Andy Kesson

Just so unused to something like accountability ftw

After a decade's run of the news being 'The opposite of a good thing has been decided', I am really enjoying the past few days swerve into they-may-have-got-away-with-it-for-65-years-but-let's-not-let-them-get-away-with-it-for-a-66th

Damian Barr on Scottish art, memory and belonging - Monocle Damien Barr meets Georgina Godwin to reflect on childhood shaping his memoir and novel, examining class, his move from journalism...

Writing memoir comes at a cost. It also does something magic that fiction cannot. There are so many barriers to writing and rewriting your own story. Here I am talking writing, class, sexuality, shame and the work we have to do just to get to the page. monocle.com/radio/shows/...

Very pleasing to talk early modern news, information, and communication (and two excellent books by Rachel Midura & Joad Raymond Wren) with @moonjets.bsky.social on this week's LRB podcast. @lrb.co.uk

I've never lost my sense of it being unrecognisable - just a big old visual shock of a stage alight with umbrellafairystardust

This was the first Shakespeare production I saw. Thanks so much for a lovely memory to fall back into!

A Shakespearean History of Traffic Could Shakespeare ride a horse? How did Tudor wine orders get delivered? Did playhouses cause congestion? and other questions

Meet Thomas the carter… New post follows Tudors moving around London, on the back of some recent research.  What did Shakespeare’s commute look like and who invented the one-way street?

open.substack.com/pub/shakespe...

This looks absolute pants

If you're both gonna talk the talk, you both gotta walk the walk

This is fab! Copying in superstar walker @ellierycroft.bsky.social

+ pyrotechnics, maybe? Let me know on the soundtrack you decide on

Excited to share the CfP for @amendproject.bsky.social ‘s Early Modern European Neurodivergence conference happening in Swansea this August! Info here: drive.google.com/file/d/1TQpB...

Would you accept - and I paraphrase you not - an Olephant and Dragon fiercely combacting, the Dragon under the Olephant and sucking by his extreme heate the blood from him is crushed in peeces with the fall of the Olephant, so as both die at last?

Race and the Early Modern — CEMS KCL Blog

Delighted to announce our seminar - 'Race and the Early Modern' - now has a full schedule of events. We'll be convening monthly to discuss research on race, racemaking, and racialisation across #earlymodern studies.

@kingsartshums.bsky.social @folger.edu

kingsearlymodern.co.uk/race-and-the...

Pan went for a very long walk, and also so did Lyra. Another person is on fire, and kind of cross about it.

I feel like the first trilogy is very tight in its adhesion to narrative structures, and these new books are all about wandering about, lost, for everyone including the reader?

Charleston — An Evening with Damian Barr: The Two Roberts Join us at Charleston for an unforgettable evening with acclaimed author, Damian Barr, in conversation about his novel 'The Two Roberts' and curation of 'Robert MacBryde & Robert Colquhoun: Artists, L...

I'll be talking queerness, art, class, love and Scottishness and all things Two Roberts at Charleston next week. You're very welcome. #booksky www.charleston.org.uk/event/an-eve...

Screen grab of front page for article: A Critical Response to the UK's ‘Sullivan Review’ Into Sex and Gender in Research and Data

📢 New peer-reviewed academic response to the Sullivan Review into sex and gender in research and data.

@jaytoddgla.bsky.social and @felicitycallard.bsky.social have published a critical response to the Sullivan Review.

doi.org/10.1111/tran...

Infographic with the time and date of the talk "Domestic Tragedy, Lost and Found" by Dr Emma Whipday, with a headshot photo of her looking directly at camera. Presented in conjunction with Literature Works and the Page pf Plymouth project.

Mon 9 Feb @ 6.30pm GMT [rescheduled]

Before true crime drama, there was domestic tragedy, inspired by a sensational series of recent murders.

Dr Emma Whipday explores this radical genre that placed the loves, sufferings, & crimes of ordinary people centre stage.

www.roseplayhouse.org.uk/whats-on

Discovering London Through "Our Other Shakespeare" The lost London homes of the dramatist Thomas Middleton

I went in search of “our other Shakespeare” to find some of London’s less obvious theatre history. Meet Thomas Middleton just off the Elephant and Castle…

open.substack.com/pub/shakespe...

The bottom of the image had speaker headshots, including Sir Michael Palin (left), Saara El-Arifi (top centre), Sofia Robleda (bottom centre), Ruth Goodman (top right) and Tash Walker and Adam Zmith (bottom right). The top of the image has the following text: HistFest 2026. 18-19 | British Library. Image credits: Michael Palin © John Swannell, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith © Jade Smith, Saara El-Arifi © Mustafa Raee

HistFest is back!

We’re thrilled to share details of HistFest 2026. From Ancient Greek naval commanders and Egyptian queens to the history of motherhood and LGBTQ+ social histories – this year, we bring you a raft of fascinating histories and speakers.

Book now! histfest.org/histfest-2026/

Senior Research Officer at University of Essex Explore an exciting academic career as a Senior Research Officer. Don't miss out on other academic jobs. Click to apply and explore more opportunities.

📢Job: postdoctoral research officer📢

For 'Witchcraft politics (Hexenpolitik) across the sea. A new entangled history of #EarlyModern England and the Holy Roman Empire', led by Profs Alison Rowlands & Rita Voltmer. 🗃️

- 33 months
- 0.8 FTE
- Deadline 1 Feb

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQC497/s...

This is such wonderful news! Congratulations @oldfortunatus.bsky.social!

Professor Emma Smith awarded Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship

Congratulations to Professor Emma Smith @oldfortunatus.bsky.social who has been awarded a three-year Major Research Fellowship by the Leverhulme Trust for her project: ‘Imperial bibliography: books, race and value’.

Find out more about the project on our website:

So much happening this year. We would love to work with you. Join the conversation. ❤️ English Studies. 👇

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Special Issue: Gender and Segregation: Gender & History: Vol 37, No 3 Gender & History is a global gender studies journal publishing research on femininity, masculinity and gender across eras and territories.

Our Special Issue @genderandhistory.bsky.social is now out!! Many congrats and thanks to stellar co-editors @writinghelena.bsky.social, Lisa Hellman & Rachel Jean-Baptiste, and to all our fabulous authors. Fab seeing all 140,000 words brought together! 🌟 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14680424...

Sloinne | Ó Gallachóir | Player | Irish Television Channel, Súil Eile New series of Sloinne in which a person goes in search of the history of their surname in each episode. We travel all over the country learning about famous and historical figures as well as the clans...

One of this year's great thrills was getting to film a documentary on Gallaghers and the Gallagher surname (with a dollop of my own family history too) for TG4. Our episode of Sloinne is being broadcast again on Wednesday 17 December at 7.30pm (or streaming here): www.tg4.ie/en/player/on...

‘Half in, half out’ approach to REF 2029 outputs ‘not enough’ Rollback of decoupling researchers from their work questioned despite policy U-turn on books

With quotes from @eicathomefinn.bsky.social@eicathomefinn.bsky.social and me on the importance of the return of some element of portability for REF2029. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/half-ha...

Ok then we are going to need some more photos to document whether the charm has been a total success

A lovely little thread about 'micro texts' - and, if you look closely at this picture, you'll notice no bee swarms here, so the charm actually works