Julie Sanders

Jules Verne’s dystopia was a world without humanities. Do... When arts education is dismissed as a waste of time it damages us as a society. The focus of learning is not just to enrich our economy but also to enrich our souls

Thanks to @theobserveruk.bsky.social for their coverage of The 2026 National Humanities Lecture, delivered earlier this week at Senate House by Elif Shafak.

The piece highlights the vital role humanities play in our education and culture.

📰 Read more here: observer.co.uk/news/columni...

“Our Man in Moscow” is so worth watching. A complicated love story with a complicated country and a tale of fiercely committed and endlessly compassionate journalism
… and, dare I say it, a wonderful example of the power of studying modern languages.

Seems to be streaming on Prime. I ended up just paying for the 10 part series as a one off through Apple as it has been on my to do list for way too long!

Great to hear about that, Kris.

a woman in a red dress is walking through a field with trees in the background ALT: a woman in a red dress is walking through a field with trees in the background

With strong Shakespearean threads, Station Eleven haunted me as a novel during the pandemic. Have now finally caught up with the remarkable tv adaptation.
What survives of us, what’s worth preserving .. care, theatre, music, love, togetherness …
just need to find words to write about this now.

She is a wonder and I am so glad we get to bask in the company of her words from time to time.

Ali Smith: ‘Henry James had me running down the garden path shouting out loud’ The Scottish author on a masterclass from Toni Morrison, the brilliance of Simone de Beauvoir and the trim novel by Tove Jansson containing everything that really matters

Terrific. Radiant. Humble. 🕷️🕸️Https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jan/23/ali-smith-henry-james-had-me-running-down-the-garden-path-shouting-out-loud?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Some great observations from Sasha Roseneil our co chair of Research Plus in this piece. I am proud of the collaborative instincts that underpin the aspirations and objectives of the RPlus grouping.

Vivid red sunset over a silhouetted building with many towers and turrets

Quite the skies this evening

short eared owl sitting with ear tufts up on slope with scrubby long grass

short eared owl in flight over scrubby grassland with people walking in front of chain link fence and building in the background

short eared owl on grassy slope looking sideways.

On the fourth day of Christmas the winds may bring to you a migrant #ShortEaredOwl - just the time they may be arriving on our coasts after their long journey. Here's a little tale about two we saw around new year this year. #Owls #TheCompanyOfOwls #TweetOfTheDay www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

A Woman Holding a Lily-of-the-Valley and a Pansy attributed to Marx Reichlich, 1464–1538.

(The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London) You can never go wrong with lilies.

Theatre ❤️

Faith Evans obituary Talented editor and literary agent who was a co-founder of Women in Publishing

Just the loveliest person … will be much missed. My thoughts with John xxx

Pinocchio review – full-tilt family musical swaps Collodi’s darkness for heartwarming lessons and humour Meticulous direction and an excellent cast bring to life the story of Geppetto and the puppet he crafts from wood

www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/d...

A Christmas tree made of knitted squares with knitted and crocheted decorations

Behold! The famous Orkney Library & Archive knitted #Christmas tree begins another season of festive cheer in the library! 🎄🧶❤️

"Years and years ago, there was a production of The Tempest, out of doors, at an Oxford college on a lawn, which was the stage, and the lawn went back towards the lake in the grounds of the college, and the play began in natural light. But as it developed, and as it became time for Ariel to say his farewell to the world of The Tempest, the evening had started to close in and there was some artificial lighting coming on. And as Ariel uttered his last speech, he turned and he ran across the grass, and he got to the edge of the lake and he just kept running across the top of the water — the producer having thoughtfully provided a kind of walkway an inch beneath the water. And you could see and you could hear the plish, plash as he ran away from you across the top of the lake, until the gloom enveloped him and he disappeared from your view. And as he did so, from the further shore, a firework rocket was ignited, and it went whoosh into the air, and high up there it burst into lots of sparks, and all the sparks went out, and he had gone. "When you look up the stage directions, it says, 'Exit Ariel.”

A story Stoppard told several times, in several places:

Sunrise can be seen through bare winter trees. There is an orange glow and a trace of frost on the grass and balustrades that frame the scene

One advantage of a very early UUK meeting this morning ahead of our Council strategy away day is catching the sunrise through the trees on campus @royalholloway.bsky.social

Monet Houses of Parliament at sunset

"In London #November isn't a month, it's a state of mind."
Antal Szerb, Journey by Moonlight

founders building at Royal Holloway university in silhouette against a night sky. The lights of the chapel can be seen through the huge arched windows and the clock tower gleams out

A lilac tinged long view of the empty chapel just before guests arrive. The dramatic black and white floor stretches towards the decorated end of the chapel. Wooden row seating can be seen on either side

The choir sings in the chapel beneath an image of St Cecilia . a conductor is directing them dressed in black and on a raised step

It was quite something 🎶🕯️

And looking forward very much to our St Cecilia concert @royalholloway.bsky.social this evening …🎶

Happy #MobileLibrariesDay! 📚

An annual celebration of all the intrepid Mobile Library drivers who head out across the urban, rural and island communities of Scotland every week, delivering books, knowledge and entertainment. 📚

#BookWeekScotland #LoveLibraries

Cover of Textile Shakespeare by Hester Lees Jeffries showing a sample of material in close up. The colours are cream and grey predominantly

When a book you have been longing to read arrives and when it is by one of the loveliest people you get the privilege to know @starcrossed2018.bsky.social ❤️📚🪡

A large gothic church - image taken from high up looking down at an exhibition. There are temporary walls displayed throughout featuring text art and table covered in books

Woman stood in front of an exhibition area where Susie Campbell’s wound is positioned - framed images of torn fabrics are on the wall and a

Concertina books on a mirror table reflecting the ceiling of a church

Welcome to ‘The Living Library’: a pop-up exhibition of material ecopoetry curated by @royalholloway.bsky.social and the Landmark Arts Centre 🍃🪾🍁🐝🦇

This event forms part of Being Human Festival - the national festival of the humanities 🧡

Image shows a knitted post box topper decorated with white and red poppies and the message “We Will Remember Them”

On my way back from the Englefield Green Remembrance Sunday events … #LestWeForget 🕊️

An old monochrome picture postcard showing a photograph of a magnificently ornate biding, looking like a French chateau. Printed under the photo is "The Royal Holloway College, Egham". Handwritten in pencil is "Passed the College as we walked to Virginia Water. Is not it a fine building? Does it come up to the B F Library?"

Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of @royalholloway.bsky.social

Founded in 1879 by Thomas Holloway, who had made his fortune selling patent medicines, it was one of @londonu.bsky.social's colleges for women

If you like this image, please retweet it - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm

How fabulous …. Can’t wait to read, huge congratulations ❤️

A drawing of a bat looking into a hood on a pole.

Happy Halloween from the Wren Library, our Halloween Bat is courageously looking into this spooky hood.
mss-cat.trin.cam.ac.uk/Manuscript/B...
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Have a complete love of gingerbread I must confess so definitely recommend ….

Happy Halloween 🎃

Cover image of Patrick Cheney Placing Elysiam in Renaissance Britain book published by Oxford university Press

The full Early Modern Literary Geographies series on display on a wooden bookshelf. The livery is white with different colours at the base identifying the different volumes …

Latest lovely volume by Patrick Cheney is now out in the Early Modern Literary Geographies series with Oxford University Press that I am very proud to co edit with Garrett A Sullivan Jr …