Julian Dobson
@juliandobson.bsky.social
Place, poetry, a dash of policy. Books on civic universities, urban nature, town centre futures and urban policy. Poems on anything. Imposter geographer. Also at juliandobson.net
Brunnenmarkt, Vienna: the common good not as a benefit bestowed by planners but as emergent and fluid, generated through the everyday exchanges of some of the city’s most precarious residents.
September 10, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Brunnenmarkt, Vienna: the common good not as a benefit bestowed by planners but as emergent and fluid, generated through the everyday exchanges of some of the city’s most precarious residents.
There’s nothing like turning up at the allotment at 6am just before the solstice…
June 20, 2025 at 8:32 AM
There’s nothing like turning up at the allotment at 6am just before the solstice…
Always nice to see a bike shed in full bloom.
April 30, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Always nice to see a bike shed in full bloom.
Fascinating conversations and challenging discussions at the ‘Meeting of Rivers’ workshop in Sheffield today. Kudos to the person who picked the room.
April 26, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Fascinating conversations and challenging discussions at the ‘Meeting of Rivers’ workshop in Sheffield today. Kudos to the person who picked the room.
It’s that time again…
April 22, 2025 at 7:17 PM
It’s that time again…
Embracing the bank holiday spirit: Easedale Tarn, Stickle Tarn, Elterwater and Loughrigg Tarn.
April 21, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Embracing the bank holiday spirit: Easedale Tarn, Stickle Tarn, Elterwater and Loughrigg Tarn.
It’s the sort of weekend (gloomy, ominous, unpromising) when thoughts turn to Lake District hillwalking. Here’s my take on the Kentmere round, just out in And Other Poems: andotherpoems.com/2025/04/16/a...
April 18, 2025 at 4:19 PM
It’s the sort of weekend (gloomy, ominous, unpromising) when thoughts turn to Lake District hillwalking. Here’s my take on the Kentmere round, just out in And Other Poems: andotherpoems.com/2025/04/16/a...
Plum and damson blossom against a cloudless sky. The allotment is waking up, and thirsty already.
April 6, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Plum and damson blossom against a cloudless sky. The allotment is waking up, and thirsty already.
An impressive range of responses to the River Don at the Faethm exhibition at Kelham Island, Sheffield. Industry, history, poetry, litter and the backdrop of an unfolding ecological crisis.
March 14, 2025 at 6:13 PM
An impressive range of responses to the River Don at the Faethm exhibition at Kelham Island, Sheffield. Industry, history, poetry, litter and the backdrop of an unfolding ecological crisis.
Great to have a couple of pieces in the latest Tears in the Fence - and to be in the company of such luminaries as @steveeely.bsky.social and @hannahl1n.bsky.social
February 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Great to have a couple of pieces in the latest Tears in the Fence - and to be in the company of such luminaries as @steveeely.bsky.social and @hannahl1n.bsky.social
Editorial footnote of the day.
February 22, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Editorial footnote of the day.
Celebrating surrealist landscapes: both inside and outside the Hepworth Wakefield. Catch it while it’s still in your subconscious.
February 16, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Celebrating surrealist landscapes: both inside and outside the Hepworth Wakefield. Catch it while it’s still in your subconscious.
A poem for the weekend. There’s a load of painting to be done, so here are a few decorator’s tips. This one appeared last year in the much-missed Dreich.
#poetsonbluesky
#poetsonbluesky
February 2, 2025 at 6:44 PM
A poem for the weekend. There’s a load of painting to be done, so here are a few decorator’s tips. This one appeared last year in the much-missed Dreich.
#poetsonbluesky
#poetsonbluesky
‘To write fully aware and reflexive poetry about the modern world necessarily involves an engagement with the Apocalyptic’ - a timely anthology from @steveeely.bsky.social and Valley Press, and great to hear featured poets at the launch this evening.
January 29, 2025 at 9:40 PM
‘To write fully aware and reflexive poetry about the modern world necessarily involves an engagement with the Apocalyptic’ - a timely anthology from @steveeely.bsky.social and Valley Press, and great to hear featured poets at the launch this evening.
A poem for the weekend. In a week when a felon returns to power, here’s one about another act of rehabilitation. Published back in 2016 in the late lamented Poets’ Republic.
#poetsonbluesky
#monarchy
#poetsonbluesky
#monarchy
January 19, 2025 at 11:09 AM
A poem for the weekend. In a week when a felon returns to power, here’s one about another act of rehabilitation. Published back in 2016 in the late lamented Poets’ Republic.
#poetsonbluesky
#monarchy
#poetsonbluesky
#monarchy
When in hell, it’s helpful to know where you are. Thanks to @armenikus.bsky.social and his excellent Dante read-along for this handy piece of public signage.
January 16, 2025 at 2:11 PM
When in hell, it’s helpful to know where you are. Thanks to @armenikus.bsky.social and his excellent Dante read-along for this handy piece of public signage.
A poem for the weekend, from Ink Sweat & Tears. A few years back I did a series of interviews at an organisation in crisis. Every time I turned up the offices were emptier. Some of the scenes might sound familiar.
#poetsonbluesky
#poetsonbluesky
January 12, 2025 at 5:10 PM
A poem for the weekend, from Ink Sweat & Tears. A few years back I did a series of interviews at an organisation in crisis. Every time I turned up the offices were emptier. Some of the scenes might sound familiar.
#poetsonbluesky
#poetsonbluesky
Witch hazel season in Sheffield Botanic Gardens. Enough to warm the heart but not the hands.
January 11, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Witch hazel season in Sheffield Botanic Gardens. Enough to warm the heart but not the hands.
He’s had a go at the polytunnel too…
January 2, 2025 at 11:40 AM
He’s had a go at the polytunnel too…
Morning frost summons the ghost of William Morris to the skylight.
January 2, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Morning frost summons the ghost of William Morris to the skylight.
Happy wet and blustery New Year! Here’s a poem from the Origin Stories anthology last year from Forest Publishing, edited by Vidisha Ghosh and Olivia Thomakos. I’m looking forward to witch-hazel blooms and oak saplings.
January 1, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Happy wet and blustery New Year! Here’s a poem from the Origin Stories anthology last year from Forest Publishing, edited by Vidisha Ghosh and Olivia Thomakos. I’m looking forward to witch-hazel blooms and oak saplings.
A lovely seasonal surprise from @longbarrowpress.bsky.social - with contributions from some wonderful poets. Perfect for that pause before the new year.
December 30, 2024 at 7:34 PM
A lovely seasonal surprise from @longbarrowpress.bsky.social - with contributions from some wonderful poets. Perfect for that pause before the new year.
At the allotment, a hawthorn holds down winter sky, pinning fading light in a droplet. A single seagull chases a buzzard, back and forth along the valley line.
December 28, 2024 at 3:42 PM
At the allotment, a hawthorn holds down winter sky, pinning fading light in a droplet. A single seagull chases a buzzard, back and forth along the valley line.
Loving what @joannacdobson.bsky.social does with our allotment produce
December 22, 2024 at 7:18 PM
Loving what @joannacdobson.bsky.social does with our allotment produce
This weekend’s poem. A memory of breaking up for the Christmas holidays in my first year at secondary school, and reminding myself that many don’t find this time of year easy. From Clear Poetry, back in 2016. clearpoetry.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/j...
#poetsonbluesky
#poetsonbluesky
December 22, 2024 at 6:10 PM
This weekend’s poem. A memory of breaking up for the Christmas holidays in my first year at secondary school, and reminding myself that many don’t find this time of year easy. From Clear Poetry, back in 2016. clearpoetry.wordpress.com/2016/03/21/j...
#poetsonbluesky
#poetsonbluesky