For more conscious use -- in certain cases, when trying to get across a picture that emerges from a hundred fragmentary archival traces, or writing about marginalised figures, that's the only option. But I tend to show my workings through sources in footnotes.

More seriously, using literary devices is unavoidable even in non-fiction, since non-fiction history is still a narrative, and writing a narrative -- non-fiction or fiction -- means using structural and rhetorical devices.

Depends on what kind of literary device, I suppose. Are you going full-blown "Once more unto the breach?"

average online discussion tbh

UK-based friends, is anyone here based in or near Norwich who may be willing to snap a quick photo of a memorial stone for me? Please DM me if you can!

Happy birthday. I still remember the then-three-year-old asking, with genuine curiosity on my birthday, whether the Natural History Museum was going to keep my bones with her beloved ichthyosaur "because I was so old".

Emily Stevenson's chapter on her in ERC-TIDE's Lives in Transit volume is brilliant and open access: www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv...

There’s so much to worry about in the world right now, but moments like this — of real care, curiosity, and quiet generosity — remind me how much our academic communities can still offer. It’s a gift to feel part of something where the goal is simply to understand things a little better, together.

I don’t come on here very often anymore, but just wanted to say this: I spent the morning doing something that reminded me why I love this work — thinking through the generous, thoughtful comments on two chapters of the next book from two deeply kind and incredibly smart readers.

WeTransfer TOS says they can use all your uploaded content for genAI

Bye forever, WeTransfer.

WeTransfer just changed their TOS giving themselves permission to train AI on any content you transfer and produce derivative works based on content you transfer that they are allowed to monetize and you are not allowed payment for.

Stop using WeTransfer.

Dr Joanne Paul has a way with words in reminding us why history is important for today. A great read.

Mark, I pop my head around the door after *weeks* and you do this to me? Is nothing sacred any more?

I'm late to this, but glad I saw this today. Very much looking forward to reading it.

Many congratulations!

University crisis demands a complete reboot Dependence on foreign students papers over not just funding problems but a tarnished system that has lost its way

1/3 This Times article exemplifies the way that right wing populist propaganda has established scapegoat lore. It gets repeated enough until it becomes evidence-free common sense. Yes the university funding model doesn’t work & there are systemic problems.
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Femininity, race-making and gender non-conformity in Queen Henrietta Maria’s court performances (1625-42) with Royal Museums Greenwich, Northumbria University and Historic Royal Palaces at Northumbria... PhD Project - Femininity, race-making and gender non-conformity in Queen Henrietta Maria’s court performances (1625-42) with Royal Museums Greenwich, Northumbria University and Historic Royal Pa...

A rather wonderful PhD opportunity with a fantastic supervisor: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
🔥🔥🔥

Portability within REF remains key to fairness Maria Delgado, Nandini Das, and Miles Padgett warn that separating research outputs from the researchers who created them in REF 2029 would undermine the integrity of the whole research environment

Delighted to have written this piece on REF2029 portability, and the risks of decoupling outputs from the researchers, with co-authors @mmdelgado.bsky.social and @milespadgett.bsky.social. wonkhe.com/blogs/portab...

Thank you, Paul. That means a lot to me.

REF2029: concerns about the implications of decoupling | The English Association We support the teaching, learning, and enjoyment of English at all levels of education, from early years to further and higher education and beyond.

REF2029: concerns about the implications of decoupling | The English Association : Please read this important joint letter we have written (on behalf of us, our chair @jennyrichards.bsky.social ) along with @ies-sas.bsky.social & @univeng.bsky.social
englishassociation.ac.uk/ref2029-conc...

We are hiring at St John's! We have an opening for an Early Career Librarian post, 3 year fixed term, salary £27,786, and as part of the role the College will pay the successful candidate's fees and give them day release to undertake a Masters' degree in Librarianship. www.joh.cam.ac.uk/vacancies

Anyone here planning to submit an article to Renaissance Studies ( @srsrensoc.bsky.social ) any time soon? Please get in touch if so!
(Wiley have just switched the journal to their new submission system, and I need an author's perspective)

Congratulations, Hester. I cannot wait to read it!

Harry! Many congratulations, but lucky them. You will be so, so missed over here.

Super important analysis. Tl:dr — frontline academics and PS staff that directly support the work of frontline academics are universities’ productive units.

Cut those and the university dies. In a crisis good businesses don’t cut their productive units.

And yet here we are.

This, exactly!

Fantastic conference with a superb keynote!

I'd very much like to hear your thoughts on it!

I'm coming to this very late, but I love the fact that a bunch of us saw this and immediately thought of sending it to Lorna!

The house was rented by Alderman William Halliday and wife Susanna. I spent *so long* being unnecessarily fascinated by the garden-share when writing #CourtingIndia! Thomas and Eleanor Roe were put up there on rtn from India (Susanna was Roe's cousin), and they had the same access to the garden.