Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · 2d

Reading The Impossible Fortune, @richardosman1.bsky.social latest, because I can’t get enough of the Thursday Murder Club 📚 💙 #BookSky

1

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · 4d

Anita looks like she’s about to deliver the #Caturday main evening news. #cats

A one-eyed tabby cat sits at the door of a cat-tree box, with her white paws on the threshold.

8

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · 9d

The Postscript Murders, part of the DS Harbinder Kaur series, which came recommended - by detective fiction expert @mary1010.bsky.social - and I’ve the next book lined up already!
#Booksky 📚 💙 #crimefiction

The audiobook cover of the book The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths, which is read by Nina Wadia. The tagline, in small font, says “Inventing crime stories can get you killed”. The cover image shows Brighton Pier shrouded in fog, under a moody grey sky, and a beach chair sat on a stony shore.

3 9

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · 9d

Post one of the most haunting shots in movie history from a film made before the year 2000

The three witches from Orson Welles 1948 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

2 1

Reposted

The TLS @thetls.bsky.social · 11d

'This glamorous Life writing began early. Weeks before Marlowe’s untimely and violent death, a shady intelligencer called Richard Baines had drafted the outline of the playwright’s afterlife'

Emma Smith: Our ideas of Christopher Marlowe

Early modern autofiction?

www.the-tls.com

3 12

Reposted

Rachel Banner @ishmaelcallme.bsky.social · 12d

We're hiring! It's a job that asks *a lot* of you, I won't lie. But it's a department with solid, brilliant , resilient colleagues who try to fight the good fights. And we're unionized (APSCUF). West Chester University, Tenure-Track Asst Prof Brit Lit, Early Modern thru 18th Century

26-43 Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of British Literature - Early Modern through 18th Century

Join a vibrant equity-minded campus whose excellence is reflected in its community, cultural engagement, and student success. The Department of English invites applicants for a Full-time, Tenure-Track...

www.schooljobs.com

8 18

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · 14d

😆👏👏👏

1

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · 16d

Just finished Human Rites by @junodawson.bsky.social and started Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. And look at the very cool book covers! 📚 💙

The lilac cover to Juno Dawson’s book Human Rites, with the tagline “There’ll be the devil to pay”.

The black, white, and gold cover to R F Kuang’s book Katabasis. The tagline reads “To hell with love”.

1 2 12

Reposted

Naomi Baker @drnaomibaker.bsky.social · 20d

Women have been speaking out about abuse for centuries! I wrote about Anne Wentworth, a 17th-century survivor of domestic abuse, for @theconversation.com #earlymodern

The 17th-century woman who wrote about surviving domestic abuse

In the 17th century, Anne Wentworth spoke out against her abusive husband and the religious institution that protected him.

theconversation.com

1 49 110

Reposted

siobhankeenan.bsky.social @siobhankeenan.bsky.social · 22d

If you're interested in learning more about Richard Burbage's impact on Shakespeare, you might enjoy the piece I've just written for The Conversation @uk.theconversation.com - theconversation.com/richard-burb...

Richard Burbage: the Elizabethan De Niro to Shakespeare’s Scorsese

Inhabiting some of Shakespeare’s most famous characters, this Elizabethan actor deserves some proper recognition for inspiring the Bard.

theconversation.com

3 7

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · 23d

Speeding through the third book in @junodawson.bsky.social superb series “Her Majesty’s Coven” - so good I can’t get enough of it &don’t want it to end! #BookSky 📚 💙 Bonus - audiobook is read by @nicolacoughlanbr.bsky.social!

3

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · 25d

Today’s movie viewing was “Shakes versus Shav”, an Irish-made short film where #Shakespeare & #GBShaw, in puppet-form, square up to one another to debate the quality of their art and their legacies! #biofiction

A leaflet for the 2025 Meath Film Festival, in Ireland, in an auditorium before a screen.

Marionettes of William Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw stand on a stage beside the title of the film “SHAKES versus SHAV”. The puppets are voiced by Colm Meaney and Derek Jacobi.

2

Reposted

Georgina Nugent @georginanugent.bsky.social · 29d

Feel extremely lucky to work with the class act, poetic genius, and all round legend that is @lizquirke.bsky.social. Read her new essay in @stingingfly.bsky.social, it's amazing!!

stingingfly.org/2025/09/09/t...

The fear of stepping into focus – The Stinging Fly

stingingfly.org

2 5

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · Sep 6

Enjoying my #biofiction research by seeing @the-rsc.bsky.social Born With Teeth with @ncutigatwa.bsky.social as #Marlowe and Edward Bluemel as #Shakespeare in London. @lizduffyadams.bsky.social

Photo of a poster for the play showing Ncuti Gatwa, in 16th century costume of brown leather, with a cape over one shoulder. He stands leaning over a heavy wooden table and is blowing out a candle, which he holds in one hand.

4

Reposted

Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · Sep 4

GRUMPYE TEENAGE SHAKESPEARE:

"Thys ys just a stage, son."

"ALL THE WORLDE YS A STAGE, DAD!!!! UGH!'

2 100 450

Reposted

Dr. Benjamin Broadribb @benbroadribb.bsky.social · Sep 2

In 2026, Gemma Allred @gemmaallred.bsky.social Edel Semple @edelsemple.bsky.social and I are co-organising two seminars: one at SAA @saaupdates.bsky.social in Denver, CO, convened both in-person and virtually; and another at the World Shakespeare Congress in Verona, Italy. #Shax2026 #WSC2026

Shakespeare Association of America Conference, Denver CO 1-4 April 2026

Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet at Thirty

Organisers: Gemma Kate Allred, Benjamin Broadribb, Edel Semple

This seminar explores the legacy of Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) across Shakespearean culture and global popular culture.

We invite papers considering Romeo + Juliet’s legacy across cultures and media, exploring how Luhrmann’s film has influenced the performance and adaptation of Shakespeare; where, how, and why echoes and aftershocks of Romeo + Juliet can be found in cultural objects from the past three decades; and the evolution of the film’s reception and status over time.

This seminar will be convened in two parts: an in-person session held in Denver, and a virtual session held online. seminar will be convened in two parts:

This seminar will be convened in two parts: an in-person session held in Denver, and a virtual session held online.

A collage of images from or inspired by Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.Romeo + Juliet.

World Shakespeare Congress, Verona 20-26 July 2026

Shakespeare’s Tragedies and their Twenty-First-Century Reverberations

This seminar explores reverberations of Shakespeare’s tragedies across a range of twenty-first-century media.

Venturing beyond the safely-charted territory of traditional stage and screen performances, the seminar considers how Shakespeare’s tragic protagonists, narratives, themes, and tropes haunt, echo in, or inspire contemporary cultural objects. Papers may address tragic echoes and textual hauntings in drama, film, TV, prose, advertising, and other media.

Key questions include: why do twenty-first-century artists look to Shakespeare’s tragedies; how can these echoes and hauntings illuminate Shakespeare’s tragedies; and how might reverberations galvanise shifts away from imbalanced power structures, and towards greater empathy and equality for historically marginalised communities?

A collage of images taken from or depicting different media with reverberations of Shakespearean tragedy.

1 1 4

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · Aug 31

Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet turns thirty in 2026 - celebrate by joining our seminar on the influence, legacy, and reception of this iconic film @saaupdates.bsky.social conference! Register for the seminar on the #shax2026 website by 15 September. #romeoandjuliet #shakespeare

Text reads: “Romeo + Juliet is 30! And we’re hosting a SAA seminar to celebrate.” The image shows a screen grab from the film where Paris, played by Paul Rudd, grins excitedly during the fireworks and confetti at the Capulet ball.

Headline text reads: “Romeo + Juliet is 30! And we’re hosting a SAA seminar to celebrate.” The seminar description follows with a reminder to register for the conference by 15th September 2025.

Headline text reads: “Romeo + Juliet is 30! And we’re hosting a SAA seminar to celebrate.” Below this the image is a screen grab from the film Romeo+Juliet, showing an ecstatic Mercutio (played by Harold Perrineau) in a white wig and sparkly white drag ensemble, joyously dancing to the song “Young Hearts Run Free” at the Capulet ball. This image is on a neon pink background and the jokey caption reads “projected response to the seminar”.

1 6

Reposted

Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · Aug 31

An old hawthorn, absolutely dripping with epiphytic lungwort and other lichens, polypody, mosses.

This is rainforest.

4 57 380

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · Aug 30

#Caturday - Here’s Anita demonstrating one use for her tail: eye mask during a nap

A small tabby cat, with black stripes on golden brown and beige fur, sleeps curled up with her tail covering her face.

1 1 6

Reposted

Jon Vernon @onlyindevon.co.uk · Aug 29

The Freddy Mercury hoovering display team were also a particular highlight...

26 180 630

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · Aug 27

The 2026 World #Shakespeare Congress takes place in Verona, & @gemmaallred.bsky.social @benbroadribb.bsky.social & I are organising a seminar on Shakespeare's Tragedies and their 21st-Century Reverberations - come join us! #WSC2026 Register at www.wsc2026.org

2 6

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · Aug 25

Research this week includes the film that launched a thousand #biofiction imitators - #Shakespeare In Love (1998). So impressed by the beautiful (Oscar-winning) costumes.

Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth I in the film Shakespeare In Love

Paltrow as Viola in the film Shakespeare In Love

1 3

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · Aug 23

#Caturday - some toe beans on show today

A tabby cat is asleep. Her tail is fluffy and has black stripes. The cat’s striped legs are tipped with white at the paws. One white paw is tilted up, showing a pink foot pad and toe beans.

5

edelsemple.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social · Aug 22

Bee, caterpillar, and butterfly enjoying the nasturtiums and other flowers today #SpeirGorm #photography #garden

A furry bee departs from an orange nasturtium flower. Broad, round leaves of different shades of green surround the flowers.

A caterpillar sits on top of a half-eaten nasturtium leaf. The caterpillar has black spots and is bright yellow and lime green, with hairs in along its body. Around this leaf are more broad, round leaves of different shades of green.

A butterfly with its wings spread - mainly tangerine orange with lines and dots of yellow, black, white, and pale blue at the wing tips - sits on a pink flower. The dianthus flower is dark pink in the centre and pale pink on the outside.

9

Reposted

Dr. Benjamin Broadribb @benbroadribb.bsky.social · Aug 20

The World Shakespeare Congress is heading to Verona in July 2026, and @gemmaallred.bsky.social @edelsemple.bsky.social and I are organising a seminar on Shakespeare's Tragedies and their Twenty-First-Century Reverberations - and we'd love to have you join us! #WSC2026

World Shakespeare Congress, Verona
20-26 July 2026

Shakespeare’s Tragedies and their Twenty-First-Century Reverberations

Organisers: Gemma Kate Allred, Benjamin Broadribb, Edel Semple

This seminar explores reverberations of Shakespeare’s tragedies across a range of twenty-first-century media.

Venturing beyond the safely-charted territory of traditional stage and screen performances, the seminar considers how Shakespeare’s tragic protagonists, narratives, themes, and tropes haunt, echo in, or inspire contemporary cultural objects.

Papers may address tragic echoes and textual hauntings in drama, film, TV, prose, advertising, and other media. Key questions include: why do twenty-first-century artists look to Shakespeare’s tragedies; how can these echoes and hauntings illuminate Shakespeare’s tragedies; and how might reverberations galvanise shifts away from imbalanced power structures, and towards greater empathy and equality for historically marginalised communities?

1 2 4