Soft Play think they don't need a bassist. They are incorrect.

So happy to see my monograph out! I’m so thankful to everyone at UWP for their amazing work and support through this process 🖤

For Day 22 of #31DaysofMacbreDanse, we have the Danse Macabre crew on Romancing the Gothic (www.youtube.com/@RomancingTh...). The image is from our screening of Guy Maddin's 'Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary' (see Day 15) for Dracula in Derby conference.

A belated day 20 of #31DaysofMacabreDanse with the classic novel of death, a young woman and dance: 'Bruges-la-Morte' (1892) by Georges Rodenbach. The narrative follows a widower haunted by his dead wife, and still living amongst her relics. Image: Fernand Khnopff's cover design, 1892.

Our Dancing Dead Girl for Day 17 of #31DaysOfMacabreDanse is Monster High's Draculaura. Daughter of Dracula, our girl is harbouring a secret; she might be a Vampire but she's also a Witch and the two are mortal enemies.

Day 15 of #31DaysofMacabreDanse and it's Guy Maddin's 'Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary' (2002), a film of Royal Winnipeg's Baller adaptation of 'Dracula' (1897). Filmed in the silent film tradition, the addition of colours - golden, green and red - add depth and symbolism.

Day 9 of #31DaysOfMacabreDanse, and our dancing dead girls are stitching a seam across the eye. Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance in 2006 gave us a zombie group number to Ramalama (Bang Bang) by Roísín Murphy

Day 8 of #31DaysofMacabreDanse and we wonder 'to sleep, perchance to dream' (Hamlet, 3:1) with 'La Sonnambula'. Premiering in 1946, at the City Center of Music and Drama, New York, it was created by George Balanchine.

It took me ages to get those screenshots from the video. I'm rather pleased with myself for this one.

Over on the Danse Macabre socials, we are about to start our epic annual daily gothic dance post for the whole of October. Follow along on twitter, bluesky, or Instagram with #31DaysOfMacabreDanse for a whole month on Dancing Dead Girls.

Correction, the original had Ms McKenzie as 33.

Gearing up for reliving my youth with my baby sis at Busted v McFly in a couple of weeks. I can't decide how I feel about What I Go To School For 2.0 updating Ms Mckenzie's age from 23 to 53. But I am very much looking forward to hearing 3am with Charlie's love vocal.

Heads up @igagoths.bsky.social - delighted to announce the CFP for IGA 2026: 'Gothic Selves/Artificial Others' hosted at the University of Hull 28-31 July! hullgothic.wordpress.com

I have just seen someone post "I guess some of you do mourn the wicked" referencing Charlie Kirk and I cannot articulate how mad that makes me. Never mind media literacy and subtext is dead, this next generation can't even undersand the absolute surface reading of a text that's spoon fed to them.

For those of you wondering if Im doing any better at knowing when it is: I have been convinced all morning that it is (still) Thursday.

Scotrail it is August and 17° out. Why in the name of all that is holy is the heating on in this train?!? I worked hard on my make up, I do not want it melted off by the time I get where I'm going.

What's this? An exciting talk introducing you to the Gothic work of Patrick McGrapth? Free!? Online? This Saturday at 10am and 7pm BST 10 - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1018472016... 7 - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1018513399...

It doesn't matter if they are ever coming for you. It was always ever already too much that they were coming for anyone.

It’s exhausting thst our govt is quicker & more vociferous in condemning chants vs the indiscriminate murder of innocent civilians inc thousands of children. Whatever you think abiut the chanting, there must be a part of you that can see the IDF’s actions are worse. 🧵 news.sky.com/story/israel...

You can try and tell me that representation doesn't make a difference, and we should concentrate on bigger things but my little girl is currently watching Spiritbox's set from Rock Am Ring and is blown away by Courtney LaPlante and that a girl can do that.

Well, Hull's got a lot to live up to if the IGA goth disco is to beat the Dracula Returns to Derby Monster Mash.

Join the @bavs-uk.bsky.social Early Career Reps today on Zoom at 2.30 - 3.30pm (BST) for Tea Time - an informal chat about all things Victorian and postdoc 🫖 ☕️ DM me for link 🔗

over 1500 UK writers including caryl churchill, hollie mcnish, michaela coel & max porter (pick your genre) signed this letter and call to action in support of the trans community. if you’re a UK writer, sign. if you know a UK writer, send it to ‘em! docs.google.com/document/u/0...

Post your gender in gif form.

If you’re a cis woman in the UK and you’re not now terrified that a male police officer has a ready excuse to take off all your clothes (‘I thought she was trans!’) then you don’t understand how the erosion of trans rights is also the erosion of women’s rights.

Here’s a protest involving many thousands of people which will be met with total silence in the media, in stark contrast to the champagne popping photos of half a dozen vile bigots being plastered everywhere

Drinking half a bottle of tequila with your Hubs seems like a good idea until 7am the next morning when the kids want breakfast. I make a damn good margarita though.

Since this has come up today elsewhere I figured I'd share. No human being is illegal. (To the tune of "Yes, its okay to punch nazis" by Cheap Perfume)

one of the most important things to learn, if you're out there doing things: you don't get to talk about it. you don't get to brag about it, you don't get to tell your friends, you don't get drinks bought for you in the bar off the story. it's *always* shut the fuck up friday

Our speaker can't make it this Saturday so I'm throwing myself into the breach this Saturday! Come here me talk about VICE! Virtue! and Gothic Sensibility in Ann Radcliffe's Romance of the Forest 10am - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1273198584... 7pm - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1273199577...

How does one navigate Lent when one no longer considers oneself Christian in the traditional sense, but still believes in God (of some sort), but also has a complicated relationship with faith and The Church? Asking for a friend.

Finay got to see all of Wicked today. I don't like Jeff Goldblum's Wizard. Which is not a take I expected to have. He's not...menacing enough or charming enough. He's misses the mark on both and ends up just bland.

We've received a few requests to extend the CfP for 'Unquiet Shores'. The new deadline is now Monday 17 Feb 2025. We've had a really amazing range of abstracts so far, so please do feel free to be creative in your interpretation. Conference is 18-20 June 2025 at Edinburgh Napier and online.

Sometimes people think that GtB might not be for them. That we might be a bit daunting. Not a bit of it! Everyone is welcome! We let everyone know how it all works before every talk so no need to worry AND you can just come in cameras off and lurk quietly unbothered. Living your best life!

Deadline approaching for the Unquiet Shores conference. Edinburgh Napier and online, 18-20 June. Get your abstracts in by Monday 10 Feb.

MEDIA REQUEST: Looking to speak with some historians of science, ideally but not necessarily historians of ocean science. DMs open, or whysharksmatter at gmail

Join us to awaken from our academic slumber for 2 exciting online events next week: - Part 2 of our funding workshop for BAVS ECRs on Monday 20th at 5.30pm (GMT) - Coastal Gothic with Dr Emily Alder for @gothicauob.bsky.social on Thursday 23rd at 5pm (GMT)

“I never liked Gaiman’s work anyway”

There's still time to get your abstract in for 'Unquiet Shores'. We welcome proposals for individual papers, pre-formed panels, or workshops. If you would like to propose something that falls outside of the above, let us know, as we are interested in interdisciplinary and multimodal scholarship.

GOTHS FOR BREAKFAST is here! 15 February A full day of online classes, talks and workshops on all things horror and Gothic to raise money for charity Magic Breakfast Pick your price point and join us! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/goths-for-...

I've done 'top ten Romancing the Gothic talks' lists for 2024 but I wanted to do a slightly different list today. 5 'hidden' gems of 2024 5 videos that don't have as many views but which stuck out for me because I learnt something new or got an entirely new perspective! Check them out below.

Lurking on the zoom discussion on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, WAS, and Wicked hosted by Farah Mendlesohn. I'd intended to re-read everything before the event, but have been floored for a week by the lurgy and can still barely speak without coughing so I'm mostly listening on fascination.

A reminder that we’re screening Murnau’s NOSFERATU (with live soundtrack by Stephen Horne) and THE LOST BOYS! Jan 18th, 2-6pm at Bristol Megascreen. Hellebore merch, themed cocktails and a prize for the best dressed in the audience. Join us! 🎟️: ti.to/film-noir-uk...

We are thrilled to be co-hosting our first conference with the fantastic @hauntedshores.bsky.social project. Deadline for abstracts on coastal acoustics and the terpsichorean ocean is Monday 10 Feb 2025. Conference is 18-20 June at Edinburgh Napier and online. haunted-shores.com/unquiet-shor...

I had a couple of days off this week as my parents are sunning themselves in Lanazarote, and school and nursery runs are tricky without them. I caught up on a pile of ironing and Ncuti Gatwa's season of Who. I vaguely remember it getting a bad reception when it came out, but I loved it.

We now have a blue-sky profile for our research project on the intersections between dance and the gothic. Give us a follow @macabredanse.bsky.social

This counts as decorating for Christmas, right?

I'm 48, apparently. That being said, Coachella has very much never been my scene. I'm more of a When We Were Young/Warped Tour/Knotfest kinda girl.

I have officially moved Bluesky to my phone home screen and relegated the other place to the back pages, so will start posting and interacting here rather than there.