My excellent colleague @katiedd.bsky.social has just published this remarkable investigation into rampant book banning in a Greater Manchester secondary school library.
193 books including The Da Vinci Code, Twilight, White Teeth and 1984 Graphic Novel
www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/scho...
Hello!
It doesn’t cost anything to repost but it helps me spread the word about my small business.
My online shop is full of bold & colourful prints, homewares, T-shirts and cards.
I’m also available for freelance design work and art licensing.
gailmyerscough.co.uk
A blue square with text along the top reading 'Happy World Poetry Day! 21st March 2026'. Beneath the text is a white star with lots of points, surrounded by a circle of yellow dashes. In the middle of this is a photo of a hand holding up a microphone. Along the bottom of the square is text which reads 'Celebrating the power of poetry to transform, connect, and inspire'.
A dark purple square with an extract from a poem in white text. The extract reads: i think just now you must be walking perhaps down chapel turning briefly right perhaps on crown sharpening when the song you love spills generous from a passing car unspools into the night you might be walking now. Beneath the text is an illustration of a series of musical notes. The text at the bottom of the image reads 'from 'Night' by Safia Elhillo, The Poetry Review, Autumn 2018.
A green square with the following poem in black text: 'An empress tree grew in Yukyang, enduring years of frigid shade. Fortunately, it met a master craftsman who cut it for a black harp. When the harp was played, few understood the songs. Finally, the old music wisped away in smoke.' In the bottom right hand corner is a drawing of a harp in a tree. Next to this is text which reads ‘Remnants, Part I’ by Nansŏrhŏn, translated by Ian Haight and T’ae-yong Hŏ, The Poetry Review, Autumn 2017'.
![A read square with white text along the top reading 'from ‘[’You’re still alive. You’re the very bottom...’]’ by Vasyl Stus translated by Alan Zhukovski'. Beneath this is an extract from the poem: Your soul’s about to rush away - a horse who tore his tether. Please tell me: are you still alive? Oh, really? Another flash of fire? The view around has gotten clearer, so much clearer now. You’re dazzled by the light. Beneath this is a simple illustration of a horse leaping, followed by the text 'The Poetry Review, Winter 2022'.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qoei5p7vuielfishfihhccbk/bafkreigebfd5tyqqpqssjidgq725gdu4j2jvuqyr3pbvg6iqqigee3iwiq)
A read square with white text along the top reading 'from ‘[’You’re still alive. You’re the very bottom...’]’ by Vasyl Stus translated by Alan Zhukovski'. Beneath this is an extract from the poem: Your soul’s about to rush away - a horse who tore his tether. Please tell me: are you still alive? Oh, really? Another flash of fire? The view around has gotten clearer, so much clearer now. You’re dazzled by the light. Beneath this is a simple illustration of a horse leaping, followed by the text 'The Poetry Review, Winter 2022'.
Happy World Poetry Day 🌍 To celebrate, we're giving away FREE access to our digital archive of The Poetry Review, so everyone can read some of the finest in modern poetry from round the globe. Until noon (GMT) on Thursday 26th March, you can access the archive at the link in our bio.
A collage of nine images featuring prints, a cushion, a mug, a T-shirt and a phone case.
I know I keep banging on about my designs but it’s not easy being a small business at the moment.
Take a look at my wares and please repost.
gailmyerscough.co.uk
Thanks!
Very convincing call to cancel your ChatGTP subscription if you have one. There are very good reasons, it's painless as there are alternatives, and it may form part of an effective boycott!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
MSM news so boring & joyless - all repeating the same points in a bid to point score & failing miserably when faced with @zackpolanski.bsky.social who remains articulate & doggedly cheerful in response to every dull point they make. Why can't they be curious & explore why Hannah got the votes
“If you’ve lived in Greater Manchester all your life like I have, or you came here yesterday — if you’re part of our community and you’re mucking in, you’re one of us.”
Our candidate for Gorton and Denton, Hannah Spencer, rejects the demonisation of immigrants and calls for politics that unite.
"Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them." Attributed to
Margaret Atwood
Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...
If you are angry, upset, disappointed etc in the way in which migrants are demonised and dehumanised then please support @migrantvoice.bsky.social winter campaign and help them combat the hate and hostililty, by ensuring migrants' voices are heard loud and clear.
www.gofundme.com/f/help-comba...
A presenter at ALDcon25.
Want to get on your LD soap box this year? Do you have research to share or want to facilitate a dialogic discussion about LD? We're looking for 30-60 minute online sessions for ALDinHE's LDat3 programme. Submit your proposal >> https://aldinhe.ac.uk/research/facilitate-a-webinar #LoveLD
Gaining Clarity Mixed media abstract, 12"x12" By Nicole Simmons 2024 Artist statement: "Gaining Clarity is an abstract piece shaped entirely by presence. I worked on it slowly, layer by layer, only after meditating—curious to see how stillness might shift my creative process. The result was softer, less rigid, and more intuitive than my usual pace. This piece is a reflection of what can emerge when we quiet the noise and let clarity rise on its own terms" Attempt to describe: colours include blue, white, black, pink, sand, green, yellow, orange, brown. Blue/white/black shapes, lines, & swirls make me think of moving water & the constantly changing skies - maybe because I live near Morecambe Bay & the Lake District. It feels a very organic painting with yellow, sand, brown, pink shapes around what feels like water to me. But I can imagine that in different light on a different day & in a different headspace it could be something different that I feel, see, imagine. https://ko-fi.com/nicolesimmonsart www.nicolesimmonsart.com Artist statement: "My art is a practice in presence—an invitation to pause and feel what’s often overlooked. Through layered texture and intuitive color, I explore fleeting moments, emotions, and the beauty of the now. Each piece is a reflection of something I chose to notice and honor, a way of expressing life as it is."
Inspired by your Frosty Twilight, I took a punt on Gaining Clarity which drew me in online. So pleased I did - your gorgeous work is now in UK & love the textures, strokes, colours & the back story - thank you!
ChatGPT’s signature writing style is everywhere now, and I hate it. It reminds me of when we tried mixing all the beverages at the soda fountain in middle school. We didn’t actually create the perfect drink, we just made a cloying monstrosity that lost everything good about its constituent parts.
Very excited to announce that tickets are now available for the book launch of my new book on Beatrix Potter. Taking place at the University of Cumbria’s Ambleside campus, 2-4pm on Saturday 10 January, further details and booking link can be found here: www.trybooking.com/uk/events/la...
The Home Secretary says "we have become the destination of choice in Europe, clearly visible to every people smuggler and would-be illegal migrant across the world"
That is a factually untrue claim: the Home Office shows that the UK is fifth, getting 1/10 claims, while Germany gets 1/5 claims
“While the AI industry claims its models can “think,” “reason,” and “learn,” their supposed achievements rest on marketing hype and stolen intellectual labor. In reality, AI erodes academic freedom, weakens critical reading, and subordinates the pursuit of knowledge to corporate interests.”
“We are told that AI is inevitable, that we must adapt or be left behind. But universities are not tech companies. Our role is to foster critical thinking, not to follow industry trends uncritically.”
There are a lot of cowards in elite positions. There is a lot of courage in civil society. People aren't just taking career risks--though the spate of recent resignations and denunciations might rep. that--they're taking physical risks confronting ICE. They're organizing. Suing.
Can’t decide what to buy on Prime Day?
Try: absolutely nothing, and then go support indie bookstores instead 📚
YES! THIS on GenAI!
Please read this absolutely splendid piece of writing that had me cheering, a little bit weepy, and writing in the margins:
"An extraordinary amount of money is spent by the AI industry to ensure that acquiescence is the only plausible response. But marketing is not destiny."
When I was a teenager there was a bus direct from my hometown in Germany to London - we had a British army base, and this direct bus connection was one of the benefits of that. One summer I went on that bus to go volunteer in an old people's home in Southend-on-Sea. I had just turned 18 and was... 🧵
A globe made out of world maps.
Free online event for #ALDinHE members: Supporting our international students by supporting our staff with Amy Coryat, Learning Development Manager (International), UWE Bristol. 30 September 2025 12... aldinhe.ac.uk/product/events/supporting-our-international-students-by-supporting-our-staff #LoveLD
@zoejardiniere.bsky.social
If you need any sources on AI being shitty, I've been collecting and compiling them: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
"EVENTS" written on a notepad on a desk. There is also a tablet, keyboard, plant, pencils, clock, notebook & sticky notes.
We invite you to attend an ALDinHE Events Working Group drop-in session, Thursday 10 July 1-1.30pm, where you will have the opportunity to learn more about the Events Working Group, its purpose, and how you can become invol... aldinhe.ac.uk/product/events/events-wo... #LoveLD
#LoveLD Our co-edited book: Stories of Hope: Reimagining Education is out now - freely available from www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.116... - and dedicated to my wonderful partner Thomas Burns: "In loving memory of Tom Burns who teaches us to dance with hope and joyful practice even now."
Many people I meet don't know the history or meaning of the #neurodiversity movement or #neurodivergent paradigm. It's not a criticism tbh understandable given it's been very, very changed from its intent. So here's a short guide for when you're talking about #inclusion and neurodiversity ⬇️
ALDinHE Summer Fair in July 2025 poster.
Let's not end #ALDcon25 here! The whole of the LD Community are invited to our July Summer Fair - online. Join us for our "Get Involved in ALDinHE" month with taster sessions, events, training, a lunchtime quiz and lots more! https://aldinhe.ac.uk/summer-fair #LoveLD
