Nikki Hessell
@nikkihessell.bsky.social
Prof in 18th Century & Romantic Literature at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington, she/her, Pākehā/settler scholar, #toitūtetiriti, 🏀
Books on Romanticism + settler colonialism + Indigenous studies
https://people.wgtn.ac.nz/nikki.hessell
Books on Romanticism + settler colonialism + Indigenous studies
https://people.wgtn.ac.nz/nikki.hessell
Pinned
I've woken up in Aotearoa NZ to a lot of new followers, so hi!👋
My new Marsden-funded project is "The Poetics of Treaties: Settler Treaty-Making and 18C Poetry," which looks at treaties as literature & the influence of poetic modes (elegy, georgic, prospect etc) on treaty writing in the colonies
My new Marsden-funded project is "The Poetics of Treaties: Settler Treaty-Making and 18C Poetry," which looks at treaties as literature & the influence of poetic modes (elegy, georgic, prospect etc) on treaty writing in the colonies
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
Come at me bro.
December 22, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Come at me bro.
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
I'm very excited to announce the launch of the #18thC Ecologies Network! Co-convened by myself & @calsutherland.bsky.social at @cecs-york.bsky.social , ECEN is a hub for researchers interested in the many diverse ecologies of the period 🌱
Find out more: hzj520.wixsite.com/eighteenth-c...
Find out more: hzj520.wixsite.com/eighteenth-c...
December 21, 2025 at 12:12 PM
I'm very excited to announce the launch of the #18thC Ecologies Network! Co-convened by myself & @calsutherland.bsky.social at @cecs-york.bsky.social , ECEN is a hub for researchers interested in the many diverse ecologies of the period 🌱
Find out more: hzj520.wixsite.com/eighteenth-c...
Find out more: hzj520.wixsite.com/eighteenth-c...
This is the 2nd time in a week that a Cabinet Minister has been shown to be misleading their own Cab colleagues about the evidence for a decision (Goldsmith as well).
People who are sure of their ground & proud of their principles don't do things like that. Feels like a serious breach of protocol
People who are sure of their ground & proud of their principles don't do things like that. Feels like a serious breach of protocol
New from me: Health officials said there was ‘no evidence base’ about the likely impacts of the Government’s decision to ban puberty blockers for transgender youth.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/12/22/c...
newsroom.co.nz/2025/12/22/c...
Cabinet overrode health advice in decision to ban puberty blockers
Health officials said there was 'no evidence base' about the likely impacts of the Government's decision to ban puberty blockers for transgender youth.
newsroom.co.nz
December 21, 2025 at 6:41 PM
This is the 2nd time in a week that a Cabinet Minister has been shown to be misleading their own Cab colleagues about the evidence for a decision (Goldsmith as well).
People who are sure of their ground & proud of their principles don't do things like that. Feels like a serious breach of protocol
People who are sure of their ground & proud of their principles don't do things like that. Feels like a serious breach of protocol
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
New from me: Health officials said there was ‘no evidence base’ about the likely impacts of the Government’s decision to ban puberty blockers for transgender youth.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/12/22/c...
newsroom.co.nz/2025/12/22/c...
Cabinet overrode health advice in decision to ban puberty blockers
Health officials said there was 'no evidence base' about the likely impacts of the Government's decision to ban puberty blockers for transgender youth.
newsroom.co.nz
December 21, 2025 at 6:25 PM
New from me: Health officials said there was ‘no evidence base’ about the likely impacts of the Government’s decision to ban puberty blockers for transgender youth.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/12/22/c...
newsroom.co.nz/2025/12/22/c...
Wonderful news!
Artist Matthew McIntyre Wilson has been selected for a new international textile residency connecting two UNESCO Cities of Design through ancestral textile practices.
Whanganui artist Matthew McIntyre Wilson selected for international textile residency
Artist Matthew McIntyre Wilson has been selected for a new international textile residency connecting two UNESCO Cities of Design through ancestral textile practices.
www.teaonews.co.nz
December 20, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Wonderful news!
Fantastic news!
BREAKING: The High Court of New Zealand has granted PATHA’s application for interim relief, declaring that the Crown should not take any steps to enforce the incoming ban on new prescriptions of puberty blockers to transgender children and young people. More to come:
www.courtsofnz.govt.nz
December 16, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Fantastic news!
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
Excited to share 'Percy Bysshe Shelley in Collaboration: Influence and Intertextuality', ed. with Merrilees Roberts and @paulstephens.bsky.social, forthcoming with @themhra.bsky.social 📖✨️ www.mhra.org.uk/publications...
Percy Bysshe Shelley in Collaboration: Influence and Intertextuality - Edited by Merrilees Roberts, Amanda Blake Davis, and Paul Stephens
Modern Humanities Research Association - Percy Bysshe Shelley in Collaboration: Influence and Intertextuality - Edited by Merrilees Roberts, Amanda Blake Davis, and Paul Stephens
www.mhra.org.uk
December 15, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Excited to share 'Percy Bysshe Shelley in Collaboration: Influence and Intertextuality', ed. with Merrilees Roberts and @paulstephens.bsky.social, forthcoming with @themhra.bsky.social 📖✨️ www.mhra.org.uk/publications...
If you're in literary studies, one of the absolute BEST professional moves you can make is to have chat with Rebecca Colesworthy. I published with SUNY Press in 2021 and it was a great experience, all of which stemmed from sending a quick message to her
5 yrs ago, when MLA was virtual, I pathetically tweeted, asking people to please please please meet with me via zoom. Alejandra Márquez took pity on me, we chatted, and she just received author copies of her book—LENCHITUDES—in our Genders in the Global South series.
sunypress.edu/Books/L/Lenc...
sunypress.edu/Books/L/Lenc...
Lenchitudes
sunypress.edu
December 15, 2025 at 4:35 PM
If you're in literary studies, one of the absolute BEST professional moves you can make is to have chat with Rebecca Colesworthy. I published with SUNY Press in 2021 and it was a great experience, all of which stemmed from sending a quick message to her
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom
December 12, 2025 at 6:23 PM
There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom
I've donated, and I really hope you can too, if you can spare some money at the moment 👇
Today (4/12) every dollar you donate to Orange Sky Aotearoa will be DOUBLED. Orange Sky does amazing work supporting individuals & whānau experiencing homelessness & hardship through access to free laundry & warm showers.
give.orangesky.org.nz/holidayappea...
give.orangesky.org.nz/holidayappea...
Holiday Appeal 2025
give.orangesky.org.nz
December 3, 2025 at 10:05 PM
I've donated, and I really hope you can too, if you can spare some money at the moment 👇
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
My brave and heroic daughter helped put together this open letter hoping to prevent others from suffering from Long Covid as she is, please sign
our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/a-...
our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/a-...
December 2, 2025 at 6:04 AM
My brave and heroic daughter helped put together this open letter hoping to prevent others from suffering from Long Covid as she is, please sign
our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/a-...
our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/a-...
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
One of my heartfelt beliefs is that different teachers will be better at teaching different texts different ways w/in the same topic. To force a fixed curriculum is to intentionally elide that teachers are individual human beings w unique engagements w the ideas they communicate to students.
December 1, 2025 at 3:39 PM
One of my heartfelt beliefs is that different teachers will be better at teaching different texts different ways w/in the same topic. To force a fixed curriculum is to intentionally elide that teachers are individual human beings w unique engagements w the ideas they communicate to students.
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
Applications Now Open for the University of Glasgow Library Visiting Research Fellowship scheme - supporting scholars from across academic disciplines to come to Glasgow to work on our unique research collections. Please RT or pass on:
www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/li...
www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/li...
November 20, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Applications Now Open for the University of Glasgow Library Visiting Research Fellowship scheme - supporting scholars from across academic disciplines to come to Glasgow to work on our unique research collections. Please RT or pass on:
www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/li...
www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/li...
Very grateful for the lovely gifts from my RSAA colleagues after we finished up our conference in Wellington. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing group of Romanticists around me in our region.
Looking forward to our next conference in Canberra in 2027!
Looking forward to our next conference in Canberra in 2027!
November 28, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Very grateful for the lovely gifts from my RSAA colleagues after we finished up our conference in Wellington. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing group of Romanticists around me in our region.
Looking forward to our next conference in Canberra in 2027!
Looking forward to our next conference in Canberra in 2027!
It’s the last day of Living / Building, our 2025 joint RSAA/DNS conference. Lots to come today, including @profchander.bsky.social’s keynote. but I’m taking a moment of calm & peace before all that
November 27, 2025 at 6:47 PM
It’s the last day of Living / Building, our 2025 joint RSAA/DNS conference. Lots to come today, including @profchander.bsky.social’s keynote. but I’m taking a moment of calm & peace before all that
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
Statement from Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa (Māori Medical Practitioners Association) expressing its condemnation of the banning of puberty blockers by the NZ government.
mcusercontent.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Statement from Te Ohu Rata o Aotearoa (Māori Medical Practitioners Association) expressing its condemnation of the banning of puberty blockers by the NZ government.
I feel so fortunate to have been at this talk. Smart, accessible, and the sort of thing that makes you think differently about the texts that you teach (even as a non-Shakespearean)
Nearly time for Patricia Akhimie’s lecture on “Setting Othello,” hosted by @elccprogramme.bsky.social here at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington
November 25, 2025 at 7:00 AM
I feel so fortunate to have been at this talk. Smart, accessible, and the sort of thing that makes you think differently about the texts that you teach (even as a non-Shakespearean)
For 2 years this corner of my whiteboard has been covered with conference organising tasks. Today it is finally blank!
Looking forward to seeing everyone as we kick off "Living / Building"-the 2025 joint conference btw the Romantic Studies Association of Australasia & the David Nichol Smith Seminar
Looking forward to seeing everyone as we kick off "Living / Building"-the 2025 joint conference btw the Romantic Studies Association of Australasia & the David Nichol Smith Seminar
November 24, 2025 at 9:18 PM
For 2 years this corner of my whiteboard has been covered with conference organising tasks. Today it is finally blank!
Looking forward to seeing everyone as we kick off "Living / Building"-the 2025 joint conference btw the Romantic Studies Association of Australasia & the David Nichol Smith Seminar
Looking forward to seeing everyone as we kick off "Living / Building"-the 2025 joint conference btw the Romantic Studies Association of Australasia & the David Nichol Smith Seminar
Ooooh! I hadn't heard about this, but have registered now. This is the kind of conversation I've been hoping to hear as I'm developing my "Poetics of Treaties" project
It's great to see so many signing up for the @asleuki.bsky.social Online Seminar on Eighteenth-Century Literature and Environment, on 29 Jan 2026, 3-7 pm GMT, but there's still room for more! Further details and registration information at: asle.org.uk/events/semin...
November 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Ooooh! I hadn't heard about this, but have registered now. This is the kind of conversation I've been hoping to hear as I'm developing my "Poetics of Treaties" project
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
Greens statement - @maramadavidson.bsky.social says "The Greens affirm our pledge to properly resource and promote clear pathways for timely, free, non-discriminatory access to all forms of gender-affirming healthcare based on informed consent and self-determination."
Our trans whānau deserve better than this Government
We are building a future where we do more, faster, to protect our planet and make sure everyone is treated equally.
www.greens.org.nz
November 24, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Greens statement - @maramadavidson.bsky.social says "The Greens affirm our pledge to properly resource and promote clear pathways for timely, free, non-discriminatory access to all forms of gender-affirming healthcare based on informed consent and self-determination."
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
And then, in the second half of this week, we will be welcoming 50 speakers from around the world for a conference on 18th-century and Romantic studies www.wgtn.ac.nz/fhss/about/e...
November 23, 2025 at 8:21 PM
And then, in the second half of this week, we will be welcoming 50 speakers from around the world for a conference on 18th-century and Romantic studies www.wgtn.ac.nz/fhss/about/e...
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
“The relationships that schools and kura have with Māori endures despite directives from the right-wing.” — Awanui Te Huia.
Schools commit to Te Tiriti anyway | E-Tangata
“The relationships that schools and kura have with Māori endures despite directives from the right-wing.” — Awanui Te Huia.
e-tangata.co.nz
November 22, 2025 at 6:52 PM
“The relationships that schools and kura have with Māori endures despite directives from the right-wing.” — Awanui Te Huia.
Such a disappointing stance from Te Rangi. If players decided they weren't prepared to support the Indigenous round because it conflicted with their beliefs, would he feel the same way? 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360893...
www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360893...
November 20, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Such a disappointing stance from Te Rangi. If players decided they weren't prepared to support the Indigenous round because it conflicted with their beliefs, would he feel the same way? 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360893...
www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360893...
Reposted by Nikki Hessell
November 19, 2025 at 12:25 AM