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Lesel Dawson

@leseldawson.bsky.social
246 followers 169 following 13 posts

Associate Professor of Literature & Culture at the University of Bristol Arts and Culture Lead of the Good Grief Festival I am interested in the relationship between grief & creativity, early modern literature, the history of the emotions & gender.

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Reposted by Lesel Dawson
Sophie Pierce @smpierce.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Dawn at Sharpham Meadow where my son Felix rests. My memoir #TheGreenHill is out in paperback in April with @wiltonsquare.bsky.social - I’m doing some events with @foldedorset.bsky.social @goodgrieffest.bsky.social and others next month - talking love, landscape and loss - more info in bio
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Bristol Centre of Grief Research & Engagement @griefcentrebris.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
We are delighted to announce our new seminar series showcasing inspiring research & scholarship – locally, nationally & internationally – to connect Bristol to a global conversation about grief & loss. To find out more & join our mailing list, visit griefcentre.bristol.ac.uk
The flyer for the seminar series. Please visit https://griefcentre.bristol.ac.uk/events for more information
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Why do we turn to creativity during grief? How can it help us connect to others, including people who have died? On 6 Oct, join Natalia Millman, Helen Acklam & @carrieetter.bsky.social to explore what it means to make art from pain & loss & share our story: www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
Two exhibition photographs: an armchair next to a telephone with images behind and a rock on top of a column. The text reads: Mon 6 Oct 19.00 BST Free Online Event. Letters to Forever: Using Art to Express and Share grief
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Arts Matter Bristol @uobartsmatter.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
Grief affects us all, and yet people often struggle to talk about death & dying. 🦋 @goodgrieffest.bsky.social is a social venture spinout at @bristoluni.bsky.social that brings people together to talk about death & grief, providing information, support & a sense of community More 👉 brnw.ch/21wVqxR
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Bristol Centre of Grief Research & Engagement @griefcentrebris.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Our next seminar is next Weds! Sign up now to hear @mollyconisbee.bsky.social @cendeathsociety.bsky.social explore how her research into grief through history has influenced her counselling work. We can't wait! www.goodgrieffest.com/events/uob-g... @leseldawson.bsky.social @lucyselman.bsky.social
Photo of Molly Conisbee with Good Grief Festival moth logo. The text reads: What Can We Learn From History About Grief, Loss and Bereavement. Dr Molly Conisbee CDAS , University of Bath. For more, visit: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffest/uob-grief-seminars-dr-molly-conisbee-what-can-we-learn-from-history-about-grief-loss-bereavement/e-mqlgbx
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Bristol Centre of Grief Research & Engagement @griefcentrebris.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Jessica Jacobson from Birkbeck, University of London; & @emilyharrop.bsky.social @cumedicengage.bsky.social. We can't wait!
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Bristol Centre of Grief Research & Engagement @griefcentrebris.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Future sessions will feature @mollyconisbee.bsky.social @cendeathsociety.bsky.social @uniofbath.bsky.social; @sbajwah.bsky.social @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social; @catrionamayland.bsky.social @sheffielduni.bsky.social; @leseldawson.bsky.social @bristolunienglish.bsky.social @bristoluni.bsky.social;
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate the launch of @griefcentrebris.bsky.social! We hope the Centre will make a real difference—bringing together research from many disciplines to deepen our understanding of grief, death, & loss, to improve people’s experiences of these universal parts of life.
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Bristol Centre of Grief Research & Engagement @griefcentrebris.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Thanks to everyone who came to the launch of the Bristol Centre for Grief Research & Engagement. It was great to celebrate the new centre with colleagues, friends & collaborators. Together we hope to change the way that grief is seen, spoken about & supported. More photos coming soon!
Attendees pouring out from Goldney House and walking across the lawnJimmy Edmonds, Mary-Frances O'Connor and Anna Brown smiling at the cameraThe Grief Centre team: Jenny Birchall, Rachel Hare, Lucy Selman, Lesel Dawson and Chloe ShawPoet Malaika Kegode giving a reading under a canopy of trees
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Grief and death affect us all & yet we often struggle to talk about them. The anxieties can be greater for people with learning disabilities & their families, friends & carers. Check out our blog, resource list & webinar here: www.goodgrieffest.com/journal/grie...
A person stands next to a chair on a jetty. The text reads: GRIEF & LEARNING DISABILITIES: BLOG, RESOURCE LIST & WEBINAR
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Thanks to everyone at @stmhospice.bsky.social & 18 Hours for a great kick off to Good Grief Hastings! @goodgrieffest.bsky.social will be part of the @coastalcch.bsky.social project, which uses creative approaches to address health inequalities.
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
We are sorry to share the news that author & Good Grief Festival contributor Anne Mayer Bird has died. In this blog, Anne's daughter @mayeroflondon.bsky.social shares her eulogy & reflects on how their relationship was impacted by their shared experience of grief. Visit our website to read more
goodgrieffest.com
Good Grief: A Tribute to Anne Mayer Bird by Catherine Mayer - Good Grief
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Bristol Centre of Grief Research & Engagement @griefcentrebris.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
It was a huge honour to welcome the fabulous @drkathrynmannix.bsky.social to Bristol Uni for the first ever @griefcentrebris.bsky.social & @goodgrieffest.bsky.social event. Thank you so much to everyone who joined us -- here are some snaps of the day
Kathryn Mannix during the interviewAndrew Blades during the interviewAudience members listening to Kathryn Mannix. Some are making notes.

Photo credit: Isis BlakeKathryn signing an audience member's book. Other copies of her two books are visible on the table.

Photo credit: Isis Blake
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
There is still time to sign up for this free @goodgrieffest.bsky.social webinar with Robert Neimeyer, taking place at 7pm tomorrow night. ♥️
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
New on YouTube! We're excited to share We Need to Talk About Death, a 15-min film co-created by biggerhousefilm & adults w/ learning disabilities. We'll discuss it at our free online panel w/ Irene Tuffrey-Wijne & Stephen Clarke #DyingMattersAwarenessWeek www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
Some of the people who feature in We Need to Talk About Death

@backpocketteacher.bsky.social
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Philosophy of Grief and Loss at York @griefyork.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
On grief and memory: "When she died, she took the memory of not one but two childhoods with her – in all their vivid, silly, scattered, doesn’t-matter-but-it-does detail. I feel as though I have lost a witness, someone who can attest to what happened to us both." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
When my sister died, it wasn’t just her own childhood memories that disappeared. Mine did too | Jason Hazeley
Millie had fantastic recall, unlike mine. Now there are parts of my past – and myself – that I’ll never be able to remember, says comedy writer Jason Hazeley
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Big news!❤️ Today we're launching The Bristol Centre for Grief Research & Engagement @griefcentrebris.bsky.social. Together we'll develop social, creative & policy interventions to change the way grief is seen, supported & spoken about, helping to build more compassionate, connected communities.
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Mary-Frances O'Connor @doctormfoconnor.bsky.social is an expert on the myriad ways that grief affects us physically & mentally. We can't wait to hear her insights at our free webinar on Weds (23 April). Sign up (& share any questions you'd like us to ask) here: ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
Black text on white background reads 'Grieving wails and screams, not just as outward expressions of emotion, but inside our body as well. Mary-Frances O'Connor'
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
How does grief affect us physically? Join us for a webinar w/ brilliant neuroscientist @doctormfoconnor.bsky.social in conversation w/ @leseldawson.bsky.social. We'll celebrate Mary-Frances's new book & explore how to support our bodies & minds during grief: www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
Photo of Mary-Frances. The text reads: What Happens in our Bodies When We're Grieving? Wed 23 April 18.00 BST, Free Online Event
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Thanks to everyone on the #Shax2025 Grieving in Shakespeare's World panel for a fascinating seminar! Kaara & I really enjoyed meeting everyone & thinking in new ways about grief, loss, memory & memorialisation (and of course Hamlet, which featured quite a bit)! @saaupdates.bsky.social
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
On 9 May, @drkathrynmannix.bsky.social will join Andrew Blades for a lunchtime chat @bristoluni.bsky.social. Sharing insights from a palliative care career, she'll explore the power of learning what matters most & how to truly listen #DyingMattersAwarenessWeek www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
A flyer for  the event: it has a picture of Kathryn Mannix and her two books, Listen and With the End in Mind. It also has the event information: Friday 9 May, 12 noon, University of Bristol. A Good Grief Festival event for Dying Matters Awareness Week, followed by a book signing. This is followed by the url for the Good Grief Festival events page: www.goodgrieffest.com/events
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Thanks to @astridswan.bsky.social for inviting me to 'Embodied Knowledge: Interdisciplinary Intersections in Medical Humanities' @helsinki.fi . It was a terrific event w/ a huge range of fascinating papers. I learned lots, made new friends & had a wonderful & inspiring time. 🤩
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Death is as natural as childbirth; yet, we often do anything we can to avoid talking about it. For #DyingMattersAwarenessWeek in May, we're excited to welcome the incredible @drkathrynmannix.bsky.social to #WestonSuperMare for a very special interview w/ @lucyselman.bsky.social
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
It was such a wonderful workshop. Thank you so much! 🥰
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
We can't wait for the film adaptation of @raynorwinn.bsky.social's beautiful memoir #TheSaltPath, which will be released on 25 April w an all-star cast. Raynor writes so beautifully about love, grief & the power of nature. Rewatch her interview w @colinbookshaped.bsky.social youtu.be/RfyCJvi7gwM?...
Black text on white background: I've had to find ways of tapping into the root cause of the grief, which is the absolute love for somebody that's no longer with you, and allow that to be the thing that drives you rather than the pain.
Then the author's name: Raynor Winn
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
What is the relationship between trauma & bereavement? Stephen Regel & Hannah Jardine Youell will explore this question in our new course starting this Saturday. It is only £25 for 7 sessions & you can sign up here: checkout.teachable.com/secure/14555...
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
The third session of our When Grief Is Complicated course will bring together 2 brilliant women, @doctormfoconnor.bsky.social & Yaa Yeboah-Newton! We're excited for them to discuss Mary-Frances's research on being 'stuck in grief'. There's still time to join us checkout.teachable.com/secure/14555...
An image with photographs of Mary-Frances O'Connor and Yaa Yeboah-Newton, as well as the Good Grief moth. It has the session title at the top: Life in Limbo: What Happens When We Are Stuck in Grief. At the bottom, it says: When Grief Is Complicated, Online Course with 7 Talks and Workshops, 1 Feb to 11 Mar
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
Did you know that our new course includes an online drawing workshop with the brilliant @garyscribbler.bsky.social? We can't wait! When Grief Is Complicated features a whole host of fantastic people -- & places are filling fast! Sign up to join us here: checkout.teachable.com/secure/14555...
Quote in black capitals on a white background: 'The very act of creating is a kind of release, a valve to let out pent up feelings. Putting those feelings on paper demystifies them, lets them out into the world' - Gary Andrews
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
I'm excited to be talking about 'Grief, Creativity & Embodiment' at the workshop 'Embodied Knowledge: Interdisciplinary Intersections in Medical Humanities', taking place at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies on 13–14 March. @astridswan.bsky.social @helsinkiuni.bsky.social
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
There's still time to sign up for our new @goodgrieffest.bsky.social course, When Grief is Complicated! It starts 1 Feb & you can now earn 7 CPD credits from the Royal College of Physicians for taking part. Register here⬇️ checkout.teachable.com/secure/14555...
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Good Grief Festival @goodgrieffest.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
We love novelist Freya Bromley's beautiful words about reconnecting with nature after devastating loss. On 1 Feb, she'll join Robert Neimeyer & Carolyn Ng from Portland Loss to kick off our new course When Grief Is Complicated. It's only £25 for 7 sessions! www.goodgrieffest.com/the-grief-ac...
Quote in black writing on white background: Sometimes being in nature is the only thing that feels as big and powerful as the feeling of grief inside - Freya Bromley
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Thrilled to have a copy of Charlene Lam's beautiful book, Curating Grief, which explores how objects hold memories & imprints of those who have died, giving us opportunties to engage & connect with them emotionally & imaginatively.❤️➡️https://curatinggrief.com/
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
Big news! Our new course is open for registration! When Grief is Complicated will explore how & why we can feel ‘stuck’ in grief, & strategies that might help. Starting 1 Feb, this 7 week online programme is only £25. Sign up here: checkout.teachable.com/secure/14555...
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Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief @goodlifedeathgrief.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Registration is now open for the next Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief get-together on 26 February at the Renfield Centre in Glasgow. Full programme will be announced soon. Find out more and book your place here: www.goodlifedeathgrief.org.uk/demystifying...
Promotional flyer for the Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief conference "Demystifying Death: Making Change Happen". The event happens on 26 February 2026 at the Renfield Centre in Glasgow (260 Bath Street G2 4JP). The GLGDGG logo is on the flyer.
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Lucy Selman @lucyselman.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
📢 New paper now out in @palliativemedj.bsky.social - Coproduction in practice: A qualitative study of the development of advance care planning workshops for South Asian elders doi.org/10.1177/0269... @capcbristol.bsky.social @peolcsw.bsky.social @arc-west.bsky.social @tnlcomfund.bsky.social
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Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC), Bristol @capcbristol.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
The festival co-founded by @lucyselman.bsky.social & @leseldawson.bsky.social featured over 30 events across Weston-super-Mare & North Somerset in October 2024. Find out more: www.bristol.ac.uk/primaryhealt...
People sitting on a slope by the seafront at Weston-super-Mare watching paper offerings floating on the water.
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
I'm really excited to be organising a seminar on Mourning, Memorializing & Grieving in Shakespeare’s World for the Shakespeare Association of America (SAA) annual conference taking place in March 2025 w Prof Kaara Peterson! @saaupdates.bsky.social
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Lesel Dawson @leseldawson.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Parliament will debate adding content on death & grief into the curriculum on 2 Dec. Please support this change! Integrating #grief education into schools will support bereaved children & help create a kinder more compassionate society. See our article: tinyurl.com/5825ewrm @lucyselman.bsky.social
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