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Dr J. E. Nicholson @justjenerally.bsky.social · Sep 7

Don’t forget to register your preferences for #shax2026, and feel free to come join Huw Griffiths and yours truly to talk about essaying Shakespeare!

Dr J. E. Nicholson @justjenerally.bsky.social · Jun 2

Come join Huw Griffiths & yours truly at #shax2026 in Denver or virtually, for ‘Essaying Shakespeare’! We will be considering all things relating Shax studies & the productively ephemeral, idiosyncratic, historical, strange, & thoughtful/-provoking form of the essay.

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John Attridge @johnattridge.bsky.social · Sep 6

How it feels to write "my translation"

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Kara Finnigan @ksfinnigan.bsky.social · Jul 31

Thank you for sharing this @equintero.bsky.social!

‪And thank you to @carlhendrick.substack.com for the thought-provoking essay:‬ "Deep reading..trains us in the moral dispositions that public life requires: attention, imagination, restraint." substack.com/home/post/p-...

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Laprofmme @laprofmme.bsky.social · Jul 28

This is excellent

“we need more evidence before drawing sweeping conclusions about the impact of generative AI—and I agree. But that caution should cut both ways. If we're going to question the limitations of this early research, we must also scrutinize the uncritical embrace of AI in classrooms.”

Jane Rosenzweig @janerosenzweig.bsky.social · Jul 28

Today in The Important Work, Samantha Collins reflects on what she took away from the AI & Digital Literacy Institute at the University of Kansas this summer and makes the case for viewing AI as text not tool. Bonus: Art by @kconrad.bsky.social! theimportantwork.substack.com/p/prove-to-m...

Prove to Me You Aren’t a Robot

Humanities as a CAPTCHA Test in the Age of AI

theimportantwork.substack.com

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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · Jul 27

The nemesis of Comicon ys Tragicon

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Mary Gillis @marygillis.bsky.social · Jul 26

Every. Single. Story. about women not using AI as much as men portray it as bad for their future career prospects (without a shred of evidence) and a result of women being fearful little ladies rather than looking at AI's output and saying "this sucks, it's not going to help me."

For women, the increase of AI use in the workplace may affect their careers: Harvard study

Women are using AI significantly less then men and it’s going to have a major impact on their careers, according to extensive research on the topic.

www.ctvnews.ca

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Hell-issa Johnson, PhD 🎃 @ladyhistorian.bsky.social · Jul 26

Yep, 100% this. Also some fun witchcraft allusions if you're looking for them

🎃Cabin in the Woodsey🎃 @norahwoodsey.com · Jul 26

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell is a love story and about family conflict, but also, like… a really great introduction to labor organization. Unions should have book clubs and this should be one of the books.

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Susie Dent @susiedent.com · Jul 26

Sometimes the historical dictionary offers solace through the existence of an obsolete word that is sorely needed now. One of them is ‘respair’, recorded just once, in the 15th century. It means fresh hope, and a recovery from despair.

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Dr Victoria Xiaoxiao Ma @victoriaxiaoxiaoma.bsky.social · Jul 24

Thursday #morningread
🦗🦗

From A Nature Poem for Every Day of the Year, ed. Jane McMorland Hunter

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John Downes-Angus @johndownesangus.bsky.social · Jul 24

Spent 40m today reading a kid’s essay and writing to her about it. The takeaway won’t be better writing—it’ll be that someone who cares about her thinks she’s on the right track. Everyone who thinks they’re smart thinks so because someone took time w their work and told them so.

Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · Jul 23

“…faculty members will be able to click an icon that connects them with various AI features…, like a grading tool, a discussion-post summarizer… Canvas’s parent company, Instructure, is also in partnership w/ OpenAI… so instructors can use generative-AI technology as part of their assignments.”

Instructors Will Now See AI Throughout a Widely Used Course Software

New features integrated into Canvas include a grading assistant, a discussion-post summarizer, and even a way to pair assignments with generative AI tools.

www.chronicle.com

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@Shamlet @shamlet.bsky.social · Jul 18

AI is Iago and we're all Roderigos

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · Jul 18

Uh... I'm pretty sure there's no line in Othello that goes "I'll let loose the forces of Iago." Though it is iambic pentameter.

(why I was googling that exact phrase is a longer story, but I was struck to see this laughably false answer pushed to me at the very top of the page)

Google AI overview: AI Overview
In Shakespeare's Othello, when Iago says, "I'll let loose the forces of Iago," the statement signifies his intention to unleash his manipulative and destructive nature, especially toward Othello.
The phrase reveals that while Iago appears loyal and honest, he will pursue his own selfish interests and seek revenge against Othello according to Quizlet. It unveils his true, malevolent self and his plan to deceive and destroy Othello's life.

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Alicia Andrzejewski (she/her) @aliciaandrz.bsky.social · Jul 23

I post this to say: I know a human voice when I hear one. this is because of my training in the humanities & precisely why we should all train in the humanities.

Alicia Andrzejewski (she/her) @aliciaandrz.bsky.social · Jul 23

I’m an English professor at William & Mary & for the first writing assignment in all my classes, I tell students to give me their version & a version written by AI. I tell them not to indicate which is which & I grade them both & make a guess.

it’s never been hard to tell.

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Jul 23

You will be shocked to learn that universities that disproportionately recruit from independent schools and higher socio-economic groups are less likely than universities that recruit from less favoured pupil populations to have high student drop-out rates in year 1. Shocked.

The 20 UK universities where the most students stick with their studies

Lots of students staying on after the first year can be a good sign 🎓

www.scotsman.com

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Australasian Classical Reception Studies Network (ACRSN) @acrsn.bsky.social · Jul 20

#PhD opportunity at University of Queensland (domestic students) on the theme of race, translation and adaptation, and tragedy - esp. tragedy, translation and adaptation, and Indigeneity - with Dr Emma Cole - see www.acrsn.org/news.html

Expressions of interest are invited for a funded PhD project at the University of Queensland, on the theme of race, translation and adaptation, and tragedy.

Proposals are invited for any PhD project that corresponds with the above topic, and we particularly welcome projects that engage with tragedy, translation and adaptation, and Indigeneity. Such projects could investigate strategies for translating and adapting tragedy into an Indigenous context, including exploring productions such as Wesley Enoch’s Black Medea, Queensland Theatre’s 2022 Othello (adapted to the context of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion), or Kylie Bracknell’s translation of Macbeth, as Hecate, into the Indigenous Noongar language for Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company. There is also scope for the PhD to be a creative writing practice-as-research project, and we particularly welcome First Nations applicants interested in authoring a creative translation/adaptation of a chosen tragedy for this pathway.

Dr Emma Cole, expert in Greek tragedy and its reception, is the primary supervisor for this PhD project, and Associate Professor Rob Pensalfini, expert in Indigenous languages and the Artistic Director of Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble, is associate supervisor.

Applicants should have a first-class honours degree (or equivalent) or a master’s degree awarded with distinction (or equivalent). Their academic and/or artistic achievements to date should show a good strategic fit to the project brief.

This PhD project aligns with a recently awarded Australian Government grant is only available to domestic students. Applications must be received by 31 March 2026 but are encouraged earlier.

For more information, please contact Dr Emma Cole: e.cole@uq.edu.au.

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Dr J. E. Nicholson @justjenerally.bsky.social · Jul 17

I am extremely fortunate to have a continuing position outside of the academy at present. However, if you are aware of early modern / literary roles in HE (Europe or Aus areas, ideally), please don't be a stranger!!

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John Attridge @johnattridge.bsky.social · Jul 19

Wow ok unfollowing now. Loved his refusal of servitude in heaven, did not know he was responsible for the fall of man

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Dr J. E. Nicholson @justjenerally.bsky.social · Jul 19

*me and my book project (courtesy of the legendary John Austen)

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Jul 18

'there has been a lot less public focus on the students who don’t want to have A.I. baked into their education—who wish to make the most of their schooling, and say no to the tech on principle'.

What Higher Ed Is Like for Students Who Don’t Want to Use A.I.

“Everyone is using it”—almost everyone.

slate.com

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Tobias Wilson-Bates @phdhurtbrain.bsky.social · Jul 17

Not the point of this fascinating article, but it remains darkly ironic to me that the Humanities have fallen backwards into being the safe financial bet of degrees

According to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, graduates in computer science, computer engineering and graphic design all have unemployment rates at 7% or greater; young workers who hold a number of much-maligned humanities degrees—including English, history and philosophy—are all more hirable.

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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · Jul 17

Schrödinger's academic humanities: Both so irrelevant in the modern world that no one wants to take our classes, and so powerful that we can singlehandedly convert our students to cultural Marxism.

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Dr J. E. Nicholson @justjenerally.bsky.social · Jul 17

I am extremely fortunate to have a continuing position outside of the academy at present. However, if you are aware of early modern / literary roles in HE (Europe or Aus areas, ideally), please don't be a stranger!!

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Dr J. E. Nicholson @justjenerally.bsky.social · Jul 17

Many HE roles are competitive even in seasons of relative stability, and still, it is disappointing each time to receive polite and impersonal rejection. It's not a particularly good feeling when the email clarifies no opportunity for feedback due to the large number of applicants, either.

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · Jul 16

FANTASTIC post here from Lucy- check it out!

Lucy Allen-Goss @lucyallengoss.bsky.social · Jul 16

This is me reflecting on today's 'Chaucer discovery,' and thinking about which kinds of textual (and textile) accuracies we decide are important. lucyallengoss.substack.com/p/another-ch...

A(nother) Chaucer Mystery and the 'Canterbury Embroidery': Whose Work Matters?

It’s a fairly rare thing that medieval literature makes the news.

lucyallengoss.substack.com

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Dr J. E. Nicholson @justjenerally.bsky.social · Jul 15

Mattimeo was excellent, and I also LOVED The Long Patrol and Martin the Warrior.

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Dr J. E. Nicholson @justjenerally.bsky.social · Jul 14

I quite like teaching EM comedy as amalgamation of other genres rather than one itself (using tragicom, love poetry, etc). Then, interrogating historicism vs presentism (rather than trying to find, say, humour or formal closure in any given text) = interesting comparisons. Could be fun for AYLI?