Frank Finlay
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frankjf.bsky.social
Frank Finlay
@frankjf.bsky.social
Emeritus Professor of German, University of Leeds. Former Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures. Chair/Trustee Yorkshire Contemporary, Word Up North, Skipton Music
Pinned
Returning here after a 4-month break to explore other platforms and will be starting to post regularly-ish.
Reposted by Frank Finlay
Please consider signing against this nonsensical absurdity! c.org/vGgNqmXhNx
Sign the Petition
Stop the removal of Modern Languages courses at the University of Nottingham!
c.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Before, during and after: an absolutely sensational concert last evening by Junyan Chen for Skipton Music
November 5, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
Government has published one of those quiet but important documents that might get overlooked as it is not 'newsy'. The headline finding is that £1 of public R&D investment generates £8 in net economic benefits for the UK over the long term
www.gov.uk/government/p...
The value of public R&D
www.gov.uk
October 30, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Made the most of some late afternoon light before the clocks go back tonight.
October 25, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
Such an interesting and enjoyable time interviewing and presenting an eclectic mix of authors and their fascinating books @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social. And a magnificent effort by the team @thewordupnorth.bsky.social to produce the festival back-to-back with #ContainsStrongLanguage
October 24, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Delighted for Eric Lu, 2018 winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition, on his latest great success.
American Eric Lu wins the 2025 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition
bachtrack.com/news-eric-lu...
October 23, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
@leedsprhs.bsky.social
Our vacancy for a Lecturer or Associate Professor in Social Philosophy has now been advertised: jobs.leeds.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx.... Please spread the word! The closing date for applications is 5 Nov 2025.
Job Opportunity at University of Leeds: Lecturer/Associate Professor in Philosophy
Are you an experienced academic in Philosophy with the ambition to carry out world-leading research and deliver an exceptional student experience in a research-intensive Russell Group University? Woul...
jobs.leeds.ac.uk
October 14, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
My colleagues & I have taken a huge gamble to set up @thenerve.news We’re trying to build a new independent publication from the ground up. Social media is our only distribution for now.

Sharing this article in your networks would make a huge difference. Thank you! 🙏🙏🙏
NEW: The British politician, his Russian intelligence handler & a Kremlin plot against the US & Ukraine.

My new piece about Nathan Gill and Nigel Farage for @thenerve_news in which we ask:

Why, even now, is no-one asking questions?

t.co/BUTtpK9C4S
October 13, 2025 at 9:21 AM
The queue for the post-event book signing is generally a reliable indicator of how well an author has been received, and it was through the door for @johnharris1969.bsky.social yesterday @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social
October 13, 2025 at 1:55 PM
A great PhD opportunity here:
October 13, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Brilliant, fascinating couple of Maybe I'm Amazed events this weekend in Durham & Ilkley. Big thanks to Paul Smith & @frankjf.bsky.social for such perceptive interviews, the organisers of two superb festivals & everyone who came
Order the book here linktr.ee/maybeimamazed
October 12, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Thrilled to be interviewing the multiple-award winning @johnharris1969.bsky.social this afternoon for @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social about his fascinating, deeply moving and richly informative new book.
In Ilkley or nearby on Sunday? At 3.45 I'll be talking about my book Maybe I'm Amazed and everything that surrounds it - music, autism, why songs soundtrack our lives. Details here itsoninbradford.co.uk/events/john-...
October 12, 2025 at 9:04 AM
I attended the opening of #TurnerPrize2025 but returned to get a a less crowded view of the exhibition, beautifully curated by @Yorkshire Contemporary Contemporary and Bradford Museums @Cartwright Hall Art Gallery Congratulations to the four artists #NnenaKalu #MohammedSami #ReneMatic and #ZadieXa
October 9, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
Some fascinating items from “Out of the Box”, an exhibition of 75 years of the archives of the Akademie der Künste Berlin. The exhibition runs until January 2026, and we start with the Tin Drum from movie and novel with the same name.
October 7, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
The Leo Baeck Institute London is recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to explore intersections between German-Jewish and British history, including the history of the British Empire.

www.lbilondon.ac.uk/vacancies
October 6, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Really looking forward to interviewing @johnharris1969.bsky.social @ilkleylitfest.bsky.social. #MaybeImAmazed is my personal choice for book of the year; a tender, deeply moving memoir about music and autism — and essential reading!
October 6, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Always love the pre-event calm of an empty hall and the quiet choreography of sound and light checks.
With the brilliant and ebullient @stuartmaconie at #IlkleyLiteratureFestival. In a very crowded field, his fascinating book manages to cast a fresh light on the Beatles story. #WordUpNorth
October 6, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
And he’s back!!

Sunday isn’t Sunday without Stewart Lee. We were so thrilled at @thenerve.news that Stewart came with us.

His satirical columns for the Observer were some of our most-read content: funny, surreal, angry true. Essential weekend reading.

www.thenerve.news/p/stewart-le...
DOUBLETHINK DOES DOUBLETIME
STEWART LEE
www.thenerve.news
October 5, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
“True reunification of Germany will remain a work in progress. Every year more young Germans are entering adulthood with no personal memory of anything other than life in the “new” Germany.

Paul Scraton on Germany’s (rocky & ongoing) road to reunification

www.slowtravelberlin.com/the-road-to-...
October 3, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
Disadvantaged students ‘more likely to miss out on GCSE foreign languages’

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Disadvantaged students ‘more likely to miss out on GCSE foreign languages’
In 2004, language learning ceased to be compulsory at Key Stage 4, aged 14 to 16.
www.independent.co.uk
October 3, 2025 at 5:54 PM
A great pleasure to be at Bradford’s magnificent Cartwright Hall Art Gallery for the preview of the 2025 #TurnerPrize @bradford2025.co.uk
September 25, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
A limited number of tickets are still available for our Evening with the Poet Laureate on Friday 10 October, where Simon will be reading two collections, including the Sunday Times bestseller Dwell and New Cemetery. Book soon to avoid disappointment!

Tickets & more info here: buff.ly/JdJbfXW
Ticketbooth
Donations
ilkleyliteraturefestival-tickets.ticketsolve.com
September 25, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Frank Finlay
Please do sign up to join in our online conversation event on 21st November, 12 noon, about the recent report on language education in the UK from the @hepi-news.bsky.social by @meganlbowler.bsky.social, sponsored by #Duolingo Thanks to @ilcs.bsky.social
for hosting ilcs.sas.ac.uk/research-pol...
Thinking Strategically Seminar Series
Bringing together researchers to discuss issues of major concern and to ensure joined-up action for the future development of the study of languages and cultures.
ilcs.sas.ac.uk
September 23, 2025 at 5:40 PM