"Cardiff University has admitted that it doesn’t know how much it is spending overall on external consultants or hold a central record of what work they are doing." Staff expenditure: Count every last penny or you may lose your job. Their expenditure: Meh.

A reminder that Brazil banned Twitter for failing to stop the spreading of disinformation. There is nothing stopping the British government from doing the same.

Lecturers, teachers, students, writers, HE professionals - anyone with an interest in English studies: you are warmly invited to attend the EnglishCreates: Futures Online Symposium (2nd July, from 10am). Register for your (free) place here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/englishcre...

Not saying this academic year is cursed, but trying to get to Ponta Delgada, Azores, so far this weekend I've been Edinburgh - Heathrow - holding pattern off Ponta Delgada - aborted landing Ponta Delgada - temporary refuelling stop on a military base on neighbouring Terceira - ...

A functional democracy depends on its participants being able to understand the operations of their government. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the US's founding, we've published five essays about the interpretative skills required of participants in a democracy. style.mla.org/the-mla-demo...

We used to talk about the University as an "anxiety machine", producing intolerable working conditions (slowness, for example, was a response), but it's really become a "grief machine" and I'm not sure we know what to do with the pain and loss yet.

As I finish work before a much-needed couple of weeks of holiday, here's what we're living with in UKHE right now, for anyone who isn't familiar. Even if you are, it's a compelling account from a real expert.

You can read the entire autobiographical preface of my book Culture Wars in Britain on Google books (for the ebook version) and on Amazon on a desktop (also a bit of the Introduction and the Index). I've put the opening paragraphs of the preface into this thread in order to whet your appetite! (1/-)

A PhD student at Stanford noticed her classmates were asking Al to write their breakup texts. So she ran a study. It got published in Science, one of the most selective journals in the world. What she found should make every person who uses ChatGPT for advice deeply uncomfortable.

But speaking of not being anti-trans, if you fancy it: I am running one hundred kilometres tomorrow (in part) to raise money for the youth centre that has been deeply instrumental in my trans non-binary kid’s self-acceptances and love and community building.

There will also be issues in areas that are supposedly not "cold spots". We get a lot of students who explicitly choose a smaller set of programmes at a modern university for staff contact, and because they feel they will fit in better. They may be right. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Delighted for Georgie, who's an excellent, smart colleague and an absolute delight!

Please share this advert for the Dr David Summers Master of Research (MRes) Studentship in Scottish Literature @edinburghnapier.bsky.social. Closing date: 31 May 2026. www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Hi @kerriandrewsuk.bsky.social! I'm just reading your edition of the Nan Shepherd correspondence, and do you think it's possible "Selah" is a playful writing down of "c'est là" or similar, i.e. "that's it", or "there it is"?

Another strike day, and this is the context: www.heraldscotland.com/news/2610095...

The State of the Subject 2025-26: online forum Join us to reflect on and respond to the English Association’s State of the Subject Report 2025-26 by Antony Rowland An online forum to hear your thoughts about English Studies in these difficult times. englishassociation.ac.uk/the-state-of...

This should be a scandal, but the government response seems a collective shrug.

"Ultimately, the UK needs to review how higher education is funded and regulated. We cannot leave the future of essential teaching and research to a scramble for students and a race to recruit." #Skystorians

I'm chairing the launch of @rosavcampbell.bsky.social's new book at @lighthousebks.bsky.social on Wed! Recommended to all interested in feminist politics, social history, and anyone who likes turning heads on public transport. Come along: lighthousebookshop.com/events/the-b...

I'm presuming this isn't deliberate, but I can't help reading this as "Reform voters, go away"

Hard relate, Dunelm sale curtains

I'm presuming this isn't deliberate, but I can't help reading this as "Reform voters, go away"

On my back from picket this morning, from our English dept that had threatened redundancies before Xmas, as there are still people under threat, and no guarantees offered over forthcoming School merger. Solidarity everyone, particularly those who are facing the axe.

One of the weird things about thinking about folk Bowie is the amount of time he must have spent in close proximity to brown ale and mild www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I am a mere £275 away from my goal of raising £2500 for Step Forward, and I smashed my face and knee up for the privilege so please help if you can!

Lot of feelings today, after working on this book for so long. Mostly I hope people find it useful for thinking and talking about this often still unthinkable and unspeakable topic.

For PhD/ECR members of @fwwsoc.bsky.social - the Society has a call for papers out for 'New Voices in First World War Studies' - a virtual conference planned for June. It's a great opportunity for members to showcase their amazing new research. See here for more: drive.google.com/file/d/12DLx... 🗃️

This special issue of Humanities, on Ford Madox Ford's War Writing, has been published as a volume. I've got an essay in it on Ford's First World War short stories, 1914-20. You can download it for free, and you can also buy a book version. www.mdpi.com/books/reprin...

This is incredible

Alan Ayckbourn, in Conversations with Ayckbourn (2nd edn, 1988), on his perception of the growing need for immediacy. (The comments are about a season in Houston, TX.)

I share my thoughts from a debate at the University of Edinburgh Union. I didn’t catch the numbers of the vote, but yes, unsurprisingly my affirmative side won. Students get it @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social @scottishgreens.org @younggreens.bsky.social nataliebennett.substack.com/p/change-eve...

Isn’t it weird how “AI literacy” being pushed on students isn’t about learning how it works, the cost of how it works, learning to spot disinformation, media and tech literacy. But instead is just “employers will like it if you get it to write your emails :)”

Olivia Manning's withering, disillusioned take on libraries and readers in The Play Room (1969).

This is the situation we find ourselves in

Wikipedia now has higher standards than all universities

There are just a few days left until the deadline to apply for scholarships for SUISS - closes on 24 March (deadline for all applications 24 April). It's always a really great event to teach at - this year I'll be giving the lecture on Imagism on the Modernism course.

Good 🧵 from Hannah, who's currently the lead judge for the fiction prize

Some great-looking books on both the fiction shortlist and the biography shortlist!

Scott's a great scholar and colleague, and whoever gets this post will be doing some really important work in Scottish Literature - do consider applying.

Depressingly on the nose summary of this Labour govt

Inter-union solidarity to @ucu.org.uk colleagues at Aberdeen, Heriot-Watt, Dundee and Strathclyde. Our scheduled @eisunion.bsky.social strike day today at Edinburgh Napier is postponed for negotiations, but there are still 8 days booked in after Easter. ✊🏻 news.stv.tv/west-central...

What's the most radical act of optimism in UK HE in 2025/26? Buying an academic diary for 2026/27...

Well, I reckon this has been the most miserable winter (literal and figurative) since I moved to Edinburgh, but we might yet make it out of it (literal and figurative)

These AI guys are, unquestionably, scum

every quantitative measure is actually a stack of qualitative assumptions in a trenchcoat

Hello! During the pandemic, I compiled a collection of digitised Great War primary sources for student research essays. Going through them just now for my current class, loads of those links are now dead. Does anyone have any favourite online source collections (that work)? Will share new list!

Is this the pinnacle of so-called performative male reading?

I saw this in the Dalgety Bay station car park earlier, and I feel like it's the perfect visual metaphor for British public infrastructure

Great to see support from @lornaslater.bsky.social for Edinburgh Napier @eisunion.bsky.social strikers. I'd point out, though, re: her post (last repost) that we've already lost over 50 staff through "targeted voluntary redundancy", as well as many more unfilled posts and ended fixed-term contracts.

Pleased to stand with @eisunion.bsky.social and meet affected staff from Napier to hear their concerns about potential job losses 👩‍🎓