Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Sadie Hartmann (Mother Horror) @sadiehartmann.bsky.social · 4d

It's Banned Books Week! Here are some Horror (and adjacent) books that are often banned and/or frequently challenged. I have read most of them but I chose Bless Me, Ultima to read & enjoy. See if your public/school libraries have these books! Read Banned Books

The Exorcist
Beloved
Exquisite Corpse
The Hunger Games
Carrie
Rosemary's Baby
The Witches
Bless Me, Ultima
Lord of the Flies
Kindred
The Handmaid's Tale
Lovecraft Country
100 Years of Solitude
When the Reckoning Comes
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
The Lottery
Perfume
Tipping the Velvet
In the Miso Soup

4 22 67

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 14d

What do you do when your media org is captured? You start your own.

Introducing....The Nerve!!! @thenerve-news.bsky.social

We're all-female, journalist-owned & launching next week.

Please help us build a truly independent, progressive new media!👊👊👊

Press Gazette @pressgazette.co.uk · 14d

Former Observer big-hitters inc @carolecadwalla.bsky.social launch new title The Nerve with redundancy payouts

After Observer sale: "We decided to launch a title that the journalists themselves would own, that would be truly independent"
pressgazette.co.uk/news/former-...

Former Observer big-hitters launch new title with redundancy payouts

Five former Observer journalists including Carole Cadwalladr have launched their own culture publication using their redundancy money.

pressgazette.co.uk

63 1K 2.5K

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 14d

Mandatory ID cards are a terrible, terrible idea
iandunt.substack.com/p/id-cards-a...

84 190 610

Reposted by ianjsimpson

L.R. Lam @lrlam.bsky.social · 15d

Hi, can I interest you in some fantasy written by a nonbinary author? With trans and intersex characters? Not based on a franchise by a transphobic author!

Dragonfall, Emberclaw, and my rewritten debut, Pantomime, are out now, and I could very much use some help getting the word out about them. 💖

46 56

ianjsimpson @ianjsimpson.bsky.social · 14d

And on my last day, at 12.05, my last piece of formal work is complete...

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Cameron L. Mitchell @cameronlmitchell.bsky.social · 16d

The Librarians review – the heroic women battling against book bans and censorship

#movies #documentaries

The Librarians review – the heroic women battling against book bans and censorship

Kim A Snyder’s documentary highlights the defenders of young readers’ rights to see their lives in print facing rightwing attacks

www.theguardian.com

22 64

ianjsimpson @ianjsimpson.bsky.social · 16d

Three Shires Head, Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire

#waterfallwednesday

Long exposure photograph of Three Shires Head which is 2 main short falls in the distance under a small stone bridge and a series of smaller cascades in the foreground. The sky is filled with wispy white clouds and a winter tree is on the upper left.

1 5

ianjsimpson @ianjsimpson.bsky.social · 16d

And I can finally see the bottom of my to-do list :)

ianjsimpson @ianjsimpson.bsky.social · 16d

In one week I'll be back in public libraries...

1 1

ianjsimpson @ianjsimpson.bsky.social · 17d

Cassette tape or just tape (from NE England and of appropriate age).

1

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · 17d

This is NOT just america. This is happening here. Local coverage of it, if you can bear the pop up ads....

www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/2548259...

#UKKidlit #Edusky

22 71 130

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Libraries Connected @librariesconnected.bsky.social · 17d

Public #Libraries are 'essential for more equitable access to books, texts and digital resources', a new report from Literacy Lab @edinburghuni.bsky.social on the future of books and reading notes.

blogs.ed.ac.uk/literacylab/...

#Reading

A woman and child read a picture book in a library.

1 5 10

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Alicia Spencer-Hall @aspencerhall.bsky.social · 22d

What the fuck. Are there any decent alternatives?

Ordinary Notes @hystericalblkns.bsky.social · 23d

If you’re on academia dot edu, let me suggest that you strongly consider deleting your account.

The new TOC from academia dot edu.

By creating an Account with Academia.edu, you grant us a worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable license, permission, and consent for Academia.edu to use your Member Content and your personal information (including, but not limited to, your name, voice, signature, photograph, likeness, city, institutional affiliations, citations, mentions, publications, and areas of interest) in any manner, including for the purpose of advertising, selling, or soliciting the use or purchase of Academia.edu's Services.

2 8 19

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Dr Dean Burnett @garwboy.bsky.social · Jan 23

Daily life in 2025.

#AI #Tech #JustLetMeBe #FFS

The tuba meme, where a schoolgirl has her head pressed against the wall by another girl wielding a tuba, pushing it right up to her face, suggesting and intense, unavoidable onslaught of sensory information

Girl against wall:Me trying to do a basic ask I've managed Jo do every day Without incident for many years

Girl with tuba: EVery organisation on Earth

Tuba: AI

17 1K 2.8K

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Josiah Mortimer @josiah.writes.news · 23d

The Labour MP for East Thanet, Polly Billington MP, has written to the Reform Leader of Kent County Council to express her concern about Reform in Kent’s "continued endorsement of anti-science organisations and conspiracy theories" in a new motion on climate change (🧵)

14 210 680

ianjsimpson @ianjsimpson.bsky.social · 23d

Come to Aston and do my job...

Head of Content and Digital Transformation - Jobs at Aston
jobs.aston.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...

Closing date: Monday 29 September 2025.

#AcademicSky #HigherEd #Skybrarians

Job Vacancy at Aston University: Head of Content and Digital Transformation

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the dedicated and forward-thinking Library Leadership Team (LLT) at Aston University as Head of Content and Digital Transformation.In this strategic leadersh...

jobs.aston.ac.uk

1

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Nicholas Whyte @nwhyte.bsky.social · 27d

Your occasional reminder that Ursula K. Le Guin and Philip K. Dick were in the same year in the same high school, liked each other’s writing, but never met in person.

21 180 760

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Iwan Rhys Morus @irmorus.bsky.social · 23d

Entirely agree.

How AI is undermining learning and teaching in universities | Letter

Letter: Prof Leo McCann and Prof Simon Sweeney say student misuse of generative artificial intelligence is widespread and we must be sceptical of its usefulness

www.theguardian.com

1 10 23

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · Aug 31

My latest cartoon for @theguardian.com books.
p.s. I have a new book of cartoons out soon: www.tomgauld.com/comic-books-v2

Panel One:
A woman sits in a chair reading happily in a book-filled room.
A voice offstage says
"You can't survive on books alone"
The woman replies
"Maybe I can!"

Panel Two:
"How?" asks the voice
"I don't know yet, but I'm sure the answer will be in one of my books." Says the woman

Panel Three:
Caption: However
The book is filled with yet more books.
A skull sits on the chair. It says
"I regret nothing!"

8 420 1.2K

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · Sep 7

My cartoon for the @theguardian.com books autumn reads special.

Panel 1
A figure lies on a lounger as a hot, orange sun sets, saying
"The holiday's over."

Panel 2
Now wheeling a suitcase towards a plane in warm eveniong light
"It's nice to sit around in the sun reading all day."

Panel 3
The plane rises amongst the clouds
"But all good things must come to an end."

Panel 4
The figure deplanes with the suitcase in drizzle
"Coming home has its own pleasures."

Panel 5
The rain is harder. The figure shelter under an umbrella and looks into a shop window containing a selection of books and a sign reading
"New books for autumn!"

Panel 6
The figure now sits at home by an open fire, happily reading a new book. The suitcase has not yet been unpacked.

6 320 1K

Reposted by ianjsimpson

Strange Horizons @strangehorizons.bsky.social · 24d

Strange Horizons published our first issue 25 years ago this month! 🎉

Thank you to everyone who has ever read, shared, submitted, donated! We wouldn't be here without you and we hope you'll continue to support us into the future!