Adrenaline rush of the afternoon - received an automated text message saying my partner has contacted emergency services... while I was recording a radio interview segment and responding to a question about how working with death daily impacts how I live my life... all okay, thankfully!

Turns out my 8 year old is bragging in the school yard that her mum is famous...because I have a recorded lecture on YouTube (if you're 8, YouTube = famous).

Someone asked me today for some recommended reads related to the end of life and grief. I actually have a few 'reading lists' as a starter uk.bookshop.org/shop/borgstrom Purchasing via Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores. FYI: the link here is an affiliative one.

Link for registration: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/launch-of-...

"grief machine" indeed... We did not have *all this* quite at the forefront of our minds when writing our paper on grieving "loss" in HE, but sadly I think it still resonates, FWIW... journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... @ericaborgstrom.bsky.social @emmawatsonkirby.bsky.social @drkrawz.bsky.social

Join us at @openthanatology.bsky.social @openuniversity.bsky.social to explore all aspects death and loss. From changing funeral practices to careers in palliative care, from grieving divergently to existential disconnections and global change. This hybrid conference covers all this and more!

ooh live podcast recording...including Beth from @deathstudiespod.bsky.social as part of the @openthanatology.bsky.social confernce in June. Tickets on sale now for in-person and online attendance.

📢 OpenARC Conference | The Public Humanities in the 21st Century | 17 June 2026 - Save the date 💡 What is the role of the public humanities today? 📅 17 June 2026 🕤 Starting 9:30am 💻 Online | Free 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/events/confe... #PublicHumanities #ArtsAndHumanities

If anyone should find more inquests, send them my way so I can add them to the Spreadsheet of Inquest Caches.

I also have a digital copy of Border Afterlives: Migrant Deaths, Forensic Investigations, and the Politics of Haunting by Gabriella Soto Border Afterlives

One of our directors - Prof Borgtrom - is giving an inaugural lecture on June 3rd. Registration is free! You can attend in person (Milton Keynes) or online). www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reimaginin... #ThanatologyThursday

Still time to register for our upcoming conference. If you're interested in #DyingMatters this week, this event in June is for you!

We're looking forward to you joining us in June for the Centre for Open Thanatology launch! Whether in person or online, there's a range of topics and chances to connect. More info in the post below

Want to catch up on some of our previous events? We have recordings and resources on ORDO - you can watch, download and cite them! ordo.open.ac.uk/projects/Ope... #ThanatologyThursday

Apparently, tickets for @ericaborgstrom.bsky.social & my inaugural lectures are 'going fast'. I have no idea what this means, since 10,000 online tickets are available - it seems implausible that any inaugural lecture is that popular... But hey, gets yours quick! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reimaginin...

🎉 You’re invited! Join us for the Launch of The Centre for Open Thanatology: Dialogue and Engagement with Death and Loss - 23rd June ⭐ Keynote: Prof. Neil Thompson 🎙️ Live podcast recording: Dr Bethan Michael-Fox interviewing Dr Korina Giaxoglou. 🔗 Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/launch-of-...

It's coming out soon and I can't wait to read it... The Cambridge Handbook for the Anthropology of Death. www.cambridge.org/core/books/c...

If you are an academic, could you please help? We would like to speak with UK based academics about their experiences of "failure" or non-success in research. We want to speak with people at ALL stages of their career, on ANY contract, in ANY department. 1/2

Listen to BBC Radio 4 this morning discussing end of life doulas? Some Open Thanatology members did an evluation of end of life doula service innovation - you can read the report for free oro.open.ac.uk/91880/

Looking for something to get you thinking? Join @remembermyhat.bsky.social & I on June 3rd for our inaugural lectures, covering sexuality, ageing, and death. Free to attend in-person (Milton Keynes) or online - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reimaginin...

🎉New paper out - Processes and partitions: Two logics of end-of-life care. In Anthropology Today, co-authored with Simon Cohn and Annelieke Driessen. rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

A great opportunity to shape the future of sociology! The BSA seeks one Membership Services Trustee and two Teacher Trustees for its governing Board. Applications by 14 April, details at: www.mi-nomination.com/bsatrustee

My inaugural lecture is coming up - June 3rd! Talking about my research and lessons about the end of life and loss. Free to attend (in person in Milton Keynes or online), plus opportunity to hear my wonderful colleague @remembermyhat.bsky.social too! Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reimaginin...

Did you know the Open University (OU) does virtual open days? They give you a chance to explore what studying at the OU is like. You can register to join one here - openuniversity.swoogo.com/book-a-virtu...

Whoop Whoop! @remembermyhat.bsky.social and I are giving our inaugural lectures on June 3rd. More details in her post below, including how to register to attend.

What is it like to research death and loss? Listen to several Open Thanatology members share their experiences and insights. www.open.edu/openlearn/he... #ThanatologyThursday

I often listen to music when writing, including music with lyrics. I listen across a few genres. Any recommendations for some new (or new-to-me)/emerging singer-songwriters I could get into?

I'm off to Highgate Cemetery tomorrow. My first time! Which feels far too late for a 'death scholar' so close to London. Any tips?

What books about death or grief would you recommend to a friend? #WorldBookDay

New edited available for pre-order! Doing Death Research: Interviews and Career Reflections with Death Studies Scholars www.routledge.com/Doing-Death-...

Cool studentship available - check out below

Been away from my work desk/inbox/usual grind for several weeks, and this line from Hamilton is on repeat in my head....So What Did I Miss?

Last month, @ericaborgstrom.bsky.social, @saramackian.bsky.social and I recorded a podcast on what it's like to study death. We're all from very different disciplines but we found a lot of common ground. You can listen to it here www.open.edu/openlearn/he...

Looking to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship? Want to work with others interested in death, dying, loss or bereavement? Get in touch! The Centre for Open Thanatology is growing its postdoc membership. Let us know what funding & topic you are interested in. Email: [email protected]

One of my roles at The Open University (OU) involves working on co-productions with the BBC. I love it! vimeo.com/1163280559?f...

I just backed The Midnight Moth, an illustrated picture book by DEAD GOOD on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/dea...

Submission to open panels—Extended deadline for 4S Toronto 2026! Call closes Feb 9th 2026. You can submit here: www.xcdsystem.com/4sonline/abs...

As part of making changes to the nursing teaching, The Open University is inviting people with experience of using the UK health system to share their views over the next few months. More info and who to contact: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

As an immigrant in the UK and as someone with family in Minnesota, people's recent conversations with me about what's happening try to imply it could not happen in the UK, and that they feel helpless about it. Instead of disbelief, what are you trying or willing to do to ensure it doesn't happen?

Examples of this can be seen in the singing resistance groups, the art (and businesses enabling people to produce resistance artworks), community mutal aid (donate if you can!), the social networks people are building and intensifying, people-led education (about rights, solidarity, care).

Available for pre-order now from Routledge - Palliative Care and Hospice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives over the Decades. Edited by myself, Bethan Michael-Fox & Arnar Arnason. www.routledge.com/Palliative-C...

Applications are now invited for a new RHS programme for 2026, co-hosted with @ihr.bsky.social and @chalkefestival.bsky.social 'Pitch my Project' is for early career historians to present their research at the Chalke History Festival in June bit.ly/44kfUMM. Closing date: 6 February. #Skystorians

"I'm not in Minnesota -- what can I do to help?" A list of ideas!

Upcoming seminar from Gemma Briggs on Feb 11 7-8pm(UK) online - Why do we tolerate road deaths? Implications for policy and practice. It's the first The Open Psychology Research Centre Public Lecture. Link for info & register: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/279390...

Some of my work this week has reminded me of the initial analysis of data on higher education staff's experiences of bereavement, including unclear policies, workload and support at work. Link to report here: oro.open.ac.uk/88719/

I recently got a mug from Academic Mug that says 'I should have said no'. Currently my favourite ❤️ I'd recommend the site if you're looking for an academia-related gift ahead of the holidays www.academicmug.com

Did you know that @openuniversity.bsky.social currently works in over 150 prisons and supports around 2000 students a year in prison, secure units and under licence in the community? Higher education changes lives. See more of the work The Open University are doing⬇️ www.open.ac.uk/blogs/news/b...

Our book Critical Approaches to death,dying and bereavement is part of the Routledge Black Friday Sale! @ericaborgstrom.bsky.social 📚💙 www.routledge.com/Critical-App...

In Dumfries today, ready for our event discussing death and dying - looking forward to meeting others there later! Thanks to the OU in Scotland and the University of West Scotland for hosting it.

Do you teach about dying, death, grief, or end of life care? Need some free resources for your class or assignments? We've got lots of great short articles, animations, and interactives you could use on our Open Thanatology Hub on OpenLearn. www.open.edu/openlearn/he... #ThanatologyThursday