Tanya Izzard

For indexing, I can't decide between the belittling "Can't a computer/AI do that?" or the baffling "Do you have to read the whole book?", as if having to read a whole book was some sort of dire punishment #IndexSky

YouTube video by KateBushMusic Kate Bush - Hounds of Love - Official Music Video

Day 28: Step #LyricsPrompt #LyricsPrompt2025

Kate Bush, Hounds of Love - "And I'll be two steps on the water"

youtu.be/VerK4zwMRQw?...

Oh yes, floats, I usually miss catching at least one long one in a really inconvenient place. The variegated blue works so well in this pattern - I mainly use flatter tones for colourwork but this has opened up many new ideas.

That is gorgeous, Nicola!

YouTube video by Beat-Club The Small Faces - Itchykoo Park (1967)

I couldn't spot this one: Itchycoo Park by the Small Faces. Midge Ure's favourite record.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fayL...

YouTube video by Some Days You're Barbra Sondheim - Sunday In The Park With George - Bernadette Peters singing Sunday In The Park With George

Day 18: Park #LyricsPrompt #LyricsPrompt2025

Bernadette Peters singing Sondheim's 'Sunday in the Park with George'
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nk-...

Becoming an indexer: what makes a good indexer? This is the first of a series of posts discussing how to become an indexer. In this post, Tanya Izzard discusses the attributes of a good indexer. Background Ma

Indexing is a niche but immensely satisfying role: read books, get a stimulating intellectual workout, get paid. In our blog post, indexer @tanyaizzard.bsky.social discusses the backgrounds of indexers and the attributes of good ones: buff.ly/Fe6n014 #WorkInPublishingWeek

It's #WorkInPublishingWeek 2025, so it's a good time to reintroduce ourselves. The Society of Indexers is the professional body for indexers in the UK and Ireland.

YouTube video by MFaithfullVEVO Marianne Faithfull - As Tears Go By (Official Lyric Video)

Day 15: Evening #LyricsPrompt #LyricsPrompt2025

Marianne Faithfull, As Tears Go By
"It is the evening of the day..."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-efI...

I saw this adaptation at the weekend - it's on until Saturday 15th November. Well worth seeing; Ellie Ward has made an excellent job of adapting the Diary into a playful and touching piece, and the performances are excellent.
thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/shows/the-di...

YouTube video by TheFreddyShow The Beatles - Two Of Us (Official Video)

Day 11: Coat #LyricsPrompt #LyricsPrompt2025

The Beatles, Two of Us

"The two of us wearing raincoats, standing solo in the sun..."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Z7...

YouTube video by CowboyJunkiesVEVO Cowboy Junkies - Mining For Gold (Official Audio)

Day 6: Mine #LyricsPrompt #LyricsPrompt2025
Cowboy Junkies, Mining for Gold

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xFg...

The song that stopped my mother complaining that she couldn't hear the lyrics properly, because she could hear all of these.

YouTube video by SqueezeVEVO Squeeze - Up The Junction

Day 5: Maybe #LyricsPrompt #LyricsPrompt2025

Squeeze, 'Up the Junction'

I said, You are a lady
Perhaps, she said, I may be

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQci...

I like embedded indexing, I do a lot of it, and it was a pleasure to write this post demystifying the process for the SI blog.

YouTube video by Mary Coughlan - Topic Nobody

Day 1: Nothing #LyricsPrompt
#LyricsPrompt25

Mary Coughlan, Nobody
"I don't intend to do nothing for nobody no time..."

youtu.be/UFZer__szrU?...

The Womble and The Clanger in the style of The Omen and The Exorcist

🧵I've posted them before, but here's my thread of horror/kids' TV double-bill cinema posters. Happy Halloween...
#halloween #cinema #graphicdesign #poster

For Halloween, here's a creepy E.M. Delafield short story, not available in her collected volumes of stories. A would-be psychic researcher spends a night in a house with a sinister reputation: emdelafield.org/blog-databas...

Recalling what a deeply human process it is to create a truly useful book index — not replicable by any automated or AI system, as it requires a theory of mind, a deep understanding of the audience & their likely needs, preferred search-terms, and points of confusion.

✍️📖💡

#AmEditing #AmIndexing

Cookbook indexing is a special skill. You must be selective - you can't index every mention of salt - but try to anticipate readers' likely search terms, which might be ingredients, methods chapter headings (which is perhaps what happened here) or recipe titles. Lots to chew on for the indexer!

Just booked my tickets for another E.M. Delafield stage production - two in one year, astonishing. A new adaptation of Diary of a Provincial Lady at Bridge House Theatre, Penge, London from 4 to 15 November.
thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/shows/the-di...

Like Alan, I'd totally recommend presenting at @indexers.bsky.social conferences - I've learned so much doing this. Next year's call for sessions will be out before we know it, so it's worth thinking about now...

A speaker takes applause. Photo by Jaime Lopes on Unsplash

For today's SI Coffee Morning 16 indexers met to debrief after last month's #SIConf25. This gave us a chance to hear about those sessions we didn't get to; some will be developed further into articles for @indexer.bsky.social, our members' newsletter SIdelights, and future Coffee Morning sessions.

What I did in September: a conference, a trip to Yorkshire, indexing a book about a Tudor scholar's rough book and more: tanyaizzard.co.uk/2025/10/01/s...

We finished up Day 1 of #SIConf25 with two breakout sessions, one for newer indexers, and one for the more experienced. It's always good to discuss with other indexers how we manage our careers, develop and maintain our skills, and solve problems.

Foggy view of the usually glorious Ouse Valley

Copy of Paul Scraton's A Dream of White Horses

Leaving a foggy Sussex on my way to Birmingham for @indexers.bsky.social's #SIConf25. Reading this beautiful novel which is, appropriately, mostly set on trains.

Gerard Gustavus Ducarel de la Pasture, EMD’s uncle As promised on my post about the de la Pasture family, here’s a separate post about EMD’s uncle, Gerard de la Pasture. Gerard was the second child of Henri Pierre de la Pasture and his wife Ellen Craw...

After a bit of a gap due to indexing duties, a new E.M. Delafield blog post about her uncle, Gerard de la Pasture: emdelafield.org/blog-databas...

Congratulations, it has been so enjoyable to follow this particularly challenging challenge.

Nice! I was once, on the spot, handed a microphone and invited to speak about my experience of indexing the book. Thankfully I managed to find something to say.

Have just done one about Muslim Europe which made me long to visit Granada. Currently it's a Tudor priest and scholar who is giving me less Wanderlust.