The focus on cultural issues at the ICIRI is fine but clearly these malfunctions are a result of deliberate structural deficiencies added during its creation. NO’L highlights the late stage removal of many of its investigative powers. A sham of an organization and process www.bbc.com/news/article...

Yesterday Kier Starmer announced Labour will nationalise British Steel, and save 2700 jobs. Today, the Uni of Nottingham put 2700 staff at risk of redundancy. This is just one university. Across the UK 15,000 higher education jobs need saving. Where is the rescue package for our universities?

🚨 #medievalsky 🚨 Middle English Dictionary update via FB: "In its 100-year history, MED has enjoyed periods of support, and periods when that support was lacking. It is about to enter on one of the latter. After this year...UMich will no longer fund ongoing editorial work and maintenance." 🧵

🙋‍♀️ Count me in.

"Scholars from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) uncovered the manuscript that contains Caedmon’s Hymn at the National Central Library of Rome." #MedievalSky #speirgorm #Spéirghorm www.theguardian.com/books/2026/a...

Please think about donating to this organisation which helps young Palestinians learn musical instruments: www.alkamandjati.org/en/article/1...

I’ve never used AI for any part of my writing process and I don’t want to use it. I love writing. Yes, it’s work, and sometimes it’s incredibly hard work, but it’s MY work, and that’s the point. I don’t even know how to access Chat GPT or whatever. I’d rather stick my hand in a toaster

Look what arrived today! Lovely to be in the company of all these wonderful people!

My son brought this home from school. I think he might go back tomorrow and tell his teacher where the dismemberments are missing.

I’m revising my graduate seminar on medieval manuscripts and was wracking my brain trying to think of an enticing short reading to intro my students to a case study in codicology before remembering that I co-edited a journal issue devoted to the topic. Enjoy! journal.thewalters.org/volume/76/

C19 medievalism🤝C21 far right '[The nation's] women will reform [the nation's] men and will have to rescue our history, not through Amazonian traits, but through the power of noble hearts & powerful femininity. In family life, in marriage, lies our hope, which madmen want to destroy' (Karl Weinhold)

OMG - f*ck AI for ruining the em-dash for writers. I use them all the time. Of course, what a shock that AI uses them since they were trained off my voice and other authors' voices.

There are many good reasons why your department should hire a medievalist. Teaching the actual history of the Crusades and debunking "feudalism" so you don't wind up with trends like this is one of them.

Translators work hard to make sure that the translated words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, etc, not only convey the author's meaning, but also the author's *style.* Translators are alchemists. They are artists, and poets, and researchers, and editors. They are magicians and wizards.

I think there's something aspirational in this 19th-century description of Chaucer 'so derb, daß Einem Hören und Sehen vergeht’ (so crude that you lose your hearing and sight). At least, I can think of someone who would find it aspirational.

Duolingo to Karl Simrock, after seeing his 28th “improved translation” of the Nibelungenlied.

‘The Super Extender’, for when you need a little extra help getting to the point - 14th/15th century, University of Cambridge, Gonville and Caius College, MS 609/340, f. 5v

I got a little over-excited when I found Siegfried mentioned in this children’s book about the Middle Ages (Time Travel Sleepover, 2024). Readers are left to wonder about the consequences of the weak spot (spoiler: not good).

Terrible news. Universities are being decimated.

📣 BSR / Early Medieval Europe Fellowship – Call for Applications! Are you a PhD student or early career researcher in early medieval European history? Apply now! ⏳ Deadline: 30 January 2026 More info here: bsr.ac.uk/awards-resid...

shoutout to tumblr user kleinergeist for this post which is going straight into my powerpoint for Grendel day in my monster class this week

Just over one week left to submit your abstracts! Come join @rafletcher.bsky.social, Dr Thijs Porck, and me at #IMC2026 talking about "Old English in the Long Nineteenth Century".

Are you a late stage doctoral or postdoctoral reasearcher with expertise in medieval and/or early modern landscape history & an interest in working with or in the heritage sector? This opportunity with the University of Oxford and West Horsley Place may be for you: www.tss.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/19...

Astrolabes and quadrants return to display in the Upper Library at Merton College with special thanks to Nikki Tomkins, Oxford Conservation Consortium, Khris Watts, Harriet Campbell Longley, and @stephenaj.bsky.social It took many hands! #astronomy #astrolabes

12-week research post available in medieval and early modern landscape, focusing on West Horsley near Oxford: www.tss.ox.ac.uk/vacancies/19...

We are devastated and enraged by the murder of Awdah Hathaleen by Israeli settler Yinon Levi earlier today. Awdah was a writer, teacher, and activist in his village of Umm al-Khair in Masafer Yatta, and a friend of Vashti Media. May his words resound through the entire world:

This is disastrous for access to the Humanities for all but the independently very wealthy. My own doctorate was a student-led AHRC-funded project (ie I came up with the project). It’s awful to see these opportunities taken from the next generation, especially given the huge increase in tuition fees

Now just under two months to get your abstracts in for Borders, Boundaries, and Barriers: Real and Imagined in the Middle Ages. Do get your thinking caps on because we've already received some great abstracts and are look forward to reading everybody's proposals in September!

Love it when what is presented as "academic publishing" is really just "publishing in STEM fields" :/ basically none of this is true for humanities publishing, and especially for humanities books www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Ready to chair @imc-leeds.bsky.social panel 1634: ‘Learning the Middle Ages in the Long C19 II: Language and Literature’ at 11:15

Happening now at @imc-leeds.bsky.social : the first of three panels in memory of Dr Johanna Green. Speakers in the first panel will speak about one of Johanna’s greatest passions: Old English literature.

An exhibition of medieval manuscripts at Cambridge's @parkerlibcccc.bsky.social! Curated by Timothy Glover (Richard Rolle specialist and current Parker Library Early-Career Research Fellow). Do pop in/book a tour if you are in Cambridge - July only!

Today I’m representing @germancambridge.bsky.social at the @goethe-institut-uk.bsky.social’s Careers Roadshow. Looking forward to meeting lots of school groups!

I had a Leverhulme ECF until last year, and if you want to chat about anything to do with the application etc, feel free to reach out to me. It was a real gift to hold one of these fellowships.

Apply by 14 July to work with Andrew Dunning to make the Medieval Libraries of Great Britain project online accessible again - 6-month postdoc position @bodleianlibraries.bsky.social. Pls advertise, @oxmedstud.bsky.social @bkhistoxford.bsky.social medieval.ox.ac.uk/medieval-lib...

We've brought Teaching the Codex over to Bluesky to celebrate our fantastic new series by @sianwitherden.bsky.social, 'How to collate an early printed book' (yes, we're adopting the new technology of moveable type).

CFP for Borders, Boundaries, Barriers: Real and Imagined in the Middle Ages (20-21 April 2026). Deadline 15 September 2025.

Our Chaucer focus at MAMO continues with the hybrid panel 'Chaucer: At Home and Abroad (II)'! With papers from Mary Boyle (@maryrboyle.bsky.social, Cambridge), Hugo Lacoue-Labarthe (Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle), and Candace Barrington (@candacebarrington.bsky.social, Connecticut). 👇 #MAMOmonth

Another day, another short-sighted attempt by a UK university to cut Modern Languages. This time it's Bangor, planning to discontinue German and Chinese and reduce staffing in French and Spanish. Please sign: www.change.org/p/stop-cuts-...

I honestly don't understand how we can have riots from the far-right less than a year ago...and no one from the govt. says "Reform, Farage, Robinson have done Incalculable Damage to the UK"? But let's blame the people who they were trying to set on fire.

Did you know that @germancambridge.bsky.social has a monthly outreach newsletter? You can sign up to receive it here and get notified first about our events and activities: www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/teachers-ger...

Please consider signing this petition, asking the government to reconsider its pointlessly cruel policy blocking anyone who arrives in the UK “illegally” from ever obtaining citizenship. How about creating some safe routes instead? 38d.gs/nzff

Check out this absolutely fantastic opportunity in Oxford. Free summer school on fantasy literature with leading experts open to people over 16: fantasyliteratureschool.web.ox.ac.uk

This is really quite dreadful. Not a lawyer, but I wonder whether it falls foul of the Refugee Convention bar against penalizing people for illegal entry. As the article says, this is not supported by people who voted for this government.

The shortfall in postgraduate funding is one of the the biggest barriers to widening participation and to new and exciting research. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Registration is open until 12th Feb for undergraduates who'd like to attend the Cambridge Undergraduate Conference in German Studies. We've got great undergrad speakers, a careers panel, and a keynote from Aida Baghernejad! There are just a few places remaining! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cambridge-...

Not one, but *two* mentions of medieval German in this episode. So which of my colleagues is it passing on language tips? There aren’t that many of us!