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Lesley Graham

@lesleygraham.bsky.social
981 followers 649 following 114 posts

Recently retired senior lecturer in English at the University of Bordeaux, France. 19th C. Scottish literature, RL Stevenson, travel literature, afterlives, literary tourism. Occasional French-English conference interpreter.

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Reposted by Lesley Graham
David Veevers @davidveevers.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Think of the combined CENTURIES of expertise lost here, the creativity, the knowledge, the depth and breadth of cultural learning and understanding, the generations of minds enriched and enlightened, the sheer weight of history that led to the establishment of these programmes. Purged. Destroyed.
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McNaughtan's Bookshop @mcnaughtans.co.uk · 18/09/2026
Hive mind gather round! Do you recognise this man on the right? He was likely an actor, perhaps a director, and worked with Beckett, almost certainly on a British production of Waiting for Godot. The photograph we can roughly date to sometime between 1956-1970.
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elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Friend shared this video of a man unveiling the library he hid when he fled Damascus in 2011. It’s incredible
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Make a band bigger: Big Boned Lizzy
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Dans la série du Monde en Gironde de @rue89bordeaux.bsky.social
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Irvine Welsh @irvinewelsh.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
This bad bastard comes out today. Probably the best I’ve done.
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Nahel Belgherze @wxnb.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Bordeaux, France, has now recorded more days above 40°C in 2026 alone than during the entire 105-year period from 1920 (when observations began) to 2025. This is deeply shocking.
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Sud Ouest Bordeaux @sudouest-33.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Canicule : à Bordeaux, les 40 °C atteints six fois en 2026, contre cinq fois sur les 75 années précédentes 🔗https://l.sudouest.fr/yNp3
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Talk about main character syndrome www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
theguardian.com
Tories’ Philp rejects French claim that shots fired from naval boat near him were training exercise – UK politics live
Shadow minister says there was no warning and ‘it looked and sounded like deliberate intimidation’
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Robert Louis Stevenson @rlstevenson.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
“The charm of Fontainebleau is a thing apart. It is a place that people love even more than they admire. The vigorous forest air, the silence, the majestic avenues of highway, the wilderness of tumbled boulders, the great age and dignity of certain groves” en.wikisource.org/wiki/Across_...
en.wikisource.org
Across the Plains with Other Memories and Essays/Fontainebleau - Wikisource, the free online library
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Dr David S Anderson @dsaarchaeology.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Original Tweet from @Mantia: What’s something that seems obvious within your profession, but the general public seems to misunderstand?

Quote tweet from @hwitteman: That $35 that scientific journals charge you to read a paper goes 100% to the publisher, 0% to the authors. If you just email us to ask for our papers, we are allowed to send them to you for free, and we will be genuinely delighted to do so.
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Association for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 10/07/2026
STEVENSON & PLEASURE Ed. Julie Gay, Lesley Graham & Nathalie Jaëck Looking at physical, creative, & intertextual/intermedial pleasures, 10 essays explore how pleasure – sensory, intellectual & aesthetic – influenced Robert Louis Stevenson’s work & its reception #Lit #C19 asls.org.uk/publications...
Book cover

Stevenson and Pleasure
Edited by Julie Gay, Lesley Graham and Nathalie Jaëck

Cover image: Robert Louis Stevenson, 1887. Painting by John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), oil on canvas. The painting shows Robert Louis Stevenson sitting relaxed in an orange wicker armchair, one long leg crossed over the other. Stevenson is wearing a dark velvet smoking jacket and grey, baggy trousers. One thin hand rests on his thigh and the other golds a cigarette up near his mouth. He has a drooping moustache and a pale face, and he looks out at us with an amused expression. The chair sits on a wildly furry light brown rug in front of a piece of dark wooden Victorian furniture.Contents

Introduction (Julie Gay, Lesley Graham, and Nathalie Jaëck)
I. PLEASURES OF THE BODY AND MIND
1.	An ‘invalid marching to and fro upon the roads’: Pleasure and Exertion in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Early Travels (Kévin Cristin)
2.	Pleasure for Profit: Opium in The Wrecker (Audrey Murfin)
3.	Desire Free from Malice: Pleasure and Ethics in Stevenson and Melville (Lucio De Capitani)
II. CREATIVE PLEASURES
4.	Robert Louis Stevenson and the Pleasure of Nightmares (Jean-Pierre Naugrette)
5.	Stevenson and Charm (Richard Dury)
6.	The Pleasures, and Perils, of Collaboration: Robert Louis Stevenson and Belle Strong in Samoa (Hilary J. Beattie)
III. THE PLEASURES OF INTERTEXTUALITY AND INTERMEDIALITY
7.	The Pleasure of the Intertext: Aesthetic Self-Fashioning in ‘Providence and the Guitar’ (Burkhard Niederhoff)8.	‘But somehow it was never Treasure Island to me’: The Elusive Climactic Map of Treasure Island (Xavier Amelot and Nathalie Jaëck)
9.	Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde on Screen: Experiments in Pleasure (Gilles Menegaldo)
10.	Playing the Classics? The Jekyll and Hyde Videogame Adaptations (Nicolas Labarre)
Notes on contributors
Index
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Una McCormack @unamccormack.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I’d like FIFA to take another look at the Brexit vote.
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Available to pre-order Stevenson and Pleasure asls.org.uk/publications...
asls.org.uk
Occasional Papers series no. 27
Edited by Julie Gay, Lesley Graham, and Nathalie Jaëck Published in: Paperback By: Scottish Literature International, August 2026 Price: £24.95 / €29.95 / $29.95 216 pages ISBN: 9781908980458 Pre…
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
I’ll be back in Aubigny-sur-Nère on 9th July for a one-day conference on Franco-Scottish friendship.
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
A really enjoyable event. Thank you for organising it, “Les Amis de la Machine à Lire” and thank you for the report @euradio.bsky.social
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Jeremy Noel-Tod @jntod.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
I think about this poem by Ian Duhig — about Jo Cox, the Labour MP assassinated by a man shouting ‘Britain first’ — every day at the moment. No other contemporary poet has looked so clearly at the political reality of the far right as a minority who must always be appeased
Rue

Rue Jo Cox, Députée Britannique, a street sign in Burgundy reads, Assassinée pour ses convictions.

No British road is named after her, I found on returning home, for fear it could have proved controversial.

I remembered in Shakespeare rue even for ruth, called 'herb of grace' because it was used in exorcisms,

by the angel to clean Adam's eyes, and Gulliver back home for his nose against the smell of his countrymen.
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Such an enjoyable event yesterday evening with Anne-Marie Métailié talking about contemporary Scottish authors in the fantastic Bibliothèque Écossaise Collection, Éditions Métailié
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The government needs to leave X. EVERYONE needs to leave X.
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Today’s earworm: I was the third of June, another sleepy dusty Delta day
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Du 27 mai au 15 juin, Les Amis de La Machine à Lire organisent à Bordeaux une manifestation intitulée "Fascinante Ecosse" Programme détaillé ici : amis-lml.fr/wp/wp-conten...
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
As @penfielding.bsky.social said, every conference should be in Venice. #RLS2026
Me with a canal in Venice behind meThe grand canal in VeniceTurbid water at dusk and a boat on a canalA gondola in a narrow canal
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Two Years of Solitude
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Looking forward to this!
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Loved the Pierre Soulages museum in Rodez. Black, but uplifting. The Hiroshi Sugimoto photographs were an excellent bonus
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Depluralize a movie Dances with Wolf
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rudy.ca @rudydotca.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
may you live in interesting times
image of a letter to the editor of The Guardian under the heading Political Footballs -- "So Iran may have to withdraw from the Fifa World Cup because it is being bombed by the winner of the Fifa Peace Prize" by Robert Lee, London
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Dan Israel @dan-mdpt.eurosky.social · 23/03/2026
En première ligne face à la vague de l'IA, les traductrices et traducteurs voient leur métier être détruit à une vitesse sidérante. Les adaptateurs et adaptatrices des sous-titres d'Arte sont concerné.es au premier chef www.mediapart.fr/journal/econ...
mediapart.fr
Les traducteurs d’Arte dénoncent la destruction de leur métier par l’IA
La chaîne franco-allemande fait de plus en plus appel à la machine pour créer les sous-titres en sept langues de ses programmes. D’ici à la fin de l’année, 50 % de son catalogue sera traduit par IA, …
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
The programme for « (Un)natural Stevenson » is available and it looks great! www.unive.it/data/33113/5...
unive.it
(Un)natural Stevenson. Wild transgressions across literature, ecology, science and gender - Unive
conferenza/convegno
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Glenda Norquay @glendanorquay.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Very pleased to see this wee book on restless adventurer Robert Louis Stevenson out in the world. Thanks to Reaktion Books for all their support along the way. reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/robert-... #RLS @asls.org.uk @iassl.bsky.social
Image of writer Robert Louis Stevenson on cover of Critical Lives biography by Glenda Norquay
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott club issues international call for public readings from the Waverley Novels walterscottclub.com/submitreading
Screen grab of the press release. Info at walterscottclub.com
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Scottish poet Kenneth White left his home in Brittany to the town of Trébeurden along with 100,000€ on condition that it become a writers’ and artists’ residence for geopoetics. The municipality proposes to remove the extensive library he assembled and sell the house. ✍️ c.org/DdF96d6CL4
c.org
Signez la pétition
NON À LA VENTE DE LA MAISON DE KENNETH WHITE — OUI À SON PROJET DE MAISON D’ARTISTES
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Watched Sinners without knowing anything about it beforehand and was …. surprised (Good rendition of Will Ye Go Lassie Go though)
media.tenor.com
a woman in a black dress says " ain 't no one saying you gotta like it "
ALT: a woman in a black dress says " ain 't no one saying you gotta like it "
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” —George Orwell (1984)
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
It’s the last day of the winter break - all good things …
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
Loved the Andy Goldsworthy at 50 exhibition @nationalgalleries.bsky.social
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Société Française d'Études Écossaises @sfetudesecossaises.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Honoured to have received acclaimed Scottish poet and essayist and former Scottish Makar Kathleen Jamie as part of our annual conference on Scotland held in La Rochelle. Thank you @lesleygraham.bsky.social
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Two really great panels this morning at the @sfetudesecossaises.bsky.social conference in La Rochelle with Daphné Cousin-Martin, Glenda Norquay, Julie Gay, Katie Garner and Gabrielle Fath.
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Si jamais vous vous trouvez à Aubigny-sur-Nère le 28 novembre #soscottish
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Mark Spencer Turner @marcasmac.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
All set to celebrate Scotland's literary history and a future that includes Scots, English AND Gaelic - TONIGHT! Join us! goldenharebooks.com/products/oer... #Gaelic #Scots #ScotLit #Fergusson #ScottishLiterature
goldenharebooks.com
'O'er a' my labours sey your skill': Poetic Responses to Robert Fergus
Join us in the bookshop for an evening of poetry celebrating Robert Fergusson with Scotland's Makar, Peter Mackay and friends. 6.30pm on Wednesday 15th October at Golden Hare Books, 68 St Stephen Stre...
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
The brilliant Scottish poet and essayist @kathleenjamie.bsky.social will be in conversation at La Rochelle University on 17th October at 13H30. The session is part of the French Society for Scottish Studies conference and is open to all.
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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 26/09/2025
I realise the audience for this would just be "me, and also maybe other foreigners" but I would love to read something on why Brits, who are happy to live in a country where their every movement outside is filmed by CCTV, hate the idea of having ID cards, something plenty of countries happily have
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Robert Fergusson (1750-74) @rfergussonpoet.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Free tickets are still available for our online launch, taking place this Thursday at 6pm! www.eventbrite.com/e/online-boo...
eventbrite.com
Online Book Launch: 'O'er a' my labours sey your skill'
Join us online for the launch of the new poetry collection 'O'er a' my labours sey your skill': Poetic Responses to Robert Fergusson.
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Slightly updated programme for the upcoming @sfetudesecossaises.bsky.social conference at @univ-larochelle.fr on "Scotland and the Coast/L'Ecosse et le Littoral" now available. And registration is still open! apps.univ-lr.fr/cgi-bin/WebO...
apps.univ-lr.fr
L’Écosse et le littoral
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Out-Spoken Press @outspokenpress.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
This is SICK. Students in Gaza who got places/scholarships at UK universities in unimaginable circumstances are being BLOCKED from Visas by UK Home Office refusal to recognise there is NOWHERE in Gaza for them to get biometrics done BECAUSE THE CENTRES WERE BOMBED -The Times, today archive.is/678If
Screenshot of Times article, 19 July 2025

Living in Gaza, accepted to Cambridge - blocked by Home Office
Young Palestinians have overcome unimaginable challenges just to apply to university, only for the British government to make unfeasible visa demands
• NEW
About 80 Gazans like Malak, 19, have secured places at 32
British universities, including Cambridge
When Karam Elradie went up to the roof to try and get a phone signal, he knew he was risking his life. An Israeli army base was just in front and any movement could prompt them to launch a drone and fire. But he was desperate to check his application for ManchesterSecond screenshot:

But after overcoming so many obstacles, it now turns out the British government may be the hardest of all, making unfeasible demands for them to get out, including eight who have been awarded Chevening Scholarships, the Foreign Office's own scheme.

HIGHLIGHTED PARA:
While other countries such as Italy, Ireland, Germany
and France have taken students to study in their universities, the Home Office is insisting students for UK universities first need to provide biometric data (fingerprints and photographs) to apply for a visa, even though the relevant Gaza office has been shut since the October 7 attacks in 2023 after which Israel launched its invasion.|
END HIGHLIGHT

The nearest safe places with offices are Jordan and Egypt but the students need British government intervention to enable them to leave Gaza. Italy got round this by taking the data after the students had crossed the border while Ireland waived the requirement altogether, taking out 16 students in May.
This approach has left students such as Malak, 19, who has a full scholarship to study history and politics at Downing College, Cambridge, from September, in a desperate situation.
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Association for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 29/07/2025
The latest issue of NORTHWORDS NOW is available free online – poems, short stories, articles & book reviews, in English, Gaelic & Scots New writing, fresh from Scotland and the wider North Sgrìobhadh ùr à Alba agus an Àird a Tuath www.northwordsnow.co.uk/Issue46
northwordsnow.co.uk
Issue 46 | Summer-Autumn 2025 | Northwords Now
New writing, fresh from Scotland and the wider North
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Lesley Graham @lesleygraham.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Chuffed to have a handful of poems in the latest issue of Northwords Now www.northwordsnow.co.uk/Issue46?fbcl...
northwordsnow.co.uk
Issue 46 | Summer-Autumn 2025 | Northwords Now
New writing, fresh from Scotland and the wider North
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Association for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 18/07/2025
WRITERS! New Writing Scotland seeks a new co-editor for English- & Scots-language work. Applicants should be currently based in Scotland & have a strong publishing record, with a focus on prose. Post is up to 3 years: stipend £1500 per issue. #writers #writing Pls RT 👇 asls.org.uk/new-writing-...
NEW WRITING SCOTLAND

ASL is seeking applications to be a co-editor of New Writing Scotland, from writers currently based in Scotland. Applicants should have a strong publishing record of their own, with a focus on prose; previous editorial experience would be an advantage. The post will run for up to three years from 2026, for volumes 44, 45, and 46, publishing in 2026, 2027, and 2028 (dependent on funding). 

Our editors jointly select approximately 50 pieces – poetry and prose – from the English- and Scots-language submissions we receive each year. The submissions are anonymised, and we provide editors with paper copies to read. As an editor, we’d ask you to attend launches in Edinburgh and Glasgow (travelling expenses would be paid). Editors receive an annual £1500 stipend and full editorial credit.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from people who are under-represented within the sector, including from BPOC applicants (Black people and People of Colour), disabled people, LGBTQIA+ applicants and those from a low socioeconomic background. 

Please send a CV and a one-page application letter, outlining your qualifications for the position, to admin@asls.org.uk by midnight on Monday 4 August 2025.

Submission to New Writing Scotland is free and open to all. You can find our submission instructions here.
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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 11/07/2025
‘Our three quotations brought the number of women’s quotes from one to four (out of 29). The only woman previously represented was the socialist and mill-worker Mary Brooksbank.’ Kathleen Jamie on having her work added to Edinburgh’s Canongate Wall, from the blog: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/ju...
lrb.co.uk
Kathleen Jamie | At the Canongate Wall
The stone suits the poetry. Or perhaps it’s the other way round. I think poetry suits stone, more than it suits paper...
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