I'll be at the 2026 Classical Association Conference in Manchester on Saturday 11 April to talk about Classics at Liverpool with @benjcartlidge.bsky.social and @elainam42.bsky.social. Looking forward to it!
Programme Conference: classicalassociation.org/wp-content/u...
youtu.be/e3Vw-erxc7I?...
Brilliant news, many congratulations Joe! π
Very happy to announce that The Classical Quarterly has appointed Dr Thomas Biggs (Lecturer in Latin at the University of St Andrews) as a new editor. Dr Biggs joins Patrick Finglass, Costas Panayotakis and myself as co-editor of CQ. Official announcement here:
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Registration for @hellenicsociety.bsky.social and Roman Societies' next online course, with Professor Bruce Gibson, The Idea of Decline: Make Rome Great Again? is now open here:
www.hellenicandromanlibrary.org/Events/Event...
Wednesday 14, 21, 28 January, 4, 11 February, 6-7.30pm (UK time)
The horrors persist but so do I, but also could the horrors like. slow down perhaps
Had a thoroughly lovely time chatting all things Cicero, trauma, and civil war! Thanks very much for having me ππ»
The very best view π
Spent the weekend in the office to finish A Thing after a week with very little sleep. Now very tired, but also rather more excited about research than I had expected to be. Interesting π€
On 30 October will be welcoming Dr Elaine Sanderson @elainam42.bsky.social (Liverpool) for a research seminar on 'Re-Making Memories: Reading Trauma and Recovery in Ciceroβs Civil War Letters', 17:15-18:30 UK time.
The talk will be hybrid (details in the thread). All very welcome to attend!
Very tired, so much to do, please send coffee... π¬
Oh for gods sake, we're asking about strikes again, at expense of the members, at a time when we really need to focus on so many other things. I suppose when you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. The perpetual, tedious cries for a strike really don't help at all
Just magic to round off a day of writing playing chukkas with Bish again π It's been a long year of injuries and setbacks, but we made it just in time for the end of the season!
'Fewer graduates regret going to university than is widely assumed and the public have a more favourable view of universities than people imagine, according to new research.' 1/3
We did a little thing! So proud of Bishy π
π
This is very bad. Although entirely predictable. Once more the humanities are being cut back to prop up STEM and, increasingly, AI investment (including at the expense of bench science). In the past, cuts to humanities were promoted on two separate logic streams that do not hold true: /1
Back behind the best ears π
You did and itβs ok. Good morning! π©·
Bye Coimbra ππ»
Thank you Sanne, Edward, and Pablo for organising a splendid panel, and to all fellow panelists for such engaging and inspiring discussions on a range of Greco-Roman historical narratives!
#CCC25
How do you ensure a nation fails to cope with drought? Privatise its water system.
Almost everyone wants our water renationalised. Almost everyone, that is, except the government.
This week's column.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Now in sunny Coimbra to think about textual engagement and reader experience in Greco-Riman historical narratives! βΊοΈ
#CCC2025
Conference de-brief with Bishy after a lovely few days back up at @staclassics.bsky.social for #CA2025 π
Decades of mechanistic talk about university degrees as if they were bundles of 'skills' and 'prep' are about to be proved completely wrong (obviously). Want to get a real boost? Do History or English.
Looking forward to discussing fun things on silence in Latin lit tomorrow morning with @nicolettabruno1288.bsky.social, @helenlovatt.bsky.social, and @lemonamarshall.bsky.social!
#CA2025
Emotions of Crisis workshop now underway at @livancworlds.bsky.social! Prof. Douglas Cairns of @edinclassics.bsky.social kicking off the day with the keynote: 'Between Anarchy and Despotism: Fear, Anxiety, and Their Antidotes in Greek Thought'
#EmotionsOfCrisis
Posing for the camera > looking where you're meant to be going π
"I asked ChatGPT" "I asked Grok" ok well I asked Gandalf and he said he has not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm
Delightful day of research things. Such a joy to have time to think π
Off to Warwick to talk about some nice(ish) things in Lucan!
Thanks for the invitation @joewatstein.bsky.social π
Men are extremely keen to explain to me that Britain *needs* a domestic steel production plant and doesn't necessarily *need* universities. Okay. Steel contributed about Β£1.7bn to the UK economy in 2024. Universities contributed more than Β£200bn.