Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 2h

"Educated."🤣

Andrew Male @andrewmale.bsky.social · 9h

“An endless cycle of nonsensical conversation between characters who seemed trapped in their own madness.”

Nailed it.

Lux Alptraum @luxalptraum.com · 14h

TFW you paid $1400 to see Beckett’s most famous work without knowing anything about it

2

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 2h

Blog post: "Old ladies to the front: in praise of unglamorous bands". I'm not sure whether the new BBC series Riot Women will be any good, but the real-life bands behind it are. olderthanelvis.blogspot.com/2025/10/old-... #Unglamorous #RiotWomen

Old ladies to the front: in praise of unglamorous bands

The Unglamorous Music project has inspired older women around the country to form punk bands. Women like me are finding their voices.

olderthanelvis.blogspot.com

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 3h

Today's Nice Thing.

Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 5d

This - which I explored today - is the kind of thing I live for on walks in the deep countryside: a 200+-year-old abandoned walled garden, totally overgrown and teeming with wildlife and ghosts.

Finding lost magic places like this, untouched and undeveloped, always fills me with weird kind of hope.

The entrance to the walled garden I found today, with its broken door and big ivy hat.

An interdimensional portal in the walled garden I found today

A hole in the wall of the walled garden I found today, leading to 1785.

Ruined potting sheds in the walled garden I found today.

2 13

Reposted by Penny Kiley

Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 21h

The reason the Right are so invested in the myth that the arts have no value isn’t because the arts don’t generate wealth (they do); it’s that studying the arts teaches people to imagine better ways of judging the value of an idea than by counting how much money it makes…

57 500 1.9K

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 15h

I've been annoyed by him for a LONG time.

1

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 21h

I did my degree in English language and literature, because I was (am) interested in it. I've never earned more than the average salary. But that wasn't the point.

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 22h

Something grimly predictable about the way that the conversation about 'ripoff degrees' in the UK is always about degrees that aren't rip-offs, but are instead fairly obvious 'this student has chosen something unlikely to pay off economically' rather than the short tail of crap business degrees:

Everyone needs educating in the fight over university degrees

Political confusion over the purpose of these institutions means the obvious fixes are being neglected

www.ft.com

3

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 21h

Excellent workshop at @societyofauthors.bsky.social this morning on "confident communication for authors". I've got a lot of homework to do before my book launch next year.

1

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 5d

Today's Nice Thing

Nick Tankard @nicktankard.bsky.social · 5d

A Hopperish moment in a London theatre earlier this week.

A theatre usher standing with her arms folded as she leans against a brown wooden wall, red curtains that lead to boxes on the right, a black sign with silver art deco typeface points to the “boxes”. A green exit sign above the red curtains. The girl is wearing a black uniform and white shirt, she looks bored.

3

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 5d

Thanks. And, ouch. She was a bit like that too.

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 5d

I haven't seen that. What did he say?

1

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 5d

My monthly #comms and #content blog. New words and phrases, non-tweet of the month and the obligatory mention of AI. pennykiley.com/2025/10/03/h...

Hormozi captions, cognitive atrophy and neurodiversity-lite - Penny Kiley

Topical comms and content blog looking at accessibility, AI and some new words and phrases.

pennykiley.com

Reposted by Penny Kiley

Justin Lewis @whenisbirths.bsky.social · 6d

Two such thoughtful reviews, ICYMT, for #IntoTheGroove:

First: @dreamcargoes.bsky.social wrote about it here:
maysbritain.home.blog/2025/09/19/b...

Secondly: @bernardhughes.bsky.social reviewed it for @theartsdesk.bsky.social, here: theartsdesk.com/books/justin...

Cover of my new book:
INTO THE GROOVE: THE 1980s:
THE ULTIMATE DECADE IN MUSIC HISTORY
by Justin Lewis

'A treasure chest of pop riches... I loved this book!'
SAMIRA AHMED

9 8

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 5d

I interviewed her once. She was bad tempered then as well.

1 1

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 6d

Just reviewed Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone by @mickeyundertone.bsky.social for @louderthanwar.bsky.social. Enjoyed it very much. louderthanwar.com/teenage-kick...

Teenage Kicks by Michael Bradley – Book Review

Undertones bassist Michael Bradley has written an entertaining version of the band’s story, reissued as part of the Omnibus Remastered series.

louderthanwar.com

3

Reposted by Penny Kiley

Scott Pack @meandmybigmouth.bsky.social · 6d

Any of my bookworld friends – agents, authors, freelancers – having problems getting paid by @canelobooks.bsky.social?

I'm supposed to get a small commission payment off them every six months, but they are over a year late and not acknowledging or replying to emails.

3 4 3

Reposted by Penny Kiley

Rob Morgan @durutti74.bsky.social · 7d

Happy birthday to David Balfe.

I'll always been grateful for him taking the time to write about "Strange house in the snow" for my Exploding The Teardrops blog. A fascinating insight into the creative process and so much more.

explodingteardrops.blogspot.com/2022/10/stra...

Strange House In The Snow EXTRA

When I published my post on Strange House In The Snow last week, Dave Balfe got in touch to say it was one of his favourite Teardrop Explode...

explodingteardrops.blogspot.com

4 7 42

Reposted by Penny Kiley

Kate Bevan @katebevan.com · 7d

dear publications I know you want me to sign up to all your newsletters, but just let me read the piece without putting GIANT RED BOXES in my face, which make me even less likely to sign up to your spam

7 3 33

Reposted by Penny Kiley

Justin Lewis @whenisbirths.bsky.social · 8d

Officially out tomorrow! #IntoTheGroove

Justin Lewis @whenisbirths.bsky.social · 20d

It's got everyone in it from Paul Young to Young Marble Giants, and from Salt-N-Pepa to Chas & Dave.

#IntoTheGroove, my new book, the month-by-month story of 1980s pop, out on Thurs 2 Oct from @eandtbooks.bsky.social. Pre-order from everywhere and anywhere, eg: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/into...

Cover for my new book:
INTO THE GROOVE: THE 1980s: THE ULTIMATE DECADE IN MUSIC HISTORY by Justin Lewis

'Forensic, forthright and downright unputdownable'
IAN WADE

2 9 15

Reposted by Penny Kiley

Tim Smedley @timsmedley.bsky.social · 7d

Want some truly good news?! Solar energy is booming like never before! Several countries have already doubled their solar capacity in 2025 alone (including China! 🤯☀️)

Me for @prospectmagazine.co.uk feat. @billmckibben.bsky.social & @ember-energy.org

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/techno...

The great 2025 solar boom

One massive thing is going really well, according to veteran climate campaigner Bill McKibben

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk

4 11 29

Reposted by Penny Kiley

Eleanor @eleanorturney.co.uk · 7d

The first 8 workshops are bookable now: Pitching and partnerships, Climate literacy, Marketing and branding yourself, Freelancing as a neurodiverse person, Making Tax Digital, A beginners' guide to tax, Global perspectives and Your leadership toolkit.

Tell your freelance friends!

many-hats.org

3 3

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 7d

Today's Nice Thing

Simon Spanton @simonguy.bsky.social · 7d

Looking back five years.

Ollie, when he first came home, sat in a hole.
Ollie, five months old, sat in the same hole.

A golden roan working cocker-spaniel puppy sat in a hole in a lawn by a steel pole.

A five-month-old golden roan working cocker-spaniel puppy sat in a hole in a lawn by a steel pole.

5

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 7d

Quite tough subject matter (and more memoir than I expected) but very readable.

1

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 7d

Books I read in September.

A pile of books: Teenage Kicks by Michael Bradley, The Matter of Everything by Suzie Sheehy, A Crooked Tree by Una Mannion, The Octopus by Tess Little, The Autistic Guide to Communicating and Connecting by Niamh Garvey, Bodies: Life and death in music by Ian Winwood, The Genius Myth by Helen Lewis, Maybe I’m Amazed by John Harris. Most of them are from the library.

1 4

Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 8d

Timely.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him) @wardqnormal.bsky.social · 8d

Hey everyone! I'm extremely excited to announce that today marks the release of the 10th Anniversary Edition of Steve Silberman's ground-breaking NeuroTribes, with a new foreword by John Elder Robison.

Neurotribes by Steve Silberman: 9780399185618 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

This New York Times–bestselling book upends conventional thinking about autism and suggests a broader model for acceptance, understanding, and full participation in society for people who think differ...

www.penguinrandomhouse.com

2

Reposted by Penny Kiley

Andrew Orton @andreworton.bsky.social · Aug 9

43) Tribbles - Brilliant, obviously. Comedy can be difficult to do in a series like this, but this pulls it off with charm and style. It works especially because Shatner is frigging supreme at comedy. Great set for the space station too: it feels complete.
I want a tribble. (But just one) #StarTrek

4 1 21