Lesel Dawson
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leseldawson.bsky.social
Lesel Dawson
@leseldawson.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Literature & Culture at the University of Bristol
Arts and Culture Lead of the Good Grief Festival
I am interested in the relationship between grief & creativity, early modern literature, the history of the emotions & gender.
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
We are delighted to announce our new seminar series showcasing inspiring research & scholarship – locally, nationally & internationally – to connect Bristol to a global conversation about grief & loss.

To find out more & join our mailing list, visit griefcentre.bristol.ac.uk
July 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
Why do we turn to creativity during grief? How can it help us connect to others, including people who have died? On 6 Oct, join Natalia Millman, Helen Acklam & @carrieetter.bsky.social to explore what it means to make art from pain & loss & share our story: www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
September 27, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
Grief affects us all, and yet people often struggle to talk about death & dying. 🦋

@goodgrieffest.bsky.social is a social venture spinout at @bristoluni.bsky.social that brings people together to talk about death & grief, providing information, support & a sense of community

More 👉 brnw.ch/21wVqxR
September 3, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
Our next seminar is next Weds! Sign up now to hear @mollyconisbee.bsky.social @cendeathsociety.bsky.social explore how her research into grief through history has influenced her counselling work. We can't wait!

www.goodgrieffest.com/events/uob-g...

@leseldawson.bsky.social @lucyselman.bsky.social
September 4, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
Jessica Jacobson from Birkbeck, University of London; & @emilyharrop.bsky.social @cumedicengage.bsky.social.

We can't wait!
July 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate the launch of @griefcentrebris.bsky.social! We hope the Centre will make a real difference—bringing together research from many disciplines to deepen our understanding of grief, death, & loss, to improve people’s experiences of these universal parts of life.
Thanks to everyone who came to the launch of the Bristol Centre for Grief Research & Engagement. It was great to celebrate the new centre with colleagues, friends & collaborators. Together we hope to change the way that grief is seen, spoken about & supported. More photos coming soon!
July 3, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
Thanks to everyone who came to the launch of the Bristol Centre for Grief Research & Engagement. It was great to celebrate the new centre with colleagues, friends & collaborators. Together we hope to change the way that grief is seen, spoken about & supported. More photos coming soon!
July 3, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
Grief and death affect us all & yet we often struggle to talk about them. The anxieties can be greater for people with learning disabilities & their families, friends & carers. Check out our blog, resource list & webinar here: www.goodgrieffest.com/journal/grie...
June 25, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Thanks to everyone at @stmhospice.bsky.social & 18 Hours for a great kick off to Good Grief Hastings! @goodgrieffest.bsky.social will be part of the @coastalcch.bsky.social project, which uses creative approaches to address health inequalities.
It was exciting to attend the 'soft launch' of Good Grief Hastings & meet some of the brilliant people who are working to make it happen as part of the @coastalcch.bsky.social project. We can't wait for 2026!
@stmhospice.bsky.social @eastsussexcc.bsky.social @uniofbrighton.bsky.social
June 17, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
We are sorry to share the news that author & Good Grief Festival contributor Anne Mayer Bird has died. In this blog, Anne's daughter @mayeroflondon.bsky.social shares her eulogy & reflects on how their relationship was impacted by their shared experience of grief. Visit our website to read more
Good Grief: A Tribute to Anne Mayer Bird by Catherine Mayer - Good Grief
www.goodgrieffest.com
June 14, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
It was a huge honour to welcome the fabulous @drkathrynmannix.bsky.social to Bristol Uni for the first ever @griefcentrebris.bsky.social & @goodgrieffest.bsky.social event.

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us -- here are some snaps of the day
May 16, 2025 at 12:15 PM
There is still time to sign up for this free
@goodgrieffest.bsky.social webinar with Robert Neimeyer, taking place at 7pm tomorrow night. ♥️
#DyingMattersAwarenessWeek may be nearly over but we have one more online event tomorrow (Monday) at 7pm. Join us to hear the ever-insightful Prof. Robert Neimeyer talk about how we can rebuild a meaningful life after it has been shattered by bereavement: www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
May 11, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
New on YouTube! We're excited to share We Need to Talk About Death, a 15-min film co-created by biggerhousefilm & adults w/ learning disabilities. We'll discuss it at our free online panel w/ Irene Tuffrey-Wijne & Stephen Clarke #DyingMattersAwarenessWeek

www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
May 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
On grief and memory: "When she died, she took the memory of not one but two childhoods with her – in all their vivid, silly, scattered, doesn’t-matter-but-it-does detail. I feel as though I have lost a witness, someone who can attest to what happened to us both." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
When my sister died, it wasn’t just her own childhood memories that disappeared. Mine did too | Jason Hazeley
Millie had fantastic recall, unlike mine. Now there are parts of my past – and myself – that I’ll never be able to remember, says comedy writer Jason Hazeley
www.theguardian.com
April 14, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Big news!❤️

Today we're launching The Bristol Centre for Grief Research & Engagement @griefcentrebris.bsky.social.

Together we'll develop social, creative & policy interventions to change the way grief is seen, supported & spoken about, helping to build more compassionate, connected communities.
The Bristol Centre for Grief Research & Engagement launches today! Based @bristoluni.bsky.social, our interdisciplinary & multidisciplinary research into grief, death & loss aims to increase understanding of these fundamental aspects of being human. griefcentre.bristol.ac.uk
April 24, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
Mary-Frances O'Connor @doctormfoconnor.bsky.social is an expert on the myriad ways that grief affects us physically & mentally. We can't wait to hear her insights at our free webinar on Weds (23 April).
Sign up (& share any questions you'd like us to ask) here: ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
April 19, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
How does grief affect us physically? Join us for a webinar w/ brilliant neuroscientist @doctormfoconnor.bsky.social in conversation w/ @leseldawson.bsky.social. We'll celebrate Mary-Frances's new book & explore how to support our bodies & minds during grief: www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
April 10, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Thanks to everyone on the #Shax2025 Grieving in Shakespeare's World panel for a fascinating seminar! Kaara & I really enjoyed meeting everyone & thinking in new ways about grief, loss, memory & memorialisation (and of course Hamlet, which featured quite a bit)! @saaupdates.bsky.social
March 26, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
On 9 May, @drkathrynmannix.bsky.social will join Andrew Blades for a lunchtime chat @bristoluni.bsky.social. Sharing insights from a palliative care career, she'll explore the power of learning what matters most & how to truly listen #DyingMattersAwarenessWeek www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodgrieffes...
March 22, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Thanks to @astridswan.bsky.social for inviting me to 'Embodied Knowledge: Interdisciplinary Intersections in Medical Humanities' @helsinki.fi . It was a terrific event w/ a huge range of fascinating papers. I learned lots, made new friends & had a wonderful & inspiring time. 🤩
March 15, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
Death is as natural as childbirth; yet, we often do anything we can to avoid talking about it. For #DyingMattersAwarenessWeek in May, we're excited to welcome the incredible @drkathrynmannix.bsky.social to #WestonSuperMare for a very special interview w/ @lucyselman.bsky.social
March 14, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
We can't wait for the film adaptation of @raynorwinn.bsky.social's beautiful memoir #TheSaltPath, which will be released on 25 April w an all-star cast. Raynor writes so beautifully about love, grief & the power of nature. Rewatch her interview w @colinbookshaped.bsky.social youtu.be/RfyCJvi7gwM?...
February 24, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
What is the relationship between trauma & bereavement? Stephen Regel & Hannah Jardine Youell will explore this question in our new course starting this Saturday. It is only £25 for 7 sessions & you can sign up here: checkout.teachable.com/secure/14555...
January 29, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Reposted by Lesel Dawson
The third session of our When Grief Is Complicated course will bring together 2 brilliant women, @doctormfoconnor.bsky.social & Yaa Yeboah-Newton! We're excited for them to discuss Mary-Frances's research on being 'stuck in grief'. There's still time to join us
checkout.teachable.com/secure/14555...
January 26, 2025 at 5:00 PM