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Reposted by Dr Laura Varnam

David Atkinson @davidatkinsonpoet.bsky.social · 4d

One of the things I love about poems is that you can read the same poem on a different day and it can have a different heart

This poem, today, beats differently than the last day I read it

'The Last Toast' - Anna Akhmatova

#poetry
#poemoftheday

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 1d

Oh lovely! Thank you! And no hurry!!

Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 1d

Incredible! 👏

Dr Eleanor Baker @eleanormaybaker.bsky.social · 1d

Peeling wolves. #printsky #linocut #print

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 1d

Oh WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Reposted by Dr Laura Varnam

Sara Charles @saracharles.bsky.social · 1d

Homegrown madder pigment. It's wonderful to create medieval pigment from something grown in your garden #bookhistory #medievalpigments #medievalsky

Dried madder roots in a bowl on some scales

Madder pigment being mulled on a glass slab

Madder pigment surrounded by examples of dried paint on paper and parchment

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Reposted by Dr Laura Varnam

Rose Ruane @regretteruane.bsky.social · 1d

Excellently threatening energy from Deborah Findlay’s entry to the Puffin Post’s Concrete Poetry Competition.
A superb, subtle, sarcastic little poetic diss to the moon

Detail from a page from puffin post magazine black text on white reads, Deborah finally 13, the moon above a black outline of a crescent moon inside which is a poem that reads “poor moon, will you really shine so well when men step upon you and break your spell” under which italicised text reads a black and white copy of a charming painting by Deborah Findlay

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Reposted by Dr Laura Varnam

Daniel Carpenter @dancarpenter.bsky.social · 1d

A reminder that E. Nesbit wrote the greatest opening to a ghost story ever.

THIS is not an artistically rounded off ghost story and nothing is explained in it; and there seems to be no reason why any of it should have happened. But that is no reason why it should not be told. You must have noticed that all the real ghost stories you ever come close to are like this in these respects: no explanation, no logical coherence. Here is the story.

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 2d

🤣

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 2d

The @backlisted.bsky.social family will know Rob best from his astonishingly clever ‘choose your own adventure’ short story collection WE ALL HEAR STORIES IN THE DARK, discussed on the Beowulf episode! Fans of the Halloween show will really enjoy CHIMES OF MIDNIGHT for its riff on ghost stories! 👻

Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 2d

Many congratulations to the brilliant @robertshearman.bsky.social whose two new Doctor Who novels were published this week- JUBILEE & CHIMES OF MIDNIGHT! 👏🥂🍾🥳 And check out the new issue of Doctor Who magazine for an interview about the new books & how Rob adapted the original Big Finish audios ✨

Jubilee and The Chimes of Midnight by Robert Shearman

Doctor Who magazine cover featuring a golden Dalek

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 2d

Many congratulations to the brilliant @robertshearman.bsky.social whose two new Doctor Who novels were published this week- JUBILEE & CHIMES OF MIDNIGHT! 👏🥂🍾🥳 And check out the new issue of Doctor Who magazine for an interview about the new books & how Rob adapted the original Big Finish audios ✨

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 3d

Aw 🥹💞

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 3d

I thought of you immediately!

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 3d

I feel like this will please @ccurran.bsky.social ☝️

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 3d

I was glad to see that the bust of Tolkien from the old English Faculty library is now in the new Schwarzman Centre Humanities Library! 📚

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 3d

I had a lovely time with my new Team English students at our freshers’ dinner last night at Univ! 💙💛 Really looking forward to teaching starting properly on Monday!

Chocolate brownie pudding with strawberries and cream

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 4d

New commemorative Royal mugs for the office collection! 👑👸 (I often find that they are a very pleasing shape to drink from!!) Picked up these beauties in an antique shop in Lyme Regis on holiday last month 💖

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 5d

🤭🤭🤭

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 5d

OMG 😳😂

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Reposted by Dr Laura Varnam

The Guild of Medievalist Makers @guildmedmak.bsky.social · 10d

Those who teach and research Sir Gawain and the Green Knight will be interested in this fantastic research hub concerned with historic and contemporary creative responses to the late medieval poem. They're also looking for contributors, so do get in contact with @michaeledenart.bsky.social! 👇

Representing Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Representing Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a research hub concerned with historic and contemporary creative responses to the late medieval poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (circa 1370). Illu...

www.representing-sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight.com

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 6d

You’ve reminded me that that episode made me want to seek out Charlie Bubbles because it stars Billie Whitelaw, who I was lucky enough to meet a couple of years before she died.

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 7d

It’s really quite something!

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 7d

It sure is! 🤩

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 7d

Made it over to the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities today, the new home of the English Faculty and where I’ll be lecturing this term ✨

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 7d

Academic generosity really DOES matter! We need more of it 💞

Rachael Squire @squirerachael.bsky.social · 12d

Today i'm grateful for a paper reviewer. It got major revisions with critical & challenging comments but they were delivered with kindness, thought & enthusiasm when there were plenty of opportunities (through my own ignorance and clumsiness in the paper) to do otherwise. This generosity matters 👍

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Dr Laura Varnam @drlauravarnam.bsky.social · 7d

I love the title ‘She Speaks’- very much in line with my poetic adaptation of Beowulf, the women tell their side of the story!

Veronica Price @vonprice.bsky.social · 8d

Today I’m recommending 2 beautiful #NonFiction titles for #MG readers, both written by #HonorCargillMartin
#SheSpeaks… is published by @magiccatpublishing.bsky.social & #ShakespearesHeroines is published by @hachettechildrens.bsky.social
#UkKidLit

vsviewfromthebookshelves.home.blog/2025/10/05/f...

Fabulous Non-Fiction from Honor Cargill-Martin: Shakespeare’s Heroines and She Speaks: The Women of Norse Myths in their own Words

Cover art by Pauliina Hannuniemi, published by Magic Cat Publishing, 25 September 2025, ISBN:978-1917044813 Cover art by Jaimee Andrews, published by Hachette Children’s Books, 23 October 202…

vsviewfromthebookshelves.home.blog

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