Dr Jennie Orr

Great collaborative event happening tonight in #Edinburgh at the Scottish Poetry Library, if you’re in the area

Poetry Jukebox Launch: Fragments of Scotch Poetry To mark the installation of the poetry jukebox we present four poets involved in the Linen Hall Library's Fragments of Scotch Poetry project

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poetry-juk... A significant bridging of Scots & Ulster-Scots poetry, new writing prompted by old. At Scottish Poetry Library Thurs 5 Dec @byleaveswelive.bsky.social I'm proud to be 1 of 10 commissioned poets. @asls.org.uk @poetryireland.bsky.social @booksireland.bsky.social

One of the nicest things about this year’s Linen Hall Library writing competition was the strong field of entries supported by dedicated women’s writing groups. Poetry runner up Dayna Jost (being hugged by me below) is one to watch.

Thirst Trap” by Gráinne O’Hare, “Leonard and Hungry Paul” by Rónán Hession, “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt, “The Life and Times of United Irishmen” by R. R. Madden, “The Wild Irish Girl” by Sydney Owenson

Scottish Literary Studies Book Prize The Scottish Literary Studies Book Prize is awarded biennially to an outstanding work of scholarship in the field of Scottish literary studies. Founded in 2025, the prize is open to book-length wor…

Nominations are open for the newly-founded Scottish Literary Studies Book Prize, administered by the Universities Committee for Scottish Literature and awarded biennially to an outstanding work of scholarship in the field of Scottish literary studies. £300 prize.

ucsl-scotland.com/scottish-lit...

Almost sent an email referring to a 'word count' but without one of the crucial vowels...

Been up half the night with The Child. Poured coffee into my yoghurt and berries. Think I’ve accidentally invented something amazing

The Translator’s Funeral, a new short story by Rónán Hession Part of the New Irish Writing series

The wonderful TV adaptation of Leonard and Hungry Paul has ended. Can I, therefore, advise those suffering from @ronanhession.bsky.social withdrawal symptoms that there is one of his short stories available on t'inter web... www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...

Christmas market at the City Hall looked great but it was very much an in and the our visit to the Linen Hall Library. I failed on my promise to my students of a pic with me and the Mary Ann McCracken statue.

Writing my first essay on psychodynamic approaches and am opening with one of my favourite episodes from Frasier. "I will not let you treat me like this, Lilith ... MARIS!" - great illustration of the Freudian slip. As I discovered in my Oxford finals, not everyone appreciates the pop cult approach.

looks like I’ve missed you by a matter of days

Thank you lovely. I always ask Lou about you when I see her. Bit of journey on the old health front but hopeful there might be some solutions at hand x

Your annual reminder that the most revealing difference between Irish and Scottish Gaelic is definitely in the words for December: Mí na Nollag (Month of Christmas) in Ireland, and An Dubhlachd (the Blackness) in Scotland. So once again may I wish you all a lovely Blackness.

Feels a relief to check off all of the November tasks (albeit on 1 Dec). With a few rather large curve balls coming my way this month, it has been an intense one. My schedule is looking like a GP surgery for the next two weeks but hoping to get ahead with next semester's brand new teaching prep.

Have you got a new book out about Irish America? Regardless of discipline, if it came out in 2025, you can submit it to the ACIS Lawrence McCaffrey Prize for Books on Irish America! You need to fill out the form on this website and the books need to be sent by 1 January!
acisweb.org/mccaffrey-pr...

From my return journey back over the coast. Rock away, rock away
From Cullercoats to Whitley bay.

Ending my brief but lovely trip back home with a gig: the brilliant Ashley Campbell with Thor Jensen and band at the Bangor Courthouse.

Doing the media bit ahead of the Linenhall’s annual Ulster Scots Writing Competition. Me and my homeboy in the corner of the Governor’s room while Prof Hutchinson is waxing lyrical on the quality of this year’s entry

A brief skip over home

5 days to submit! Scribble down those ideas! ✍️

"The humanities really are a resource — a confidence for living in our times.” Dean Sara Guyer on the modern utility of humanities degrees This interview originally appeared on the Division of Arts

"While other universities report that the humanities are shrinking, at Berkeley, the opposite is true. The music major is the fastest-growing major on campus. We are finding bigger classrooms because film is exploding. English is back to the numbers we saw 15 years ago. We are hiring" bit.ly/4ohKuOe

The 'humanities' undergird all learning - all of it. Do we have to call it a 'resource'? It's more important than that.

True nightmare material from Persuasion:

“Every emendation of Anne’s had been on the side of honesty against importance. She wanted more vigorous measures, a more complete reformation, a quicker release from debt, a much higher tone of indifference for every thing but justice and equity.”

Lovely review. I have loved Colin's work for years and was really happy that he gave permission for me to use his 'Carlisle Memorial Church' painting on the cover of my first book.

You just need to submit a proposal for the @bars.bsky.social conference before 30 Nov and write a *short* application note to apply for the bursary.
Of you're a historian, filmmaker, lawyer, architect, consultant, teacher, librarian - or anything else - share your new #romanticism insights with us!

Really excited to be on the judging panel for the 2026 BARS First Book Prize - details of eligibility, nomination, and submission can be found on @bars.bsky.social’s blog: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6174

Do share widely!

So exciting to see this in print - congratulations @claireconnolly.bsky.social

I had forgotten all about that Hale and Pace sketch about the Scottish rap act The Wee Cow’rin Tim’rous Beastie Boys

Call for paper for a special issue on the Brontës and poetry - on their work as poets - on poetry in the novels - on poetic influences and legacies - hoping for creative responses too!

Abstracts due April 26
Articles due December 26

#Romanticism #Victorian #Gothic

Please share!

A Guide to The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend Georgia Poplett’s introduction to the plot, characters and historical background of Sue Townsend’s novel about a young working-class intellectual in 1980s Leicester.

“The working-class comedy novel is a rarer thing still... Working-class domestic humour – i.e., comedy both for and about working-class families – is a knowledge gap in scholarly literature, with such discussion as there is tending to be limited to the anecdotal.”

thebeemagazine.com/a-guide-to-t...