iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Dr Rachel White

Rachel Willie @racheljwillie.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

By popular demand (OK, a handful of “eeek, I missed the deadline. Can I still submit” emails), we’ve decided to extend the deadline until 16th October. Who knew a CfP deadline coinciding with teaching ramping up would cause such havoc?! #Skystorians

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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 30/09/2026

Strikes start today at Nottingham. “These are not cash-strapped universities.” Dr Jo Grady on R4 this morning. 700 jobs. 48 courses. All to drive a surplus. Show your support. ✊

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Coram Shakespeare Schools @coramshakespeare.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Drama allows you to 'come up with good ideas by having ridiculous ones'. Let's work together to create more spaces where young people can thrive. www.shakespeareschools.org/pages/book-m... 👉🏽 Not a registered 2026-27 teacher? You can still join us for a small fee. #teacher #theatre #MilesJupp

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Rory Loughnane @loughnrv.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

2 outstanding reviews of The Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare and Early Modern Authorship! @academic.oup.com Grateful to Will Sharpe & all the contributors! 🎆 Peter Holland in Shakespeare: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 🎆 Alexander Thom in The 17th Century: www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...

tandfonline.com

The Oxford handbook of Shakespeare and early modern authorship: The Seventeenth Century: Vol 0, No 0 - Get Access

Browse all journals

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Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

The thing is - imo - research and teaching are inextricably connected At least, they were UKHEI's cuts to Humanities' UG/BA programmes (leading to generic, team taught courses) effectively cut academic research ties too

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Dr Andrew McInnes @drbeard79.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This list of things the University of Brighton has de-recognised is insane 🤯🤯🤯

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Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I know all university leaders hate trades unions but at Brighton they’re about to find out what happens when their workforce doesn’t have a structure and negotiating team to represent them and to head off trouble. It won’t be pretty. Employees won’t submit - they’ll resist in unpredictable ways.

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Daniel C. Blight @danielcblight.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

***URGENT PLEASE SHARE*** University of Brighton management have announced today that they ‘give notice of termination of all collective agreements’. This is a fundamental erasure of workers' rights. Management have announced the termination of all contractual documents, which includes:

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Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I have no words for the treatment of this University 's staff. Shameful

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David Veevers @davidveevers.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Everytime someone says ‘migrant’, correct them and say ‘person’. It’s amazing how upset they become when having to comprehend the humanity of those they despise for exercising their human right.

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Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Woke up and realised that even before the final sacking next week that my university now employs more people with English Literature PhDs in administration than in the English department. Tells you something about the state of HE.

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Jason Scott-Warren @jes1003.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

A great piece by Melissa Harrison on living/dying through the drought, from the latest issue of Prospect.

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Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Appalling UKHEI management styles on display - yet again

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Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I've got an itch to put a seminar together called 'Sounding Soil': Close Reading Planetary Matters in Shakespeare and His Contemporaries Does this title appeal to you in any way? If so, get in touch with me by email by 5pm on Monday 13th September

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Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Data centres are springing up everywhere, using massive amounts of energy and water. I’ve signed @friends-earth.bsky.social’s petition calling for a pause on new data centres until the government gets a grip on the situation. Will you join me? action.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/put...

action.friendsoftheearth.uk

Stop data centres draining our precious resources

Add my name Data centres are springing up all over the UK – using massive amounts of electricity and, in many cases, huge amounts of water. The UK is already facing water shortages, high energy demand...

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Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

And yet... the University is making staff redundant? Make it make sense! "University of Exeter students left scrambling for accommodation" BBC News share.google/wiDkoIPWiD4q...

share.google

University of Exeter students left scrambling for accommodation

Dozens of prospective university students have been left with nowhere to live ahead of the new term.

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John McCafferty @jdmccafferty.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

17 Aug 1612: 19 alleged #witches charged at #Lancaster assizes #otd These were the so-called Pendle witches.

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Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Heartened to see that my university is ending its contract with Turnitin before the next academic year, because Turnitin is going to use student submissions to train AI models. Institutions can and should resist this stuff!

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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

"Wyoming will become the first state in the US where you cannot receive a B.A. in Philosophy. The University of Wyoming will be the only R1 institution, the only state flagship university, and one of two land-grant universities that do not offer a B.A. in Philosophy." dailynous.com/2026/07/23/u...

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Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Definitely the case here. In two weeks we find which 9 of 12 in my group will be gone. The other 3 will then have a month to prepare and find hourly-paid replacements for all the classes across two degrees. And supervise 25 PhDs. Plus admin and pastoral care and research. Management doesn’t care.

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will pooley @willpooley.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

youve heard of failing upwards. well academic careers in 2026 encapsulate the reverse: succeeding downwards. so many talented, highly qualified people, being punished for their achievements

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Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Next week Minus 5 English Literature colleagues (cf last year: more took VS the year before) Remaining colleagues moving out of shared workspaces moved into last year and back into individual offices. Our students complained about the erosion of their student experience Still employed For now

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Liesbeth Corens @onslies.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

You know what, props to him for making that case for the humanities in The Spectator. Much easier to just jump on the hitting-the-humanities-while-they're-down bandwagon to score some easy points, and his audience are the ones who'll need convincing. spectator.com/article/we-s...

Scything into the humanities is generational self-harm that will become civilizational if it continues. Skills and expertise will go and not be replaceable. Absurdly, decisions on university redundancies are being made on the basis they allow money to be better deployed. Yet money is a tool that has proved singularly and consistently useless at understanding or measuring cultural value. Finance departments are the last places we should be trusting with these societal decisions.

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Reposted by Dr Rachel White

Dr Francis Young @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

‘Fairies, Spirits, Witches, and Wise Women’: an interesting CFP for the Renaissance Society of America (deadline 27 July): call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/07/...

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Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Herewith the reminder that #ChristopherNolan studied English Literature #EnglishCreates "The Odyssey review – Nolan goes god-tier with breathtaking epic of men, monsters and moral metamorphosis" | Film | The Guardian share.google/yRnVSUlkMzaJ...

share.google

The Odyssey review – Nolan goes god-tier with breathtaking epic of men, monsters and moral metamorphosis

Doing full justice to the Homeric legend, Christopher Nolan amasses an epic cast to convey the true cost of war with film-making of thrilling ambition

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Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Congratulations to the government on saving 2700 jobs by nationalising British Steel. Now, about the 18,000 university jobs lost in the last 18 months, with more coming…

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Erika Gaffney @erikagaffney.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

DeGruyter / Brill welcomes book proposals to this new series of peer-reviewed books - Early Modern Visual and Material Cultures Series Editor: Allison Levy, Brown University brill.com/page/forthco... Pls contact me with any questions - by DM or by email at Erika.Gaffney@degruyterbrill.com

A book series announcement in the guise of a book front cover visual. The series name, "Early Modern Visual & Material Cultures," is reversed out of a translucent purple panel across a detail of an early modern painting.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I've signed and sent a letter - from authors, broadcasters, journalists, artists, scholars and performers - to express our deep concern at @exeter.ac.uk’s troubling plans to make mass redundancies within the Humanities Dept @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social. I would love it if you read and shared widely.

Dear Vice Chancellor, Provost, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean for the Faculty of Humanities,
Arts and Social Sciences and Chair of Council (cc Director of Human Resources and Chief Financial
Officer)
We write, as authors, broadcasters, journalists, artists, publishers, academics and performers in the public
sphere, to express our deep concern at the University of Exeter’s plans to make redundancies within the
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS). The cuts come at a point when Exeter is not in
deficit, and they are not distributed equally across the university. With 114 of the proposed 153 FTE
academic redundancies falling within HASS, the University is dismantling areas of established excellence
and international renown in a Russell Group University whose reputation is known to be outstanding in the
Humanities. Several of the disciplines subject to the proposed cuts, including Classics and Ancient History,
English and Creative Writing, History, and Theology and Religion are among the UK’s strongest according
to league tables, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF),
and other recognised indicators, including QS World Rankings.
The extent of the proposed cuts is both shocking and misguided. Exeter is seeking to make up to 20
academics redundant in English and Creative Writing, out of a headcount of 62. In Languages and Visual
Culture upwards of 17 colleagues will be made redundant, decimating subjects including Art History and
Visual Culture, French, German, Italian, Hispanic Studies, Russian and Chinese. 5 posts will go or have
gone in Classics and Ancient History (2 academics have already left), out of a staff body of 20. In Theology
and Religion up to 5 academics will be made redundant out of a group of 13. In History over 17 colleagues
will be made redundant, out of a staff body of 53. In the Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies staff are
facing a headcount reduction of almost a third (6FTE out …

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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Major yn Englisshe: • Focused readinge & writinge prepare you for anythinge • Research, communicacioun, creativitye, and interpretacioun will be needed for careers not even inventid yet • Meaningful engagement wyth big ideas and textes that will staye wyth you forevir • It ys awesome • Bookes!

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Liesbeth Corens @onslies.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

This petition needs as many signatories as the Exeter one. Please sign and share — don’t let Hertfordshire managers get away with this just because a Russell Group one took the spotlight. #UKHE

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Rebecca Wynter @rebeccawynter.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Roll up, roll up, sign this pretition for Humanities At Hertfordshire! Signing to support them is supporting the #Humanities - it might be them now, and whilst for many it's also us now, if it isn't already, it'll be you next. Sign!! #Skystorians 🗃

c.org

Sign the Petition

Save the Humanities at the University of Hertfordshire

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Andrew McRae @mcraeandrew.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

From today’s Times letters page. #DefendExeterUni

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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

From nowe on, calle it not "Gen A.I." Calle it kakomancy, the which doth signifye "crappye magique."

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Coram Shakespeare Schools @coramshakespeare.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Would you like to build inclusive and creative strategies? 📢 Come along to Playful Spaces, an inspiring learning event led by industry specialists. Together, let's build rehearsal spaces where every young person can find their voice. www.shakespeareschools.org/pages/book-m...

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Dr Francis Young @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

This. 👇 I'm freelance and self-employed, but the closure of university departments and academic redundancies affects me because I do para-academic editorial work for academics and universities - and if they don't have jobs, I won't have work!

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Dr Francis Young @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

I spoke to Aaron Irber on his podcast about the history of fairies podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...

podcasts.apple.com

Fairies: A History (ft. Dr. Francis Young)

Podcast Episode · I Might Believe in Faeries · June 15 · 1h 3m

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Northumbria UCU Branch @ucunorthumbria.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

🛑NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY CENSURED BY UCU🛑 On 28 May @ucu.org.uk wrote to management @northumbriauni.bsky.social regarding censure.

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Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

It too much to expect that unsuccessful shortlisted applicants for academic jobs receive a personal message rather than an automated email? I know, I know HR guidelines &c But I learned a lot from phone calls that offered suggestions for improvement Thank you Cora Kaplan in particular

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Professor Claire Jowitt @clairejowitt.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Out today! Congratulations to Richard Frohock! His book 'offers new insights into piracy literature by analyzing ways in which the pirate served as a contested figure of conversation in relation to imperialist violence, gender, race & topical philosophical matters'. www.routledge.com/Piracy-Mythm...

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Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown @earlymodlancs.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Cardiff Uni wants to scrap the 2nd floor of the Arts and Social Studies Library. We're talking 7km of books and vital study space gone to make way for classrooms. Please help us save this crucial campus resource before it's ripped out in June! Add your name here: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...

you.38degrees.org.uk

Stop Cardiff University from scrapping the ASSL's second floor!

thousands of books and crucial study spaces are at risk. Cardiff Uni wants to repurpose the busiest library on campus into classrooms. Help protect our library and sign the petition today.

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Mark Pendleton @markpendleton.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

East Asian Studies is being gutted at Sheffield - all staff at risk with 8.6 FTE proposed to go (a third of us). Biggest cuts in Chinese and Japanese Studies. We’ll be taking a few days to process. Solidarity to Materials and Chemistry colleagues who are also dealing with similarly bad news.

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Tom Hulme @tomhulme.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Note: relatively stable institution; HAPP's a supportive (even harmonious) School; there's another Ancient History colleague; and pay at Queen's is now relatively high (starting salary is junior; post confirmation-in-post, lecturer starts c. £52k, SL starts c. £66k). www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRP030/l...

jobs.ac.uk

Lecturer in Ancient History at Queen's University Belfast

Looking for a new job opportunity in academia? Check out this job opening for a Lecturer in Ancient History on jobs.ac.uk!

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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Roses are redde Noble are the manatees For a bettir future Teach artes and humanityes

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Prof. Elaine Chalus @profelainechalus.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

#skystorians Please sign and share. Petition to save the Humanities at University of Hertfordshire c.org/kK5v9MTdNr

c.org

Sign the Petition

Save the Humanities at the University of Hertfordshire

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Reposted by Dr Rachel White

Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Literature ys powerful bycause it ys a dynamic, engaginge, attention-grabbinge art forme that kan existe wythout large amountes of fundinge or huge companyes. Obviouslye it ys best for wryteres to make a livinge and for literature to sell, but it ys not *required.* Literature kan lyve undergrounde.

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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Teachinge young people how to reade literature and poetrye and novels ys teachinge them how to access an olde and goode and powerful system for sharinge messages yn tymes of emergencye. Readinge literature ys key to the ongoing struggle for a bettir and more just worlde.

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Northumbria UCU Branch @ucunorthumbria.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Please sign and share this petition - c.org/Wh2NJg5dpc. Prevent mass course closures at yet another apparently financially stable university. Solidarity and strength to @uhertfordshireucu.bsky.social! @ucu.org.uk

c.org

Sign the Petition

Save the Humanities at the University of Hertfordshire

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