Laurie Stras
@lauriestras.bsky.social
Feminist, musicologist, musician, extreme knitter, gardener. Not necessarily in that order. Girl groups from Ferrara to Motown; all the nuns, all the time; disability studies
Prof Emerita of Music, Uni of Southampton; director @musicasecreta.bsky.social
Prof Emerita of Music, Uni of Southampton; director @musicasecreta.bsky.social
Pinned
Laurie Stras
@lauriestras.bsky.social
· Nov 9
What Does It Mean When A Woman Sings? Keynote lecture, MedRen Music Conference 2020
YouTube video by MusicaSecreta
youtu.be
Hello to all my new followers. Want to know what I do? Here's the long version (recorded in 2020, hello Long Covid). Curtis the OG #MedRenPet makes an extended appearance halfway through #caturday #earlymodern
tl;dr in next skeet
youtu.be/5ojRaQA2b08?...
tl;dr in next skeet
youtu.be/5ojRaQA2b08?...
Reposted by Laurie Stras
1/ This pause is obviously concerning to researchers & universities & I’d like to specifically register the point that if the reason of ‘aligning with national priorities’ means more policy-driven & less free ideas-driven research then this move is of even more concern.
www.msn.com/en-in/politi...
www.msn.com/en-in/politi...
February 1, 2026 at 10:25 AM
1/ This pause is obviously concerning to researchers & universities & I’d like to specifically register the point that if the reason of ‘aligning with national priorities’ means more policy-driven & less free ideas-driven research then this move is of even more concern.
www.msn.com/en-in/politi...
www.msn.com/en-in/politi...
This interview was so much fun! The questions really honed in on the core of what Musica Secreta does and why we do it. It’s valuable to have to articulate those.
"...Women’s voices were very much part of the sound of the Renaissance city"
Read part two of our fantastic interview with Laurie Stras of Musica Secreta now, exclusively on Continuo Connect 👉 https://go.continuoconnect.com/sisters-of-polyphony-part-two
Read part two of our fantastic interview with Laurie Stras of Musica Secreta now, exclusively on Continuo Connect 👉 https://go.continuoconnect.com/sisters-of-polyphony-part-two
February 1, 2026 at 9:15 AM
This interview was so much fun! The questions really honed in on the core of what Musica Secreta does and why we do it. It’s valuable to have to articulate those.
Thank you @naomialderman.bsky.social
I poured my heart out about Marty Supreme, Jewish identity, why the Old Testament isn’t the same book as the Torah and what it takes to survive trauma
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
look at me. I’m here. I’m the ultimate product of Hitler’s defeat
Marty Supreme is the most intensely Jewish movie I’ve ever seen in my life, and I ended up writing 5,000 words about it. buckle up.
open.substack.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:07 AM
Thank you @naomialderman.bsky.social
Reposted by Laurie Stras
SO SO GLAD to see a PROPER rebuttal against Silvia Federici's very wrong scholarship in the latest Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft! Thank you, Rita Voltmer!
muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...
muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...
January 31, 2026 at 3:51 PM
SO SO GLAD to see a PROPER rebuttal against Silvia Federici's very wrong scholarship in the latest Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft! Thank you, Rita Voltmer!
muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...
muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...
Reposted by Laurie Stras
"I have documents that show exactly what the Archbishop of Florence was down with and what he was not" 🕵️
Musica Secreta Director Laurie Stras takes us deep into the world of Renaissance musical detective work...
Part one 🔗 https://go.continuoconnect.com/sisters-of-polyphony-part-one
Musica Secreta Director Laurie Stras takes us deep into the world of Renaissance musical detective work...
Part one 🔗 https://go.continuoconnect.com/sisters-of-polyphony-part-one
January 31, 2026 at 9:00 AM
"I have documents that show exactly what the Archbishop of Florence was down with and what he was not" 🕵️
Musica Secreta Director Laurie Stras takes us deep into the world of Renaissance musical detective work...
Part one 🔗 https://go.continuoconnect.com/sisters-of-polyphony-part-one
Musica Secreta Director Laurie Stras takes us deep into the world of Renaissance musical detective work...
Part one 🔗 https://go.continuoconnect.com/sisters-of-polyphony-part-one
Welp, I didn't think I could be astonished by the warped and coercive advice books written for #earlymodern nuns anymore, but I shake my head at this latest: Paolo Botti, writing in 1688, saying that "Laudate eum in tympano et Coro" means to *use yourself as a drum* and sing as you self-flagellate.
January 30, 2026 at 6:48 PM
Welp, I didn't think I could be astonished by the warped and coercive advice books written for #earlymodern nuns anymore, but I shake my head at this latest: Paolo Botti, writing in 1688, saying that "Laudate eum in tympano et Coro" means to *use yourself as a drum* and sing as you self-flagellate.
This applies to the arts and humanities just as much as the sciences in the UK, instigated by research assessment (RAE/REF) and publications/metrics-based promotion and (gah) redundancy selection criteria. /1
The reality is that we have failed to teach, incentivize, and practice principled science, and prioritized quantity, prestige, performative acts and heuristics of success over thoughtfulness, diligence, curiosity, honest exploration, and humility. This is a disaster we have already created.
January 30, 2026 at 11:10 AM
This applies to the arts and humanities just as much as the sciences in the UK, instigated by research assessment (RAE/REF) and publications/metrics-based promotion and (gah) redundancy selection criteria. /1
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Apparently history profs are eligible to make nominations.
You know what to do, folks: MOAR nominations for the city and people of Minneapolis, and the state and the people of Minnesota!
#skystorians
You know what to do, folks: MOAR nominations for the city and people of Minneapolis, and the state and the people of Minnesota!
#skystorians
As longtime observers of struggles to establish peace and justice in the US and around the world, The Nation is honored to nominate the city of Minneapolis and its people for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
“The Nation” Nominates Minneapolis for the Nobel Peace Prize
With their resistance to violent authoritarianism, the people of Minneapolis have renewed the spirit of Dr. King’s call for “the positive affirmation of peace.”
www.thenation.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Apparently history profs are eligible to make nominations.
You know what to do, folks: MOAR nominations for the city and people of Minneapolis, and the state and the people of Minnesota!
#skystorians
You know what to do, folks: MOAR nominations for the city and people of Minneapolis, and the state and the people of Minnesota!
#skystorians
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Learn more about the artist-nun in this #ArtHerstory blog post:
Plautilla Nelli and the Workshop of Santa Caterina in Cafaggio
by Alessia Motti
artherstory.net/plautilla-ne...
Plautilla Nelli and the Workshop of Santa Caterina in Cafaggio
by Alessia Motti
artherstory.net/plautilla-ne...
Plautilla Nelli | Her Altarpiece Madonna del Rosario, Restored
Jane Adams discusses the ongoing rediscovery of Renaissance artist-nun Plautilla Nelli, and efforts to restore her extant paintings.
artherstory.net
January 29, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Learn more about the artist-nun in this #ArtHerstory blog post:
Plautilla Nelli and the Workshop of Santa Caterina in Cafaggio
by Alessia Motti
artherstory.net/plautilla-ne...
Plautilla Nelli and the Workshop of Santa Caterina in Cafaggio
by Alessia Motti
artherstory.net/plautilla-ne...
Reposted by Laurie Stras
It's last-minute, but I'm giving a talk today about #DHmakes and craft and what the humanities can do in a crisis from 12:15-1:15 Pacific (3:15-4:15 Eastern). All are welcome, Zoom registration link below!
Craftivism in a Crisis: Making the Humanities Matter When It's All Falling Apart | Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis
The longstanding rhetoric of the "crisis of the humanities" has been largely drowned out by an omnicrisis equally affecting the sciences, the stability of the university, and society as a whole. What ...
cesta.stanford.edu
January 29, 2026 at 5:35 PM
It's last-minute, but I'm giving a talk today about #DHmakes and craft and what the humanities can do in a crisis from 12:15-1:15 Pacific (3:15-4:15 Eastern). All are welcome, Zoom registration link below!
Reposted by Laurie Stras
For reasons, decided to check in on my Small Business Administration Woman Owned Small Business certification --- and guess what? DOGE wants women to get their spouses to sign off on their certification, despite them not having anything to do with the business!
So that's retrograde.
So that's retrograde.
January 28, 2026 at 8:06 PM
For reasons, decided to check in on my Small Business Administration Woman Owned Small Business certification --- and guess what? DOGE wants women to get their spouses to sign off on their certification, despite them not having anything to do with the business!
So that's retrograde.
So that's retrograde.
Alas for the punctuation.
Fear, not bum fans; the sex scenes continue apace.
Fear not, bum fans! The sex scenes continue apace.
I read the post the first way and thought it a bit odd, but since I've never watched this programme I was open to it becoming body horror.
Fear, not bum fans; the sex scenes continue apace.
Fear not, bum fans! The sex scenes continue apace.
I read the post the first way and thought it a bit odd, but since I've never watched this programme I was open to it becoming body horror.
Bridgerton season four review – fear not bum fans, the sex scenes continue apace
Bridgerton season four review – fear not bum fans, the sex scenes continue apace
This period drama’s puddingy mix of clunking soap and fairytale wish-fulfilment is hard to resist. It is, however, utterly bananas
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:36 AM
Alas for the punctuation.
Fear, not bum fans; the sex scenes continue apace.
Fear not, bum fans! The sex scenes continue apace.
I read the post the first way and thought it a bit odd, but since I've never watched this programme I was open to it becoming body horror.
Fear, not bum fans; the sex scenes continue apace.
Fear not, bum fans! The sex scenes continue apace.
I read the post the first way and thought it a bit odd, but since I've never watched this programme I was open to it becoming body horror.
Good morning from researchweird: trying to find a late 17th-cen Theatine essayist I find his relative instead, also a Theatine, who died in the desert somewhere near "Bagdat" between 14-16 August 1643 with two other missionaries, having been abandoned by the caravan they were following. #earlymodern
January 29, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Good morning from researchweird: trying to find a late 17th-cen Theatine essayist I find his relative instead, also a Theatine, who died in the desert somewhere near "Bagdat" between 14-16 August 1643 with two other missionaries, having been abandoned by the caravan they were following. #earlymodern
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Who radicalised him?
(If this article has been deleted when you see this post it’s because a sub editor woke up!)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
(If this article has been deleted when you see this post it’s because a sub editor woke up!)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Sidcup man convicted aover explosive attack on Ulez camera
Kevin Rees's homemade bomb caused damage to vehicles and property including a child's bedroom.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 29, 2026 at 8:11 AM
Who radicalised him?
(If this article has been deleted when you see this post it’s because a sub editor woke up!)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
(If this article has been deleted when you see this post it’s because a sub editor woke up!)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Laurie Stras
There is money for "education" if and only if that money is being directly funneled to corporations. Anything involving actual learning, however, well there's no magic money tree
BREAKING: Free AI training will be offered to every adult in the UK, with short courses to teach people how to use simple AI tools effectively in the workplace.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
January 28, 2026 at 9:40 AM
There is money for "education" if and only if that money is being directly funneled to corporations. Anything involving actual learning, however, well there's no magic money tree
Wait, that’s more than they were offering a few months ago 😱 £36k iirc? Def <£40k
£42k for a lead (I.e. extensive experience) curatorial post - with management responsibilities - at a national library in one of the most expensive cities in the world? no wonder they’ve been on strike!
JOB ALERT: Lead Curator, Modern Archives & Manuscripts (1601-1800) at The British Library - closing date: 18th Feb
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQH179/l...
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQH179/l...
January 28, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Wait, that’s more than they were offering a few months ago 😱 £36k iirc? Def <£40k
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Neil Young gives complete musical catalogue to Greenland for free - while removing all his music from Amazon
www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/neil-y...
www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/neil-y...
Neil Young gives complete musical catalogue to Greenland for free
Neil Young also told fans that his music will “never be available on Amazon, as long as it is owned by [Jeff] Bezos”.
www.rollingstone.co.uk
January 28, 2026 at 11:16 AM
Neil Young gives complete musical catalogue to Greenland for free - while removing all his music from Amazon
www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/neil-y...
www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/neil-y...
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem.
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The UK government didn't want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I'm not surprised | George Monbiot
It took an FOI request to bring this national security assessment to light. For ‘doomsayers’ like us, it is the ultimate vindication, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem.
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Thank you.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Have you performed evil or displayed diabolic spectres between 1700 and 2000? Consider submitting an abstract!
Hi everyone, I'm organising a conference in Leuven, 4-5 June, and you're all invited*! It's called 'Performing evil: the mediation and display of diabolic spectres 1700-2000' and here is the call for papers (get in touch if you'd like a pdf!). Please share widely!
*to submit an abstract before 21/3
*to submit an abstract before 21/3
January 27, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Have you performed evil or displayed diabolic spectres between 1700 and 2000? Consider submitting an abstract!
I totally recommend finding a convent guesthouse for undisturbed writing. Going to a convent signals "do not disturb" so much more clearly than a writer's retreat. I could not have finished my monograph without the Poor Clares of Arundel and their £25-a-night half-board room. Ora et labora, indeed.
Absolutely bless Jade from the Traitors saying her PhD viva seems a bit less scary after having faced so much flack at the roundtable. That's brilliant.
Also reminds me of wondering if I could go on Big Brother just to get locked away from the world to get my thesis finished...
Also reminds me of wondering if I could go on Big Brother just to get locked away from the world to get my thesis finished...
January 27, 2026 at 12:15 PM
I totally recommend finding a convent guesthouse for undisturbed writing. Going to a convent signals "do not disturb" so much more clearly than a writer's retreat. I could not have finished my monograph without the Poor Clares of Arundel and their £25-a-night half-board room. Ora et labora, indeed.
The matching jumpers are <chef's kiss>
I've spent the morning reading about Cliff Richard and the Drifters... in passing... while working on my next book.
In the process, I've discovered that Terry Smart and Norman Mitham were very much the "Pete Bests" of the story, so here they are rocking out on the Bury Green Estate ca 1956.
In the process, I've discovered that Terry Smart and Norman Mitham were very much the "Pete Bests" of the story, so here they are rocking out on the Bury Green Estate ca 1956.
January 27, 2026 at 12:12 PM
The matching jumpers are <chef's kiss>
Reposted by Laurie Stras
As GLP's Quilter in Chief, I'm so excited to see what we receive over the spring. This project has been a labour of love, but that's the whole point of a quilt really.
We've just launched the Trans Unity Quilt Project, a campaign by and for trans people across the UK to bring joy and hope by making a quilt that will stretch over 50m long
🎨 Make your own patch 👇
goodlawproject.org/campaign/the...
🎨 Make your own patch 👇
goodlawproject.org/campaign/the...
January 26, 2026 at 12:46 PM
As GLP's Quilter in Chief, I'm so excited to see what we receive over the spring. This project has been a labour of love, but that's the whole point of a quilt really.
Reposted by Laurie Stras
This is an absolutely wonderful project, and I am so delighted that we are doing it. It is vital that we invest in love, solidarity, and creativity. Moments like these are such an important part of how we fight back.
We've just launched the Trans Unity Quilt Project, a campaign by and for trans people across the UK to bring joy and hope by making a quilt that will stretch over 50m long
🎨 Make your own patch 👇
goodlawproject.org/campaign/the...
🎨 Make your own patch 👇
goodlawproject.org/campaign/the...
January 26, 2026 at 12:50 PM
This is an absolutely wonderful project, and I am so delighted that we are doing it. It is vital that we invest in love, solidarity, and creativity. Moments like these are such an important part of how we fight back.