Jo Bell
@jobellwriter.bsky.social
Poet, digital salonniere. Host of The Poetic Licence (Patreon) - monthly prompts, famous poet interviews, a creative community. Memoir, BOATER out with HarperNorth in summer '25. https://linktr.ee/BoaterJoBell
Reposted by Jo Bell
Thank you, lovely Liverpool, for a terrific night yesterday.
Today we’re heading to Sheffield for another evening of poetry and music.
Tickets here should you fancy coming along: leadmill.co.uk/event/brian-...
Today we’re heading to Sheffield for another evening of poetry and music.
Tickets here should you fancy coming along: leadmill.co.uk/event/brian-...
November 25, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Thank you, lovely Liverpool, for a terrific night yesterday.
Today we’re heading to Sheffield for another evening of poetry and music.
Tickets here should you fancy coming along: leadmill.co.uk/event/brian-...
Today we’re heading to Sheffield for another evening of poetry and music.
Tickets here should you fancy coming along: leadmill.co.uk/event/brian-...
Reposted by Jo Bell
The latest Ted Hughes Society featuring the poetry of Steve Ely, who reads from his brilliant long poems The European Eel, Lives of British Shrews and Orasaigh. Available on our host Acast at: open.acast.com/public/strea... on Amazon Music, Apple, Spotify and Audible.
open.acast.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:27 AM
The latest Ted Hughes Society featuring the poetry of Steve Ely, who reads from his brilliant long poems The European Eel, Lives of British Shrews and Orasaigh. Available on our host Acast at: open.acast.com/public/strea... on Amazon Music, Apple, Spotify and Audible.
Reposted by Jo Bell
Let's just take a moment to reflect on the self-sacrifice and hope this person embodies - not the evil, hateful monsters thirsting for violence.
November 2, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Let's just take a moment to reflect on the self-sacrifice and hope this person embodies - not the evil, hateful monsters thirsting for violence.
Reposted by Jo Bell
Near Cheltenham on Nov 13th? A great free poetry event with Hannah Lowe & Stewart Carswell 😊 👇
October 31, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Near Cheltenham on Nov 13th? A great free poetry event with Hannah Lowe & Stewart Carswell 😊 👇
Reposted by Jo Bell
Sharks absolutely get cancer, and people claiming otherwise are pseudoscientific grifters preying on the desperate.
Even if sharks did not get cancer, eating shark would not cure your cancer any more than eating LeBron James would make you better at basketball.
Even if sharks did not get cancer, eating shark would not cure your cancer any more than eating LeBron James would make you better at basketball.
October 30, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Sharks absolutely get cancer, and people claiming otherwise are pseudoscientific grifters preying on the desperate.
Even if sharks did not get cancer, eating shark would not cure your cancer any more than eating LeBron James would make you better at basketball.
Even if sharks did not get cancer, eating shark would not cure your cancer any more than eating LeBron James would make you better at basketball.
Reposted by Jo Bell
I have been charged in a federal indictment sought by the Department of Justice.
This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win.
This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win.
October 29, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I have been charged in a federal indictment sought by the Department of Justice.
This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win.
This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win.
Reposted by Jo Bell
Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
October 27, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
Reposted by Jo Bell
Calm down, Kissabel. We all are.
October 21, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Calm down, Kissabel. We all are.
Reposted by Jo Bell
Tfw you write a draft and you know a poem has promise, but it's not there yet. But you've done this enough times to know that this poem is not going to be one of the abandoned ones, and when it does figure itself out, it's going to feel like magic. ✨
October 21, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Tfw you write a draft and you know a poem has promise, but it's not there yet. But you've done this enough times to know that this poem is not going to be one of the abandoned ones, and when it does figure itself out, it's going to feel like magic. ✨
Reposted by Jo Bell
Welcome, new Bluesky users! Please check out the thread below for tips on setting up your account, making your feed more interesting, finding old Twitter friends, search, privacy, stats, and more (and please ask questions if you have them)
(I'll have to rewrite & update the thread soon!)
(I'll have to rewrite & update the thread soon!)
🦋 WELCOME TO BLUESKY! I recommend exploring our custom feeds, which are a little like hashtags but more interesting. We have them for academic and professional subjects, sports, cities, hobbies (e.g., gardening, baking), and many more. Search them in the sidebar under Feeds. 🧵
October 15, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Welcome, new Bluesky users! Please check out the thread below for tips on setting up your account, making your feed more interesting, finding old Twitter friends, search, privacy, stats, and more (and please ask questions if you have them)
(I'll have to rewrite & update the thread soon!)
(I'll have to rewrite & update the thread soon!)
Reposted by Jo Bell
Co-operative housing already shows what’s possible when people own where they live. Fair rents, strong communities, real security.
In Parliament today, the Housing Minister agreed: it’s time to explore how law can help it grow.
In Parliament today, the Housing Minister agreed: it’s time to explore how law can help it grow.
October 13, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Co-operative housing already shows what’s possible when people own where they live. Fair rents, strong communities, real security.
In Parliament today, the Housing Minister agreed: it’s time to explore how law can help it grow.
In Parliament today, the Housing Minister agreed: it’s time to explore how law can help it grow.
Reposted by Jo Bell
Today we are celebrating the publication of The Poems of Seamus Heaney, the long-awaited, definitive edition of Heaney’s poetry.
October 11, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Today we are celebrating the publication of The Poems of Seamus Heaney, the long-awaited, definitive edition of Heaney’s poetry.
Reposted by Jo Bell
I'm the most famous eel historian in the world! How is that not great?
Also, I've met tons of wonderful people & made some of my very best friends. I've been able to launch a whole new career as a mapmaker & artist. I've been profiled in TIME, saved some eels, & shared the spaniel with the world.
Also, I've met tons of wonderful people & made some of my very best friends. I've been able to launch a whole new career as a mapmaker & artist. I've been profiled in TIME, saved some eels, & shared the spaniel with the world.
Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?
October 8, 2025 at 6:11 PM
I'm the most famous eel historian in the world! How is that not great?
Also, I've met tons of wonderful people & made some of my very best friends. I've been able to launch a whole new career as a mapmaker & artist. I've been profiled in TIME, saved some eels, & shared the spaniel with the world.
Also, I've met tons of wonderful people & made some of my very best friends. I've been able to launch a whole new career as a mapmaker & artist. I've been profiled in TIME, saved some eels, & shared the spaniel with the world.
Reposted by Jo Bell
Poet and broadcaster @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social paid tribute to poet and dramatist Tony Harrison on BBC Radio 4's Last Word (from 7:52).
Bloodaxe's tribute is on our website page below:
www.bloodaxebooks.com/news?article...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Bloodaxe's tribute is on our website page below:
www.bloodaxebooks.com/news?article...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - Last Word, Dame Jane Goodall, Tony Harrison, Lord Menzies Campbell, Danny Thompson
Matthew Bannister on a primatologist, a poet, a politician and a bass player.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 3, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Poet and broadcaster @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social paid tribute to poet and dramatist Tony Harrison on BBC Radio 4's Last Word (from 7:52).
Bloodaxe's tribute is on our website page below:
www.bloodaxebooks.com/news?article...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Bloodaxe's tribute is on our website page below:
www.bloodaxebooks.com/news?article...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
Reposted by Jo Bell
It's nearly time again ...
If you've been looking for a home for that 'after' or ekphrastic poem, @afterpoetry.com is the place for you.
Submissions reopen tomorrow – October 1st 2025.
You then have the entire month to send in your poem for a chance to feature in After... in 2026.
Good luck! 🤞🏼
If you've been looking for a home for that 'after' or ekphrastic poem, @afterpoetry.com is the place for you.
Submissions reopen tomorrow – October 1st 2025.
You then have the entire month to send in your poem for a chance to feature in After... in 2026.
Good luck! 🤞🏼
September 30, 2025 at 6:27 AM
It's nearly time again ...
If you've been looking for a home for that 'after' or ekphrastic poem, @afterpoetry.com is the place for you.
Submissions reopen tomorrow – October 1st 2025.
You then have the entire month to send in your poem for a chance to feature in After... in 2026.
Good luck! 🤞🏼
If you've been looking for a home for that 'after' or ekphrastic poem, @afterpoetry.com is the place for you.
Submissions reopen tomorrow – October 1st 2025.
You then have the entire month to send in your poem for a chance to feature in After... in 2026.
Good luck! 🤞🏼
Reposted by Jo Bell
I love this book. Thank you, @jobellwriter.bsky.social !
September 23, 2025 at 9:26 PM
I love this book. Thank you, @jobellwriter.bsky.social !
A powerful article with a powerful message: people aren't being fooled into fascism. They are seeking it out. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/se...
Claire Wilmot | Fascistic Dream Machines
Part of the misunderstanding of the deepfake threat stems from the idea that it is a problem of bad information, rather...
www.lrb.co.uk
September 29, 2025 at 9:05 AM
A powerful article with a powerful message: people aren't being fooled into fascism. They are seeking it out. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/se...
Reposted by Jo Bell
📣We're delighted with the Court’s decision yesterday.
It's a win for authors and rightsholders, and a step in the right direction towards compensation for the unlawful use of copyright-protected works. Big Tech is not above the law and creators’ rights cannot be ignored. ✊
tinyurl.com/4db9u2fn
It's a win for authors and rightsholders, and a step in the right direction towards compensation for the unlawful use of copyright-protected works. Big Tech is not above the law and creators’ rights cannot be ignored. ✊
tinyurl.com/4db9u2fn
US judge preliminarily approves $1.5 billion Anthropic copyright settlement
A federal judge in California on Thursday preliminarily approved a landmark $1.5 billion settlement of a copyright class action brought by a group of authors against artificial intelligence company Anthropic, according to the authors' representatives.
www.reuters.com
September 26, 2025 at 8:30 AM
📣We're delighted with the Court’s decision yesterday.
It's a win for authors and rightsholders, and a step in the right direction towards compensation for the unlawful use of copyright-protected works. Big Tech is not above the law and creators’ rights cannot be ignored. ✊
tinyurl.com/4db9u2fn
It's a win for authors and rightsholders, and a step in the right direction towards compensation for the unlawful use of copyright-protected works. Big Tech is not above the law and creators’ rights cannot be ignored. ✊
tinyurl.com/4db9u2fn
Reposted by Jo Bell
The easiest part of my job is being fighty and mean to powerful people when they are wrong. The hardest part of my job is being constructive and kind to people with less power than me when they are wrong.
September 10, 2025 at 5:52 PM
The easiest part of my job is being fighty and mean to powerful people when they are wrong. The hardest part of my job is being constructive and kind to people with less power than me when they are wrong.
Reposted by Jo Bell
A Black man and a homeless man were found hanging from trees in Mississippi yesterday, for those who haven’t seen yet because it’s barely made it out of local news.
September 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
A Black man and a homeless man were found hanging from trees in Mississippi yesterday, for those who haven’t seen yet because it’s barely made it out of local news.
Reposted by Jo Bell
Today people went around my neighborhood in north east London spray painting St George’s crosses onto people’s homes. Many of these houses have non British people living in them.
This is getting very dark, very quick.
This is getting very dark, very quick.
September 13, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Today people went around my neighborhood in north east London spray painting St George’s crosses onto people’s homes. Many of these houses have non British people living in them.
This is getting very dark, very quick.
This is getting very dark, very quick.
Reposted by Jo Bell
Foreign billionaires don’t get to incite violence against Britain.
We cannot stay silent. 1/5
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
We cannot stay silent. 1/5
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Elon Musk calls for change of UK government at Tommy Robinson rally
Elon Musk spoke with Tommy Robinson via a video link to the thousands of people at Saturday’s ‘unite the kingdom’ rally
www.independent.co.uk
September 13, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Foreign billionaires don’t get to incite violence against Britain.
We cannot stay silent. 1/5
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
We cannot stay silent. 1/5
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Reposted by Jo Bell
This Monday.
I'll be talking about 'Made in Manchester' at Macclesfield u3a, Monday Sept 15th, 10 for 10.30am, St John the Evangelist church hall, Wilwick Lane. Visitors welcome, no charge.
September 12, 2025 at 1:38 PM
This Monday.
Reposted by Jo Bell
London peeps, it is a great great book. Go along and embarrass Luke by telling him how great it is, repeatedly.
September 4, 2025 at 9:05 AM
London peeps, it is a great great book. Go along and embarrass Luke by telling him how great it is, repeatedly.