The Iris Project
@theirisproject.bsky.social
Iris runs innovative initiatives exploring the ancient world in state schools and communities. We run a Classics Centre and Rumble Museum at Cheney School.
Iris director Lorna was interviewed recently by Julia Golding from the Oxford Centre for Fantasy about Classical Myths, her work in schools, and Ovid's Metamorphoses as an inspiration for her novel The Birder, set in an alternate Oxford. You can take a listen here! tinyurl.com/5xwnhwvw
Classical Stories and Fantasy: The Birder and Other Tales
What do the classical stories of myths and legends mean to us today? In this episode of Mythmakers, Dr. Lorna Robinson—founder of the Iris Project and director of t…
tinyurl.com
January 22, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Iris director Lorna was interviewed recently by Julia Golding from the Oxford Centre for Fantasy about Classical Myths, her work in schools, and Ovid's Metamorphoses as an inspiration for her novel The Birder, set in an alternate Oxford. You can take a listen here! tinyurl.com/5xwnhwvw
Yesterday author Chris Beckett kicked off our Fantasy & Speculative Fiction Breakfast Talk series with a session exploring the ideas behind his Dark Eden trilogy! He spoke about the process of inventing a planet, and creating a story line within it - with book-signing to finish!
January 17, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Yesterday author Chris Beckett kicked off our Fantasy & Speculative Fiction Breakfast Talk series with a session exploring the ideas behind his Dark Eden trilogy! He spoke about the process of inventing a planet, and creating a story line within it - with book-signing to finish!
A new blackboard in our classics centre for 2026 to connect with our tree-themed term! I mixed English in with Latin a bit, and am missing an X and a Y, but nearly an alphabet!
January 10, 2026 at 6:36 PM
A new blackboard in our classics centre for 2026 to connect with our tree-themed term! I mixed English in with Latin a bit, and am missing an X and a Y, but nearly an alphabet!
Some characters from ancient poems are included in our Rumble Museum Forest of Fiction - we put up the key today, ready for our big launch with Paterson Joseph on Friday 16th January!
January 3, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Some characters from ancient poems are included in our Rumble Museum Forest of Fiction - we put up the key today, ready for our big launch with Paterson Joseph on Friday 16th January!
We loved welcoming Dr Efi Spentzou @rhulclassics.bsky.social Soc this week to our Classics Centre to run an inspiring workshop on the Trojan survivors for some of our Classicists! Find out more here: tinyurl.com/4sey7fja
A Myth and Voice Workshop re-imagining the beach at Troy
We are always inspired when Dr Efi Spentzou brings her Myth and Voice Workshops to our Classics Centre, and this week’s visit was no exception. Efi visited our GCSE Latinists and A Level Clas…
tinyurl.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:38 AM
We loved welcoming Dr Efi Spentzou @rhulclassics.bsky.social Soc this week to our Classics Centre to run an inspiring workshop on the Trojan survivors for some of our Classicists! Find out more here: tinyurl.com/4sey7fja
Our Astronomy Festival is today - 5.30 - 8pm! Talks, stalls, activities and stargazing for all ages! apolloandartemisblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/12/a...
Ancient and Modern Astronomy Evening, Thursday 18th December
We are delighted to announce our Ancient and Modern Astronomy Evening at the Iris Classics Centre at Cheney School on Thursday 18th December. The event will feature an opening talk from an expert a…
apolloandartemisblog.wordpress.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Our Astronomy Festival is today - 5.30 - 8pm! Talks, stalls, activities and stargazing for all ages! apolloandartemisblog.wordpress.com/2025/11/12/a...
If you're looking for classics-inspired fiction this holiday season, we have a range of titles from an alternate Oxford where people metamorphose to a re-imagining of the Minoans! All proceeds go towards our work in state schools. Find out more here! tinyurl.com/3z7vehwb
Classics-inspired novels and short stories to explore!
If you’re looking for fiction inspired by the ancient world this holiday season, there are a range of Iris titles to explore! All proceeds from purchases of our fiction publications in Decemb…
tinyurl.com
December 13, 2025 at 9:11 AM
If you're looking for classics-inspired fiction this holiday season, we have a range of titles from an alternate Oxford where people metamorphose to a re-imagining of the Minoans! All proceeds go towards our work in state schools. Find out more here! tinyurl.com/3z7vehwb
We have loved the Ancient Scripts Breakfast Talk series at the Classics Centre this term. Thank you to all our visiting speakers! Find out more about what we learned about here: tinyurl.com/rja9nehj
Ancient Scripts Breakfast Talks
This term, we have been incredibly lucky to welcome expert academics to our breakfast talk series on ancient scripts. at the Classics Centre. Cheney students from all year groups were able to liste…
tinyurl.com
December 13, 2025 at 8:27 AM
We have loved the Ancient Scripts Breakfast Talk series at the Classics Centre this term. Thank you to all our visiting speakers! Find out more about what we learned about here: tinyurl.com/rja9nehj
Thank you to Prof Gary Snapper for this review of The Birder, inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses and set in Oxford, in "Teaching English"! You can get hold of hardback, paperback and ebooks of The Birder in Blackwells Bookshops or on amazon here: tinyurl.com/f77v6tx9
November 20, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Thank you to Prof Gary Snapper for this review of The Birder, inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses and set in Oxford, in "Teaching English"! You can get hold of hardback, paperback and ebooks of The Birder in Blackwells Bookshops or on amazon here: tinyurl.com/f77v6tx9
Our next event is our annual ancient and modern astronomy evening! Activity stalls, stargazing, planetarium shows and an opening talk about Black Holes! Thursday 18th December. Find out more and book here: tinyurl.com/ytppcuud
Ancient and Modern Astronomy Evening, Thursday 18th December
We are delighted to announce our Ancient and Modern Astronomy Evening at the Iris Classics Centre at Cheney School on Thursday 18th December. The event will feature an opening talk from an expert a…
tinyurl.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Our next event is our annual ancient and modern astronomy evening! Activity stalls, stargazing, planetarium shows and an opening talk about Black Holes! Thursday 18th December. Find out more and book here: tinyurl.com/ytppcuud
Big thank you to everyone who took part in Read Between The Lines Fest yesterday! You can see lots of photos and read all about the theatre, activities, labyrinth shows and Minoan dancing here: tinyurl.com/fdv5hunp
Talking Emojis and Minoan Dancers: Read Between The Lines Fest!
On Tuesday 11th November, Read Between The Lines Fest took over Cheney for a few hours! Events kicked off with some circus-style fun at our outdoor labyrinth, where Jonathan performed a range of fe…
tinyurl.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Big thank you to everyone who took part in Read Between The Lines Fest yesterday! You can see lots of photos and read all about the theatre, activities, labyrinth shows and Minoan dancing here: tinyurl.com/fdv5hunp
TOMORROW! We are so excited for our festival with University of Oxford and Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia. From labyrinth escape shows to theatre, with stalls, activities, refreshments, and Minoan dancing, it will be an unmissable event! tinyurl.com/mrez7fuy @ox.ac.uk
‘Reading Between The Lines’ Festival
We are delighted to announce a Festival in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, “Read Between The Lines: From Hieroglyphs to Emojis” on Tuesda…
tinyurl.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:39 PM
TOMORROW! We are so excited for our festival with University of Oxford and Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia. From labyrinth escape shows to theatre, with stalls, activities, refreshments, and Minoan dancing, it will be an unmissable event! tinyurl.com/mrez7fuy @ox.ac.uk
We loved Professor @aestallings.bsky.social talk and reading on Friday for 300 sixth formers at Cheney School, who read poems inspired by Greek myth and talked about her writing! Find out more here: tinyurl.com/yrvn8mry
Ancient Stories and Modern Poems: A Reading with Professor AE Stallings
On Friday 7th November, we were privileged to welcome A.E. Stallings, the 47th Oxford Professor of Poetry (and the second woman to hold the post) to speak to our sixth formers at Cheney School. Pr…
tinyurl.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:42 PM
We loved Professor @aestallings.bsky.social talk and reading on Friday for 300 sixth formers at Cheney School, who read poems inspired by Greek myth and talked about her writing! Find out more here: tinyurl.com/yrvn8mry
A fun little video by artist Luke McDonnell featuring our beautiful new forbidden forest mural! tinyurl.com/53jacky6
Creating a Forbidden Forest of Fiction at Cheney School's Rumble Museum
Artist Luke McDonnell creates a magical forest mural, filled with characters from Oxford fantasy, Greek myth, and science fiction, on the walls of Cheney School! Find out more here: https://rumblemuseum.org.uk/index.php/projects/848-forbidden-forest-of-fiction-mural
tinyurl.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:50 PM
A fun little video by artist Luke McDonnell featuring our beautiful new forbidden forest mural! tinyurl.com/53jacky6
COMING UP ON TUESDAY! Don't forget our next big festival with University of Oxford and Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia. From thrilling labyrinth escape shows to plays, with stalls, activities, refreshments, and Minoan dancing, it will be an unmissable event! Free and open to all: tinyurl.com/mrez7fuy
‘Reading Between The Lines’ Festival
We are delighted to announce a Festival in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, “Read Between The Lines: From Hieroglyphs to Emojis” on Tuesda…
tinyurl.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:30 PM
COMING UP ON TUESDAY! Don't forget our next big festival with University of Oxford and Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia. From thrilling labyrinth escape shows to plays, with stalls, activities, refreshments, and Minoan dancing, it will be an unmissable event! Free and open to all: tinyurl.com/mrez7fuy
Our @RumbleMuseum's new Forbidden Forest mural features characters from Greek myth amongst fantasy and sci-fi - deep in its woods are lots of people, animals and objects from stories! Find out more here: tinyurl.com/mr3dx23a
Forbidden Forest Mural brings Greek Myth, Oxford Fantasy, Sci-Fi to Life
Over many years, the Iris Project’s Rumble Museum at Cheney School has accumulated a collection of fantasy and speculative fiction early editions as well as a wide collection of classical wor…
tinyurl.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Our @RumbleMuseum's new Forbidden Forest mural features characters from Greek myth amongst fantasy and sci-fi - deep in its woods are lots of people, animals and objects from stories! Find out more here: tinyurl.com/mr3dx23a
We now have a full brochure available online for our forthcoming Hieroglyphics to Emojis Festival - read about all the exciting activities and performances here, and don't forget to drop by from 3.30pm on Tuesday 11th November @Cheney_School @torchoxford.bsky.social ! tinyurl.com/28pnj9uj
Read Between The Lines Brochure
tinyurl.com
November 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
We now have a full brochure available online for our forthcoming Hieroglyphics to Emojis Festival - read about all the exciting activities and performances here, and don't forget to drop by from 3.30pm on Tuesday 11th November @Cheney_School @torchoxford.bsky.social ! tinyurl.com/28pnj9uj
Our new mural is starting to get marked up on the stage in the Library, ready to be painted... Teeming with characters from early editions of speculative fiction and fantasy we have been kindly donated, with some classical myth in there too! Watch the forest as it grows!
October 27, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Our new mural is starting to get marked up on the stage in the Library, ready to be painted... Teeming with characters from early editions of speculative fiction and fantasy we have been kindly donated, with some classical myth in there too! Watch the forest as it grows!
We are very grateful for the time taken for two recent reviews of The Birder from Dr Mai Musie and Flora Carnwath! Birder available in Blackwells Bookshop and on Amazon here: tinyurl.com/f77v6tx9
October 25, 2025 at 11:51 AM
We are very grateful for the time taken for two recent reviews of The Birder from Dr Mai Musie and Flora Carnwath! Birder available in Blackwells Bookshop and on Amazon here: tinyurl.com/f77v6tx9
For those keen on classical reception on pop and rock music, The Divine Comedy have recently released a new song called "Achilles" which they opened their Oxford set with on Thursday evening!
October 25, 2025 at 11:50 AM
For those keen on classical reception on pop and rock music, The Divine Comedy have recently released a new song called "Achilles" which they opened their Oxford set with on Thursday evening!
Our next Classics and Creative Writing Cafe will explore the beautiful murals of the Minoans, and include a reading and book-signing. There will be drinks, decorations, and activities for younger children. All are welcome! Find out more and book here: tinyurl.com/3vp53m74
Imagining the Minoans: Creative Writing Cafe, Saturday 1st November
On Saturday 1st November, 3 – 5pm, we are delighted to announce a very special afternoon at our Creative Writing Cafe. The Cafe will be exploring the beautiful murals of the Minoan Civilisati…
tinyurl.com
October 11, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Our next Classics and Creative Writing Cafe will explore the beautiful murals of the Minoans, and include a reading and book-signing. There will be drinks, decorations, and activities for younger children. All are welcome! Find out more and book here: tinyurl.com/3vp53m74
You can find out all about the Minoan inspiration for Flower Gatherers in this new blog post on @aceclassics.bsky.social
at tinyurl.com/4kp8xveb!
at tinyurl.com/4kp8xveb!
October 4, 2025 at 8:15 AM
You can find out all about the Minoan inspiration for Flower Gatherers in this new blog post on @aceclassics.bsky.social
at tinyurl.com/4kp8xveb!
at tinyurl.com/4kp8xveb!
We're gearing up for our Fest of Ancient Writing @ox.ac.uk by starting to fill our classics centre with ancient scripts! tinyurl.com/mrez7fuy
September 27, 2025 at 8:53 AM
We're gearing up for our Fest of Ancient Writing @ox.ac.uk by starting to fill our classics centre with ancient scripts! tinyurl.com/mrez7fuy
6th form Classicists @Cheney_School were able to explore papyri fragments detailing aspects of ancient childhood this week, from a horoscope at the birth of a baby, to an apprenticeship letter for an 18 year old. Thanks to Peter Toth and Rosie Sharkey @bodleian.ox.ac.uk!
September 21, 2025 at 12:30 PM
6th form Classicists @Cheney_School were able to explore papyri fragments detailing aspects of ancient childhood this week, from a horoscope at the birth of a baby, to an apprenticeship letter for an 18 year old. Thanks to Peter Toth and Rosie Sharkey @bodleian.ox.ac.uk!
Our Corinthian helmet and aspis shield all ready for Y12 Class Civ yesterday, where the students tried both on, as we talked about the duel of Paris and Menelaus!
September 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Our Corinthian helmet and aspis shield all ready for Y12 Class Civ yesterday, where the students tried both on, as we talked about the duel of Paris and Menelaus!