It’s been an absolute pleasure being Chair of @univeng.bsky.social, working with great people to champion & support the discipline, including @ies-sas.bsky.social & @englishassociation.bsky.social Thanks to the Committee. Good luck to the new Chair Kate Walchester. You’ll be great. #EnglishCreates
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Today, Dr Joseph Owen (Southampton) recounts a project on housing, heritage & identity: 'Heritage risks being reductively conceived if it encompasses only the built environment... It is here that poetry’s relevance becomes apparent.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/poetic-socia...
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Today's blog comes from Dr Aisha Jahan, a writer and lecturer in Creative Writing at Cardiff University.
'I am so honoured to be a part of these young writers’ journeys.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/wales-nation...
#EnglishStudies
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Our series on 'Communities' continues with an insightful post by Isaac Fraveshi – PhD student, poet, and artist at the Southampton Institute for Arts and Humanities.
'Sticking together: collage as a community listening praxis': universityenglish.ac.uk/sticking-tog...
As @carolinelucas.bsky.social recently wrote for @univeng.bsky.social #EnglishCreates, “political failure can be seen as […] a failure to imagine that a better world is possible.” I agree re the present govt but don’t think we can let the way things are today limit our horizons of possibility.
#EnglishCreates: Futures
'What can poetry offer to policy makers?'
Today, Prof Nicky Marsh (University of Southampton) - the curator of this month's series on 'Communities' - asks how literary practice can help us to think about the 'pride in place' agenda: universityenglish.ac.uk/how-does-lit...
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Today, Prof Stephanie Jones (Uni of Southampton) reflects on the process of shaping an interdisciplinary, cross-sector community:
'Shared language is powerful, possible and necessary for inclusive action.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/subtle-and-s...
#EnglishStudies
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Today, Prof Will May (Uni of Southampton) reflects on the stories that poets tell about the people who make them poets:
'Understanding that poetry is a plural, collaborative process is also a way of reaffirming its inclusivity.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/practicality...
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Today, Prof Nicky Marsh (University of Southampton) introduces this month's theme, 'Communities':
'It is not just that literary culture is sustained by communities... but that communities themselves are sustained by literature'
universityenglish.ac.uk/1-literature...
Some fascinating posts on the #EnglishCreates website, hosted by @univeng.bsky.social that will be of interest to A Level Literature students + their teachers universityenglish.ac.uk/englishcreat...
#EnglishCreates: Futures
To round off our series on 'Critical Reading', Prof Ben Davies (University of Southern Denmark) takes a fascinating look at some of the books that have shaped his research into reading and readers:
universityenglish.ac.uk/a-reading-li...
#EnglishStudies
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Today, Dr JT Welsch (University of York) re-examines the so-called 'death of reading':
'Like most clickbait, these rants rest on a false opposition. There’s no real war between print and digital media.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/death-of-rea...
#EnglishStudies
Wonderful post by @gailmarshall.bsky.social on books, reading, connection, and lifetimes of reading. @ies-sas.bsky.social @englishassociation.bsky.social @engmediacentre.bsky.social @rsliterature.bsky.social @barbarableiman.bsky.social #EnglishCreates
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Today, Prof Gail Marshall (University of Reading) reflects on a treasured first edition of Middlemarch:
'Books connect us to each other... but they also grow with us, and connect us to different versions of ourselves'
Full post: universityenglish.ac.uk/reading-matt...
Important post on the importance of reading by @jenniferacooke.bsky.social #EnglishCreates @ies-sas.bsky.social @englishassociation.bsky.social @engmediacentre.bsky.social @lboroenglish.bsky.social @rsliterature.bsky.social @literacy-trust.bsky.social
#EnglishCreates: Futures
How can reading transform our lives?
Today, Dr Rebecca Fisher (CEO, The English Association) reflects on the two books did just that for her:
'What happened felt like a miracle... The lights had come back on.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/two-books-ch...
#EnglishStudies
@carolinelucas.bsky.social 💚
@greenparty.org.uk
#imagination #greenerworld #EnglishCreates #Literature ( + in Manchester tomorrow ! for @mcrgreenparty.bsky.social #HannahSpencer 💚 #Gorton&Denton #bielection)
Yes! #EnglishCreates @bobeaglestone.bsky.social 👏🏽
@englishassociation.bsky.social
On #Reading ⬇️⬇️
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Today, Prof Jennifer Cooke (Loughborough University) discusses the profound value of reading in the age of social media:
'Just as smart phones and social media sites train us in one way, proper reading trains us in another...'
universityenglish.ac.uk/really-readi...
The next instalment of #EnglishCreates is all about reading, beginning with @bobeaglestone.bsky.social @ies-sas.bsky.social @engmediacentre.bsky.social @englishassociation.bsky.social @rsliterature.bsky.social @literacy-trust.bsky.social @rbtownsend.bsky.social @barbarableiman.bsky.social
#EnglishCreates: Futures
We kick off our series on Critical Reading with Prof Robert Eaglestone (Royal Holloway): 'in the increasingly scientised discourse which has so effectively helped to teach decoding, the fundamental holism of reading can get lost.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/reading-is-a...
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Next up, we'll be sharing some reflections on the value of reading as a practice - watch this space!
#YearofReading
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Thank you to Prof Ralph Pite and his team of collaborators for providing us with such wonderful content across the month. The posts make for an invaluable resource for teachers, students, and readers, and can be found here: universityenglish.ac.uk/englishcreat...
#EnglishCreates: Futures
Our month on 'Environments' concludes with a post from our curator, Prof Ralph Pite (Uni of Bristol), offering recommendations for readings and resources for lecturers, teachers, and general readers alike: universityenglish.ac.uk/what-next-wh...
#EnglishStudies
Another great instalment of #EnglishCreates from @univeng.bsky.social in the National Year of Reading. @ies-sas.bsky.social @englishassociation.bsky.social @anthonycockrell.bsky.social @barbarableiman.bsky.social @royalhistsoc.org @engmediacentre.bsky.social
#EnglishCreates: Futures
We are thrilled to share today's blog by Caroline Lucas, Britain’s first Green MP:
'Literature is the way we exercise the muscle of the imagination... And unless we can imagine a greener, fairer world, we’ll struggle to achieve it.'
universityenglish.ac.uk/englishcreat...
The Sound of Nature - from Francesca Mackenney and Jamie Castell - on the University English blog #EnglishCreates
universityenglish.ac.uk/englishcreat...
#EnglishCreates: Futures 2026
University English’s #EnglishCreates campaign highlights the value of English Studies across English Language, Literature, and Creative Writing, and aligns with the National Year of Reading 2026.
universityenglish.ac.uk/englishcreat...
@englishassociation.bsky.social @ies-sas.bsky.social @rsliterature.bsky.social @engmediacentre.bsky.social #EnglishCreates
