My publisher is having a 60% off sale on hardbacks at the moment with the code bf60. This includes my book, bringing it down to £38 from the fat less affordable £95. boydellandbrewer.com/book/local-p... It's also coming out in paperback soon at a much lower cover price.

I had a great time recording the episode on King Arthur for the Gone Medieval podcast with Matt Lewis, and the episode is out today! open.spotify.com/episode/3akZ...

Looking forward to a recording sesh later for another podcast! This time, it's Gone Medieval with the lovely @goingmedieval.bsky.social and Matt Lewis. I remember meeting Eleanor YEARS ago when I was a fledgling PhD student at a workshop at Bochum. Eleanor was hilarious and made us feel so welcome

Calling all archaeologists/historians/scholars of place! The Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust are recruiting a documentary researcher for a fascinating short-term research project (Sep/Oct/Nov) uncovering the history of the castle. Download the brief here www.snodhillcastle.org/documentary-...

Dr Harriet Soper, The Life Course in Old English Poetry (Cambridge University Press, 2024) @hattiesoper.bsky.social

Dr Erin Forbes, Criminal Genius in African American and US Literature 1793-1845 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024) @eeforbes.bsky.social

Dr Mary Bateman, Local Place and the Arthurian Tradition in England and Wales, 1400-1700 (Cambridge University Press, 2023) @mareganlefay.bsky.social

No fewer than three members of Bristol’s English Department have found their monographs shortlisted for the University English Book Prize for Outstanding First Manuscript, across the 2023 and 2024 competitions! universityenglish.ac.uk/book-prize/

Brilliant opportunity for folks working in neurodiversity studies in the arts and humanities!

Amid the new baby bliss (newest family member Amos Patrick joined us recently), there are a few interesting new articles out-- including this one on how the technology of paper spurred innovations in intellectual culture, using England as a case study. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Massively looking forward to getting stuck into Hannah Weaver's book this week now I'm on leave! I've been thinking a lot this year about interpolation (being a convenor of an Arthurian Literature unit it's hard not to!).

Latest read. Much like Circe but Arthurian. Just after Arthur’s death, a boy seeks to join the Round Table but discovers Camelot is crumbling. A fun read, great updated backstories of lesser knights, and finally wistful about the transition from legend to history, literalized as the end of magic.

@fuzzybydesign.bsky.social thanks for the follow, looking forward very much to reading your comic strip!

One of the best things (I think!) about YDTM is that it’s a formalised bridge between academia, comedy, and the public. Not only do we platform fantastically skilled expert academics as guests, we also benefit hugely from a pool of academics in training. The AHRC doctoral training scheme is ace 👍

My episode of #youredeadtome on the Arthurian legends goes live on all major podcast apps today, so you can catch it if you're outside the UK or not on BBC Sounds! Had a lovely time recording with @gregjenner.bsky.social and the lovely Mike Wozniak.

Extremely busy but rewarding week of students presentations (Arthurian Literature) and a poster fair (Chaucer and Chaucerians). Highlight: a poster in which students had produced manicules that were literally photos of their own hands

Absolutely thrilled today to hear that two very bright students I have had the pleasure of teaching at Bristol have secured places on masters courses at Oxford (including a spot on the medieval studies MPhil for a superb medievalist in the making). 🎉

Need this

If you were interested in the birthing pool history piece, Jenny, Maria and I also wrote this companion article that just came out in a SI on experience: 'The Construction and Politics of the ‘Birth Experience’ in Britain, 1948–93' www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10....

📻 Dr Mary Bateman (@bristolcms.bsky.social) joins BBC #YoureDeadToMe to discuss the legend of King Arthur, from his early medieval origins to modern myths and retellings Listen to the full programme 👉 bit.ly/41m4kzm @mareganlefay.bsky.social @bristolcmspgr.bsky.social @gregjenner.bsky.social

/postmedieval/ is launching a new mentorship programme to facilitate publication for scholars whose first language is not English. 👇 find all the details here 👇 sites.google.com/view/postmed...

Hi! At 10am this morning on BBC Radio 4 - You’re Dead To Me tackles the legend of King Arthur, with Arthurian scholar @mareganlefay.bsky.social & comedian Mike Wozniak This is the 30 minute edit, the full 57 minute podcast is on BBC Sounds

Was brilliant working with Jon, a fabulous researcher and lovely to work with someone who so appreciates the Welsh Arthurian material!

If you prefer video… KING ARTHUR!!

Oh and here’s a lopsided pic of me, Mike, and @mareganlefay.bsky.social after we had pulled the proverbial podcast from the stone!

🎉🎉

8th February, BBC Radio 4! (Also just LOOK at all the other brilliant episodes happening this series! 😍)

My son's lullaby request tonight was "Hushabye Mountain in German". Spoiler: it doesn't work. About twice as many syllables as each line can reasonably accommodate.

Humanities people of BlueSky: any advice on how to approach the nitty-gritty of ‘turning-the-thesis-into-a-book’? Context: I have lucked out in all the areas possible (great press, contract signed, generous eleven months to first draft, etc.), but I’m keen to hear as many thoughts as possible.

Still time to book your place for @mareganlefay.bsky.social's Arthurian delight on Thursday!

Sometimes, lecturing throws up beautiful synchronicities. Last night I had 1.5 hours of bad quality sleep because our 2yo had to sleep in with us due to building work in his room. Today I am teaching Chaucer's Book of the Duchess.

For our next seminar @mareganlefay.bsky.social (Bristol) will speak on 'Experiencing Arthur on site in medieval and early modern England'. Free in-person at @ihr.bsky.social and online, 17.30 UTC, Thurs 16/01/25. All welcome, but please register in advance. Info: www.history.ac.uk/events/exper...

Morning! Our new series of You’re Dead To Me starts soon at 10am on BBC Radio 4 - the first episode is about Aristotle, with Prof @edithmayhall.bsky.social and @schreiberland.bsky.social This is the 30 minute radio edit, the 57 minute podcast is available on BBC SOUNDS

Reader, I did not wait for two hours. Cut into it and it was a runny mess. Back in the oven for a bit and an overnight refridgeration later and we have one very untidy but delicious cheesecake.

Baked a burnt basque cheesecake tonight after a couple of weeks of really rough family news one thing after another. It looks divine but house stinks of burnt oven and I have to wait TWO HOURS to cut into it?! 😠

The UK government has created a public survey about copyright law and AI - it’s very technical, but please fill it in if you can I believe this technology must be very carefully regulated, to ensure public safety and to maintain the rights of creators www.gov.uk/government/c...

If you fancy some alternative Christmas music that still feels festive, you can't do better than this album from Ye Vagabonds. This one is one of my favourites, Bacach Shíol Andaí. youtu.be/dgeIBnjNLic?...

Some brilliant topics this series!! Tune in and listen out for me... 😍 I'll be appearing around episode 5 or so I think...

#skystorians once again appealing for anyone with a successful AHRC Catalyst award who would be willing to share their proposals - or just parts of their proposals with me. (also super interested in rejected proposals but I know people are even more sensitive about sharing those!)

You do not need to be an academic to visit an archive. You do not need a degree to visit an archive. There is no terrifying Don at the door grilling potential visitors. If it's your first time, a nice archivist will help you. It's our shared history, our preserved records. Go explore it.

This includes a fully funded PhD to work on Anglo-Saxon charter single sheets with Julia Crick and me. Please spread the word, and hmu if you have any qs!

Associate Professor in Reformation and Early Modern Christianities- University of Oxford - The Faculty of Theology and Religion in association with Keble College #skystorians 🗃️www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLB254/a...

Research Fellowship in Arts University of Cambridge - Girton College #skystorians 🗃️www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLA450/r...

Scholarships for MA in Historical Studies (one-year)- Central European University - Department of Historical Studies #skystorians 🗃️www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLA410/s...

Blimey.

Excited to read this one.

📢 Munby Fellowship in Bibliography 2025–2027 at Cambridge, a two-year post with a focus on Natural History Humanities.

Testing BlueSky’s capacity for historical threads! A thread about my recent paper on Ibn Fadlan, (not) the Vikings, & 10th c. Eurasian trade & diplomacy. Read if you like medieval history, Middle Eastern history, Iranian history, numismatics, economic history, & investigative historiography! 1/?

Are you looking for a funded PhD to work on manuscript-to-print transitions? Possibly with a thing for CHARLEMAGNE? Then check this one out: