As it's Chesterton's birthday I'd be remiss not to re-up this blog post. One thing I've tried to convey in all my work on Father Brown is how sophisticated, searching, and strange it is: the reverse of cosy. The same applies with the demonic bestiary he assembles here to convulse an Oxford college.

Is there anything better to read, when you’re poorly, than p g Wodehouse?

Crikey tana French is such a good writer, isn’t she?

Despite everything going on, I may have funds to hire a postdoc this year 😬🤞🧑‍🔬 Open to a wide variety of possible projects in social and cognitive neuroscience. Get in touch if you are interested! Reposts appreciated.

Would appreciate a signal boost (and please consider yourselves!) 14th May deadline @profsimonjjames.bsky.social @markbould.bsky.social @drspider666.bsky.social @ddubdrahcir.bsky.social @emmas.bsky.social @noreenmasud.bsky.social @earlymodlancs.bsky.social @the-polyphony.bsky.social

The call for MSCA postdoc fellowships is out and the deadline is 10th September.

More generally, people should apply!

More specifically, if you'd like to come work in York with me I'm happy to support applications from awesome people 🙂

Arts, Culture and Heritage: Recent Trends in UK Workforce and Engagement in England - Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre A State of the Nations research report into arts and culture engagement in England and the arts and culture workforce.

New Research! @creativepec.bsky.social state of the nation on "Arts, Culture and Heritage: Recent Trends in UK Workforce and Engagement in England" pec.ac.uk/state_of_the... (will do a summary 🧵 later this week)

Or to put it another way, overseas students now subsidise the cost of teaching each UK undergraduate by an average of £2,500 each. Take them away and you've got an absolutely existential crisis for universities.

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/pol...

The Bee includes this thebeemagazine.com/publishings-... by me! Asking what’s changed since the landmark publication of @kitdewaal.com’s Common People & highlighting some new @creativepec.bsky.social research too

Killing off the university sector once and for all for a politcal battleground which Labour will never win… instead of reclassifying the immigration statistics as we always should have to reflect the fact the vast majority of foreign students leave the UK.

Stupid. Unserious. Utterly self-defeating.

This is brilliant

Sorry to hear this James

All welcome! I’ll be presenting some amazing new data with a focus on local authority level insights!

I've long said that my ideal birth plan is to turn up to to hospital with "one of every drug then open me up like a pinata" written in permanent marker across my face

I will take a look!!

Amazing!!

opening sentence of a piece in student newspaper where I work: 'Have you heard of the band Prefab Sprout? If you haven’t, you probably weren’t raised by cool parents who grew up in the 80s'

box is set - I'm looking forward to this - thank you for the recommendation

Wow! @talkingpicturestv.bsky.social is screening this Turn of the Screw prequel, the only film to star Marlon Brando and Thora Hird + Stephanie Beacham.
Alas, it’s “directed” by Michael Winner “with its over-insistent use of the zoom” and “its unerring eye for the wrong camera set-up.”
Unmissable.

Wow Durham 264/1

Victorianist here, mate. Lots of words = lots of happy

I am thrilled for you and jealous on my own part!

Really enjoyed this- you did the novel justice!

Yes . It’s great stand up, but it’s notion of ‘creativity’ no longer holds up as well

University of Glasgow and pink blossom

2 new posts in English Literature in our School of Critical Studies @uofglasgow.bsky.social:

* Lecturer in Early Modern English Literature
www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/lecturer...

*Lecturer in Postcolonial or Indigenous Literature
www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/lecturer...

#AcademicSky

Very pleased to discover, 35 years after the event, that there is a second Frasier Chorus album

My honour and pleasure to lead on this important review of children’s creativity. Please read and share!!

Job description for job at TCD

My lovely dept, The School of English at Trinity College Dublin, is hiring! We are looking for a postcolonial scholar who can also teach American literature. We’re a lovely bunch, I promise. Please spread the word!

Also lols caused by Celia on mine today as well!!