Anytime I visit my mum, my dog lies down on the fireplace like he’s just been assassinated on the steps of the Capitol. Et tu, Brute?
Pete Orford
@peteorford.bsky.social
English Lecturer and Course Director of the MA in Charles Dickens Studies. 'The Life of the Author: Charles Dickens' available to buy at https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-life-of-the-author-charles-dickens/pete-orford/9781119697459
Reupping this as we hit the last two weeks before the cfp deadline. Dickens Day is an inclusive conference aimed at academic and enthusiast alike: we welcome proposals from postgraduates, professors and independent researchers on “Dickens and family”. Further details at www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
Pete Orford@peteorford.bsky.social · 4mo agoThe CFP for Dickens Day 2026 is live! We warmly invite proposals linked to this year’s theme of “Dickens and family” (both in his life and work). The deadline is 15 June, and the day itsef will be on Saturday 10 October at Senate House, London. All are welcome! www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
“Experts say it’s identical to the first edition gifted to Jennifer Lopez”
Noah Genda@bugfajita.bsky.social · 4mo ago“Inside one of the mummies, the team discovered a rare papyrus containing a passage from Book II of the Iliad by Homer. The text includes part of the “Catalogue of Ships,” which lists Greek forces involved in the campaign against Troy.” greekreporter.com/2026/04/19/h...
The CFP for Dickens Day 2026 is live! We warmly invite proposals linked to this year’s theme of “Dickens and family” (both in his life and work). The deadline is 15 June, and the day itsef will be on Saturday 10 October at Senate House, London. All are welcome! www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
Dickens Day 2026 - ‘Dickens and Family’
sas.ac.uk
OpenAI: We’re burning money like the Joker. A miracle needs to happen for us to turn a profit Microsoft: Please please use our AI systems, we’re teetering on the edge here Anthropic: I wonder what’ll kill us first: lawsuits, regulations or model collapse Media and universities: AI is here to stay
A slide of imperative verbs (addressed to himself? Or to the narrative?) gleaned from Dickens’s memoranda and notes as part of www.dickensnotes.com project and a session with the manuscripts themselves in the V&A National Art Library. Thanks to Anna Gibson and Adam Grener for a great workshop!
What a wonderful day at the V&A / National Art Library talking about Dickens's Compostional Process and ways of engaging wide audiences with his material archive. @dickensnotes.bsky.social is on Bluesky now too 😀
Cathy Waters@catherinefaver.bsky.social · 5mo agoA slide of imperative verbs (addressed to himself? Or to the narrative?) gleaned from Dickens’s memoranda and notes as part of www.dickensnotes.com project and a session with the manuscripts themselves in the V&A National Art Library. Thanks to Anna Gibson and Adam Grener for a great workshop!
Lovely evening at @peteorford.bsky.social’s talk on Dickens and his plays at Warwick. Really great to learn things about Dickens I never knew. Alas, no Snoops selfie as we were too busy chatting with pals in the English dept. Then Snoops and I went to the pub to catch up more with them.
Tonight I’m off to @warwickuni.bsky.social to talk about Mr Nightingale’s Diary, Dickens’s 1851 farce which he co-authored and starred in alongside Mark Lemon, editor of Punch magazine. The result was two bravura performances with ad libbing and numerous costume changes.
This is why in higher education you should not let your curriculum be driven by 'demand.' You need give students the precious opportunity to discover the things they don't already know they will be excited about.
Rohan Maitzen@rohanmaitzen.bsky.social · 5mo agoI met with a student today who said Great Expectations had completely changed their mind about 'old books' which they had always assumed would be unexciting. "It wasn't boring at all!" I love that - and also that is one of the reasons 'survey' courses are great.
🎙️ Life & Language explores how language shapes the way we see the world. Hosted by Prof. @michamahlberg.bsky.social. Now in its 5th season with 28 episodes and brilliant guests across disciplines. Curious about how words shape life? 🎧 Join the conversation.
I think the greatest gift college professors in the humanities can give to students right now is a seminar room where, for 80 minutes twice a week, nothing that happens to them is a sales pitch for an AI product.
You’d think that teaching and writing about books wouldn’t be that high risk a profession… and yet!!
Dr Blair Williams@blairwilliams26.bsky.social · 6mo agoAustralian Census on University Staff Wellbeing results are out. Every uni recorded scores indicating high/very high psych risk. And in news surprising no one, "only senior execs and deans rated their workplaces as medium or low risk while all other staff groups reported high-risk conditions."
Today I discovered that my edition of "Pictures from Italy" for @academic.oup.com has been reviewed - very positively I might add - in @thetls.bsky.social . You can be damn sure that "engrossingly readable" will be making a prominent appearance in my next performance review...
PhD students in the UK with a Victorianist bent will want to take particular note of the placement titled "Illustrated Newspapers: Beyond the Illustrated London News": cdn.sanity.io/files/v5dwki... @rs4vp.org #Victorian
cdn.sanity.io
British Library@britishlibrary.bsky.social · 6mo agoApply for our PhD placement scheme to get involved in extraordinary research at the Library. There are eight available placements exploring a variety of themes including war poetry, 21st-century digital tools, illustrated newspapers and decarbonisation. Find out more: link.bl.uk/PhDPlacements
Best novelist in PMG's 1885 '10 Greatest Living Englishmen' poll throws up more surprises, for a paper of the London clubland. Wilkie Collins on top (346), only just ahead of William Black, & Walter Besant. Hardy a distant 9th (a mere 20 votes), Meredith (9). 5 in desperation for the dead Trollope.
This Saturday, join us for a wonderful free online conference celebrating Dickens's birthday: www.dickenssociety.org/the-cricket/...
Novel Beginnings: Charles Dickens Birthday Virtual Conference — The Dickens Society
Following the success of the virtual memorial conference, ‘Dickens and Death’, the Dickens Society is pleased to announce another virtual conference; ‘Novel Beginnings; Charles Dickens Birthday Virtua...
dickenssociety.org
The early twentieth century is about the last time a professional illustrator might not have a dinosaur reference at hand and instead relied on the author's similes. Thus this Megalosaurus/Allosaurus in the Je Sais Tout serial of The Lost World. Conan Doyle says the dinosaur resembled a toad.
My latest paper with Hugo Bowles and Claire Wood examines a Dickens mystery: did he author the recently decoded story “The Two Brothers”? The answer is complicated. The paper showcases our new method, LambdaG (forthcoming!).
Investigating a Dickens mystery
My latest paper with Hugo Bowles and Claire Wood examines a Dickens mystery: did he author the recently decoded story “The Two Brothers”? The answer is complicated. The paper showcases our new method, LambdaG (forthcoming!). The paper can be found here or the free accepted version is here.
andreanini.com
Calling all the PhDs I know to make monumental annoyances of themselves (and honestly, who better)
Unusual Whales@unusualwhales.bsky.social · 7mo agoJensen Huang of Nvidia, $NVDA, has said relentless negativity around AI is hurting society and has done a lot of damage, per Techspot.
In any other context, requiring a high-productivity sector to offshore the production of its highest value-added exports would be seen as the economic illiteracy it so obviously is... www.ft.com/content/a23c...
UK drops target for international student recruitment
Government to encourage education providers to open campuses overseas as it focuses on reducing migration
ft.com
"Bibliophiles will be able to read in libraries at Wightwick Manor, Powis Castle, mid Wales, and Kingston Lacy, Dorset." #books #reading #heritage #library www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
‘We want people to sit, pause, relax’: National Trust to open its libraries for public use
Charity plans to make stately homes more welcoming by inviting visitors to use furniture and reading rooms
theguardian.com
'With the Ucas application deadline around the corner on Wednesday 14 January, thousands more will be considering whether doing the same might be worth it for them, too. More than 700,000 "commuter students" are at universities across the UK.' 1/2
My three-hour university commute is worth the £7,000 saving on halls
Over a third of students choose not to live at university, latest figures suggest - but is it worth it?
bbc.co.uk
Dickens's works have a long history of being presented in a myriad of forms: serialised instalments, novels, weekly journals, plays, cigarette cards, radio dramas, films, television, computer games... ...and hot dog stands?!?
William Gibson@greatdismal.bsky.social · 7mo agoDon’t know who credit image to, but
'Despite persistent myths, employment rates for humanities graduates are comparable to those of STEM graduates, as Humanities Indicators data shows. Early earnings differ but the salary gap narrows significantly mid-career, particularly for graduates who pursue further study'. 1/2
How universities can cultivate arts and humanities in practical, affordable ways
Are the arts and humanities still needed as universities retrench staff and cut costs? Patty Raun explains why curtailing or eliminating these disciplines is an egregious mistake
timeshighereducation.com
Open up this picture fully. Then look at the surface of Mars. Then look up to the top right. Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky. Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos. That's Earth.
