Stephen Pihlaja
@stephenpihlaja.bsky.social
Language Linguistics Religion Education Aston University Birmingham Community Organising Running Immigration Veganism bit.ly/m/SPihlaja
Take, take, take // Perpetual Motion Machine open.substack.com/pub/stephenp...
Perpetual motion machine
In which I fail and bring a prophetic word
open.substack.com
Too cute by half is my favourite Britishism at the moment.
Newest Blogcast! Also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Winners Never Quit
In which I reflect on Thankfulness
open.substack.com
Take, take, take// The Pursuit of Happiness
The Pursuit of Happiness
In which I am American on New Year's Eve
open.substack.com
Take, take, take // Embracing Facts
Embracing facts
In which I refuse to die on a mountain
open.substack.com
Can anyone write a chapter on 'Belief' for me for a Cambridge Companion on Religion and Language?
I had the most excellent, short conversation about editing with @lyzzybee.bsky.social tonight. I love how language works and how people know how language works.
Take, take, take // Winners never quit In which I write about American Thanksgiving.
Winners Never Quit
In which I try to be thankful on a day of mandated thankfulness
stephenpihlaja.substack.com
Thanks for the review @lyzzybee.bsky.social!
Liz Dexter / LyzzyBee 📚📚🏃♀️@lyzzybee.bsky.social · 11mo agoWhy indulgent? They weren't on the list! Sarah Miller Walters – “Woods Ware China at the Serving Hatch”, Stephen Pihlaja – “Narrative and Religion in the Superdiverse City” librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/11/26/t... #NovNov25 #NonfictionNovember2025 #booksky 📚💙💡 @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social
Train fares frozen: not happened for decades. Bringing rail back into public ownership means we can take action on fares.
Loving all the, uh, nuanced discussion of immigration and refugee and asylum seekers this morning. My take: 20 years is a ridiculous amount of time to take to settle and terrible for everyone in the system.
I hate when the algorithm picks up on you being interested in a thing you're trying to low key avoid.
I feel like I should be here more, what's going on here, what are we talking about.
Man on the DLR: Are you prepared for today’s meeting? Woman: No. Man: It’s at 9am. Woman: I know it’s at 9am, Dave. And I remain, unprepared.
That’ll be a no from me dawg. Call your local asshole and explain that this ain’t it
Take, take, take // The Sound after the Sound
The sound after the sound
In which I try to write an ending
open.substack.com
V good: 'My Socialism is a Christian Socialism, an actual redemption of a Christian Evangelicalism I have rejected, where I had read, 'Blessed are the poor', and immediately amended it with 'in spirit' to deflect it, to not have to deal with the open wound in our society that Socialism addresses.'
Stephen Pihlaja@stephenpihlaja.bsky.social · 11mo agoI'm which I reflect on losing a city council byelection open.substack.com/pub/stephenp...
I'm which I reflect on losing a city council byelection open.substack.com/pub/stephenp...
How to disappear completely
In which I lose a local byelection for city council, reportedly with grace and dignity
open.substack.com
Great to be out over the weekend with my good friend @jessphillipsmp.bsky.social campaigning in the Moseley by-election for @stephenpihlaja.bsky.social. Friends in politics are very important. Jess is loyal, feisty, kind, and you know exactly what she’s about. Politics needs more like Jess.
Please follow my Candidate FB page for updates about my candidacy at Labour Councillor for Moseley Ward.
Redirecting...
facebook.com
The art of the FB argument is giving a person the last work right as it makes them look like an asshole.
🧵Big news thread incoming🧵 Tonight, I participated in my first doorknocking session as a Labour candidate in the Moseley Ward for the city council by-election on 23 October. This summer, the Labour councillor in this Ward, Kerry Jenkins, passed away after a sudden illness.
I challenged my colleagues yesterday to come up with a seven-word definition of Stylistics. This is as close as I could get: Stylistics is the study of how language choice affects meaning.
Take, Take, Take // It was not a dream open.substack.com/pub/stephenp... In which I go and come back
It was not a dream
In which I return to and from Japan, and in which I am honest
open.substack.com