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Reposted by Penny Kiley

Justin Lewis @whenisbirths.bsky.social · 9h

Dexys, on the next tour, should definitely put up a big picture of Eno when they play Geno.

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 11h

Mine has too (see this morning's post), but it's not a competition; you could buy both of us.

Nic Wilson @nicwilson.bsky.social · 20h

Land Beneath the Waves paperback has been chosen for Waterstones pre-order promotion!! Pre-orders make such a difference & if you could support & share, I'd be so grateful.

Enter “OCTOBER25” at checkout for 25% off RRP.

www.waterstones.com/campaign/oct...

@summersdalebooks.bsky.social
#WPreorder

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Oisín McGann @oisinmcgann.bsky.social · 12h

It's #PortfolioDay again! I still have no idea how this is decided, but anyway, but here are four more of my pieces, from various periods, in a range of styles.

I'm a writer and illustrator from Ireland, and I've been drawing pictures professionally for over 30 years, and writing books for 20.

A digitally painted illustration of a male-presenting, light-brown-skinned figure looking up, as we look down from a high angle. He's standing on what looks like a purple tint of tarmac. The skin of his face, arms and chest is filled with hints of human figures, as are his dark hair, his vest, trousers and trainers. There is a circular lens over his left eye, magnifying it, and in the iris, we can see the face of a black woman. The brief was for an image that tried to express the difficulty of trying to define the traits of an individual by surveying large groups of people.

A brush and ink illustration for a national colouring competition. The image is from the original Series of Unfortunate Events, with the evil Count Olaf in the foreground. He's a balding man with a goatee, wearin a suit. He's leaning in from the top, his arms reaching around the borders of the picture, and the three children running across a dry lake bed under a cloudy sky. There's a pre-teen boy carrying a suitcase, a teenage girl early 19th century dress, and holding her hand behind her, a three-year-old girl in a similar style dress.

A digital painting of two figures against a landscape, turquoise oval on a white background. They're facing us over a table top. On the left, a girl in a red top is working on some kind of device set inside a globe, the top half opened like a lid. The figure on the right is a purple and grey, humanoid robot, holding a spanner in his right hand and pointing at something in the globe with his left, clearly offering advice. In front of him is an open, grey toolbox.

The cover illustration for my book, The First Fire of Halloween. It features a púca, the mythical Irish shape-changer, as a muscular human figure with a goat's head. He's standing in a field in darkness, with a fire blazing in front of him. Inset in the dark sky above and behind him are a pair of yellow goat's eyes.

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Dr Rachel Broady @drrachelbroady.bsky.social · 12h

Interesting. "The Nerve is a fearless, female-founded media title set up by a collective of five former Guardian and Observer journalists who believe that the UK needs more truly independent journalism."
www.thenerve.news/about-us

About Us | The Nerve

Fearless, independent journalism covering culture, politics and tech

www.thenerve.news

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 15h

Today's Nice Thing.

A London Inheritance @alondoninheritance.bsky.social · 16h

Inside the Clifton Suspension Bridge. One of the chambers underneath an abutment, original builders rubble on the floor and stalactites hanging from the ceiling, from my post on the history of the bridge at alondoninheritance.com/cycling-arou...

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 15h

Ouch. I hope it feels better soon.

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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 18h

Yet another wake up call about the scale & cost of #climate risk. That’s why we urgently need a National Climate Resilience Plan with emphasis on local funding, nature based solutions & community resilience - pls sign & share petition petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

Towns may have to be abandoned due to floods with millions more homes in Great Britain at risk

Every constituency projected to be at greater risk, with many areas likely to be uninsurable, Guardian investigation finds

www.theguardian.com

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 19h

So, I wrote a book. It's out in February but there's an offer on this week if you pre-order it from Waterstones. www.waterstones.com/book/atypica...

Waterstones advert saying "25% off on upcoming books. 14-17 October. Online only. Pre-order now with code OCTOBER25"

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 1d

"Old" + "the 90s". Aargh.

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The Metropolitan @themetropolitan.bsky.social · 1d

This week The Metropolitan argues in favour of the welcoming legibility of Erik Satie, and the welcoming delight of the Satie Museum in Honfleur.
www.themetropolitan.uk/p/enjoy-your...

You either fall in love with the Gymnopediés on first hearing, or you’re never going to love them at all. If you don’t like them immediately — which is fine, it’s allowed — there is no point in trying harder, because you won’t discover anything that you didn’t understand the first time.

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 1d

I saw a clip the other day of Thatcher doing "the lady's not for turning". Couldn't help thinking it wouldn't happen now. The speechwriters wouldn't think of it and her audience wouldn't get the reference.
observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

In praise of “rip-off” degrees | The Observer

Kemi Badenoch’s attack on the arts and humanities isn’t just culturally short-sighted, it’s economically illiterate

observer.co.uk

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 2d

Today's Nice Thing.

Benjamin Myers @benjaminmyers76.bsky.social · 2d

Please say hello to Sandy Valentine Stripe.

He's 6 weeks old, tiny and he lives with us now.

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History Scientist @historyscientist.bsky.social · 2d

The Silicon Valley mantra is move fast and break things.

For example, who can be bothered to read the last syllable of copyright when you are in a hurry?

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Kate Bevan @katebevan.com · 3d

You don't actually give a shit about my privacy, do you?

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 3d

I love that album.

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Reposted by Penny Kiley

Andrew Quigley @qdrew.bsky.social · 4d

I'm on a panel talking about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at Leicester Cathedral next week, to mark the 75th anniversary of publication. Anyone doing anything to mark this? Anyone got any comments on the impact the book had on them? (Tickets from Leicester Cathedral if you're interested)

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Justin Lewis @whenisbirths.bsky.social · 4d

There's a priceless Julian Cope quote in my book, #IntoTheGroove, but I won't spoil it. #totp

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Big Green Books (Simon) @biggreenbooks.bsky.social · 18d

Today I'm launching a Crowdfunder with the incredible Grace Quantock.

The aim of this is to get Grace's book "Living Well with Chronic Illness" into health centres across the UK.

We be so grateful for your support.
www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/86e1e73e29...

The front cover of Grace's book "Living Well with Chronic Illness"

Here's Grace with her very cute medical alert and response assistance dog Wilfie.

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 4d

"Cozy"? "Romantasy's"? @waterstones.bsky.social, a lot of people who like books notice grammar.

A notice in a Waterstones bookshop advertising "Romantic reads". These include "cozy" reads (with a Zed) and "romantasy's (with apostrophe S). Grrr.

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 4d

Thank you!

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 4d

One day in autumn 1980, I got the train from Liverpool to Manchester and interviewed the #Buzzcocks for the Melody Maker. It was awkward. Not long after, they split up. Never meet your heroes.
This week's Substack: pennykiley.substack.com/p/buzzcocks-...

Buzzcocks, 1980

A different kind of tension

pennykiley.substack.com

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Maggie Wiggin @maggie162.bsky.social · 5d

I take it back, AI should replace exactly one writer

bendwalsh.bsky.social @bendwalsh.bsky.social · 5d

wtaf are you talking about

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 5d

"Educated."🤣

Andrew Male @andrewmale.bsky.social · 6d

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

Nailed it.

Lux "Nightmare" Alptraum @luxalptraum.com · 6d

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

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Penny Kiley @pennykiley.bsky.social · 5d

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 · 5d

Today's Nice Thing.

Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 11d

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.

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