.” thebeemagazine.com/a-guide-to-t...

The 4 yr old has uttered her first “Mother of God” 😬 swiftly followed by “donkey of God“… can see where this is going

It's a lifeline, not a comprehensive solution to the crisis, but if you're a UK-based PhD (or equivalent) in a SHAPE subject within 10 years of your viva, do join the British Academy's ECRN. It's free, has resources & you don't need to be employed in research or academia to be a member. 3/3

❤️

Northern Lights set to dazzle UK this week due to possible 'severe' geomagnetic storm. www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

TOMORROW! Come join us--it'll be awesome!

God help my students: they’re about to get the full force of my enthusiasm as it’s United Irish writing fortnight (every year I wish I did more of this). Luke Mullan, Samuel Thomson and James Glass this week, followed by Mary Ann McCracken next week.

One of the things I respect most about historians like Guy Beiner is that he understands that the discipline can learn from literary scholars and that literary historicism isn't something that just anyone can do.

I'm talking about Anna Laetitia Barbauld again tomorrow! 🗣️🗣️🗣️York Georgian Society lecture: more details here: www.georgianyork.org.uk/events-1/ann...

The enthusiasm for #History at this year's #HistDay25 is considerable and palpable. History's popularity and appeal is an asset we must work with to better demonstrate the personal, professional, civic and social value of historical knowledge and understanding. @ihr.bsky.social #Skystorians

BARS News: Submit your proposals for Spring 2026 BARS Digital Events! We are looking for 90-minute roundtables of four or five speakers, at least one of whom should be an ECR of PhD student. 250-word abstracts due 7th January 2026. www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6207