delighted to inform you that, once again, not everything is completely terrible

every time there's political violence discourse i think about how jo cox was assassinated in broad daylight by a fascist who shouted "britain first" as he shot her, and now nine years later her party is dedicating every moment in power to placating the ideology of her murderer

On the same day in the Telegraph:

Wikipedia editors trying to fend off the onslaught of AI crap have crowdsourced some telltale signs of LLM-generated writing; it might be handy for editors and proofreaders generally. Thanks to @ellenrykers.com for pointing me to it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...

If you are cis, please read this entire thread. It won't take much of your time

The Quakers are doing exactly what all public services are legally allowed to do even if the EHRC wants to pretend they're not: say gender-based toilets are inclusive and for anyone bothered by that as a matter of belief, there are stand-alone cubicles that they are very free to use. 1/

This, from the Quakers, is a pretty good example of how to resist pressure from bigot lobbying groups. Effectively “we legally can allow trans people to use the loo, we morally should, and we tried it and nothing bad happened”

everything we do should as teachers should be to throw sand in the gears of the neo-utilitarian machine that sees education in purely transactional terms. it really is the only thing —AI is a symptom not a cause

The employee asked the girl and her mother if they needed help shopping. That’s it. That’s all. The misinformation, the insinuations (because the facts are inconveniently benign) are EXACTLY what was done to lesbians in the 80s. This is the product of hate and fear, not reality.

Please help me share the CFP for this Literature Compass Special Issue dedicated to the work of Simon J James and covering key Victorian and Edwardian writers like H. G. Wells, George Gissing, Dickens, Wilde, George Du Maurier, and Conan-Doyle on behalf of Hadas Elber-Aviram.

An open letter has been launched today (27/7/25) for members of the UK academic community (academics and other university staff) to sign, to press the UK Home Office to facilitate safe passage out of Gaza for 40+ students with offers for UK universities. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

We need to heed the promptings of love and truth in our hearts and speak up now. We believe that genocide is underway in Gaza. We use this word with the aim of opening eyes, minds and hearts. We use it in the deep hope that the actions it describes will stop. www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...

Quakers will be among thousands taking part in London Trans+ Pride tomorrow, the largest demonstration of its kind in the world. We believe that all people are of equal spiritual worth, that each one of us is unique, precious, a child of God. Read the full details here: londontranspride.org

We have all watched in horror as Israel crosses red line after red line in Gaza. If you agree please share this post on, help us send this message across social media, then contribute a picture to our powerful visual at bit.ly/3HW2ePI Let’s speak out, in our masses, right now. #RedLineForGaza #Gaza

Decades of mechanistic talk about university degrees as if they were bundles of 'skills' and 'prep' are about to be proved completely wrong (obviously). Want to get a real boost? Do History or English.

99% of people crossing the channel in small boats apply for asylum. About 70%+ receive it. The manner of entry to seek asylum does not determine if someone is a "genuine refugee". Nobody is risking their life crossing one of the world's busiest shipping routes to work for Deliveroo. #r4today

More than 15,000 children have already been killed by Israeli authorities in Gaza. Every single one of them was someone’s universe. Every child killed is a red line crossed. Add your voice now: redlineforgaza.org.uk 3/4

It takes less than a minute to take part. By just hitting send on a short pre-prepared message to your MP, tens-of-thousands of us will ask the same question: What are they doing to stop the deaths of children in Gaza? And we’ll keep on demanding action, until the killing ends. 2/4

Red Line For Gaza is a movement bringing together all of our voices to end the killing and suffering of children in Gaza: redlineforgaza.org.uk Together, we will use our voice to demand action every week. Until the UK Government acts, we will not stop. 1/4

ENGLISH LIT JOB! A rare beast spotted in the wild! Come work with us! I’ll provide snacks! jobs.edgehill.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...

New from @englishassociation.bsky.social! English opens doors: fliers with info on skills and careers for English students, teachers, parents now available to download. englishassociation.ac.uk/english-open...

You wouldn't know it by the arrest and conviction rates in this country, but sexual assault is already actually illegal in the UK, regardless of whether you have a right to enter single-sex spaces or not.

There's not a single crime in the history of the UK that would have been prevented by a bathroom bill. Not one Bathroom bills aren't about safety, they're about trying to exclude LGBT people from public life. That's it

Amen.

“We would be worse than we are without the good books we have read, more conformist, not as restless, more submissive, and the critical spirit, the engine of progress, would not even exist. Like writing, reading is a protest against the insufficiencies of life.” Mario Vargas Llosa 1936-2025

Don't mind me - just some more @bconceived.bsky.social updates! There's still time to sign up to tomorrow's event with @drbeldavis.bsky.social. If you're UK-based, then you'll also have a chance to win a copy Conceiving Histories 📖 register here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3192db...

“People will die,” said Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center, “but we will never know, because even the programs to count the dead are cut.”

Terrific resignation letter by Anneliese Dodds, this.

Rubio terminated 5800 USAID contracts – more than 90% of its foreign aid programs – in defiance of the courts. Here’s a list of just some of the lifesaving awards that were terminated. Nearly all were Congressionally mandated. They’ve saved millions of lives. 🧵

ICE can’t enter religious sites that sued, including Philadelphia Quakers, judge rules www.inquirer.com/news/philade...

"Sure, fascists are throwing Naxi salutes during their Day 1 speeches at CPAC, but sometimes 19 year-old Gender Studies majors at Oberlin College are a bit preachy about LGBTQ+ rights on social media, so aren't both sides actually the same?"

every time, the gut punch of how RECENT this history is

Weds 12th Feb - tomorrow! - Aber English Dept grad and @exeter.ac.uk lecturer @danielfountain.bsky.social is giving a talk on their work on queer craft, change community as part of Oxford Brookes' LGBT+ History Month. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🎉Register here: www.brookes.ac.uk/about-brooke...

The Victorian Diversities project invite you to their next online reading group, on Fri 28th Feb: Professor Nadia Butt (Goethe Universität, Frankfurt) - Krishnabhabini Das, ‘A Bengali Lady in England’ (1885). Find the text & details of future sessions here: victoriandiversities.co.uk/events/

Do you want to know why scientists want to work with us? Or community leaders? Or Arts organisations? Do you want to know how to build a collaborative project, challenges, opportunities? Join us for lunchtime slot,the final Friday of each month 2024-2025. englishassociation.ac.uk/thinking-for...

Philosophy Friends: I am very excited to release a brand new episode of #TheYoungIdealist Series on Classical German Philosophy & Post-Kantian Thought featuring Dr. Lesley Jamieson (Uni of Pardubice) on The Life & Philosophy of Iris Murdoch @irismurdoch.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w8y...

Hiya BlueSky! We've got a cracking special issue on Ali Smith which features an interview with Ali Smith, published in December 2024: c21.openlibhums.org/issue/901/in.... Check it out, if you haven't already had a chance! #AcademicSky #BookSky #Literature #OpenAccess @bacls.bsky.social

In a world of diverse cultures and languages you cannot do global humanities with integrity in English only. As the chair of @englishassociation.bsky.social l stand with colleagues in Modern Languages @cardiffuniversity.bsky.social and across the UK.

The Journal of Historical Fictions is currently accepting new sumbission. For details, please visit our new website historicalfictionsresearch.org/the-journal-...

PREORDER (28.02.2025): Opening Line is a £3.99 poetry anthology built on the principle that access to the arts should not be a privilege. This anthology dismantles economic barriers that too often limit audiences from engaging with contemporary poetry. www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page...

Trump has pissed off ... the Quakers! Yes, you heard correctly. The Quakers have sued Trump’s DHS for allowing ICE raids in places of worship.

The deadline for proposals for English: Shared Futures 2025 is this Friday! We welcome papers on research and teaching across English Studies, and across HE, FE and Schools. We'll be using some fantastic, central York venues, and look forward to an amazing three days. www.englishsharedfutures.org

Have I told you that a group of indexers volunteered their time and energy to index the monstrosity that is Project 2025? This is NOT made with AI, but only professional indexers. Please bookmark and boost! Share it with journalists! indexersguidetoproject2025.com

This is a sewing pattern. It is also a page from a late 14th century manuscript that is one of two primary sources for an important Icelandic saga (Sturlunga saga), but that was probably not important to the 17th century person who really needed a sewing pattern. #upcycling

CALLING ALL LIBRARIES, MUSEUMS & ARCHIVES in WALES -First Call for Papers. Hidden in Plain Sight: Women in Archives, Libraries, Museums & Personal Collections. Online Conference September PLEASE APPLY we need Welsh women's history @womenshistnet.bsky.social womenshistorynetwork.org/whn-annual-c...

The BBC is planning to eradicate audio drama from Radio 3, which will be devastating for writers, other creative workers and audiences Sign our joint petition with @equityuk.bsky.social + @societyofauthors.bsky.social to Save Audio Drama at the BBC change.org/SADatTheBBC #ScriptSkyUK #ScriptSky

Who wants to save students from extended contact with me? Looking for someone who can jump into a Modernism module for 8 weeks, West Mids, Tuesday mornings. DM me if interested.

Join our Steering Group! We invite colleagues in English Studies from all career stages to join us, especially those who can support our digital platforms and who have ideas for extending the work of the network. Deadline: 31/1/25 - more info here: www.decolonisingthediscipline.org/our-team

This is how a “Roman salute” should be done… happy 🐿️ #SquirrelAppreciationDay! William Bonar SQRL chats in squirrel are limited to a sort of Roman salute foreleg extended then folded open paw on breast as if to say Look I take you in my open paw and hold you to my heart then it gets tricky…

"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny." This Martin Luther King day, here is the letter Quakers wrote to nominate King for the Nobel Peace Prize. @afsc-org.bsky.social also published King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail, quoted above.