Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
@earlymodlancs.bsky.social
Educator
Passionate about Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
Anywhere near Books, Music and Films
#SurfaceStudies
#Soil_Imaginaries
Green Party Member
Adores Snails 🐌
My personal views - not my employer's
Reposts &c not endorsements
Passionate about Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)
Anywhere near Books, Music and Films
#SurfaceStudies
#Soil_Imaginaries
Green Party Member
Adores Snails 🐌
My personal views - not my employer's
Reposts &c not endorsements
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
'Compiled by the campaign group Lit in Colour, the report says progress is too slow and that at the current pace of change it will be 2046 before 10% of students answer a question about a text by an author of colour in their English literature GCSE.' 2/2
Lit in Colour's Five-Year Progress Report
www.penguin.co.uk
January 28, 2026 at 8:34 AM
'Compiled by the campaign group Lit in Colour, the report says progress is too slow and that at the current pace of change it will be 2046 before 10% of students answer a question about a text by an author of colour in their English literature GCSE.' 2/2
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
'There has been progress in the diversity of texts on offer in the GCSE English literature curriculum, but uptake in schools is still low with just 1.9% of GCSE pupils in England studying books by authors of colour, up from 0.7% five years ago, according to a report.' 1/2
Bernardine Evaristo renews call to diversify school curriculum in England
Author says pace of change in GCSE English literature texts is too slow and tide is turning against inclusion
www.theguardian.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:34 AM
'There has been progress in the diversity of texts on offer in the GCSE English literature curriculum, but uptake in schools is still low with just 1.9% of GCSE pupils in England studying books by authors of colour, up from 0.7% five years ago, according to a report.' 1/2
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
in the 2 years since management announced a target of brutal cuts, only one group has even tried to give a clearheaded public narrative of the uni's financial situation, and it hasn't been management
New analysis from @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social & fellow Unions.
Sizeable surplus @ Edinburgh Uni
Financial pressure is from irresponsible capital spending & depreciation
Management metrics mislead
Redundancies hit financial strength & Uni’s academic mission
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/depreci...
Sizeable surplus @ Edinburgh Uni
Financial pressure is from irresponsible capital spending & depreciation
Management metrics mislead
Redundancies hit financial strength & Uni’s academic mission
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/depreci...
Depreciating the University of Edinburgh into the Ground — UCU Edinburgh
There are four key takeaways from the University of Edinburgh’s 2024-25 annual report, which this post explores: The University continues to make a sizeable surplus. What financial pressures exi...
www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk
January 28, 2026 at 7:56 AM
in the 2 years since management announced a target of brutal cuts, only one group has even tried to give a clearheaded public narrative of the uni's financial situation, and it hasn't been management
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
Record number of people in UK live in ‘very deep poverty’, analysis shows
Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds problem is ‘deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years’
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds problem is ‘deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years’
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Record number of people in UK live in ‘very deep poverty’, analysis shows
Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds problem is ‘deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years’
www.theguardian.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:04 AM
Record number of people in UK live in ‘very deep poverty’, analysis shows
Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds problem is ‘deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years’
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds problem is ‘deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years’
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
This is shocking. New @jrf-uk.bsky.social report has found ‘very deep poverty’ in Britain has hit its worst level in 30 years.
Why is this not on every UK news show this morning?
Why is this not on every UK news show this morning?
Poverty is deepening.
🔎 Our #UKPoverty2026 report was launched this morning.
People in very deep poverty now make up the biggest group of people in poverty, at 6.8 million people.
This is unacceptable for the fifth richest country in the world, and it has consequences.
🔎 Our #UKPoverty2026 report was launched this morning.
People in very deep poverty now make up the biggest group of people in poverty, at 6.8 million people.
This is unacceptable for the fifth richest country in the world, and it has consequences.
January 27, 2026 at 8:43 AM
This is shocking. New @jrf-uk.bsky.social report has found ‘very deep poverty’ in Britain has hit its worst level in 30 years.
Why is this not on every UK news show this morning?
Why is this not on every UK news show this morning?
My excellent colleague @jennashworth.bsky.social has a new eco-gothic tale on the radio next week 👇
BBC Radio 4 - The White Lady of Morecambe by Jenn Ashworth share.google/3V3Od8iK9e5n...
BBC Radio 4 - The White Lady of Morecambe by Jenn Ashworth share.google/3V3Od8iK9e5n...
BBC Radio 4 - The White Lady of Morecambe by Jenn Ashworth
Julie Hesmondhalgh narrates a new ghost story, set on the shifting sands of Morecambe Bay.
share.google
January 27, 2026 at 7:41 PM
My excellent colleague @jennashworth.bsky.social has a new eco-gothic tale on the radio next week 👇
BBC Radio 4 - The White Lady of Morecambe by Jenn Ashworth share.google/3V3Od8iK9e5n...
BBC Radio 4 - The White Lady of Morecambe by Jenn Ashworth share.google/3V3Od8iK9e5n...
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
If only university leaders worked as hard as the pub lobby: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Pubs to get support package after business rates backlash
Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson says the three-year aid is worth £1,650 for the average pub in 2026/27.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 27, 2026 at 6:24 PM
If only university leaders worked as hard as the pub lobby: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
These important HSE posters have just appeared in my school.
No comment
No comment
January 27, 2026 at 1:40 PM
These important HSE posters have just appeared in my school.
No comment
No comment
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
This piece made me think of Virginia Woolf, a voracious, eclectic reader for whom reading and writing were deeply intertwined. She forged originality by orchestrating the disparate voices she read—history, biography, novels, classic Greek tragedy—on the page itself.
“It is my contention that the process of reading is part of the process of writing, the necessary completion without which writing can hardly be said to exist.” (Margaret Atwood).
Arguably a contention universities might wish to test via systematic research before handing education over to bots.
Arguably a contention universities might wish to test via systematic research before handing education over to bots.
Why “read more” may be the most underrated thinking advice we have
Reading isn’t just writing prep; together, reading and writing help writers think and generate original ideas through extended cognition.
bigthink.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:17 AM
This piece made me think of Virginia Woolf, a voracious, eclectic reader for whom reading and writing were deeply intertwined. She forged originality by orchestrating the disparate voices she read—history, biography, novels, classic Greek tragedy—on the page itself.
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
Join us to celebrate the publication of this Open Access book and to learn more about the stories behind it, from intellectual adventures through French philosophy to personal experiences of brain surgery!
All staff, students and members of the public are welcome to attend.
All staff, students and members of the public are welcome to attend.
January 27, 2026 at 9:36 AM
Join us to celebrate the publication of this Open Access book and to learn more about the stories behind it, from intellectual adventures through French philosophy to personal experiences of brain surgery!
All staff, students and members of the public are welcome to attend.
All staff, students and members of the public are welcome to attend.
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
Book Launch: Catherine Malabou and Contemporary French Literature and Film: Witnessing Plasticity, by Benjamin Dalton
19th February, 5pm, Lancaster University Library events and engagement space: lnkd.in/ehhArabr
19th February, 5pm, Lancaster University Library events and engagement space: lnkd.in/ehhArabr
January 27, 2026 at 9:36 AM
Book Launch: Catherine Malabou and Contemporary French Literature and Film: Witnessing Plasticity, by Benjamin Dalton
19th February, 5pm, Lancaster University Library events and engagement space: lnkd.in/ehhArabr
19th February, 5pm, Lancaster University Library events and engagement space: lnkd.in/ehhArabr
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
Like, duh. Averaging is what it does.
Researchers found that a text-to-image generator, when linked up with an image-to-text system and instructed to iterate over and over again, eventually converges on “very generic-looking images” they dubbed “visual elevator music.”
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
AI Is Causing Cultural Stagnation, Researchers Find
Generative AI may already be inducing a state of "cultural stagnation," leading to a convergence of generic ideas, a new study has shown.
futurism.com
January 27, 2026 at 8:25 AM
Like, duh. Averaging is what it does.
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
HSE needs to be investigating every university.
Tomorrow is the deadline for UoB to send its HSE action plan on stress and overwork. Staff have waited years for serious change. We’ll be scrutinising the plan and reporting back. #UoBStressBreach
January 27, 2026 at 8:28 AM
HSE needs to be investigating every university.
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
Zack Polanski hit the dance floor at Heaven—where he used to work—and the internet can’t get enough. Politics, partying, and queer joy? A serve. 🌈🕺✨
Read more: https://thepinktimes.com/uk-green-leader-parties-at-gay-bar/
Read more: https://thepinktimes.com/uk-green-leader-parties-at-gay-bar/
UK Green Leader Parties at Gay Bar
Zack Polanski hit the dance floor at Heaven—where he used to work—and the internet can’t get enough. Politics, partying, and queer joy? A serve. 🌈🕺✨
thepinktimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 7:22 AM
Zack Polanski hit the dance floor at Heaven—where he used to work—and the internet can’t get enough. Politics, partying, and queer joy? A serve. 🌈🕺✨
Read more: https://thepinktimes.com/uk-green-leader-parties-at-gay-bar/
Read more: https://thepinktimes.com/uk-green-leader-parties-at-gay-bar/
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
The Green Party now has over 190,000 members!
Membership growth, polling surges, by-election wins and defections... the Green Party is making hope normal again.
Join today!
The Green Party now has over 190,000 members!
Membership growth, polling surges, by-election wins and defections... the Green Party is making hope normal again.
Join today!
January 26, 2026 at 11:04 AM
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
Just a polite reminder that my website/blog has posts, with links, on Youth Language, the Language of Politics, Media and Controversy, Etymologies, Slang, Jargon, Folklore and more. Designed for enthusiasts, teachers, students as well as specialists: language-and-innovation.com/2025/06/14/t...
THE SLANG AND NEW LANGUAGE ARCHIVE
A research portal for scholars, the press and the public The Slang and New Language Archive was created in 1994 while I was Director of the Language Centre at King’s College London. The archi…
language-and-innovation.com
January 26, 2026 at 1:07 PM
Just a polite reminder that my website/blog has posts, with links, on Youth Language, the Language of Politics, Media and Controversy, Etymologies, Slang, Jargon, Folklore and more. Designed for enthusiasts, teachers, students as well as specialists: language-and-innovation.com/2025/06/14/t...
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
Birmingham is now a high‑profile example of HSE enforcement on mental health and stress – a warning shot to the wider sector that policies without action will not pass muster. www.footanstey.com/o... #UoBStressBreach
HSE cracks down on mental health failures: policies without action are not enough | Foot Anstey
In summary The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has set its sights on tackling work-related ill health, with mental health and stress at the heart of its mission. Its 2025–2026 business plan makes stress reduction a top priority. HSE is now turning those words into action. Its recent Notice of Contravention against the University of […]
www.footanstey.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:00 AM
Birmingham is now a high‑profile example of HSE enforcement on mental health and stress – a warning shot to the wider sector that policies without action will not pass muster. www.footanstey.com/o... #UoBStressBreach
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
Check out the CFP for this pair of VIRTUAL mini-conferences on SLOP and NOSTALGIA, held by DLC+. I attended some of the previous mini-conference they put on it and it was great. Highly recommend. Keynote by the great Tess McNulty @dlcplus.org docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
CFP: DLC+ Presents Current Keywords in Digital Literary Culture Mini-Conference: "Slop" and "Nostalgia"
We are excited to announce the second installment of our Current Keywords in Digital Literary Culture series, mini-conferences devoted to studying the most pressing and emerging concepts actively shap...
docs.google.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Check out the CFP for this pair of VIRTUAL mini-conferences on SLOP and NOSTALGIA, held by DLC+. I attended some of the previous mini-conference they put on it and it was great. Highly recommend. Keynote by the great Tess McNulty @dlcplus.org docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
Colleagues at the SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre at the University of Greenwich have opened a survey to help them curate a concert of the most significant electroacoustic and sound art compositions composed in the UK. If you are able to help, here's the short survey: forms.office.com/e/4RfL1CFMYa
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
January 25, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Colleagues at the SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre at the University of Greenwich have opened a survey to help them curate a concert of the most significant electroacoustic and sound art compositions composed in the UK. If you are able to help, here's the short survey: forms.office.com/e/4RfL1CFMYa
Just back from seeing #Hamnet with my #TudorGothic MA students
Much more engaging than I expected
The film has a meditative quality that surprised me
And who hasn't felt like this when trying to write something critical and/or creative 👇
(see ALT text for description)
Much more engaging than I expected
The film has a meditative quality that surprised me
And who hasn't felt like this when trying to write something critical and/or creative 👇
(see ALT text for description)
a group of people in a dark room with their hands up
Alt: A gif featuring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in character as Agnes and Will Shakespeare respectively. In this scene, which takes place inside at night with candlelight for illumination, Will is banging his fists on the desk in exasperation for his inability to write
media.tenor.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Just back from seeing #Hamnet with my #TudorGothic MA students
Much more engaging than I expected
The film has a meditative quality that surprised me
And who hasn't felt like this when trying to write something critical and/or creative 👇
(see ALT text for description)
Much more engaging than I expected
The film has a meditative quality that surprised me
And who hasn't felt like this when trying to write something critical and/or creative 👇
(see ALT text for description)
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
If you missed yesterday online, it's available now at news.asu.edu/asulive be sure to tune in at 10 for the first talk of the second day of Love: A RaceB4Race Symposium!
ASU Live | ASU News
If you are having difficulty viewing any of our channels, try using IBM’s troubleshooting steps. You can also try watching on the ASU Live home page through IBM Watson's site https://video.ibm.com/asu...
news.asu.edu
January 24, 2026 at 4:23 PM
If you missed yesterday online, it's available now at news.asu.edu/asulive be sure to tune in at 10 for the first talk of the second day of Love: A RaceB4Race Symposium!
I should spend the weekends doing something else other than constructing / quoting posts about the dire state of UKHEI caused by ineffectual management
...
...
a woman in a plaid shirt with the words and yet here we are
Alt: a woman in a plaid shirt with the words and yet here we are
media.tenor.com
January 24, 2026 at 4:26 PM
I should spend the weekends doing something else other than constructing / quoting posts about the dire state of UKHEI caused by ineffectual management
...
...
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
Absolutely this! Modules with the same prescribed form, team taught, substitutable and therefore replacable staff (often done in the name of ‘workload’)
just read a former colleague's wonderful and highly idiosyncratic syllabus, and feeling a renewed sadness that so many places have accepted the Nous consultancy version of education - against research-led teaching, for the infinite replaceability of staff - without even a proper fight.
January 22, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Absolutely this! Modules with the same prescribed form, team taught, substitutable and therefore replacable staff (often done in the name of ‘workload’)
Reposted by Prof. Liz Oakley-Brown
just read a former colleague's wonderful and highly idiosyncratic syllabus, and feeling a renewed sadness that so many places have accepted the Nous consultancy version of education - against research-led teaching, for the infinite replaceability of staff - without even a proper fight.
January 22, 2026 at 1:10 PM
just read a former colleague's wonderful and highly idiosyncratic syllabus, and feeling a renewed sadness that so many places have accepted the Nous consultancy version of education - against research-led teaching, for the infinite replaceability of staff - without even a proper fight.
Thread 👇
Ideas for new boards in Higher Ed:
Board of Excellence
Board of We Need to Focus on Our Core Strengths
Board of The Financial Challenges in the Higher Education Sector are Well Documented
Board of We Are Not Doing This Lightly
What have I forgotten?
Board of Excellence
Board of We Need to Focus on Our Core Strengths
Board of The Financial Challenges in the Higher Education Sector are Well Documented
Board of We Are Not Doing This Lightly
What have I forgotten?
January 24, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Thread 👇