Josephine Corcoran

Thank you! Hope all is well with you and yours x

Glad you do! 🤍

Oh! You are kind to say so! I think the blue tack and wriggly edges are well-hidden in these images! x

In black lettering against à yellow background I’ve cut out the words ‘You Are Loved’ and fixed them to a window of my house. Inside my Christmas tree is visible.

I’ve cut out silhouettes of Mary carrying baby Jesus and Josep standing next to her and fixed them to my front door, lit from within. The silhouettes aren’t immediately obvious!

My Advent windows. From certain angles, Mary might be ignoring Joseph and scrolling down her phone - or carrying some rounded pastries in her hands. The good intention is there! #Advent #AdventWindows

That’s an endearing image! You are far more handsome.

As a teacher of undergraduate writing--writing workshops also teach young people how to respectfully give and gracefully receive criticism on work that means something to them, an invaluable skill in any line of work.

ICE Nativity scenes: Churches reimagine Christmas story amid deportations (RNS) — 'We know that Jesus was born into a Roman imperial occupation, and pretty much immediately becomes a refugee in Egypt, has to flee and faces political violence,' the Rev. Michael Woolf said.

In the Nativity scene outside Lake Street Church, Mary and Joseph are wearing gas masks, Jesus is nestled in a reflective blanket with his hands bound with zip ties, and behind the family stands three Roman centurions wearing vests with a very modern label: ICE. religionnews.com/2025/12/05/i...

Israeli attacks kill 3 in Gaza as calls grow for full truce implementation Qatar and Egypt call for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops and deployment of an international military force.

Qatar and Egypt call for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops and deployment of an international military force.

A perfect demonstration of how the arts are crucial to life. @campaignforthearts.org

Posted by Harry Wallop from a letter published in The Times (I reposted with alt text)

Saved by Stoppard Sir, In 1993 my wife and I went to see the first production of Arcadia by Tom Stoppard (obituary, Dec 1), and in the interval I experienced a Damascene conversion. As a clinical scientist I was trying to understand the enigma of the behaviour of breast cancer, the assumption being that it grew in a linear trajectory spitting off metastases on its way. In the first act of Arcadia, Thomasina asks her tutor, Septimus: "If there is an equation for a curve like a bell, there must be an equation for one like a bluebell, and if a bluebell, why not a rose?" With that Stoppard explains chaos theory, which better explains the behaviour of breast cancer. At the point of diagnosis, the cancer must have already scattered cancer cells into the circulation that nest latent in distant organs. The consequence of that hypothesis was the birth of "adjuvant systemic chemotherapy", and rapidly we saw a striking fall of the curve that illustrated patients' survival. Stoppard never learnt how many lives he saved by writing Arcadia. Michael Baum Professor emeritus of surgery; visiting professor of medical humanities, UCL r.

Somehow this got missed off the "Benefit Street" front pages today

Today's 70% fall in net migration to 205,000 was not one of the six stories in BBC ten o'clock news.

Ta massive assymetry in whether rises in immigration and falls in immigration are considered newsworthy by broadcasters

Down by 140k isn't thought to be.

Up by 140k undoubtedly would be.

About Whaleback City Press Whaleback City Press is a new Dundee-based publishing venture from serial collaborators WN Herbert and Andy Jackson. Publications will be irregular (in some cases highly irregular) and will focus m…

The entire chain will be available soon in pamphlet form from #WhalebackCityPress:

whalebackcitypress.co.uk/about-2/

Meanwhile, join us for a Zoom launch on Dec 10th at 7.30. More details to follow, or message myself or @azjackson.bsky.social to place your advance order/express interest.

(3/3)

Poems were posted online every fortnight; poets included Anne-Marie Balzer, Jemma Borg, @janeburn.bsky.social, Tishani Doshi, Steve Ely, @sophieherx.bsky.social, Glyn Maxwell, @helenmort.bsky.social, Emma Must, @calebparkinpoet.bsky.social, Jacob Polley, & @jsaphra.bsky.social

#EcoSonnetChain (2/3)

On Valentine’s Day #LindaFrance began our #EcoSonnetChain for which 14 poets each wrote a sonnet linked by last & 1st lines.

She said, ‘Our chain aims to embody the Amazonian ethic of mutirão – collective action based on the understanding everything is connected to everything else.’

(1/3)

Fundraisers warn of ‘catastrophic’ drop in donations to Gaza since ceasefire ‘The world thinks Palestinians don’t need help any more,’ aid organiser says, despite desperate need as winter nears

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Wow! Jesse Welles performed his song “Join ICE” on the Colbert Show last night. 🏆

Jamal Khashoggi. Say his name.

Remember Jamal Khashoggi.

It’s already started - the BBC allows Newsmax boss to opine about bias, suggest some of the Jan 6 mob were merely innocent tourists visiting Congress, without pushback

How many times has Israel violated the Gaza ceasefire? Here are the numbers Since the ceasefire took effect one month ago, Israeli attacks have killed at least 242 Palestinians and injured 622.

Since the ceasefire took effect one month ago, Israeli attacks have killed at least 242 Palestinians and injured 622.

The Booker Prize 2025 Many awards shortlists make a statement. Whether by accident or design, the clutch of books from which a given work is granted a particular gong are to one extent clear about – or at least re…

I read the Booker Prize shortlist (again). Rum do, this year - but not uninterestingly.

On the bourgeois novel:

Blake Friedmann Open Week is back from 10th to 14th November. 📚🥳 Gain insight into the agenting and publishing world through Q&As, blogs, and giveaways across our social media.

Follow #BFLAOpenWeek for more updates and check out our news story!

blakefriedmann.co.uk/news/bfla-op...

Pope Leo: 'We must commit to preventing addiction' - Vatican News Pope Leo XIV sends a video message to Italy's 7th National Conference on Addictions, and proposes a path to concretely combat the phenomenon of ...

Pope Leo: “The growing use of the internet, computers, and smartphones is associated not only with clear benefits, but also with excessive use, which often results in addictions with negative consequences for health." www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...

🇯🇲 Poets Read for Hurricane Melissa Relief Fundraiser:
November 19th. Organised by @outspokenpress.bsky.social hosted by Leone Ross with an introduction from Akala, such an amazing line up, please show solidarity, donate and share and repost! Thank you!

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poets-read...

I’ve been saying!!

Palestinian children in Gaza City are returning to schools reopened during the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. At least 20,000 Palestinian children have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza.

ICE again prevents Chicago Catholics from bringing Eucharist to immigrant detainees More than 2,000 faithful gathered to pray outside the Broadview ICE Detention Center Nov. 1, but the group's main request — to bring Communion to detainees — was rejected by federal immigration offici...

After repeatedly requesting permission and following all the official guidelines, Catholic bishop, priests, sisters and lay people were refused permission to distribute Communion to migrants in ICE detention center, on All Saints Day. A religious freedom issue: www.ncronline.org/news/ice-aga...

That’s very cute! We’ve run out of sweets and have had to darken our windows! We always provide treats because this neighbourhood was so giving to our own children when they were little.