Join, me, Dr. Alex Carabine (PhD, Gothic Literature), for a creative writing workshop that plunges into the creepy, odd world of the original uncanny. We'll explore how E.T.A. Hoffman creates a narrative full of nightmares, obsession and despair in 'The Sandman'. Then, we'll create our own...

Writing the Horrors: Horrors in Progress Are you a writer of Gothic or horror fiction? Are you looking for a supportive community of like-minded authors to give you feedback on your work? Horrors in Progress is a creative writing support workshop where you can share your work in progress with a…

What does the Gothic have in common with fairy tales? How can we read Snow White as a vampire? Join Writing the Horrors: Darkly Ever After to find out. Tickets are going fast!

Drawing on my expertise as a Gothic literature scholar, as well as my years of university teaching, I’ve designed a workshop that blends literary analysis with creative exploration. Join me for a creative writing workshop that plunges into the decadent, dark world of Tanith Lee's vampiric Snow White

What was so dangerous about Lucy Westenra that Stoker had to kill her twice? Find out in my online talk on Queer vampires and monstrous women, happening today! There’s still time to get your tickets at the link in my bio 🦇

There’s still time to get a ticket to my Gothic creative writing workshop! Join me, let’s read the Gothic to write the horrors 💀

‘Black Magic’. It conjures so many images. But where does it come from, and how should we understand it? It might surprise you to discover that, originally, what we know of as ‘black’ magic has nothing to do with a colour whatsoever. It is, in fact, something much more sinister...

What is Gothic literature? How can we create dark atmospheres and complex characters without falling into stereotype and cliché? How does Shirley Jackson make the mundane so sinister? Join me in 'Writing the Horrors' to answer these questions and write a creepy short story of your very own.

Going Self Employed: when capitalism is so eager to take your money, it doesn’t give you the chance to earn any.

Last night I had an anxiety dream about my creative writing workshops (TBA) that made me feel better. Everything failed. I was sat in front of an empty Zoom. And I thought “oh? THIS is the worse thing that could happen? I’ve sat at computers before. It’s not so bad.” And now… I feel reassured? What?

A Gothic literature scholar walks into a law conference. This isn't a joke - it happened to me this week!

Millennials planning for the Zombie Apocalypse: 2002: “ok we’ll need food, shelter and weapons. The streets are dangerous, so if I can get up onto the roof, I’ll-“ 2025: “I think I’ll just die, y’know. I’ve seen enough.”

Googled my surname etymology and got ‘Carabin may come from the word escarrabin, which means "corpse bearer during the plague"’. And you know what? I’m fine with it.

I’m going self employed as a freelance academic while I apply to university jobs and no one warned me that being freelance means having to make up your job every single day.

Nothing will ever satisfy me the way Bonnie getting her scars wiped away in The Craft satisfies me.

If I don’t look like one of the American Horror Story witches, then my outfit has failed.

The vibes I bring to the function

So TikTok has come back like the Pets from the Sematary come back, right? Evil? Possessed? Sour?

Rest in Peace, David Lynch 🖤 I keep thinking about an interview I saw with him, where the interviewer asked him to explain something and Lynch refused. “The film is talking,” he replied. And I love that. It’s so rare now, to let art speak for itself. He will be missed.

Myers-Briggs is boring, tell me what form your dæmon takes instead.

Relentlessly offended that Cocteau Twins are considered “Shoegaze.” If ‘Treasure’ doesn’t make you stare into the deepening twilight with wonder and wordless yearning, then you aren’t listening right.

If the outfit you’re wearing when you die is your forever ghost outfit, and your phone is in your pocket, will you still be able to access the internet from beyond the grave?

Has anyone checked if the books in the Beauty and the Beast library were sentient, too?

‘You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.’ - Mary Oliver, Wild Geese (excerpt).

Remember: our self worth isn’t defined by our accomplishments. Our worth is defined by how many souls we can harvest for the Dark Ones before dawn and we are under numbers so I am begging you, please, wipe your mouth and get up. The tithe is due and they’re coming. Please, get up get UP get -

Can you name the phases of the menstrual cycle? That’s right! They are: follicular (ovarian follicles develop), ovulation (when the egg is released), luteal (the uterus lining thickens) and lycanthropy (when we turn into wolves and bay for blood).

When the fabric of reality tears, don’t just throw it away! Try restoring it with a cute little appliqué, or up-cycling it into pretty handkerchiefs. Make do with the horrors and mend!

This lighthouse Air BnB would be so cute if it wasn’t for that GodDaMn FcukInG SEAGULL - !

A VICTORIAN MERMAN Objects like this were often made from the torsos of monkeys and the tails of fish. They were displayed by showmen like P. T Barnum to audiences who believed they were real. This particular one is on display at the Horniman Museum, London. #skystorians #histmed #histsci

Going to university is great, but no one warns you about how stressful it can be to accidentally kill an acquaintance while performing an arcane Greek ritual, then begin questioning the moral underpinnings of society while having to complete your set reading. And then there are the EXAMS.

With Dr. Mehmet Oz pegged to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, it's a good time to remind people that he once said this 👇 As a medical historian, I can say that this is quite literally medieval.

Sorry chat, but I am not managing to exist sanely under these conditions of absolute reality.

A nature walk is great for your mental health, until you wander off the path and witness the Forbidden Rite in the shadows beneath the trees, and your mind never recovers from what it has witnessed.

The first known use of singular “they” is so old that not only does it pre-date singular “you,” it wasn’t even spelled with a “th” When William and the Werewolf, in 1375 CE, used singular “they,” it was spelled with a Thorn

What can I do with my doctorate in Gothic literature? I can: 🗝️ Lecture 🗝️ Research 🗝️ Summon demons 🗝️ Teach There are many options open to you with a PhD!

Nineteenth-century depictions of medieval femmes fatale often depicted them with books. Because nothing scared the Victorian boys more than a woman with notions.

Once again I bought Legend on DVD and once again I was DECEIVED.

The moon is glorious tonight (the photograph is not).

The burden of being witty in my first post is too much. Please enjoy this (filter free) photo I took - while running for a bus - of my local graveyard instead.