Last night & available on iplayer www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... BBC Radio 4 @lydiaunsworth.bsky.social & @joeshute.bsky.social featured in the latest episode of The Verb - a house of multipoet occupancy Ian McMillan discusses underloved buildings with Lydia Unsworth, & the River Irk with Joe Shute.

Such an honour to make my first appearance on The Verb as a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker. On 24 mins in talking river poems with @imcmillan.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

New Research Associate position with Dr Francesca Mackenney, Centre for Place Writing - new Leverhulme funded project - The Making of Natural History, 1797 - present: #AcademicSky #NatureWriting PleaseShare! manmetjobs.mmu.ac.uk/jobs/vacancy...

When I started a PhD writing the story of the River Irk 3.5 yrs ago it was a pipe dream to one day be awarded a place on this amazing scheme. So am hugely delighted to be one of the 5 BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinkers for 2026, working on The Verb and Front Row www.bbc.com/mediacentre/...

Simon Mardel has spent more time working on ebola wards than almost anyone else. I interviewed him for @the-independent.com on the latest DRC outbreak and fears of where it might spread www.independent.co.uk/world/ebola-...

A celebration of Attenborough’s 100th I’ve written for @telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/sir-...

In light of the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak I’ve written about why rats don’t ‘always’ deserve their bad rep www.independent.co.uk/voices/rats-...

Happy World Rat Day to those who celebrate (which should be everyone obviously) 🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀 www.bloomsbury.com/uk/stowaway-...

Any Manchester-based followers please come along to the below. All welcome!

'Conversations with the Irk: a sound and creative writing workshop. A new event from @joeshute.bsky.social next week at Manchester's Central Library. Writing/sound workshop on Tuesday 10th March, 1pm-2.30pm. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/conversati...

A guest post I've written for @barnesandnoble.com on the inspiration behind my book Stowaway www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/joe-shu... @chiffchat.bsky.social

Delighted to be chatting rats on new @alandaviescomic.bsky.social Radio 4 series ‘A Life Without…’ listen here 👇https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002rf05 @chiffchat.bsky.social

Life Without Rats - hosted by Alan Davies, @joeshute.bsky.social & Steven Belmain will be discussing all things rat on Friday, 20th February on Radio 4. Joe Shute's book Stowaway: The Disreputable Exploits of the Rat is now available in paperback. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

"How one creature achieved total world domination." Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @joeshute.bsky.social & @chiffchat.bsky.social! Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Looking back at 2025 - Centre for Place Writing books published this year. Including The Roads to Rome @cathfletcher.bsky.social Stowaway @joeshute.bsky.social A Shorter Ulysses @anthonyburgess.bsky.social & Moving Mountains @louisekenward.bsky.social #BookSky

Applications are invited for three fully-funded Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Doctoral Landscape Awards (DLA). Deadline is 9th February 2026. Proposed projects must be arts & humanities-led #PhD @findaphd.bsky.social @dcahf-met.bsky.social More details: #PhD www.mmu.ac.uk/study/postgr...

Reviewed the remarkable Tigers Between Empires for @telegraph.co.uk www.telegraph.co.uk/books/non-fi...

Talk about an in-flight meal. For the first time, researchers have captured rats hunting bats by grabbing them from the sky. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3Jqldmn

Rats have a terrible reputation, but they are intelligent adept survivors, and their history is inextricably entangled with our own. @joeshute.bsky.social's Stowaway explores this history and unpicks the myths surrounding this fascinating tiny mammal 🐀 💙 📚 Now in paperback: buff.ly/1Ek82nL #Rats

🐀🐀🐀 My book Stowaway: The Disreputable Exploits of the Rat, is now available in paperback. Featuring an incredible new Rat-Zilla cover. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/stowaway-... 🐀🐀🐀

Wrote about de-extinction for @telegraphnews.bsky.social comment and addressing the current biodiversity crisis rather than bringing lost species back to life www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09...

Wrote about rats as big as cats for @telegraphnews.bsky.social www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08...

Waterstones are running a pre-order offer on the new paperback of Stowaway - 25 per cent off til the end of the week 🐀🐀https://www.waterstones.com/book/stowaway/joe-shute/9781399402514

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04... Wrote about the need for proper legal protections for Britain’ ancient trees

Interviewed the 'Human Swan' Sacha Dench about flying again and her new project attempting to reverse the catastrophic collapse in vulture populations across the world. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04...

Happy #WorldRatDay to rodent enthusiasts everywhere! This lovely drawing dates to 1798 and came to us with a paper by Capt. Thomas Hardwicke, "a brief description of a large species of rat", which was read at a meeting of the Linnean Society in 1804. You can read it here: academic.oup.com/tra...

Wrote about Old Knobbley for the Telegraph Magazine www.telegraph.co.uk/environment/...

Wrote about 🐳 www.telegraph.co.uk/environment/...

Excellent - and alarming - work by @jamie-woodward.bsky.social and colleagues on water companies attempts to deflect blame over river pollution www.nature.com/articles/s44...

A brilliant new paper from @joeshute.bsky.social - one of our Post Graduate Researchers. Joe has been researching #Manchester's #River Irk & is based with the Leverhulme Unit for the Design of Cities of the Future (LUDeC). #AcademicSky #WaysOfKnowingWater #Waterways

Further flavours: Ghosted by @alicevernon10.bsky.social (Sept), Mesozoic Art III by @tetzoo.bsky.social and @sharkbitesteve.bsky.social (Sept), Nightjars of the World by Nigel Cleere (Oct), Stowaway by @joeshute.bsky.social (Nov). Among many others.

My first academic journal article is now published in the latest issue of Folklore. It’s about using stories and storytelling to connect people to ‘lost’ rivers and focused on Manchester’s River Irk www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Farewell John Tinniswood, Britain's oldest man, who has died today. Interviewed him 2 years ago and he was a lovely chap. Radio 4 and toast every morning. Fish and chips every Friday. No booze and no biscuits. Got him to 112.. www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitne...

Talking rats and other wild things at Folkestone Book Festival this weekend. Can't wait @sophiehaydock.bsky.social www.creativefolkestone.org.uk/whats-on/joe...

A few tickets remaining for the launch of our new pamphlet tonight at Manchester Poetry Library... Words From the Water - an anthology of poetry and prose celebrating maligned waterways in Manchester and beyond... www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/words-from...