Julia Laite

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'if you can't be bothered to write it I can't be bothered to read it' also means 'if you can't be bothered to teach it I can't be bothered to learn it'.

I just can't even conceive of how I'd do this. It's just so far away from what I think teaching is.

I read this and thought the same about these named informants. Courage in a world where we are led by cowards.

Brilliant, thanks Robbie! I had the Wark one but didn't have yours, shall read asap.

I'm getting increasingly cynical about land acknowledgements, but if you are going to do it, please make at least a slight effort to pronounce the name of the land you are acknowledging and its people correctly!

ps. I'm collecting critical readings on land acknow/welcomes to country. Do recommend!

don't worry, alterations are free

It's really striking to me that Labour thinks that most people will disregard their basic morality & their fundamental sense of what is right & humane because ultimately they vote with their own narrow self interest in mind. Says a lot about Labour & nothing at all about me (a former Labour voter).

Ah, thank you for knowing about this! How I wish I could still pick my grandparents' brains about this moment. Grandpa (newly enfranchised at age 18) voted to join Canada and said he'd do it over and over, but remained a Newfoundland & never identified in any meaningful way as Canadian.

Why A.I. Isn’t Going to Make Art To create a novel or a painting, an artist makes choices that are fundamentally alien to artificial intelligence.

You might have already seen this but I find it so good to teach with. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

grey and turquoise moccasins, with beading and rabbit fur trim.

Behold my absolutely beautiful moccasins from Labrador, topped with locally-trapped rabbit fur, sewn and beaded by hand by local craftsperson Ivy Acremen. To say I'm in love is an understatement.

they may even take bookings...

Yeah, wouldn't have even suggested it if it wasn't right at the top of mill road, but if you're not on that end of town it will be like herding cats.

Fitzbillies would be an option tho

There's also Fitzbilliies, which has a larger space now. Though I've never been in, it's a classic cambridge spot.

If you are okay with a walk, there are lovely cafes starting from the top of Mill Road (5mins from parkers piece) including The Mill Cafe, a Greek spot with nice coffee and Mediterranean bread/buns/sweets. They've got a big space. I'm not as familiar with central Cambridge because I tend to avoid!

Yup, I deal with the 50s pretty thoroughly in my first book, and Sam Caslin and I did Wolfenden's Women a few years ago. My PhD students are looking beyond the 50s, at the 80s and 90s. But there's not much for the 60s and 70s i don't think.

Because there aren't many (any?) other moments in history when a country has joined another by referendum, there are not many cases where you have the voices of ordinary people reacting to this immense change. It's so fascinating!

A street in Mile End, Montreal, A yellow sign reads 'Jeans Jeans Jeans'

In Montreal I visited one of my favourite stores on earth, Jeans Jeans Jeans. You walk into a giant warehouse & say 'I want some jeans'. They eyeball your size & pull some jeans from the vast racks. I got a pair of what feel like custom-fit Levi's for £40. Why can't all stores be Jeans Jeans Jeans?

Add 'bears swimming in suburban home swimming pools' and you have my content trifecta. This content I just posted must be watched with the sound on, in case that wasn't clear.

YouTube video by P Rob A MOOSE SLIDING ON ICE

In Newfoundland, my people are always in awe of the wonders of nature. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZVh...

With so many thanks to
@storiedselves.bsky.social
and Vicky Hallett for pulling these together. Wish I could be at the launch in St John's next week!

Delighted to be part of this project: essays built around letters written to Newfoundland's first Premier after confederation with Canada in 1949. It's about hope, sovereignty, the welfare state & the voices of ordinary people. This messy history lives in my heart & my brain & I loved exploring it.

I'm definitely Lost It Long Ago Lynx today after waking up at 4 to fly out...

Deeply uncertain weasel

stressed aggressive wolf

Lost it long ago Lynx

Just Done With it All Otter

Which badly taxidermized Labrador animal are you today?

Breath-taking Labrador. Not (adequately) pictured: the sunset like I've never seen in, glowing blue like a glacier; mountains like a pink otherworldly hologram under a snow-grey sky; & the sheer breadth of scale, the tininess of the forest plants and the immenseness of the landscape. What a place.

Breath-taking Labrador. Not (adequately) pictured: the sunset like I've never seen in, glowing blue like a glacier; mountains like a pink otherworldly hologram under a snow-grey sky; & the sheer breadth of scale, the tininess of the forest plants and the immenseness of the landscape. What a place.

Oh Agnes, my heart goes out to you. You are all in my thoughts and I will send every good wish to the universe for you.

A gargantuan polar bear skin is on the floor in the middle of a circle of tables and chairs. He is very big and very sharp and would eat you if he had a body.

On of the most intimidating audiences I've ever spoken to....

Seriously though, thank you to all who came to hear my talk in Labrador. Thank you for listening & for sharing your stories. This place has 0.09 people and a million stories per square kilometre.

Genuinely broke my stereo receiver blasting this the night he died.

There's a smattering of snow here today with hopefully more on the way! Good luck with the drive!

The legend lives on!!

It's strange to think this was only 50 years ago. Growing up, I guess I implicitly assumed the song was about something longer ago. Testament to the way that Lightfoot's music kind of transcends time, like all excellent folk music.