iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Erin Snyder @erinlsnyder.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I'm selecting @thomasruyssmith.com's CHRISTMAS PAST over his equally great collection, SEARCHING FOR SANTA CLAUS, because after a great deal of soul searching, I couldn't remember where I put my copy of Searching. The intros alone make these worth buying.

Photo of the book, Christmas Past, edited by Thomas Ruys Smith

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Erin Snyder @erinlsnyder.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

We're doing Christmas book recommendations in September? One question: what the hell took us so long? Here are my non-fiction picks (I'm including historical fiction compilations here):

Photo of a bunch of awesome Christmas books: Santa Claus Worldwide by Tom A Jerman, Selling Out Santa by Vaughn Joy, Christmas Past edited by Thomas Ruys Smith, The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas by Al Ridenour, Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas by Alonso Duralde, and The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories Volume 5 edited by Christopher Philippo

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Jeremy Noel-Tod @jntod.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I wrote about Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey (which I enjoyed), Emily Wilson's review (which I also enjoyed), and how together they sent me back to the conversation I had with the late Christopher Logue about his long poem written around the Iliad, War Music

someflowerssoon.substack.com

A Folder Marked “Wounds”

How Christopher Logue made a modern poet of Homer

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Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 07/07/2026

Widow’s Bay - a perfect season. So enjoyable.

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Happy 250th, America! My gift to you, as is the tradition of course, is all the phenomenal public scholarly writing, podcasts, & books in my 283rd #ScholarSunday thread. Add more below, please share as widely as was the Declaration, & enjoy the intellectual fireworks, all! 🗃️ +

blackwhiteandread.com

#ScholarSunday Thread 283 (7/5/26) – Black and White and Read All Over

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Andy Oler @andyoler.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

We did it! LINGERING INLAND won a Midwest Book Award! Thanks to contributors Olga Herrera and Liz Wilkinson for accepting on behalf of all our contributors!

Two women standing in front of a Midwest Book Awards banner holding the book Lingering Inland, a certificate, and a very large gold medal plaque

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Heather Chacon @wickettred.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Lingering Inland has won a Midwest Book Award for 2026!!! Many thanks to @andyoler.bsky.social for creating the Literary Landscapes series and this book. Lots of great pieces in here by myself and others. Also a great Father’s Day gift for a Midwest Dad. bookshop.org/p/books/ling...

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

What's it actually feel like to live through the decline and fall of mass Higher Education in Britain? Today I've written about this from the inside here... Hope you like it, and hope you find it useful. isrf.org/blog/what-do...

isrf.org

What Does It Feel Like to Live Under the Threat of Redundancy?

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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

This has been something I've been meaning to write for quite some time and the Homer contretemps gave it the opportunity. The thing I most wanted to draw out is that it isn't one fool on Twitter with a helmet, but a radicalization pipeline designed to lead antiquity-curious young men into fascism.

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Professor Claire Jowitt @clairejowitt.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Delighted that with @norfolkmuseums.bsky.social & @benjaminredding.bsky.social we are going to create digitally-enhanced heritage walks in Great Yarmouth on #Gloucesterwreck - BBC News share.google/i5WilySD8F1A... So grateful to @nationallottery.bsky.social for funding the project #norfolk ⚓️🚶‍♀️⚓️🚶‍♂️

share.google

Digitally-enhanced walks to be created of Great Yarmouth wreck

People will be able to experience the town as major 17th Century port and the Gloucester shipwreck.

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Professor Claire Jowitt @clairejowitt.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Congrats to @thomasruyssmith.com & the horsetastic @redwingsuk.bsky.social in winning Partnership of the Year in @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social Innovation & Impact Awards 2026 for their work on the legacies of Anna Sewell on animal welfare & childrens' education 👏👏👏

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Whether you’re most excited for the Super Bowl, the Puppy Bowl, or the Superb Owl, tailgate with my 262nd #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy, team! 🗃️ blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...

blackwhiteandread.com

#ScholarSunday Thread 262 (2/8/26) – Black and White and Read All Over

Whether you’re most excited for the Super Bowl, the Puppy Bowl, or the Superb Owl, start tailgating early with my 262nd #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming b...

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hilaryemmett.bsky.social @hilaryemmett.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Zeke gives our student-edited edition of Hawthorne’s Wonder-Book for All Very Good Boys and Girls 47/10 and recommends that you trot over to Children’s Corner Critical Editions to get a copy for pedagogy or pleasure today! @thomasruyssmith.com @jordanstein.bsky.social @officialbaas.bsky.social

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

I know I said last week’s #ScholarSunday thread was the year’s final one, but y’all did too much good work this week to ignore—so here’s a Christmas bonus, my 256th thread of public scholarly goodness from the past week! Add more below, share widely, & enjoy! 🗃️ blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...

blackwhiteandread.com

#ScholarSunday Thread 256 (12/28/25) – Black and White and Read All Over

I know I said that last week’s #ScholarSunday thread was the final regular one of the year, but y’all did too much good work this week to ignore—so here’s a Christmas bonus, my 256th thread of public ...

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Justin Colson @justincolson.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

Did medieval people buy each other Christmas gifts? New Year's Day was the main gifting day, but little is known about everyday people's present giving. Our project on London's customs records has uncovered a wealth of affordable items imported around this time: gloves and hats to toys and rattles🧵

theconversation.com

Medieval Londoners’ cheaply imported mass-produced Christmas gifts look surprisingly familiar

We often imagine medieval life as dull, dirty and short, with little in the way of material comfort or decoration. However, medieval Londoners were importing toys, treats and trinkets by the boatload ...

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

For @thisistheheff.bsky.social's America: A History Podcast, @thomasruyssmith.com and I talked about how the American Santa came into being and the many lives he has lived since.

podcasts.apple.com

Why is Santa So American?

Podcast Episode · America: A History · 12/16/2025 · 47m

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Here it is, the final regular #ScholarSunday thread of 2025, my 255th thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, please share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️ blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...

blackwhiteandread.com

#ScholarSunday Thread 255 (12/21/25) – Black and White and Read All Over

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Benito Cereno @benitocereno.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

If you’re looking for some gift ideas, please allow me to suggest STARTLING TALES OF SANTA CLAUS. 80 pages, self-contained, no ads, great for new comics readers, good for like ages 13+

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Weird Christmas @weirdxmas.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

I do actually have a podcast that goes beyond the story contest. It's just kinda been dead for a year. But I'm trying to bring it back. ;) Starting with some weird Xmas Baking and Linda Raedisch whose Secret History of Christmas Baking is awesome. weirdchristmas.com/2025/12/14/p...

weirdchristmas.com

Podcast! Weird Christmas Baking with Linda Raedisch

Or listen at the Podbean site. Craig talks with Linda Raedisch about her new (ahem, 2023) book The Secret History of Christmas Baking: Recipes & Stories from Tomb Offerings to Gingerbread Boys.…

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Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 12/12/2025

Home alone with the dog so we’re watching Good Boy.

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Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 07/12/2025

So the best new Christmas film so far this year is… ummm…. the Jonas Brothers Christmas movie. Jingle Bell Heist was pretty charming too.

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Benito Cereno @benitocereno.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Also available on my shop: a new translation by me of 25 Medieval Latin miracles of St Nicholas www.patreon.com/benitocereno...

patreon.com

Buy “Miracles of Saint Nicholas: A New Translation” on Patreon | Benito Cereno

Check out Benito Cereno’s shop on Patreon

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Chris Schweizer @ NCAF & NYCC @schweizercomics.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Five years on, @benitocereno.bsky.social's video lecture series THE MAGIC AND LEGENDS OF OLD CHRISTMAS is still the best and most accessible general survey of Christmas-adjacent holiday traditions and characters from around the world (predominantly central Europe). www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO9E...

youtube.com

Magic and Legends of Old Christmas part 01: Christmas starts earlier than you think

YouTube video by Benito Cereno

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Xmas ghosts are stirring @toffph.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

A pleasant early Christmas book gift left at the door courtesy of @thomasruyssmith.com and it looks great! A small handful of pieces and names I recognize, but I expect the majority to be completely new to me, so should be a fun voyage of discovery.

Book cover of Thomas Ruys Smith's Searching for Santa Claus: An Anthology of the Poems, Stories and Illustrations that Shaped a Global Icon, off white cover background, red and black text, Thomas Nast engraving of Santa Claus pulling back a tapestry or backdrop; his year 1890 changed to 2025. Spine colors in red and green.

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Weird Christmas @weirdxmas.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

I want to point out that @benitocereno.bsky.social HAS A SANTA COMIC COMING OUT FROM IMAGE! It's an 80+ page monster with five stories, all drawn by different wonderful artists. This is not his entire Santa/Christmas mythology... but it's the beginning... imagecomics.com/comics/relea...

imagecomics.com

Startling Tales Of Santa Claus #1

Six seasonal fantasy-adventure stories to drive the cold winter away!

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Benito Cereno @benitocereno.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Siiiiick my hard copy of @thomasruyssmith.com ‘s new book is here! This is imo a must-read must-buy and I can’t believe it took so long for someone to do it

A book:

THOMAS RUYS SMITH

SEARCHING FOR SANTA CLAUS

AN ANTHOLOGY OF THE POEMS, STORIES AND ILLUSTRATIONS THAT SHAPED A GLOBAL ICON

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Here it is, a very special--& especially supersized—250th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Please add more below, share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️ blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...

blackwhiteandread.com

#ScholarSunday Thread 250! (11/16/25) – Black and White and Read All Over

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

🎄🎄 CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY 🎄🎄 My book **Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy** was surprise published yesterday! Here's the book description and Barnes & Noble link if you're interested in gifting it to history and film lovers! www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-ou...

About this book
Christmas is not just a day or a frame of mind as Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) imparts in Miracle on 34th Street (1947); Christmas is also a vehicle for national mythmaking as an idealising mirror for American cultural and political attitudes of a given moment. Via a case study on Hollywood Christmas films released between 1946 and 1961, Selling Out Santa offers an examination of political pressures on Hollywood in the post-war period and the cultural ramifications of federal involvement in the motion picture industry. As the House Committee on Un-American Activities opened hearings in 1947 and the FBI gathered reports on potential communist subversion in Frank Capra’s Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Hollywood executives began to bend to the socially conservative pressures of this post-war moment. Using Christmas films as the core of this investigation to identify and analyse changes within the genre as they relate to and reflect changes in the wider cultural and political moment exposes for film scholars, students, and non-specialists how these federal and external pressures on Hollywood moulded these holiday favourites throughout the 1950s and set the social standard for decades of Christmas releases.

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Christmas Past @christmaspast.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

The Santa Claus we know was shaped by 19th-century poems, stories, and illustrations. In his new book, Searching for Santa Claus, @thomasruyssmith explores these roots. Today, he returns to Christmas Past to trace the literary birth of an icon. #santaclaus #christmashistory #literarychristmas

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Weird Christmas @weirdxmas.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

It's crass, but I'm asking for a small favor. I'm applying for a grant to help possibly turning the flash fiction conthology into an actual, physical book. If I get about 30 more followers on BSKY, I can truthfully say I have at least 1k followers on every big platform. Mind asking your friends? ;)

A pinecone man talks to a baby coming out of an old gramophone. No, it doesn't make more sense when you see it.

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University of East Anglia (UEA) @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Ever wanted to know more about the origins of Santa? Prof @thomasruyssmith.com from our School of Philosophy, Politics and Area Studies explores the literary and artistic origins behind Santa in his new book. Read more: bit.ly/3JRtvUJ #Christmas #SantaClaus #Academia

Book cover of "Searching for Santa Claus" by Thomas Ruys Smith, featuring a vintage illustration of Santa Claus in a workshop setting.

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Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 11/11/2025

Taylor is writing songs about Travis Kelce, Charli is collaborating with John Cale, may we all be this triumphant.

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Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 11/11/2025

Charli working with John Cale, what a riposte to the Swift drama.

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Weird Christmas @weirdxmas.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Got writers or editors in your feed? Please consider reposting my writing contest/anthology (ConThology!!!!) [it's only nominally a contest because I like to make things complicated]. It's strange, seasonal, anti-seasonal, and fun af. weirdchristmas.com/2025/10/30/a...

weirdchristmas.com

Announcing the EIGHTH Annual Weird Christmas Flash Fiction ConThology!

Yes, the (non) contest is alive, and, yes, it’s late. It’s been a rough year, and I’ve lost a lot of the time for REAL work because of all that half-ass work that actually pays. I had to figure out…

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Benito Cereno @benitocereno.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Today is also a good time to tell your comics retailer you would like to reserve a copy of STARTLING TALES OF SANTA CLAUS, because time to pre-order is running out

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Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Podcast @scroogepod.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

This Wednesday, I kick off season 2 with my episode on Mickey's Christmas Carol (including the long history of it, which you may not know about). Join my Patreon for as little as $1/month and get episodes 24 hours early.

patreon.com

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol Podcast | Patreon

A podcast about every TV and film adaptation of A Christmas Caro

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Thomas Ruys Smith @thomasruyssmith.com · 02/11/2025

In next month’s BBC History Magazine 🎅👍

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

And my book, Selling Out Santa, for the history and film lovers looking for the cross over event of the season, explores the tumultuous 1946-1961 post-war, early Cold War period in Hollywood via a case study exploring the political, and cultural changes in the Christmas films of the long 1950s:

degruyterbrill.com

Selling Out Santa

Christmas is not just a day or a frame of mind as Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) imparts in Miracle on 34 th Street (1947); Christmas is also a vehicle for national mythmaking as an idealising mirror for...

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

. @thomasruyssmith.com's Searching for Santa Claus is a sugar plum-filled dream for the academics and Christmas connoisseurs among us as an unmatched, first if its kind anthology tracing the origins and evolutions of the icon:

boilerhouse.press

Searching for Santa Claus by Thomas Ruys Smith | boiler-house-press

"Searching for Santa is both a lovely gift book for serious Santa fans and an important resource for anyone studying the history of American children's literature.”- Linda Raedisch, author of The Old ...

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

For the film lovers on your nice list, @aduralde.bsky.social's Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas is recently revised and updated to include Christmas films from the last 15 years with fun facts, rare films, and merry movie magic in a fun and informative guide to the genre:

bloomsbury.com

Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas

Don't waste a second of your valuable holiday time on another boring Christmas movie. In this merry and informative guide, film critic Alonso Duralde takes us o…

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