Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · May 28

Our ‘Radicals of Russell Square’ map on sale at Waterstones in Gower Street

Bloomsbury Academic @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social · May 13

‘The times we’re living in are dominated by rapid technological change, and much of this change is focused on how we communicate.’

@philipseargeant.bsky.social discusses how 21st-century developments in technology are changing the ways we communicate www.bloomsbury.com/uk/discover/...

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Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · May 12

Thanks. Can you give me an example?

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Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · May 10

Here's the link to last week's Word of Mouth, in which I discuss the language of street names with @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Word of Mouth - Street Names - BBC Sounds

Michael Rosen talks to Philip Seargeant about where our street names come from.

www.bbc.co.uk

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B&W Thornton of Stratford-upon-Avon @bwthornton.bsky.social · May 10

Street Names
Word of Mouth
BBC Radio 4
@michaelrosenyes.bsky.social talks to @philipseargeant.bsky.social from the Open University about where our street names come from, like Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate in York, and Michael's old address, Love Lane.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

BBC Radio 4 - Word of Mouth, Street Names

Michael Rosen talks to Philip Seargeant about where our street names come from.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Bloomsbury Academic @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social · May 9

How are 21st-century developments in technology changing the very nature of language and the ways that we communicate with each other?

@philipseargeant.bsky.social, author of The Future of Language, provides a brief history of the future of human communication bit.ly/4merPmK

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Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · May 9

A short piece I wrote for the Bloomsbury blog

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/discover/...

A brief history of the future of human communication

Philip Seargeant, author of The Future of Language, on how recent technological developments such as AI and social media are changing the nature of human communication and of the way we relate to each...

www.bloomsbury.com

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Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · May 6

To accompany the @openuniversity.bsky.social's collaboration with Radio 4's Word of Mouth with @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social, here's a short quiz about the bewildering world of idioms

connect.open.ac.uk/education-de...

connect.open.ac.uk

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Bloomsbury Linguistics @bloomsburyling.bsky.social · Apr 4

New in paperback this week: Bloomsbury.com/9781350538474

@philipseargeant.bsky.social

Cover image of The Future of Language, with endorsements reading: 'I've never read a book on language with such a breadth of vision' - David Crystal; 'A scholarly, must-read book' - New Statesman'

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Milton Keynes Literary Festival @mklitfest.bsky.social · Apr 3

Podcast of Episode 4 of our #FreeSpeech and #Literature series - #Translation and #Censorship - is now available to listen. Translators Sawad Hussain and Monica Cure discussed taboos, cultural difference, banned words + more with Daria Chernysheva.
mklitfest.org/podcasts
@monicacure.bsky.social

Podcasts | MK Lit Fest

Podcasts available from Milton Keynes Literary Festival.

mklitfest.org

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Milton Keynes Literary Festival @mklitfest.bsky.social · Mar 31

Enjoying this morning's #R4moreorless about #freespeech? Join us online tonight as we look at free speech, #translation + #Censorship
www.mklitfest.org/translation
@oupolitics.bsky.social @monicacure.bsky.social @sawadhussain.bsky.social

Free Speech and Literature: Translation and Censorship with Sawad Hussain, Monica Cure and Daria Chernysheva | MK Lit Fest 2025

In this event, we explore literature in translation with a specific focus on censorship and free speech through the lens of two novels that both address these concerns: Liliana Corobca’s The Censor’s ...

www.mklitfest.org

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Milton Keynes Literary Festival @mklitfest.bsky.social · Mar 29

Don't miss Translation and Censorship: Pt 4 of our #freespeech + #literature series, Mon 31/3.
Book (free/donations): mklitfest.org/translation
@oupolitics.bsky.social @monicacure.bsky.social @sawadhussain.bsky.social #translation #censorship #restlessbooks #7storiespress #translation #censorship

Free Speech and Literature: Translation and Censorship with Sawad Hussain, Monica Cure and Daria Chernysheva | MK Lit Fest 2025

In this event, we explore literature in translation with a specific focus on censorship and free speech through the lens of two novels that both address these concerns: Liliana Corobca’s The Censor’s ...

mklitfest.org

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Milton Keynes Literary Festival @mklitfest.bsky.social · Mar 28

The #podcast of Episode 3 of our #Freespeech and #literature series - Historical #CancelCulture - is now available. Charlotte Gordon talks to Jupiter Jones about #marywoolstonecraft, cancelled in the C18th. www.mklitfest.org/podcasts

#romanticoutlaws #openuniversity
@jupiterjonz.bsky.social

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Dan Berlinka @danberlinka.bsky.social · Mar 27

I haven't seen Giant yet (am going in May) but this discussion with playwright Mark Rosenblatt is excellent, talking about (among other things) how and if Roald Dahl's antisemitism colours his own reading of the books.

open.spotify.com/episode/3Bub...

Free Speech and Literature: Part 1 - Literature and Offence

MK Lit Fest · Episode

open.spotify.com

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Nancy Friedman @fritinancy.bsky.social · Mar 27

“Maybe I’m thinking too much about the emoji. This is just the way people communicate these days, I understand. ... But the emoji are part and parcel of a set of exchanges that reveal a group of people play-acting at importance." - @slate.com slate.com/life/2025/03...

There’s One Part of the Signal Leak That I Can’t Get Out of My Head

This week, we found out our leaders are just more fools in a group chat.

slate.com

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Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · Mar 26

Here's the podcast of the most recent event in our series on literature and free speech, run in collaboration with the @mklitfest.bsky.social

Author Charlotte Gordon discusses the 'cancelling' of Mary Wollstonecraft with @jupiterjonz.bsky.social

open.spotify.com/episode/4d4v...

Free Speech and Literature: Part 3 - Historical Cancel Culture

MK Lit Fest · Episode

open.spotify.com

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Milton Keynes Literary Festival @mklitfest.bsky.social · Mar 23

#CancelCulture isn't new: #MaryWollstonecraft was cancelled in the 18th century. Join us online on Mon eve as Charlotte Gordon explains all to @jupiterjonz.bsky.social for our #FreeSpeech + #literature series.
Tickets (free): mklitfest.org/historical-c...
#charlottegordon #feminism #radicaloutlaws

Free Speech and Literature: Historical Cancel Culture with Charlotte Gordon and Jupiter Jones | MK Lit Fest 2025

Charlotte Gordon, author of Radical Outlaws, talks to Jupiter Jones about the eighteenth-century writer and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and how after her untimely death, Wollstonecraft was effectivel...

mklitfest.org

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Milton Keynes Literary Festival @mklitfest.bsky.social · Mar 20

Listen to our latest podcast as @juliahbell.bsky.social and @philipseargeant.bsky.social discuss #ai and #writing in the age of the #algorithm open.spotify.com/episode/68r4...
Part of our on-going Free Speech + Literature series.
#freespeech #creativewiring #artificialintelligence

Free Speech and Literature: Part 2 - Freedom of Expression in the Age of the Algorithm

MK Lit Fest · Episode

open.spotify.com

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Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · Mar 19

Here's the podcast of my talk for @mklitfest.bsky.social with @juliahbell.bsky.social the other night on freedom of expression in the age of the algorithm

open.spotify.com/episode/68r4...

Free Speech and Literature: Part 2 - Freedom of Expression in the Age of the Algorithm

MK Lit Fest · Episode

open.spotify.com

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Milton Keynes Literary Festival @mklitfest.bsky.social · Mar 19

Our #freespeech and #literature series concludes with a panel of @akischilz.bsky.social @henrycporter.bsky.social Sabrina Mahfouz + Donall Mac Cathmhaoill at WaterstonesMK
on 11 April.
Info and tickets: mklitfest.org/free-speech-...
#miltonkeynes

Free Speech and the Politics of Literature | MK Lit Fest 2025

A series of online events with the Open University's Language, Literature and Politics research group, culminating in an in-person panel event at MK Lit Fest's April 2025 festival.

mklitfest.org

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Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · Mar 19

The next of our sessions on literature and free speech is next Monday (24 March) with the author Charlotte Gordon talking about Mary Wollstonecraft and the fall and rise of her reputation

Free to attend (though donations for the running of the lit fest welcome)

www.mklitfest.org/historical-c...

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Bloomsbury Linguistics @bloomsburyling.bsky.social · Mar 18

Finally yours to own in paperback! Pre-order at bloomsbury.com/9781350538474

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Milton Keynes Literary Festival @mklitfest.bsky.social · Mar 16

For our event on Monday 17/3 with The Open University, @juliahbell.bsky.social discusses #freespeech and #algorithms with @philipseargeant.bsky.social

Tickets (free): mklitfest.org/the-age-of-t...

#ai #ArtificialInteligence #writers #fiction #creativewriting #Birkbeck @oupolitics.bsky.social

Free Speech and Literature: The Age of the Algorithm with Julia Bell | MK Lit Fest 2025

Writer and creative writing lecturer Julia Bell talks to the OU’s Philip Seargeant about how the implementation of AI impacts writers’ freedom of expression, covering topics from augmented writing app...

mklitfest.org

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Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · Mar 15

Depressingly inevitable

www.npr.org/2025/03/15/n...

'Bloody Saturday' at Voice of America and other U.S.-funded networks

Federal officials placed 1,000 employees at Voice of America on indefinite paid leave, while severing contracts with Radio Free Asia and other U.S.-funded networks.

www.npr.org

Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · Mar 15

The very clearly ideologically biased anti-ideological bias movement

www.wired.com/story/ai-saf...

Under Trump, AI Scientists Are Told to Remove ‘Ideological Bias’ From Powerful Models

A directive from the National Institute of Standards and Technology eliminates mention of “AI safety” and “AI fairness.”

www.wired.com

Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · Mar 15

Out in paperback in a couple of weeks

@bloomsburyling.bsky.social

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Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · Mar 15

Blog post by Santosh Mahapatra reporting on the findings from India from our project on the future of English

www.open.ac.uk/blogs/Modish...

English in Higher Education in India: Teachers’ Perspectives | modish

www.open.ac.uk

Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · Mar 15

Here’s the recording of the first in our series on Literature and Free Speech. Playwright Mark Rosenblatt talks about his play Giant, which is transferring to the West End next month

open.spotify.com/episode/3Bub...

Free Speech and Literature: Part 1 - Literature and Offence

MK Lit Fest · Episode

open.spotify.com

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Milton Keynes Literary Festival @mklitfest.bsky.social · Mar 14

The podcast of the first episode of our Free Speech and Literature series with the Open University is now available to listen again: open.spotify.com/episode/3Bub...

#literature #markrosenblatt #drama @oupolitics.bsky.social #freespeech #literature

Series details: www.mklitfest.org/free-speech-...

Free Speech and Literature: Part 1 - Literature and Offence

MK Lit Fest · Episode

open.spotify.com

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Philip Seargeant @philipseargeant.bsky.social · Mar 13

At the Romanian Cultural Institute for a discussion about literary translation

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