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Christopher Smith

@christophersmith.bsky.social
4K followers 1.4K following 1.1K posts

University of St Andrews; Executive Chair, Arts & Humanities Research Council; International Champion and Creative Industries Sector Champion UK Research and Innovation All views my own, but none of the poetry.

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Matt Clegg @eyesfront.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This collection is a true collaboration. My partner's illustrations. Brian Lewis's impeccable design and production scrupulosity. The happenstance of North Sheffield, filtered through Japanese forms. And I promise, no order is more carefully packaged than orders from @longbarrowpress.bsky.social
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Becky Wallower @bwallower.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
#TombTuesday Lancelot Andrewes, serving under Elizabeth I + James I as Bishop of Chichester, Ely and Winchester, was key in translation of King James Bible. Died 1626 in Winchester Palace; buried nearby @southwarkcathedral.bsky.social where that 400th anniversary is being marked this weekend. ALT
An elaborate gilded tomb: the rectangular tomb/plinth is of dark grey marble with three panels with the coats of arms of the Bishop. A sculpted polychrome image of him lies on top in robes, resting on red cushions. Above him four gilded ionic pillars with a zig zag decoration support a gilded canopy topped with further decorative features and a date of MCMXXX when the tomb was restored. The tomb has been moved twice.
A stand with votive candles sits in front of the tomb, and the view behind is into the chancel of the cathedral and to tombs beyond in the corresponding aisle the other side.
400th anniversary of death of Bishop Lancelot Andrewes is being marked in numerous events under the umbrella of Andrewes 400: https://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/whats-on/2609-lancelot-400/
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British Library @britishlibrary.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We’re delighted to announce Dr Paul Bate as the British Library’s new Chief Executive Joining us from the UK Space Agency, Paul brings experience supporting world-class research communities. We look forward to welcoming his expertise at the Library. Read the full announcement here link.bl.uk/fc6
A photograph of Dr Paul Bates stood in a stairwell at the British Library. He is a white man, with dark brown hair and wearing a white shirt and camel coloured chinos.
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Wolfson History Prize @wolfsonhistory.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
We're thrilled to announce the 2026 #WolfsonHistoryPrize shortlist, showcasing six exceptional books that explore how societies navigate periods of seismic change. Congratulations to all the authors! 👏📚 bit.ly/4yCLe5T
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Dr Anna Clark @drannaclark.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Rain, Steam and Speed, The Great Western Railway, 1844, by JMW Turner, sublime English Romantic artist, inspired French Impressionists. An early GWR broad gauge locomotive crosses Maidenhead Bridge, built in 1838 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, visionary engineer; died #OTD 1859. National Gallery London
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Carcanet Press @carcanet.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Meet our Carcanet poets, who will be reading at our poetry showcase on Tuesday 29th September, 6:30pm. Follow this link to buy tickets and learn more: www.tickettailor.com/events/carca...
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Rens Bod @rensbod.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The Making of the Humanties XII Program is Out! This year’s theme could hardly be more fitting for the birthplace of Copernicus: The Structure of Humanistic Revolutions Come and join us in Toruń! 📅 7–9 October 2026 📍 Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland 👉 mohxii.umk.pl/pages/Confer...
mohxii.umk.pl
The Making of the Humanities XII
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Dr Anna Clark @drannaclark.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Described by Darwin as ‘the greatest scientific explorer', Alexander von Humboldt, Prussian naturalist, pioneer of biogeography, ‘father of ecology’ born #OTD 1769. In his portrait (by Stieler 1843), he holds manuscript of his magnum opus ‘Kosmos’ (pub. 1845-1862). Schloss Charlottenhof, Potsdam
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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The last event of @southbankcentre.bsky.social 's brilliant Creative Intelligence festival, supported by @ukri.org and AHRC. A triumphant affirmation of the persisting relevance of this great centre and the role of #arts and #humanities #research in tackling vital contemporary issues in new ways
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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I knew far too little about U Thant, UN Secretary General 1961 to 1971 before I read his grandson Thant Myint-U's illuminating account. This poignant quote is from the speech the Secretary gave at the 25th anniversary of the United Nations in autumn 1970 (Words in alt text)
As we watch the sun go down, evening after evening, through the smog across the poisoned waters of our native earth, we must ask ourselves seriously whether we really wish some future universal historian on another planet to say about us: "With all their genius and with all their skill, they ran out of foresight and air and food and water and ideas," or, "They went on playing politics until their world collapsed around them."
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Jeremy Noel-Tod @jntod.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I chose seven poems from new books I’m enjoying for your Sunday and week ahead, featuring Rae Armantrout, Patricia Lockwood, Pierre Reverdy and more
someflowerssoon.substack.com
Pinks #47: Newfangleness
Seven poems from books I’m enjoying
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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
'it was using creativity, the creative goal, that was driving all of these amazing technology advancements. we are due a new coming together of science and arts.' Demis Hassabis last week on why #arts and #humanities research is part of #science #research www.thersa.org/rsa-journal/...
thersa.org
Demis Hassabis: Will AI Change How We Create?
Sir Demis Hassabis is this year's recipient of the Albert Medal. Watch Demis's reflections on AI and what makes the Royal Society of Arts distinctive.
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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
A superb evening at Charing Cross Theatre for a double header - Brecht / Weill and Cocteau / Poulenc. Katherine McIndoe sublime in both and Elspeth Wilkes especially brilliant in the latter. A very short run but worth catching if you can
The Seven Deadly Sins / The Human Voice
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Wolfson History Prize @wolfsonhistory.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Why read history? History explains how we got here and challenges what we think we know. And in the case of a #WolfsonHistoryPrize book, it's also a brilliant read. Ahead of next week's shortlist announcement, our judges reflect on the value of reading history.
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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
These three short collections are rich with observation, worlds glimpsed and often condensed into haiku, sharp as the glint of sunlight or the pattern of raindrops on water. A wonderful calming but thought provoking collection, beautifully produced by @longbarrowpress.bsky.social
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Leverhulme Trust @leverhulme.ac.uk · 08/09/2026
How do societies imagine a better future? How do the arts and humanities help make that future possible? Join the conversation! Register 👉️ luma.com/0qco7ph2 @christophersmith.bsky.social @henriettalmoore.bsky.social @annavignoles.bsky.social @uclnews.bsky.social @ukri.org @expeditions.bsky.social
EXPeditions Base Camp: Why arts and humanities matter more than ever. Headshots of Professors Henrietta L. Moore, Christopher Smith and Anna Vignoles. QR code, September 28 2026, 5 PM (UK). Logos: Leverhulme Trust, UKRI, UCL Institute for Global Prosperity, EXPeditions.
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Longbarrow Press @longbarrowpress.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
From river to pond, the heron steps and pauses over a mined world. 'Have You Always Been Here?' Matthew Clegg Three new pamphlets 7 September Longbarrow Press Pre-order here: longbarrowpress.com/featured-poem/
Composite image of three pamphlets by Matthew Clegg, with 'The Living' foremost in the image
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Ian McMillan @imcmillan.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Holiday reading: the astonishing Peter Larkin @shearsmanbooks.bsky.social
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Association for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 04/09/2026
Reading by Touch: Scotland’s early tactile reading systems Scotland played a key role in the early history of reading by touch, opening new possibilities for blind readers in the #C19. Taylor Hare explores embossed pages, knotted strings & radical alphabets #BookHistory www.nls.uk/collections/...
nls.uk
Reading by touch: Scotland's early tactile reading systems | National Library
Explore the history of reading by touch for blind readers in nineteenth century Scotland.
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Longbarrow Press @longbarrowpress.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Cover reveal - or, rather, three cover reveals - ahead of the publication of 'Have You Always Been Here?', a series of three new pamphlets by Matthew Clegg. You can pre-order 'Have You Always Been Here?' - and read a poem from the first pamphlet - here: longbarrowpress.com/featured-poem/
The cover of 'Eyes Front' by Matthew Clegg. Watercolour (of a heron) and collage.The cover of 'Crystals & Dust' by Matthew Clegg. Watercolour (of a heron).The cover of 'The Living' by Matthew Clegg. Watercolour (of a heron) and collage.
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Historical Association @histassoc.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The Historical Association is delighted to announce that the Medlicott Medal 2026 for History will be awarded to Professor Anne Curry. The Medlicott Medal is awarded for outstanding contributions to the field of history. www.history.org.uk/aboutus/cate...
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Professor Tom Crick @proftomcrick.com · 03/09/2026
My @royalstatsoc.bsky.social William Guy Lecture 26/27: "Can you trust the numbers? Statistics, misinformation and the information ecosystem" www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NFE...
youtube.com
RSS William Guy Lecturer 2026-27 for age 16+ - Professor Tom Crick
YouTube video by RoyalStatSoc
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Andrea Wulf @andreawulf.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Yeahhhhh! So excited that the “The Traveller” is longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize. It’s such an honour to be chosen and be amongst such illustrious writers. Thank you! I hope that George Forster is somewhere out there seeing this. #TheTraveller
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Ian Duhig @ianduhig.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
RIP Wendell Berry. I've thought about this poem. 'Our Real Work', a lot since starting on Confluence with @julietgutch It reminds me of Paul Valéry : “Une difficulté est une lumière. Une difficulté insurmontable est un soleil." : “A difficulty is a light. An insurmountable difficulty is a sun”.
RIP Wendell Berry. I've thought about this poem. 'Our Real Work', a lot since starting on Confluence with @julietgutch It reminds me of Paul Valéry : “Une difficulté est une lumière. Une difficulté insurmontable est un soleil."  : “A difficulty is a light. An insurmountable difficulty is a sun”.

It may be that when we no longer know what to do/we have come to our real work,/and that when we no longer know which way to go/we have come to our real journey.The mind that is not baffled is not employed./The impeded stream is the one that sings
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Tom Snarsky @tomsnarsky.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
RIP Wendell Berry 💜
For an Absence
When I cannot be with you I will send my love (so much is allowed to human lovers)
to watch over you in the dark— a winged small presence who never sleeps, however long the night. Perhaps it cannot protect or help, I do not know, but it watches always, and so you will sleep within my love within the room within the dark.
And when, restless, you wake and see the room palely lit by that watching, you will think,
"It is only dawn," and go quiet to sleep again.
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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Vice-Chancellors and Presidents of 46 leading universities in Africa and Europe redouble efforts to address humanity’s common challenges in health, digital transformation, environmental degradation, technological shifts, cultural tensions & geopolitical strife. www.the-guild.eu/news-and-blo...
the-guild.eu
ARUA-The Guild joint leaders’ statement: Transformative science relationships are indispensable to address common global challenges - The Guild
At the ARUA -The Guild Summit, held at the University of Glasgow 14-17 June 2026, Vice-Chancellors and Presidents of 46 leading universities in Africa and Europe resolved to redouble their efforts to ...
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Stuart Elden @stuartelden.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Puzzles, Patience and Clues: Carlo Ginzburg and Adriano Prosperi progressivegeographies.com/2026/08/30/p...
progressivegeographies.com
Puzzles, Patience and Clues: Carlo Ginzburg and Adriano Prosperi
In an interview with Maria Lúcia G. Pallares-Burke in October 1998, published in The New History: Confessions and Conversations, Carlo Ginzburg mentions the critical attitude he has to some of…
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Boston Review @bostonreview.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Our forum “How to Save Science” is now online. Led by Zeynep Pamuk, with responses from @alondra.bsky.social @sbagen.bsky.social @jeremymberg.bsky.social @madeleineebaker.bsky.social @jamesowenweatherall.com @cbo.bsky.social @nataliebaviles.bsky.social @heatherdouglas.bsky.social + more
bostonreview.net
How to Save Science
Trump has killed the postwar social contract, but its demise was long in the making. To protect science as a public good, we need a different approach.
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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
After this great news please do follow @roseplayhouse.bsky.social and www.roseplayhouse.org.uk for news of events and further progress on this remarkable site, saved for us dramatically (!) in 1989 but still needing our care - and become a Friend with me and many others!
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London Briefly @londonbriefly.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Rose Playhouse, built in 1587, was a key early venue for Shakespeare and other playwrights, rediscovered in 1989, now protected and open for guided tours in September-October.
briefly.co
Save What Matters
Curate Feeds | Make Collections | Customize Email Briefs
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William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 28/08/2026
For nothing this wide universe I call, Save thou, my rose, in it thou art my all.
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Adam Nathaniel Furman @anfurman.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
So stupidly excited to have my & Kate Mazade's new book Chromatic Architecture featured in the weekend Financial Times in an article about Colour in architecture today <swoon> www.ft.com/content/90e1...
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Archipelago Books @archipelagobooks.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Three new reprints that are ready to ship! 🧡 Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s A Mind at Peace, translated from Turkish by Erdag Göknar Nichita Stănescu’s Wheel With A Single Spoke, translated from Romanian by Sean Cotter Roger Mello’s João By A Thread, translated from Portuguese by Daniel Hahn
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Joseph Schreiber @roughghosts.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Welcome treats from @archipelagobooks.bsky.social — a title coming out next month, and a field guide to forthcoming releases!
Book: Jérôme Lindon by Jean Echenoz, translated from the French by Mark Polizzotti.Catalogue with bright coloured children's illustration—Archipelago Books & Elsewhere Editions 2026 Fall & 2027 Spring.
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Jim Dickinson @jimdickinson.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
NEW on Wonkhe: Higher education finances are all over the papers – but the potential effect on local key worker pipelines is not. For Steve Briggs, it’s incumbent on the sector to get this message across buff.ly/DyMmzJP
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Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 18/08/2026
“That Penguin has filled this gaping hole in their vital catalogue of classics is a wonderful thing. This is an important novel, a handsome edition and a taut and vivid new translation”, writes Oliver Soden
prospectmagazine.co.uk
The capacious humanism of Victor Hugo
Penguin has recently installed the French author’s last novel, ‘Ninety-Three’, in its line of Classics. The new translation is revelatory
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Joseph Schreiber @roughghosts.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
ICYMI I wrote about this fascinating collaborative work. In response to a broken world: Intelligence Is the Art of Remaining Faithful under Shifting Circumstances by Alexander Kluge and Anselm Kiefer, translated y Alexander Booth @wordkunst.bsky.social roughghosts.com/2026/08/15/i...
roughghosts.com
In response to a broken world: Intelligence Is the Art of Remaining Faithful under Shifting Circumstances by Alexander Kluge and Anselm Kiefer
The striking title of this far-ranging intellectual and artistic collaboration between Alexander Kluge and Anselm Kiefer comes from Hölderlin’s unconventional translations of the Pindar Fragments: …
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profserious @profserious.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Summer Break for @profserious.bsky.social Your usual articles will resume next week. Just to keep you amused, here are 5 (somewhat unusual) books from my recent reading that you might enjoy on the beach ... kick back, relax profserious.substack.com/p/profseriou...
profserious.substack.com
@profserious Summer Break
... kick back, relax
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Dr Anna Clark @drannaclark.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
”Yet it creates, transcending these, Far other worlds, and other seas, Annihilating all that’s made, To a green thought in a green shade.” The Garden (1681) by Andrew Marvell, English metaphysical poet died #OTD 1678. @trincolllibcam.bsky.social Stourhead Garden Wiltshire @nationaltrust.org.uk
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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Fiona Devine and Jo Fox on how collaboration can support the vitality of modern languages @hepi-news.bsky.social www.hepi.ac.uk/2026/08/13/t...
hepi.ac.uk
The joy and vitality of languages - HEPI
This blog was kindly authored by Fiona Devine (Manchester) and Jo Fox (Newcastle), on behalf of the N8 subgroup on Modern Languages. We are very familiar with the story that languages are in decline a...
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Scott McDonough @sjmcdonough.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
New translation of a major part of a vitally important text for the late Sasanian and Early Islamic period, and for the history of the Church of the East. www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978088...
hup.harvard.edu
The Chronicle of Seert, ca. 580–660 — Harvard University Press
The Chronicle of Seert, a Middle Arabic history written in the late tenth or eleventh century, draws on earlier Syriac sources from the Church of the East dating back to the sixth and seventh centurie...
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profserious @profserious.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
A Serious Strategy ... choosing to compete in AI. A good UK AI strategy is about comparative advantage. It is not about trying to outspend the US or out-scale China. @profserious.bsky.social considers profserious.substack.com/p/a-serious-...
profserious.substack.com
A Serious Strategy
... choosing to compete in AI
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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
On History, Carlo Ginzburg, Ian McEwan and the art of reading. anatomiesofpower.wordpress.com/2026/08/06/c...
anatomiesofpower.wordpress.com
Clio reads a book.
We are in early 16th century Italy.  The Council of Trent is yet to come and the anguish of the Reformation awaits, but the debates that will occupy theologians are already wracking the brains…
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Christopher Smith @christophersmith.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
On History, Carlo Ginzburg, Ian McEwan and the art of reading. anatomiesofpower.wordpress.com/2026/08/06/c...
anatomiesofpower.wordpress.com
Clio reads a book.
We are in early 16th century Italy.  The Council of Trent is yet to come and the anguish of the Reformation awaits, but the debates that will occupy theologians are already wracking the brains…
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Dr Anna Clark @drannaclark.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
”…that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Ulysses, composed 1833, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate, born #OTD 1809. Trinity College Cambridge Chapel @trincolllibcam.bsky.social
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Simon Kővesi @kovesi.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
March 2027: Oxford World's Classics edition of Pierce Egan's "Life in London" (1821) will be published. First modern, annotated edition of a novel that defined the age. In this plate by the Cruikshank brothers, the chums get in a fight & Egan has his notebook nicked. global.oup.com/academic/pro...
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
'A principal aim of Research England funding right now is stability. With research performing organisations under financial pressure it is vital that it is possible to plan ahead, and the latest set of funding allocations offer that sliver of reliability that has been hoped for.' 1/2
wonkhe.com
Research England funding allocations, 2026-27
What institutional-level formula allocations look like for the coming year
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Good to see science and universities bundled into the same analysis rather than treated as separate entities (as they are by their dismemberment in separate government departments). But it would be QUITE NICE if 'science' could be construed in the European sense of science. It's not STEM alone.
ft.com
Time for Andy Burnham to smile on UK science
Waning support for basic research threatens Britain’s technology ambitions
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Dr Anna Clark @drannaclark.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Finding beauty in everyday life: Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin (1699-1779), French painter of tranquil, luminous still-life & genre scenes, admired by Manet, Cézanne, Matisse and Proust. La Fille de Cuisine 1738, NGADC | Panier de Pêches, avec noix, couteau, verre de vin 1768, Musée du Louvre
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
'The purpose of each project will be to develop new international research led by and grounded in the humanities and/or social sciences, to further understanding of mobilities. Genuinely productive and integral interdisciplinarity is a requirement'. Up to £300,000 over 2 years.
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