Okay, so let's do officially do this! a slow-read of Macbeth with Sunday discussion threads starting November 23rd! #SundayMacbethChat Everyone's welcome! And just like Beloved, I am definitely going to be looking at this with very-fresh (i.e. humble) eyes! docs.google.com/document/d/1...

The Occasional 10: excellent newsletters. open.substack.com/pub/juliangi...

The Fortnightly continues its break until Saturday 22nd, when issue 195 will be out. Tomorrow morning there’s the 10th edition of its close-cousin, The Occasional, for paid subscribers: really good newsletters I subscribe to. juliangirdham.substack.com

(New). On E.M. Forster's 1909 story 'The Machine Stops', eerily prescient about our online world. 'The Machine develops - but not on our lines. The Machine Proceeds - but not to our goal.' www.juliangirdham.com/blog/em-fors...

Love this piece by @ruthpadel.bsky.social in @financialtimes.com about the 'The Poems of Seamus Heaney', a new book of collected and previously unpublished poems released by @faberbooks.bsky.social @seamusheaneyestate.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/d562...

[noises off] Hamlet: what NOW? Norwegians incoming. www.english.cam.ac.uk/research/slo... Because he CAN, Branagh shows the Norwegian army arriving at Elsinore in his 1996 film. With Rufus Sewell as Fortinbras in a nice shiny breastplate. #InkyCloak #SlowShakespeare is in its 14th month. Days to go.

Fortnightly 194: @inotenews.bsky.social '25 | AI in schools | CPD with @clanavtra.bsky.social: 'Macbeth', @carlhendrick.substack.com & the science of learning, | Anne Enright interviewed by Martin Doyle | @oldfortunatus.bsky.social on Hamlet. And more. juliangirdham.substack.com/p/194-begin-...

Webinar for teachers of Leaving Certificate English on revising the play leading up to the exam. Tuesday 18th November, 7.00pm-8.00pm. Free registration via @clanavtra.bsky.social www.edcentretralee.ie/cpd-courses-... #edchatie

New on the blog today, I've written about ten excellent novellas I highly recommend. Featuring books by Anita Brookner, William Trevor. Muriel Spark and many more! #BookSky #Novellas #NovNov 💙📚 jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/10/30/t...

(New). On the DEY 'Guidance on Artificial Intelligence in Schools' (October 2025). Summary: fine in places, naive about AI ethics, unreasonable in expectations of schools and individual teachers. And there is a LOT of 'ensuring'. www.juliangirdham.com/blog/guidanc...

My Anne Enright interview: “I am fed up saying I have a problem with authority, and that is why I do not write realism. Naturalistic fiction is a lie – and a dull one at that. This is me changing the narrative from your ‘broken’ to my ‘honest’ or even ‘smart’.” www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...

'The Poems of Seamus Heaney', reviewed by @fotoole.bsky.social A "glorious gathering-in of his achievement, edited with meticulous care by Rosie Lavan and Bernard O’Donoghue". observer.co.uk/culture/book... Hear the editors speak at 'Circling The Square'. www.thesourceartscentre.ie/whats-on/eve...

At the start of half-term, The Fortnightly is taking a week off: back next Saturday with issue 194. juliangirdham.substack.com

🚀 Teachers! Ready to transform your teaching in 2026? Join our 3-part Science of Learning webinar series with Dr. Carl Hendrick – turn cognitive science into classroom impact! 🗓 Jan 7, 14 & 21 🕖 7–8:30 PM | 💻 Live on Zoom 🔥 Limited places – book now! 👉 zoom.us/webinar/regi...

(new) On the 2025 @inotenews.bsky.social conference: www.juliangirdham.com/blog/inote-2...

Teaching Claire Keegan's 'Small Things Like These': free webinar (repeat) on Monday 20th October, starting 7.00pm. via @clanavtra.bsky.social Registration: edcentretralee.ie/cpd-courses-... #edchatie

Teaching Claire Keegan's 'Small Things Like These': free webinar (repeat) on Monday 20th October, starting 7.00pm. via @clanavtra.bsky.social Registration: edcentretralee.ie/cpd-courses-... #edchatie

Fortnightly 193: Helen Lewis & the genius myth, John Tomsett & truly great secondary teachers, John Keats in autumn, Vona Groarke, The Poems of Seamus Heaney, J.L. Carr, @dtwuva.bsky.social on 'Mind the Gap', Gore Vidal, @inotenews.bsky.social conference. www.juliangirdham.com/blog/fortnig...

So many people I'd like to thank in Ireland for championing Leonard and Hungry Paul @ronanhession.bsky.social Here's a few @jackielynam.bsky.social @kitdewaal.com Donal Ryan. @martindoyle.bsky.social @rickoshea.bsky.social And all the booksellers & Librarians! www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...

Fortnightly 193 is out in the morning: The genius myth, truly great secondary teachers, John Keats in autumn, Vona Groarke, The Poems of Seamus Heaney, J.L. Carr's life, Daniel Willingham, Rachel Ruysch, Gore Vidal. And more. juliangirdham.substack.com

Nobel winner for Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai.

RIP Brian Patten.

“AI” isn’t a tool or technology or even a cluster of technologies with a misleading name. It’s the infrastructure at the foundation of a form of capitalism dependent on data brokering. We should be teaching our students about this and not teaching them about “responsible” use.

Tony Harrison RIP I taught Long Distance, his beautiful & honest poem about bereavement to my students for decades. Eventually, it provided consolation to me as well.

Fortnightly 192: Nicholas Carr's 'Superbloom' | Rachel Cusk | @j-amesmarriott.bsky.social on reading in crisis | @conorsmurf.bsky.social on Shakespeare | @timothysnyder.bsky.social on Ukraine and kindness | AI guidelines from @irishsciteach.bsky.social juliangirdham.substack.com/p/192-wherev...

Fortnightly 192 is out in the morning. Free sub link: juliangirdham.substack.com

(New). On Nicholas Carr's 'Superbloom: how technologies of connection tear us apart.' "We spend our days sharing information, connected as never before, but the more we communicate, the worse things seem to get." www.juliangirdham.com/blog/nichola...

“The night Robert Redford met Dickie Rock, and other moments from a Hollywood giant’s life.” Me on a great (and also on Robert Redford). www.irishtimes.com/culture/film...

(New). On Nicholas Carr's 'Superbloom: how technologies of connection tear us apart.' www.juliangirdham.com/blog/nichola...

Fortnightly 191 is now out: Molly Twomey, William Wall, Michael Longley’s final book, @fotoole.bsky.social on Easter 1916 with @ppfideas.bsky.social, teaching 'Othello' via @clanavtra.bsky.social, Deborah Levy, Alan Jacobs, @tom-richmond.com on AI. juliangirdham.substack.com/p/191-carob-...

📢 Post-Primary TYEnglish Teachers! ➡️ TY English Ideas 📅 Tues 16 Sept 2025 | ⏲️ 7–8pm | 💻 Zoom | 💰 FREE 🗣️ Claire Cotter shares creative TY strategies: 🎶 songs, 🎬 film, 🎙️ podcasts, & project-based learning to spark curiosity! 👉 zoom.us/webinar/regi...

This time next week, a free Culture Night talk/tour at St Columba's College, Dublin 16. Friday 19th September, 6.30-8.30pm. Interesting architecture and history! No booking required. www.stcolumbas.ie/2025/09/05/c...

New episode! This week, @amymayforrester.bsky.social and I are joined by one of education's premier thinkers - @carlhendrick.substack.com. Carl has so many great insights on cognitive science and how it is best communicated. Must listen, tune in and share! open.spotify.com/episode/0JW7...

Julian Girdham delivering an extremely interesting webinar tonight on ‘Othello’ for Post Primary English Teachers. Always a pleasure to work with Julian. @sccenglish.bsky.social

I'm looking for stories about how AI is killing creative work, and I'd love to hear from you—artists, writers, illustrators, actors, designers, editors, voice actors and narrators—if your job or practice has been hit. This is going to be a big one. [email protected]

In this short piece, I lean on embodied cog sci to argue that we should refuse & resist llms in education (pp. 53-58) unesdoc.unesco.org/in/documentV... "the classroom is an environment where love, trust, empathy, care & humility are fostered & mutually cultivated through dialogical interactions"

"I spent decades saying, ‘Come on, it’s got to be more complex than this.’ But I think it’s not. I think that almost everything can be explained by this deep hatred that the majority of white Americans have for black Americans. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” inews.co.uk/culture/book...

(New) On Michael Longley's last book before his death, 'Ash Keys', and how school leaders can benefit from reading poetry: www.juliangirdham.com/blog/michael...

In one week: Webinar - An Introduction to Teaching ‘Othello’. Date: Wednesday 10th September Time: 7.00pm - 8.00pm Target Audience: Senior Cycle English teachers via @TraleeESC @ClareEdCentre @NavanESC Free registration: zoom.us/webinar/regi...

At the start of this academic year, the Fortnightly has returned. Florence Knapp, Adrian Lester on Othello, R.C. Sherriff, Anne Enright and Joseph O’Connor on John McGahern, essays on Leaving Certificate English, Oscar Wilde's trials and more. www.juliangirdham.com/blog/fortnig...

Fortnightly 190 is out: Florence Knapp, Adrian Lester on Othello, R.C. Sherriff, Anne Enright and Joseph O’Connor on John McGahern, essays on Leaving Certificate English, Oscar Wilde's trials and more. juliangirdham.substack.com/p/190-all-th...

"Walk on air against your better judgement." Seamus Heaney's grave is located in a corner of the graveyard adjoining St Mary's parish church in Bellaghy, close to that of his parents and other members of the family. Seamus Heaney who died on this day 2013.

Fortnightly 190 is out: Florence Knapp, Adrian Lester on Othello, R.C. Sherriff, Anne Enright and Joseph O’Connor on John McGahern, essays on Leaving Certificate English, Oscar Wilde's trials and more. juliangirdham.substack.com/p/190-all-th...

The Fortnightly returns from its holidays tomorrow. Florence Knapp, Adrian Lester on Othello, R.C. Sherriff, Anne Enright and Joseph O’Connor on John McGahern, essays on Leaving Certificate English, Oscar Wilde's trials and more. Link for free sign-up: juliangirdham.substack.com

NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! Today it’s the first of two episodes with journalist & historian @fotoole.bsky.social about the trials that followed the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland. How and why did the British get it so wrong by court martialling the ring leaders in secret? Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com

Alan Jacobs superb on being a 'supply officer': 'As a teacher, I hope to train and liberate minds; as a writer, I supply people with ideas and contexts, with substantive frameworks to shape and interpret thought and aesthetic experience.' blog.ayjay.org/notes-of-a-s...

Fast food tills have pictures not words. Text messages can be played as audio. The modern world makes it easier to cope without literacy. What should schools do in response? substack.nomoremarking.com/p/are-we-liv...

The Fortnightly returns from its summer holidays on Saturday with issue 190: Florence Knapp, Adrian Lester on Othello, R.C. Sherriff, Anne Enright and Joseph O’Connor on John McGahern, essays on Leaving Certificate English, Oscar Wilde's trials and more. juliangirdham.substack.com

English shouldn't be PSHE with novels. If curriculum time is finite, every book taught has an opportunity cost. Why waste it on what’s easy, immediate and disposable when students could join the great conversation of literature? open.substack.com/pub/daviddid...

Teaching 'Othello': a free webinar via @clanavtra.bsky.social Wednesday 10th September, 7.00-8.00pm. Register here: www.edcentretralee.ie/cpd-courses-...