Really enjoyed Sociability and Political Life conference in York on Friday and Saturday, masterminded by @lauracforster.bsky.social and Marc Jaffre. As much as I love my 18thc. communities, it was great to hear from historians specialising in a whole range of topics from medieval to contemporary.

The next Eighteenth-Century Ecologies Network (@e-cen.bsky.social) seminar will take place on Tues 23rd June, 5-7pm at HG/09 (Heslington Hall, York) and online. Dr. Rowan Boyson (KCL) will be speaking about 'The Shared Air: Atmosphere and the Right to Breathe in Enlightenment Britain'. Join below

🚨RADICAL PRINT CULTURE SYMPOSIUM 🚨 The Programme is now live (see 🧵), and the symposium will also feature two amazing keynote speakers, a print exhibition and a handling workshop. Register: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... @bsecs.bsky.social @cecs-york.bsky.social @chloewigstonsmith.bsky.social

Rilo Kiley were immense at the Roundhouse yesterday. Hard to imagine trekking up to north London on a tube strike day for anything else.

Back to Bluesky to signal boost this as a UH grad. My heart goes out to everyone. Absolutely grim.

When I served as one of Hertfordshire's external examiners a few years ago, I was always so impressed by the work being done in the Humanities there. Consider signing the petition to protest the closure of these excellent programmes. c.org/yFV2TndWxn

Calling A-level English teachers! Do you teach Austen, Brontë, or other 18thc stuff? Could you use a set of free research-informed teaching materials, which support students' historical, literary, & linguistic understanding, & foster debate about misogyny, consent, & healthy relationships? (1/?)

The latest special issue of the Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies has now been published online, guest edited by Jolene Zigarovich and Doreen Thierauf: New Approaches to Rape Studies in the Long Eighteenth Century. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17540208...

A pleasure to represent the Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies at Wiley’s executive seminar today. Interesting conversations about AI, open access and the future of academic publishing.

#NewBlogPost: @emrysdjones.bsky.social, @elementaladam.bsky.social, and Stenke discuss their new collection, what it means to "read for rudeness" in eighteenth-century literature, and how we could all benefit from reading against the political grain. To read: tinyurl.com/mvbheywa

Loving Michael Frayn's Copenhagen at the Hampstead Theatre tonight. A chance to see Richard Schiff in performance - the actor who is at least partially responsible for my son being called Toby.

Who is this eighteenth-century Spanish reader marking up English dramatic criticism in an early C18 Tonsons editions of the works of #Addison?

Another highlight of the Easter vacation was getting to the Samurai exhibition at the BM. Kids were most impressed by Darth Vader's guest appearances. Now wondering if it's too early to show them The Hidden Fortress...

Shakespeare Bought One Property in London. Now We Know Exactly Where. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/w...

What an incredible honour to interview Lady Snowblood herself - Meiko Kaji - during her first NYC visit in decades. Thanks so much to @japansociety.org, @wewantsounds.bsky.social & @arrowvideo.bsky.social for helping bring this dream feature to life! www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/0...

Made it back to Edinburgh last week for the first time since ISECS 2019. Lots of fond memories. But this was the first time I made it up Arthur's Seat.

Professor Kélina Gotman, Professor of Performance and the Humanities in @kingsenglish.bsky.social, explores some of the strands that have underpinned ‘performance’ discourse over the past 150 years at this Inaugural Professorial Lecture on 18 May. 🔗 Register ⬇️

I used to do a research skills class where I told the History undergrads why they shouldn't use Wikipedia for their essays. Now it's probably better than where they are getting their information from

Last seminars of term yesterday and we were discussing William Henry Ireland's "Authentic Account" of forging Shakespeare documents. I always love its bizarre combo of apology and self-aggrandisement - the essence of eighteenth-century celebrity culture.

🏆️ Congratulations to this year's winners of the @kingsdllc.bsky.social A-Level writing competitions! The winners' pieces were published in the department's student magazines on Comparative Literature, French, German, and Spanish and Portuguese. 🔗 Read more ⬇️

I hope all BSECS members are enjoying their copies of JECS 49.1. A privilege, as ever, to edit the journal. This issue has a real pan-European feel, with articles on British novel-reading in 18thc. Sweden, depictions of card games in German visual satire, and the Swiss author, Albrecht von Haller.

If you find yourself in Paris on the 10-12 June 2026, you might like to attend @isecs-sieds.bsky.social 'Reframing the Enlightenment: intellectual & political disputes today', at the Deutsches Historisches Institut Paris Details ⬇️ #skystorians #18thC 🗃️

Been enjoying teaching some pretty obscure stuff this week: Vanella in the Straw, anyone? It's a deeply nasty poem from 1732 about Prince Frederick's mistress, Anne Vane. Next week back to more canonical territory courtesy of Lord Byron.

In a few hours I’ll be reading live from the Overture of my next book in a virtual talk at U Edinburgh’s History & Games Lab. This is the first time any part of the book has been read in public, or by anyone outside of my circles of trusted first readers (& MIT’s peer reviewers)

💡 'Bell does a very successful job of bringing us back to the themes that connect the wildly diverse ensemble of Goethe’s writings.' Rowan Williams reviews Goethe: A Life In Ideas by Professor @matthewgbell.bsky.social from @kingsdllc.bsky.social for @theobserveruk.bsky.social ⬇️ buff.ly/XJfj8Zc

So there have been a few fun milestones and projects coming to completion over the last year that I hadn't properly publicised due to social media disillusionment. I'll try to do them justice here over the next week or so.

Really pleased that my third-year course, Inventing Celebrity, has received a BSECS teaching prize. It's a joy to teach. Just marking the mid-semester assignments now, and dare I say it, even that's a pleasure!

Finally joined bluesky after a few years of increasing scepticism about social media. Will try to keep this a space for thoughtful and fun conversation!