Please share widely The 3rd annual 24 hour Global Marathon of Solidarity Reading begins this Saturday 29 November. A continuous gathering of poets, writers, artists around the world standing in solidarity with Palestine. Join live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGUg...

An immense thank you to Veer Books for the opportunity to take Sea Grammar on an outing! Exciting possibilities ahead 👀 🌊

Northumberland: disgust after young swan ‘shot’ with ball bearing on Northumberland river.

In sleep, in dream song, the daylight ghosts are laid and trouble us no more. In silence nightlong a life’s debts are paid at the open door. 'Truth, Justice, and the Companionship of Owls' Peter Riley longbarrowpress.com/current-publ...

This cause is close to my heart - please sign: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...

I had similar advice from Tom Disch in the early 1970s, about writing into a niche, changed my life & seems broadly applicable

‘I wrote a fan letter to David Thomson. In his reply, he urged me to develop interests other than film. That was Spielberg’s problem, Thomson said – he didn’t know anything else. But there seemed little danger of that in my case.’ Leo Robson’s teenage film obsession: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Never forget what the Republican Party, Turning Point USA, and the Heritage Foundation have done to this country.

A stat we don't talk about enough: Newspapers have lost 77% of their jobs over the last 20 year, more than any of the 532 other industries tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

I've been baking soul cakes for the living and for the dead today. Mine are simple, rustic-looking things but made with love. I wrote about their importance in Shropshire over on the blog - nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com/2023/10/hall... #folklore #folkcustoms #Shropshire #Halloween

When you can be accused of a crime by this regimes Gestapo without proof, it’s shows to what extent they’ve weakened the rule of law

What a sick world.

Typo in part 1: existing, not costing

Vile stuff. At my own university all new staff are employed via a subsidiary company to avoid the TPS pension (remember: pensions are pay) and we all fear the costing staff will be next. Management think staff are so desperate that they’ll accept anything. Remember: university managements are so…

"A few more flags at the end of the street, most of the houses have none, but the message is clear, you don’t belong here, and what do I care, I’m leaving anyway, but think of it, living here, every time you look out of the window, or walk to the shop." longbarrowpress.substack.com/p/unrecovere...

We seem to have lost the understanding that you study things because you want to know more about them, not because you want them to give you a job. 'Transferable skills' are so-called precisely because they are not career specific, my god.

I hope this happens, it should have months ago. My union was terrible (though my individual case worker colleagues were amazing) in organising against the cuts at my university. We need a national campaign against the devastation of the sector

Today is the anniversary of the deaths of the 'Nine Men of Madeley'. Of the nine 'men', most were still boys who died in a mining disaster. I have rewritten my article to reflect new research about the tragedy. nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-... #history #localhistory

🔥 Britain is about to launch a new GCSE in natural history – a vital step toward restoring our knowledge of and respect for the natural world.

It’s quite do-able from a legal perspective. I don’t think dismissing Reform in this way is wise. Voters need to understand that this stuff can happen if they vote for it - and that it would be morally, socially, culturally, economically disastrous. So they shouldn’t vote for it.

Anyway well done to the BBC for laundering the leader of a movement which in no substantial way differs from the 1970s-style National Front into our living rooms

An actual quote from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade Too often people go to university to ‘explore research and knowledge’ Look forward to Wes S saying 'too often people go to hospital to have operations' or Heidi Alexander saying 'too often people go to the station to catch a train'

“Off the scale.” - That’s how sewage readings looked in the River Cam. Councillor Richard Pavitt has spent five years warning of crisis. Now, the water is more sewage than spring. Kate Moore reports during #BigRiverWatch

The rewriting of American history at our National Parks — including the removal of images of slavery — is disgraceful. At our hearing this morning, I demanded answers.

Do you see what is happening before our very eyes?

Dr. Deb Houry, former CDC chief medical officer: “I have many that won’t speak about vaccines now and have removed their names off of papers. They don’t wish to present publicly anymore because they feel they were personally targeted because of misinformation.” This is frightening.

More of this sort of thing please

Pete Murray turned 100 yesterday, what an incredible milestone! Congratulations, Pete. I have so many great memories of being on his radio shows. He was always so supportive of the creative people he interviewed, and his work has introduced many many artists to the public. What a guy!

Just came across one of my favourite photos of the markings on a starling. Ok. The tail is out of shot, but I’m no real photographer.

Enough is enough. Lets get toxic chemicals out of period products!: action.eko.org/a/toxic-peri...

New poem by Patricia Farrell on Stride: stridemagazine.blogspot.com/2025/09/patr...

"Harvard can't use race as a factor in admissions, but ICE can use race as a factor in detentions" is a retrenchment essentially to a pre-Civil War understanding of the Constitution. It's vanishingly few steps removed from "Latinos have no rights which the white man is bound to respect."

Since this is apparently a resigning matter, I’ll just leave this here… www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Days after a massive landslide buried about 1,000 people, only a few rescue workers have managed to reach Tarsin, a remote village in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur in Sudan. The landslide on Sunday also killed more than 5,000 animals, including sheep and camels, destroying survivors’ livelihoods.

I have reviews of WN Herbert and Frances Presley in the latest Tears in the Fence: tearsinthefence.com?s=

@keithjebb.bsky.social @charlieulyatt.bsky.social

Thomas Deininger uses plastic waste to create sculptures,or should I say,works of Genius!!!!!!

@billherbert.bsky.social @mcrucefix.bsky.social

Apologies: Arendt never said exactly this. She wrote some similar things, notably in “Truth and Politics”. But this is a jazzed up version. Is it AI generated? Or just someone’s creative poster-making?

I am glad to see this quote from Hannah Arendt in many places these days. Worth thinking about!

No more statements of condemnation. No more “keeping dialogue open” to allow trickles of aid deliveries. No more complicity in ethnic cleansing and genocide. We call on every government in the world to urgently suspend trade and sanction Israel NOW. action.eko.org/a/gaza-invas...

Raw sewage. Off-the-scale pollutants. One councillor is testing river water himself - because the authorities won't. This isn't just local. Charles Ridler reports.

AVAILABLE NOW! KNIT INK (AND OTHER POEMS) -- Audiobook Edition. Over 5 hours of material: www.amazon.co.uk/Knit-Ink-And...

If you haven’t seen this video, it’s a must-watch. Cory Booker is on fire 🔥 —righteous, surgical. He doesn’t back down. He’s holding them accountable for what’s been done. 🇺🇸

Folklore has unfairly stereotyped Ann 'Nanny' Morgan the 'Wenlock Witch'. I've dedicated the best part of 4 years to researching her and sharing her story. She deserves to be remembered with dignity. nearlyknowledgeablehistory.blogspot.com/2022/08/nann... #Shropshire #Folklore #History #Witch

Cutting "red tape" (aka public protections), as Reeves is doing, does not save money. Instead, it transfers costs from the rich to the poor. Other people pay for financial recklessness, filthy rivers, air pollution, lax building standards and consumer rip-offs. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Please repost Message to ICE agents IF - You have to HIDE your face IF - You do not IDENTIFY who you are YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING MORALLY WRONG Your community knows it Your neighbours know it Your children know it Your family knows it Your friends know it And you know it Do NOT stain your hands