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
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.
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Trans people and loved ones - these are going FAST! If you know any trans organisations/groups/individuals that would be interested, could you let them know ASAP so that they don't miss out? Thank you so much!
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 3:09 PM
Trans people and loved ones - these are going FAST! If you know any trans organisations/groups/individuals that would be interested, could you let them know ASAP so that they don't miss out? Thank you so much!
I open my notes for a paper I'm giving in March. I haven't touched them since mid-December because <waves arms at family, festivities, house demolition, tax>.
The first thing I see is a trite formulaic sentence with "[bleh]" after it.
Can my scholarship ever recover? Crushed by my own mediocrity.
The first thing I see is a trite formulaic sentence with "[bleh]" after it.
Can my scholarship ever recover? Crushed by my own mediocrity.
a woman is sitting at a table with a glass of wine and a spoon in her hand .
Alt: a Renaissance woman is sitting at a table with a glass of wine and a spoon in her hand. She gestures to an unseen companion and speaks. The caption says, "shut up."
media.tenor.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:41 AM
I open my notes for a paper I'm giving in March. I haven't touched them since mid-December because <waves arms at family, festivities, house demolition, tax>.
The first thing I see is a trite formulaic sentence with "[bleh]" after it.
Can my scholarship ever recover? Crushed by my own mediocrity.
The first thing I see is a trite formulaic sentence with "[bleh]" after it.
Can my scholarship ever recover? Crushed by my own mediocrity.
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Ah. Good morning to everyone but especially to my favourite Badly Drawn Wolf
January 26, 2026 at 10:13 AM
Ah. Good morning to everyone but especially to my favourite Badly Drawn Wolf
#craftivism is one of the ways people who feel like they can't speak up, who have a hard time in crowds, who may not be mobile enough to join marches, or who face other practical barriers to protest can join in and be heard. Every stitch, brush or pen-stroke will carry your heart into your message
January 26, 2026 at 10:14 AM
#craftivism is one of the ways people who feel like they can't speak up, who have a hard time in crowds, who may not be mobile enough to join marches, or who face other practical barriers to protest can join in and be heard. Every stitch, brush or pen-stroke will carry your heart into your message
Reposted by Laurie Stras
No offence to Canadian bears but they wouldn't last ten minutes with Scottish midges. Also, general Canadian politeness levels would crater after the first 20 midge bites. Other than that, we're in agreement 🇨🇦🏴🫶
Don't be fooled.
Canada is like Scotland but with worse weather and added bears.
AND THEY'RE ALL SO FUCKING POLITE.
BASTARDS.
Canada is like Scotland but with worse weather and added bears.
AND THEY'RE ALL SO FUCKING POLITE.
BASTARDS.
YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!
January 25, 2026 at 11:03 PM
No offence to Canadian bears but they wouldn't last ten minutes with Scottish midges. Also, general Canadian politeness levels would crater after the first 20 midge bites. Other than that, we're in agreement 🇨🇦🏴🫶
Reposted by Laurie Stras
📣📣📣 A major warning has finally surfaced...
The UK government quietly published a shortened intelligence report revealing that global ecosystem collapse is now a direct threat to our national security.
Read more, by Rupert Read.
The UK government quietly published a shortened intelligence report revealing that global ecosystem collapse is now a direct threat to our national security.
Read more, by Rupert Read.
A suppressed warning finally appears: ecosystem collapse as a national security threat
A government report on the national security implications of ecosystem collapse is finally out, and it’s even more shocking than feared
eastangliabylines.co.uk
January 25, 2026 at 7:14 AM
📣📣📣 A major warning has finally surfaced...
The UK government quietly published a shortened intelligence report revealing that global ecosystem collapse is now a direct threat to our national security.
Read more, by Rupert Read.
The UK government quietly published a shortened intelligence report revealing that global ecosystem collapse is now a direct threat to our national security.
Read more, by Rupert Read.
Reposted by Laurie Stras
"Mississippi Goddam" (1964) - Nina Simone
Recording session: Live in Antibes, July 24-25, 1965
🗃️🎶🎧 #coffeebreak
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ25...
Recording session: Live in Antibes, July 24-25, 1965
🗃️🎶🎧 #coffeebreak
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ25...
Nina Simone: Mississippi Goddam
YouTube video by Aaron Overfield
www.youtube.com
January 24, 2026 at 4:59 PM
"Mississippi Goddam" (1964) - Nina Simone
Recording session: Live in Antibes, July 24-25, 1965
🗃️🎶🎧 #coffeebreak
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ25...
Recording session: Live in Antibes, July 24-25, 1965
🗃️🎶🎧 #coffeebreak
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ25...
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Settings > Content and Media > Autoplay Video and GIFs
Turn it off, now.
Turn it off, now.
January 24, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Settings > Content and Media > Autoplay Video and GIFs
Turn it off, now.
Turn it off, now.
Reposted by Laurie Stras
If you are in #NYC next week, come to “Weaving Dreams/#Quilting Community” a panel discussion-sewing demo featuring textile artists/writers/organizers who have inspired me. You’ll get swag to embellish!! #quiltsky #Artsky #Blacksky Pls register by 1/27!
www.eventbrite.com/e/weaving-dr...
www.eventbrite.com/e/weaving-dr...
Weaving Dreams, Quilting Community
Dr. Kim F. Hall in conversation and hands-on demo with fellow quilters Dr. Christa Gilliam, Juandamarie Gikandi, and Jacqueline Johnson.
www.eventbrite.com
January 24, 2026 at 11:35 AM
If you are in #NYC next week, come to “Weaving Dreams/#Quilting Community” a panel discussion-sewing demo featuring textile artists/writers/organizers who have inspired me. You’ll get swag to embellish!! #quiltsky #Artsky #Blacksky Pls register by 1/27!
www.eventbrite.com/e/weaving-dr...
www.eventbrite.com/e/weaving-dr...
Reposted by Laurie Stras
This week, an X user created an AI video of me being chloroformed and prepared for rape.
Victims are told it's not real and they're getting offended for no reason.
But nudification tools are weapons of sexual assault, and the harm they cause is real 👇
jessasato.substack.com/p/ai-nudific...
Victims are told it's not real and they're getting offended for no reason.
But nudification tools are weapons of sexual assault, and the harm they cause is real 👇
jessasato.substack.com/p/ai-nudific...
AI nudification: the latest weapon of violence against women and girls
In Julie Burchill’s recent article in the Spectator, Does it really matter if Grok undresses us all?, she makes the argument that those who, like me, have repeatedly had their clothes removed by socia...
jessasato.substack.com
January 23, 2026 at 11:21 AM
This week, an X user created an AI video of me being chloroformed and prepared for rape.
Victims are told it's not real and they're getting offended for no reason.
But nudification tools are weapons of sexual assault, and the harm they cause is real 👇
jessasato.substack.com/p/ai-nudific...
Victims are told it's not real and they're getting offended for no reason.
But nudification tools are weapons of sexual assault, and the harm they cause is real 👇
jessasato.substack.com/p/ai-nudific...
Reposted by Laurie Stras
BREAKING: The monkey bit someone.
Someone at my office has started bringing a monkey with them to work every day, and it's shitting everywhere. The university is powerless to act because we don't have a "no monkeys" policy on the books.
January 23, 2026 at 7:10 PM
BREAKING: The monkey bit someone.
Reposted by Laurie Stras
Arrests calmly ongoing.
This is going to take a while. There are a lot of clergy risking arrest.
This is going to take a while. There are a lot of clergy risking arrest.
January 23, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Arrests calmly ongoing.
This is going to take a while. There are a lot of clergy risking arrest.
This is going to take a while. There are a lot of clergy risking arrest.
Reposted by Laurie Stras
In solidarity with today's ICE OUT OF MINNESOTA blackout, MinnMax is donating $1 to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota for every share of this Bluesky post for the next hour.
January 23, 2026 at 4:01 PM
In solidarity with today's ICE OUT OF MINNESOTA blackout, MinnMax is donating $1 to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota for every share of this Bluesky post for the next hour.
Reposted by Laurie Stras