Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 19h

First event of BIAF - Joe Dunthorne and Geoff Dyer in conversation with John Self at Crescent Arts Centre tonight.

Reposted by Jan Carson

Stan Carey @stancarey.bsky.social · 1d

"Language has been verbing for as long as it has languaged." New post on Agatha Christie – as a verb stancarey.wordpress.com/2025/10/11/t...

to Agatha Christie (v.tr.)

The conversion of nouns to verbs (to impact, to medal, to leverage, to architect) is a continual object of criticism and word rage. But language has been verbing for as long as it has languaged. In…

stancarey.wordpress.com

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 20h

You know me too well.

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 3d

Excellent people need to stop dying. It feels like soon there’ll be no one excellent left. #DianeKeaton

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 3d

Sad news they’ve disembarked in Newry. Final piece of baffling wisdom “here did you read the latest Sally Rooney? It’s great. If you liked it you’d probably like Jo Nesbo” ???

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 3d

They’re now having a very lively debate about Paul Murray and your man that wrote that spinning gate book

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 3d

They’ve moved on from extolling the virtues of Wendy to Liz Nugent and Lucy’s now getting a shout out. Somebody’s books are a bit hard going but I missed who it was.

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 3d

The women sitting in the seat behind me on the Enterprise are loudly discussing all the Northern Irish writers they’ve read. I’m just waiting till they get to me then I’m going to pop up like a jack in the box and join the chat.

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 3d

Poorly executed selfie of all the lovely writers in my Stinging Fly workshop this year. We had such a great time discussing each other’s work today.

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 5d

On home turf tonight in Ballymena library reading a wee snippet of the new novel and having a lovely chat with Jamie Beamish #FewAndFarBetween @librariesni.bsky.social

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 6d

Shirley Jackson explains how she got the idea for The Lottery

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 6d

Saw a man trying to fix a flat bicycle tire in the street today, a teenage boy stopped in front of him and sang a note perfect rendition of Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up” and this is probably the best thing I’ll witness this week.

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 6d

Lovely to see a stack of my books on home turf in Ballymena library @librariesni.bsky.social

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 6d

Some cracking recommendations here. Thank you to everyone for all your suggestions. For a moment it felt like the old place but nice.

Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 7d

Can anyone suggest books like In Cold Blood where the writer went and immersed themselves in a culture/community in order to write about it. The more glaringly obvious the better please.

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 6d

Good call

Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 7d

Thanks

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 7d

Oh I want to read that too

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 7d

Cheers Max. Much appreciated

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 7d

Thanks Stu. Great suggestion

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 7d

Can anyone suggest books like In Cold Blood where the writer went and immersed themselves in a culture/community in order to write about it. The more glaringly obvious the better please.

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 7d

Damn it, just successfully wired a wireless printer in less than 15 minutes. Missed out on the Nobel Prize for Physics by 8 hours. Early prediction for next year.

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 9d

It’s nothing to do with writers. It’s related to staff cuts and shortages at the university that runs the prize

Reposted by Jan Carson

Vicky Grut @vickygrut.bsky.social · 9d

How sad if we've lost the Edge Hill Prize. It's been important to so many people, including me. We were talking about it at the Leicester Writes event last month with Abi Hynes and Malachi McIntosh, both shortlisted last year.

Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · Jul 24

First time in Private Eye. I just wish it was for something a bit more positive.

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 9d

One of my gardens? Do you think I live in a stately home?

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Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 9d

Just watched a spider the size of a mouse run across my bedroom floor. I swear my house must be listed on Spider Air BnB

Jan Carson @jancarsonwrites.bsky.social · 9d

Dear spider living in my front door frame, you know what happened yesterday morning and the morning before and you better believe I’m going to walk face first through your web again tomorrow. Like a person-sized wrecking ball. Bring it. If you dare.

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