✍️ Can taste, touch, smell and sight inspire creative writing? Join Dr Lania Knight for a sensory writing workshop featuring tea tasting, historic objects, and creative practice. 📅 11 June 2026 | London 🔗 www.goldsmiths-centre.org/whats-on/cre... @ouliterature.bsky.social @laniaknight.bsky.social

🎓 Congratulations to Michael Terry on successfully passing his PhD viva 🎉 The title of Michael’s thesis is "The Representation of Aerial Combat in First World War Literature". Supervisors: Sara Haslam & Edmund King. #PhD #VivaSuccess #DoctoralResearch #FirstWorldWar

Congratulations to Emily Bullock who has been shortlisted for the Aurora Metro Virginia Prize for Fiction 👏

🏛️ Prof Elizabeth McKellar and Prof Clare Taylor attended the Vanbrugh Panel Discussion at Blenheim Palace, exploring the legacy of Sir John Vanbrugh. Sharing photos from the evening — including Blenheim Palace wrapped in scaffolding during ongoing conservation work. #Architecture #BlenheimPalace

🔭 Explore what’s coming up at OpenARC - The Open University Arts & Humanities Research Centre! We host research groups, facilitate disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, events & funding support. 🔗 Discover all upcoming activities and news here:

An exciting new project, congratulations @sjwolfson.bsky.social 🎉

📚 Book Launch Event: Cybernetic Imaginations 📅 Wed 20 May ⏰ 12.00–1.30pm (GMT) Join The Open University Film and Media Research Group for the launch of Cybernetic Imaginations (Peter Lang), the first title in the Speculations series. #BookLaunch #Cybernetics #AI #MediaStudies #DigitalCulture

📢 OpenARC Conference | The Public Humanities in the 21st Century | 17 June 2026 - Save the date 💡 What is the role of the public humanities today? 📅 17 June 2026 🕤 Starting 9:30am 💻 Online | Free 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/events/confe... #PublicHumanities #ArtsAndHumanities

🎉 Grant success | Leverhulme Research Fellowship | Congrats to Prof Byron Dueck The project explores xylophone traditions in central Cameroon and the movement of music across ritual & performance contexts 💡 fass.open.ac.uk/news/byron-d... #ArtsAndHumanities #MusicResearch

🎉 Award news | Historian David Grummitt wins the Templer Medal (Society for Army Historical Research, National Army Museum) His Wars of the Roses (OUP, 2025) is the first book on a medieval subject to receive the award. 🔗 profiles.open.ac.uk/david-grummitt #History #MedievalHistory

📖 We are history: community storytelling & new research How does community-led storytelling reshape the past? When #communities tell their own histories, they preserve overlooked voices & challenge dominant narratives. 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/news/we-are-...

🎓 Prestigious annual lecture | Prof. Elizabeth McKellar OpenARC highlights Professor Elizabeth McKellar’s SAHGB annual lecture: “A wondrous bird is the Pelican”: The 1950s Revolution in British Architectural History. 🔗 www.sahgb.org.uk/whatson/2026...

🎨 OU art historians at Tate Britain Researchers contributed to a study morning for Birds in Art, exploring links between art, nature & environmental thinking. 💡 A strong example of interdisciplinary research in action. 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/news/ou-art-... #ArtHistory @ou-gcsj.bsky.social

A visit today to the Home for Cooperation in the UN Buffer Zone in Nicosia, Cyprus, by the historic Ledra Palace Hotel. Part of the Theatre in Contested Spaces research project, funded by @openarc.bsky.social - arts research centre of @openuniversity.bsky.social #IrelandCyprus26 #theatreresearch

🎨 Reflecting on the Spring Festival as we look ahead to Public Humanities 2026 | Save the date As we prepare for The Public Humanities in the 21st Century, we’re looking back at this year’s OpenARC Spring Festival—and sharing a few snapshots 📸 @luxmea.bsky.social @chrissieplastow.bsky.social

🎶 New Release | D R I F T by the Free Range Orchestra 💿 Produced by OU lecturer Sean Williams, with a new commission by Stevie Wishart (funded by Arts Council England), D R I F T captures bold, collaborative experimental performance. 👉 fass.open.ac.uk/news/free-ra... #ArtsAndHumanities

Excited to be working with colleagues at the University of Cyprus on the Theatre and Contested Spaces research project, funded by @openarc.bsky.social at the @openuniversity.bsky.social #IrelandCyprus26

🎉 Research success | Sara Wolfson wins British Academy/Leverhulme grant We’re delighted to share this fantastic achievement 👏

🔭 Explore what’s coming up at OpenARC - The Open University Arts & Humanities Research Centre! We host research groups, facilitate disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, events & funding support. 🔗 Discover all upcoming activities and news here:

Celebrating Sir John Vanbrugh: rockstar of the English Baroque? As part of national events, Dr Susie West took part in the Vanbrugh: From Stage to Stone conference, held at Downing College, Cambridge on 27 March 2026. 💡 fass.open.ac.uk/news/celebra... ✅ www.vanbrugh300.co.uk/

Great Project 👍

🚨 Happening soon! Join the OU PhD Student Lecture Series – 30 April to 21 May 2026. More information below 👇

📖 New Publication | Rethinking art history Renate Dohmen’s experimental chapter in The Routledge Companion to Art and Challenges to Empire reimagines the field through overlooked figures and creative framing. 🖇️ tinyurl.com/35u463pm 💡 www.open.edu/openlearn/tr...

🎥 Public Humanities in Action | Ahead of our 2026 conference (The Public Humanities in the 21st Century) on 📅 17 June, revisit short recordings from last year’s OpenARC Festival (May 2025). 🎬 fass.open.ac.uk/research/cen... ⏰ Upcoming conference details: 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/events/confe...

Had a great time chairing the panel Transforming Tragedy: Queer and Gender Politics in Contemporary Adaptations of Greek Drama at #CA26! Great discussions of recent productions and their varied representations of queer and gendered characters. Thanks @openarc.bsky.social for the funding to attend.

🎓 OU PhD Student Lecture Series | 30 Apr–21 May 2026 Join a series of online talks from Open University PhD students. Everyone is welcome—come learn something new and support our postgraduate researchers! 🖇️ fass.open.ac.uk/events/next-... @shaftowheed.bsky.social @ou-ld-social.bsky.social

Save the date! 📢 Upcoming Conference | The Public Humanities in the 21st Century 🗓 17 June 2026 What is the role of the public humanities today—and how can they respond to the challenges of our time? More details soon...Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/openarc-research-centre

🔭 Explore what’s coming up at OpenARC - The Open University Arts & Humanities Research Centre! We host research groups, facilitate disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, events & funding support. 🔗 Discover all upcoming activities and news here:

1️⃣7️⃣ The Centre for War and Peace in the Twentieth Century brings together scholars researching the causes, nature and effects of war and peace, building on the OU’s long-standing strengths in twentieth-century history. Directors: Luc-André Brunet & Vincent Trott 🔗

1️⃣6️⃣ Postcolonial and Global Literatures Research Group explores Anglophone literatures from South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, alongside colonial and neo-colonial experiences in literature. Director: Alex Tickell 🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc... Image Copyright: Wikipedia

Taking place at the MK Literary Festival, this online event is scheduled for 23 March 👇

1️⃣5️⃣ Open Ecologies explores environmental change and ecological thinking across history, the present and the future. The group connects research reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of today’s environmental challenges. Convenors: Maria Nita & George Revill 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro...

1️⃣4️⃣ The Objects, Collections and Museums Research Group brings together researchers engaging with material things, the curatorial practices that define them, and the museums and collections that house them. Convenors: Dr Amy Jane Barnes & Dr Amanda Sciampacone. 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro...

We are delighted to be partnering @mklitfest.bsky.social for a third year offering free online events with distinguished writers on Monday evenings throughout March 2026. This year’s theme is Borders in Literature. All these events are free to attend. Book your tickets at www.mklitfest.org/borders

📢 Happening soon | OpenARC Spring Festival of the Arts & Humanities OU colleagues will gather on 18 March to celebrate research, broadcast, knowledge exchange and impact across the School of Arts & Humanities. 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/events/sprin... #ArtsAndHumanities #ResearchCulture

📚 How much can we really know about Jane Austen? In a podcast for The Conversation, @emmaclairesweeney.bsky.social explores this question alongside fellow Austen scholars... 🔗 Listen to the podcast: theconversation.com/how-much-can... #JaneAusten #Literature #TheConversation

1️⃣3️⃣ The Medieval & Early Modern Research group explores the rich and complex worlds of the medieval and early modern periods, bringing together expertise in Art History, Classical Studies, English, History and Music. 🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...

1️⃣2️⃣ The Literature & Music Research Group explores the dynamic relationships between words and music across genres, media and historical contexts, fostering a research community within and beyond the university. 🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc... 📷️ Bayerische Statsgemäldesammlungen

1️⃣1️⃣ The Language, Literature and Politics research group investigates the relationship between language, literature (both literary criticism & creative writing) and politics in a wide range of contexts. 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro... Directors: Philip Seargeant, Dan Taylor, Dónall Mac Cathmhaoill

🔟 The History of Books & Reading (HOBAR) group explores the historical & cultural life of books and reading — from manuscript and print to digital cultures. Including scholars & PGRs, HOBAR fosters interdisciplinary exchange through seminars & collaboration. 🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...

9️⃣ The Health & Arts Research Group brings together researchers exploring the intersections of health, wellbeing, arts & creativity... Spanning literature, psychology, music, computing, nursing, visual history, business & more. 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro... Founded by Rosemary Golding.

8️⃣ Gender and Otherness in the Humanities (GOTH) is a research group exploring how gender and otherness shape culture across time and the Arts & Humanities. Bringing together scholars in literature, history, music, theatre, art history, classical studies & more. 👉️ fass.open.ac.uk/research/cen...

OpenARC is the hub for Arts & Humanities research at The Open University, exploring what it means to be human and contributing to a more informed and culturally literate society. Follow for research insights & events: 🔗 www.linkedin.com/company/openarc-research-centre 🔗 bsky.app/profile/open...

🚨 New blog post! 🚨 Karen O'Brien-Kop and Suzanne Newcombe discuss how their new book Religion, Spirituality and Public Health explores entanglements of Truth, Public Healthy and #COVID19 in 'culture wars' between 'medicine' and 'alternatives' www.open.ac.uk/blogs/religi... @OU_FASS @RelMedCentre

7️⃣ The Film & Media Research Group brings together interdisciplinary scholars exploring audiovisual media - from film, sound and music to digital media, history, gender & cultural studies. Sharing ideas, research & industry insights across screen and media cultures. 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro...

6️⃣The Ferguson Centre for Empire and Postcolonial Studies promotes interdisciplinary research into empire, postcolonial conditions and the histories, cultures and global diasporas of Africa, Asia, the Americas and Oceania. 🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc... Photo: Karl Hack

5️⃣Digital Humanities brings together scholars exploring the dynamic intersection of technology and the humanities. From digital archives & text analysis to virtual exhibitions, it investigates how digital methods can deepen our understanding of human culture. 🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...

4️⃣ Creative Interactions Research Group explores the intersection of academic research & creative practice — connecting academics and creative practitioners across arts, humanities, social sciences & STEM. 🔗 fass.open.ac.uk/research/gro... Image credit: Steve Johnson/Pexels

3️⃣ Contemporary Cultures of Writing (CCW) explores writing practices, their cultural contexts & impact — bringing together novelists, poets & life writers with scholars in Literature, Linguistics, English Language & Translation. Directors: Jennie Owen & Wanda O’Connor tinyurl.com/3929psa5

2️⃣ Centre for the History of Crime, Policing & Justice (History) explores criminal justice history in a global context — connecting historians, academics, policy-makers & practitioners. Co-Directors: Rosalind Crone & Paul Lawrence 🔗 university.open.ac.uk/arts/researc...