www.miragenews.com/research-rev... My research in Mirage News:

"Precarious Milton," a project about precariousness in his work - and the precarious condition of literary scholarship - was just published, and I am so happy to have an essay on intellectual freedom and the Areopagitica (as read by that wild reader Leo Strauss) included.

After our fabulous week long residential workshop in Bath last week, it's proving to be a busy time for the wills project team. We'll be circulating our latest newsletter next week if you want to get up to speed on our progress to date: #EarlyModern 🗃️

A young woman sleeping [probably Hendrickje Stoffels] her head resting on her right arm. Rembrandt, c. 1654 (British Museum)

Roses, drawn in 1620 by Jacques de Gheyn, whose day is today.

#BookWormSat #AcademicSky #EarlyModern 👋🌹

New Milton Studies Special Issue (68.1) highlighting the impact of precarity on the field & Milton himself. To cope 🫣 I ended up combining 3 of my favourite things: John Milton, Jane Austen, & roses 🌹 scholarlypublishingcollective-org.uoelibrary.idm.oclc.org/psup/milton-...

Our Special Issue on "Precarious Milton" is now out - thanks to the wonderful Jeffrey Miller and Esther van Raamsdonk! And to Stephen Dobranski as the editor of Milton Studies. scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/milton-... Here's my article on "Toland's Milton": doi.org/10.5325/milt...

New Milton Studies Special Issue (68.1) highlighting the impact of precarity on the field & Milton himself. To cope 🫣 I ended up combining 3 of my favourite things: John Milton, Jane Austen, & roses 🌹 scholarlypublishingcollective-org.uoelibrary.idm.oclc.org/psup/milton-...

Last night, I had the experience of a lifetime hearing Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 in the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral. Bournemouth Bach Choir, Symphony Youth Chorus(v little ones!)+The Sixteen &Tallis Scholars superstars. Milton (who brought M's music back w him from Italy) would be WELL JEL.

Excited for the new OUP Milton volume, Latin Defences, with lovely acknowledgement of my small contribution as a research assistant 🙂

Getting a serene picture of a Shetland pony isn't easy when they are so friendly 😂

After weeks of gales the islands are enjoying snow, sunshine and stillness #Shetland

Universities didn't create Covid, didn't choose lockdowns, and didn't set public health policy. By this logic every airline owes you damages for a hurricane. This is a masterclass in punishing institutions for surviving a crisis. This will accelerate the collapse of UK higher education #AcademicSky

From healing the sick to revealing hidden iron deposits: what John Aubrey learned by reading water. Another blog from my transcription of Aubrey's Natural History manuscript, published in June for his 400th anniversary. www.louiserylandepton.co.uk/blog/john-au...

Fragment of a mug or bottle, made in #Woolwich, c. 1640-1650. Probably accurately depicts the reaction of many locals to the events of that particular decade... (British Museum)

Imagine being a VC and the head of English gives you a call, to check whether it’s ok for a prof to take a year’s privately-funded leave to write a book. You ask: ‘So some rich guy is paying for a book on his favourite topic?’ ‘Correct.’ ‘That’s unusual. What’s it about?’ 🤔

BARS Digital Event Announcement with our friends @chawtonhouse.bsky.social! Join us on 11th Feb at 6pm on Zoom for this event celebrating New Research in Women's Writing! Register to join: uofglasgow.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Portrait of Lady-in-Waiting to the Infanta Isabella Peter Paul Rubens, Flanders, mid-1620s. Some think it possibly a posthumous portrait of Clara Serena Rubens, d. 1623, the daughter of the painter.

‘My own garden is my own garden,’ said the Giant; ‘any one can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself’ The Selfish Giant Oscar Wilde 1888 #BookWormSat 🖼️ Walter Crane

Unboxing!!

"The evidence is clear: when talented students who have faced greater barriers gain access to elite universities, they flourish precisely because opportunity, not ability, was the binding constraint." Prof Lee Elliot Major, University of Exeter #highered #edchat www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Great to see this out; the Antwerp Polyglot's influence in C16-17 English religious writing and scholarship is often missed; here the rector of @lincoln.ox.ac.uk Richard Kilby's initialed vol. 1 ('RK 8 vols, £6 10s'), bought when appointed to translate part of the Authorised Version.

We are happy to share that the call for papers for the SAMEMES conference on "Tolerance and Dissent" (Fribourg, 24-26 June 2026), is now open (deadline 15 January 2026). Further information about the conference is available here: samemes2026.com! We look forward to hearing from you!

It is John Aubrey’s 400th anniversary this year! My next book publishes his Natural History in full for the 1st time. It is not the quaint collection of random anecdotes suggested by the heavily edited 1847 version, but cutting edge c17 science all penned with Aubrey’s characteristic brilliance.

Here's a nice announcement. I just turned in the final draft for my first academic book, 'Cartesian Theaters, Shakespearean Minds: Finding Descartes on the Early Modern Stage' to be published with Edinburgh University Press next year.

👑Pen & Sword's @penswordbooks website is offering a right royal offer on 'Charles I's Private Life'. A Whopping 50% off - now just £12.50 for hardback. www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Charles-Is-P... "written with great verve, eloquence and clarity" Professor Andrew Hopper

Adored chatting to Anita Rani on the #BBC programme ‘My Life at Christmas’ as it’s one of my favourite time of the year ❤️❤️🎄❤️❤️ www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... I think people would be interested to visit a house in the Circus more than 1 day a year, especially re recent research. The garden has been a lovely free space, full of flowers. Just off Catherine Morland's Jubilee Walk! @bathnes.bsky.social @bathprestrust.bsky.social

"Most moderns contend that everything emerged out of nothing (out of which nothing, I reckon their own opinion originates!)" #SassyMilton

Recently digitised - March 1945; at Maymyo in Burma, following the recapture of the town from the occupying Japanese, off-duty British troops dance together, and go swimming in an ornamental lake. #filmcataloguing #history #ww2 Full film: IWM JIN 33 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...

Looking for that perfect News Years Gift for the Nashe Lover in your life? From January, “Thomas Nashe and Literary Performance” will be available in paperback! manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526195524/

“Many hands make light work” – and many papers make a great conference. CFP now open for Proverbs & Popular Wisdom in Early Modern Literature and Culture, University of Hull, 1–3 July 2026. Abstracts due 30 Jan → [email protected] More info: earlymodernproverbs.co.uk/events/confe...

Thinking of the wonderful Milton scholar Neil Forsyth today after news of his passing. An essay of his that stays in my mind is "Of Man's First Dis" (1991). I'll always remember what I learned was characteristic Miltonist commitment, when Neil came to the Exeter symposium... 1/

Gift link: www.wsj.com/opinion/mont...

Hundreds, perhaps thousands of the fallen of WWI were buried with epitaphs drawn from Shakespearean. A selection can be found here: www.epitaphsofthegreatwar.com/tag/shakespe... None more haunting than the inscription for Alfred Dunne (aged 17) O MONSTROUS WORLD TO BE DIRECT AND HONEST IS NOT SAFE

Today is the OFFICIAL publication day for TEXTILE SHAKESPEARE! Please indulge me: I want to say a little (perhaps rather a lot) about it and share my acknowledgements - and a discount code! Appropriately,🧵1/10

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Always be recruiting. Always be looking out for the talented, the original thinkers, the ones who do more than talk. Take note of those who create impact regardless of their position, the big successes, the small achievements that signal real ability. Keep an eye on those who develop others 1/

Had an inspiring evening @no1royalcrescent.bsky.social listening to Prof. Kathryn Sutherland on Jane Austen's The Watsons and her creative process. Great discussions, lovely staff, & upstairs, the amazing exhibition, including 2 letters by JA to Frank re their father's death, & The Watsons MS pages!

I’m a blind Mum and this afternoon I got held hostage in the book corner at nursery stay and play by 5 pre schoolers demanding I read many many books. Had to do a lot of styling it out saying “oooh what’s happening?” Or “wow who’s on this page!” I think it only made me more fun 😆

Pony kisses #Shetland

It’s telling how some male columnists and commentators have reacted to Riot Women as ‘man-hating’ when it’s simply depicting average everyday experiences women have with men all the time. If seeing the world through a woman’s eyes makes you hate men too the I guess you see our problem.

Latest lovely volume by Patrick Cheney is now out in the Early Modern Literary Geographies series with Oxford University Press that I am very proud to co edit with Garrett A Sullivan Jr …

Young Syrian refugees paint murals at Zataari camp Jordan, to overcome trauma and memories of violence #womensart

And, frankly, amazing.

So far we've found Shakespearean epitaphs from 30 plays, 16 sonnets, and 3 of the longer poems. The only plays not on our list? Taming of the Shrew Henry VI 1 & 3 Two Gentlemen Love’s Labours Merry Wives Coriolanus Pericles Cemetery strollers, let us know if you spot a quote from one of these!

A perfect evening; dinner and The Sixteen's "Angel of Peace" concert at Exeter Cathedral, with one of my angels.