Will Mawhood
LightNews LightNews
banner
viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
Will Mawhood
@viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
170 followers 190 following 88 posts
Person who says 'no, you're thinking of the Balkans' a lot. Also Deep Baltic editor, and occasional writer of stuff. Ik pa laikam arī tulkotājs.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
Will Mawhood @viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social · Mar 7
One of the strangest but most interesting pieces I've written.

Perloja was a de facto state composed of a single tiny village in Lithuania, which had its own army and cabinet of ministers, and which after WWI clashed with German, Polish and even Lithuanian troops.

meduza.io/en/feature/2...
2 4 19
Reposted by Will Mawhood
drjarosak.bsky.social
Daniel R. Jarosak @drjarosak.bsky.social · 1d
Excited to see the piece I helped write last year for Lossi 36 about the 1924 attempted coup in 🇪🇪 be republished by @deepbaltic.bsky.social!

deepbaltic.com/2025/10/20/w...
When Estonia Stood Firm: Remembering the 1924 Communist Coup
The plan was nothing short of audacious, and envisaged coordinated attacks in Tallinn, with additional riots planned in Tartu, Narva, and other major cities
deepbaltic.com
3 3
Reposted by Will Mawhood
cjayanetti.bsky.social
Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 2d
This isn't the first reference I've seen to the rise of anti-immigration sentiment in Liverpool, which has tended to be more resistant to it

I'd bet good money it reflects the decline of The Sun, and the rise of social media, in driving hard-right messaging
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A waiting list of thousands, and just five new homes for social rent: this city shows the depth of Britain’s housing crisis | John Harris
Liverpool was once praised for its tolerance, but housing shortages are driving fearful, unsettling behaviours – and people are blaming outsiders, says Guardian columnist John Harris
www.theguardian.com
12 24 130
Reposted by Will Mawhood
michaelz79.bsky.social
Michael Zeigermann @michaelz79.bsky.social · 3d
#80sTop30
#MusicChallenge

13. The Jam - Town Called Malice

"Better stop dreaming of the quiet life/Cause it's the one we'll never know" is such a fantastic opening line.
The Jam - Town Called Malice
YouTube video by TheJamVEVO
youtu.be
2 54
Reposted by Will Mawhood
jameskelleher.pilcrow.ie
James Kelleher @jameskelleher.pilcrow.ie · 7d
Next time somebody asks me what Bluesky is like, I'll send them this
230 1.3K 11K
Reposted by Will Mawhood
lewisbaston.bsky.social
Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 9d
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/r...
4 6
Reposted by Will Mawhood
dorianlynskey.bsky.social
Dorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 9d
I find it weird how people can acknowledge that UK politics is volatile to an unprecedented degree and yet talk very confidently about the shape of an election in 2029. Reform is depicted as a permanent and unstoppable force and Labour as utterly doomed. Doesn't add up to me
jamesomalley.co.uk James O'Malley @jamesomalley.co.uk · 9d
It's almost exactly four years since Tim Shipman's notorious "Boris Johnson squats like a giant toad" tweet.

Seems like important context given how we often talk as though the next election – four years away – is a done deal.
16 33 210
Reposted by Will Mawhood
deepbaltic.bsky.social
Deep Baltic @deepbaltic.bsky.social · 8d
"Much of its vocabulary is unfamiliar, as the only other national languages it’s related to are Finnish and, more distantly, Hungarian. It’s even been described as the most difficult Latin-alphabet language for a native English speaker."

#DBarchives

deepbaltic.com/2019/09/12/d...
"Did You Eat the WHOLE Cake?" On Learning Estonian
"Estonian is popularly known as a difficult language to learn. The only other national languages it’s related to are Finnish and Hungarian."
deepbaltic.com
1 1
Reposted by Will Mawhood
drfrancisyoung.bsky.social
Dr Francis Young @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social · 10d
Why has no-one written a Latvian-set hardboiled detective novel called ‘Riga Mortis’?
10 19 180
Reposted by Will Mawhood
wildcard.land
Wild Card @wildcard.land · 11d
The fantastic Irish author Manchán Magan has recently died 😢 He wrote mesmerising books re engaging people with the myth and history of the land, and skilfully communicated how understanding and connection with nature could catalyse positive change. Though we will miss his voice we cherish his work.
A portrait image of Manchán in front of the sea. He is wearing a brown tweed jacket and a brown and orange knitted hat
1 3
viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
Will Mawhood @viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social · 11d
When I first posted it, I was told "a word can never start with a y in Latgalian!" - which I guess is true, but these people obviously either don't know that or are consciously writing in dialect
1
viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
Will Mawhood @viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social · 11d
Actually posted this last year on the other place, but been reminded of it for various reasons (I've been working a lot with Latgalian recently)

The regional variations and the fact that a standard has never fully taken hold is one of the biggest challenges in working with LG
1 2
viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
Will Mawhood @viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social · 11d
Interesting to see Latgalian added to Google Translate. Wondering how it would cope with the northern forms - this is from a Catholic church in Viļaka in remote N Latgale.

Water is "ūdens" in Latvian, "iudiņs" in "standard" Latgalian (quotes used advisedly), here "yudeņs"
1 1 3
Reposted by Will Mawhood
youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com
Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 12d
feels quite Guardian that this piece doesn't present the move as good news or even neutral news but instead spends about two thirds of its copy running through every single possible reason why a maybe fun thing will be TERRIBLE and AWFUL www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Pubs to stay open until early hours in push for UK growth
Exclusive: Plans for England and Wales would help the ailing hospitality sector but have attracted criticism from health experts
www.theguardian.com
11 22 290
Reposted by Will Mawhood
harikunzru.bsky.social
Hari Kunzru @harikunzru.bsky.social · 12d
Couldn’t be happier that the Nobel has gone to Laszlo Krasznahorkai. Back in 2012 I tried to astroturf a movement claiming him as the Next Big Thjng but it didn’t take off because he’s too difficult www.theguardian.com/books/2012/j...
Why is New York's literary crowd suddenly in thrall to Hungarian fiction? | Hari Kunzru
Hari Kunzru: The highly educated aspiring writers of New York are looking beyond the English-speaking world for their reading fixes. It must be a sign of the times
www.theguardian.com
8 70 390
Reposted by Will Mawhood
szabolcspanyi.bsky.social
Szabolcs Panyi @szabolcspanyi.bsky.social · 12d
An extremely proud day for Hungarians. I just really hope Orbán’s proxies won’t launch a smear campaign, since Krasznahorkai is an outspoken critic of contemporary fascism, far-right politics, and Viktor Orbán himself.
7 120 330
Reposted by Will Mawhood
baffledhashtagger.bsky.social
Baffled Hashtagger @baffledhashtagger.bsky.social · 16d
#CountriesInASongOrMovie
🎵 Part Time Latvia 🇱🇻
1 3 7
Reposted by Will Mawhood
deepbaltic.bsky.social
Deep Baltic @deepbaltic.bsky.social · 12d
"Being direct can take many forms, and I note here in passing that Russian Latvian poets like Artūrs Punte and Jeļena Glazova... have made an unmistakable statement by switching to Latvian."

deepbaltic.com/2025/10/07/s...
Saying What You Mean: Trends in Recent Latvian Poetry
"The younger generation avoids assuming the role of speaking for the nation, a function that writers were expected to fulfil, and often did during the Soviet occupation"
deepbaltic.com
3 6
Reposted by Will Mawhood
deepbaltic.bsky.social
Deep Baltic @deepbaltic.bsky.social · 14d
Playfulness, radical openness, resistance to speaking "for the nation", an adoring approach to immediate predecessors, and a more precarious geopolitical situation seeming to prompt more plain-spokenness – Lauris Veips gives an overview of Latvian poetry

deepbaltic.com/2025/10/07/s...
Saying What You Mean: Trends in Recent Latvian Poetry
"The younger generation avoids assuming the role of speaking for the nation, a function that writers were expected to fulfil, and often did during the Soviet occupation"
deepbaltic.com
1 2
viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
Will Mawhood @viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social · 15d
Looked it up and oh... I suppose those are guests (viesi) of a sort
1
Reposted by Will Mawhood
adambienkov.bsky.social
Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 17d
"Milei is amazing. It's Thatcherism on steroids. Cutting and slashing. That's leadership" - Nigel Farage

Milei would be the "template" for my government - Kemi Badenoch
87 670 1.7K
viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
Will Mawhood @viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social · 16d
viešnamis being... Vietnamese?
1
viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
Will Mawhood @viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social · 16d
Reposted by Will Mawhood
kristiankiehling.bsky.social
Kristian Kiehling @kristiankiehling.bsky.social · 16d
The airport in the Lithuanian capital was temporarily closed last night due to the sighting of 25 balloons, which were deployed from Belarus. Vilmantas Vitkauskas, chief of the National Crisis Management Centre NKVC, told LRT radio that around 500 such balloons had already been recorded this year.
Virš Vilniaus oro uosto apribota oro erdvė, skrydžiai nukreipiami į Kauną ir Rygą
Vėlų šeštadienio vakarą galimai dėl oro baliono apribota oro erdvė virš Vilniaus oro uosto. Tai portalui LRT.lt patvirti...
www.lrt.lt
5 15
viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
Will Mawhood @viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social · 16d
Thank you Skaņu mežs!
1 1
viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social
Will Mawhood @viljamsmauhuds.bsky.social · 16d
I guess if I got myself very very into choral music it would be different
1 1