iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Catch @maryrobbo.bsky.social @aryaray.bsky.social and @georgiapunton.bsky.social in the Media City foyer, outside the Philharmonic Theatre. Pick up a poem, do the Imagination Quiz, and have a chat about imaginative worlds! @durhamimh.bsky.social @aldersonday.bsky.social

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

In sunny Salford, quizzes and poems galore. And you, on your way?

A stack of sealed envelopes with a sign saying 'Pick up a poem!'

A sunny nook with shelves and tables and a ReaderBank poster, with Mary Robson sitting in a corner wearing shades

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

And this free verse is spilling on to the weekend, where you can find us at our drop-in station at the Media City foyer, asking more questions about the imagination, the poem, and you, the reader. @aldersonday.bsky.social @georgiapunton.bsky.social @aryaray.bsky.social @maryrobs.bsky.social

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Yesterday, we were at the @BBC Contains Strong Language Festival, hosted by the incredible National Poetry Centre Accompanied by poet Karen McCarthy Woolf and her words, a few sealed envelopes, and our research questions, we asked the room: what happens in our minds when we read poetry?

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

If you've been thinking what ReaderBank's been up to, does this haiku help?

Poet Karen McCarthy Woolf speaks to Mary Robson on stage

An audience member with a ReaderBank postcard writes notes

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Dr Esther Gómez-Sierra @persiana.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

@thereaderbank.bsky.social I've just been at your 2pm workshop within the #ContainsStrongLanguage festival, and the great discussion made me think of this text which appeared last year: Más cultos, más sanos y ¿mejores? Lo que dice la ciencia sobre los grandes lectores elpais.com/salud-y-bien...

elpais.com

Más cultos, más sanos y ¿mejores? Lo que dice la ciencia sobre los grandes lectores

Distintos estudios han intentado, sin éxito, analizar si la lectura puede aumentar nuestra empatía. La evidencia es más clara en cuanto a su poder para potenciar la cultura y la salud mental

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Ben Alderson-Day @aldersonday.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

The end to another Edinburgh Book Festival - had a wonderful time with @thereaderbank.bsky.social once more, fantastic to share a stage with Maggie O'Farrell for the Secret Life of Books Podcast, and great fun talking consciousness with @danieljamesyon.bsky.social & Michael Pollan

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Don't miss @thereaderbank.bsky.social at BBC Contains Strong Language in Salford later this month! Join us on 25–27 September to explore how poetry engages the imagination in different and surprising ways at our workshop and drop-in sessions. Find out more: medhumsplatform.org/readerbank-a...

medhumsplatform.org

ReaderBank at BBC Contains Strong Language, 25–27 Sept 2026 | The Platform

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

That’s a wrap on #ReaderBank at the @edbookfest.bsky.social! 📚✨ Two brilliant days in the Discovery Zone talking with young readers and teachers about what happens in our imaginations when we read: how characters sound, stories feel, and whole worlds take shape.

ReaderBank posters and artwork surrounded by hand drawn pictures by participants

researcher Georgia Punton writes at a desk full of ReaderBank postcards, bookmarks, and electronic devices

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

We’ve had such interesting discussions today about how characters sound, stories feel and worlds look in our minds when we read. We’re still buzzing with excitement after today, and can’t wait to tell you what comes next! If you don’t know what your Reader Type is yet, head over to readerbank.org

a person speaks to a group about the reading imagination

two people stand around a desk, with printed material and devices

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

If you’re at the Edinburgh International Book Festival today, come visit us at the Discovery Zone for children in Venue B! We’d love to speak to young readers and teachers about how you imagine when you read... and while you’re at it, come do the quiz and grab a trading card and pretty bookmarks!

two people stand behind a desk with lots of colourful printed material

colourful bowls, cards and bookmarks laid out on a table

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Ben Alderson-Day @aldersonday.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

This morning I was on R4 for All in the Mind talking about @thereaderbank.bsky.social and the effects of fiction on the mind - you can listen to it here www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

bbc.co.uk

All in the Mind - How does reading fiction impact our imagination and mental health? - BBC Sounds

What does reading novels do for our minds, our imaginations and our well-being?

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The ReaderBank team is on the way to the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 26-27 August! 🔮Find us at the Discovery Zone where we will talk to young readers and schoolteachers about how stories manifest themselves in our imagination when we read.

Postcards and trading cards corresponding to each of the six reader types with colourful artwork.

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

🌠 Voice Match Ever read a book, vividly imagined a character, and then watched a film or TV adaptation only to feel that the character’s voice was just… wrong? This study explores how people experience the voices of fictional characters differently. 👉 readerbank.org/experience/v...

Text saying 'VoiceMatch by ReaderBank' on a purple background with sound waves and a flower.

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

🌠 In it Together For some stories, we connect with characters in ways that can be hard to express: we might be friends for life, see the world through their eyes, or even imagine walking in their footsteps. Help shed light on how and why this process occurs. 👉 readerbank.org/experience/i...

Text saying 'in it together' underneath a graphic of three people rowing a boat on a blue backgrounds.

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

🌠 In Two Minds This activity explores what happens when something makes us feel mixed, often contrasting emotions, and in what ways this affects our reading experience. 👉 readerbank.org/experience/i...

Text saying 'In Two Minds by ReaderBank' above a happy face and a sad face on a peach background.

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

🌠Repair Repair will ask you about your inner experiences, imagination, and daydreams. We want to understand how reading and the imagination can shape (and be shaped by) our mental health to improve understandings of how we can ‘repair’. 👉 readerbank.org/experience/r...

A graphic with a needle, thread and a button. The words 'Repair' is written across the centre and there are some flowers in the bottom left hand corner.

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

🌠 The Imagination Quiz How do people imagine while they read? And does everyone imagine in the same way? This short quiz will reveal which features of the imagination are the most prominent when you read. 👉 readerbank.org/experience/i...

A graphic showing a person sitting reading and leaning against an oversized book. The words say 'The Imagination Quiz by ReaderBank'.

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

What kind of reader are you? On #WorldBookDay, take a deep dive into the mysteries of the reading imagination with @thereaderbank.bsky.social 👉 readerbank.org 🧵

An array of illustrated postcards on a table. The central one is purple and has the words 'ReaderBank'

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

This short quiz is designed to reveal which features of the imagination are most prominent while you read. If you've been following us, did you sign up for ReaderBank and do all the modules? Help us with our research and join us on the journey of exploring the reading mind! readerbank.org

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Although we tend to talk about the imagination as if it were just one 'thing', it's actually the result of a combination of several different processes. It's possible that people vary in terms of which of these processes remain in the background, and which ones end up entering conscious awareness.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

And last but never the least: The Imagination Quiz! readerbank.org/experience/imagination-quiz How do people imagine while they read? And does everyone imagine in the same way?

Text saying 'The Imagination Quiz by ReaderBank' under a white silhouette of a person reading a book leaning against a big open book. Orange background with a line drawing of a medieval castle. A red decorative flower at the top.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

In VoiceMatch, explore how the voices of the same fictional characters - such as Alice, Lady Macbeth, Heathcliff and many more - can sound different to different readers.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

This phenomenon is rooted in how our brains simulate fictional characters, specifically when representing their looks, behaviours, and yes, their voices too.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Thursday spotlight: VoiceMatch! readerbank.org/experience/voicematch Ever read a book, vividly imagined a character, and then watched a film or TV. adaptation only to feel that the actor’s voice was just… wrong?

Text saying 'VoiceMatch by ReaderBank' under a line drawing that looks like a hand holding a brain, with soundwaves. A purple background overlayed with soundwaves. A picture of a purple flower in the right bottom corner for decorative purposes.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

For some stories, we connect with the characters in ways that can be hard to express: we might be friends for life, see the world through their eyes, or even imagine walking in their footsteps. But how and why does this process occur – and what might it say about the mind?

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Today, let's talk about In It Together: readerbank.org/experience/in-it-together In this module we will explore the relationships we have to the characters in a book.

Text saying 'In It Together' with a graphic of three people rowing on a boat. A blue background that looks like an ocean bed, so the picture seems to be underwater.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Things become more complex though when we cannot make up our minds about how we feel. Do we want to stop reading? Are we intrigued? Maybe both? This module will ask what happens when something makes us feel mixed, often contrasting, emotions - and in what ways this affects our reading experiences.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Today's spotlight is on In-Two Minds: readerbank.org/experience/in-two-minds Stories we read can often be like an emotional rollercoaster - positive moments can make us smile, tragedy can make us tear up, and a ghost story can even give us a good scare.

Text saying 'In-Two Minds by ReaderBank' and a line drawing of a happy face and an angry face, overlayed on a peach background. Greek columns and two mirrored images of the Greek god Janus can be seen in the background.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

This might help us figure out how to improve mental health across many different populations, and will enrich our idea of what it mean to, and how we can, ‘repair’.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Repair will ask you about your inner experiences, imagination, and daydreams. With reading being an activity steeped in imagination, we want to better understand how this and our mental health are intertwined.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

It’s been a week since we launched our new website! This week, let’s take a closer look at our modules. First up, Repair. readerbank.org/experience/r...

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

ReaderBank has a sparkly new website! readerbank.org And new modules to help us better understand reading experiences, how the imagination works and what this means for mental health. Sign up to get involved in the world’s most ambitious study of the reading imagination! 🧵

The ReaderBank website: black text on a blue-purple background saying 'Reimagining imagination. How do you imagine the things you read? Discover more about your mind and contribute to cutting-edge research on the science of our inner worlds.' Two buttons saying 'Find out more' and 'Get involved'. A blue and red flower overlayed on top for decoration.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

And scene! Our time at the @edbookfest.bsky.social was exciting and rewarding! It’s not over yet – our website is still buzzing with activity, and the modules are still live online. Explore how we imagine, how we feel, how we read, and what that means for our mental health! readerbank.org

Ben Alderson-Day and Mary Robson on stage, with backs of audience members in the foreground.

Arya Ray speaking on stage, pointing at something to his left. Audience members in the foreground. The background says Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Georgia Punton speaking on stage. Audience members in the foreground. The background says Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Six ReaderBank modules: The Imagination Quiz, Repair, In It Together, VoiceMatch, In-Two Minds, Between the Lines (Readerbank × Canongate)

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Our lead researcher @aldersonday.bsky.social joins @jennykleeman.bsky.social and Emily Postan to talk about mental health and the use of digital technologies like AI for treatment. In this shifting landscape, what considerations and safeguards are needed to embed these treatments in the mainstream?

Mary, Ben, Jenny and Emily sit onstage with screens on either side, facing a mixed audience. The screens show colorful graphics.

A close up of Ben Alderson-Day as he speaks, gesturing with his hand.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

So much unpacked at ‘The Science of Imagination’ today! Our v. own @aldersonday.bsky.social was in conversation with neurologist Adam Zeman, exploring the latest scientific research on the brain’s creative powers, from the phenomenon of ‘aphantasia’ to what happens in our minds as we imagine.

Ben Alderson-Day, Adam Zeman and Dina Nayeri speaking on stage wearing a radio mic. Blurred audience members in the foreground.

A close-up of Ben Alderson-Day speaking on stage wearing a radio mic. Blurred audience members in the foreground.

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PsyArXivBot @psyarxivbot.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

The Forces of the Imagination: Exploring dimensions of mental imagery using the ReaderBank Imagination Quiz (RBIQ): doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/47hq9_v1

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Durham University @durham.ac.uk · 13/08/2025

The #ReaderBank Imagination Quiz aims to understand readers’ imaginations with potential to enhance mental health therapies. shorturl.at/gHVSx @thereaderbank.bsky.social @durhamimh.bsky.social @durhampsych.bsky.social @aldersonday.bsky.social @georgiapunton.bsky.social @edbookfest.bsky.social

A number of picture cards on a table showing the words Readerbank, the Chameleon, the Narrator and other examples.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

The Two Roberts is a riveting love story of two passionate and brave painters from the Glasgow School of Art, and we cannot wait to find out what it does to the reading imagination!

Damian Barr holding a copy of his new book, The Two Roberts. The cover depicts two people lying next to each other, with blue, brown, red and pink colourful streaks of colour in the foreground.

Red background overlayed with a picture of the interior of the Glasgow School of Art - long corridors and two balconied floors on either side. On top, a line sketch of two faces and text saying 'Between the Lines - ReaderBank × Canongate. A novel experience in reading.'

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

In this exciting endeavour, we invited readers to read @damianbarr.bsky.social‬’s latest, The Two Roberts, and tell us what’s going through their minds in real time.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

🚀 At our public workshop @edbookfest.bsky.social today, we launched our new project ‘Between the Lines’ in collaboration with @canongate.co.uk.

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

It’s our first day at @edbookfest.bsky.social and our website has had a glow-up – go and take a look! readerbank.org

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Ben Alderson-Day @aldersonday.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

New from @durhamimh.bsky.social - the first @thereaderbank.bsky.social paper! We identify 4 factors in a new scale of reading imagery, the ReaderBank Imagination Quiz. Well done 1st author @georgiapunton.bsky.social & thanks to our partners at @edbookfest.bsky.social Cc @durhampsych.bsky.social

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Durham Institute for Medical Humanities @durhamimh.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

🔥Hot off the press! New pre-print with the v. first findings from our study of reading, the imagination and mental health in collab with @edbookfest.bsky.social doi.org/10.31234/osf...

doi.org

OSF

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Are you ready for tomorrow? We can't wait for our public workshop on 'Unlocking the Mind and Mental Health'. There's a surprise in store...

A poster with a beige background with the text 'Readerbank: Unlocking the Mind and Mental Health' at the top and '13 August, 17:30-18:30, Venue B' at the bottom. The body of the text is redacted, and a red 'Top Secret' stamp on top of it.

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Angela Woods @literarti.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

#Readerbank is back at @edbookfest.bsky.social! Excited to support our fantastic team, led by @aldersonday.bsky.social, run an invitation-only event for publishers, agents & writers. Professor in Practice @nickbarley.bsky.social begins with the big question: what happens in our minds when we read?

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ReaderBank @thereaderbank.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

So exciting to forge new connections with members and partners of the book industry in our #ReaderBank2025 workshop with writers, publishers and editors at @edbookfest.bsky.social today. Thank you to everyone who contributed to our rich and rewarding discussions!

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