Marek Kohn
@marekkohn.bsky.social
Writer: science, society, diversity, identity. Latest book: The Stories Old Towns Tell. Latest revised book: Dope Girls. No srach.
marekkohn.info
marekkohn.info
Excited and honoured to be one of the judges! Looking forward to reading all that lit fiction:)
The #EBRDLiteraturePrize2026 is open for submissions!
New judges @marekkohn.bsky.social, Chigozie Obioma and @leaypi.bsky.social will join chair Maya Jaggi to read and consider translated literary fiction from economies where we invest.
Deadline for entries 🗓️8 Dec
www.ebrd.com/home/news-an...
New judges @marekkohn.bsky.social, Chigozie Obioma and @leaypi.bsky.social will join chair Maya Jaggi to read and consider translated literary fiction from economies where we invest.
Deadline for entries 🗓️8 Dec
www.ebrd.com/home/news-an...
November 14, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Excited and honoured to be one of the judges! Looking forward to reading all that lit fiction:)
Very proud and thrilled to be on this shortlist, for books that 'stimulate new ways of thinking about contemporary Europe as a whole' nanovic.nd.edu/news/2026-la...
2026 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies shortlist named
The shortlist for the 2026 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies has been named. The Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the Univer...
nanovic.nd.edu
November 10, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Very proud and thrilled to be on this shortlist, for books that 'stimulate new ways of thinking about contemporary Europe as a whole' nanovic.nd.edu/news/2026-la...
Reposted by Marek Kohn
‘Defensive Wall: Why Ukraine’s Culture Is Everyone’s Fight’ by Uilleam Blacker
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social
londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens... 6/10
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social
londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens... 6/10
October 12, 2025 at 12:02 PM
‘Defensive Wall: Why Ukraine’s Culture Is Everyone’s Fight’ by Uilleam Blacker
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social
londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens... 6/10
@uilleamblacker.bsky.social
londonukrainianreview.org/posts/defens... 6/10
The Belgian government is called Arizona. Central Brussels currently full of people protesting against it
October 14, 2025 at 11:17 AM
The Belgian government is called Arizona. Central Brussels currently full of people protesting against it
Reposted by Marek Kohn
Yeah, I'd like to hear less about mastering and odysseys, more about the humbler rewards of speaking a different language even if you have no idea how you're going to finish a word when you start it
October 11, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Yeah, I'd like to hear less about mastering and odysseys, more about the humbler rewards of speaking a different language even if you have no idea how you're going to finish a word when you start it
Reposted by Marek Kohn
Nature, belonging, and drones in the night: moments from our conversation at the edge of a wetland in the middle of Ukraine kupalabrighton.org/trubaitsi.html
October 9, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Nature, belonging, and drones in the night: moments from our conversation at the edge of a wetland in the middle of Ukraine kupalabrighton.org/trubaitsi.html
Teenagers grass up guerrilla gardening, police 'rehome' cannabis plants 😉 World's turned upside down in Eastbourne, isn't it? www.theargus.co.uk/news/2552206...
'Vigilant teenagers' alert police to cannabis plants growing in public
Police in Eastbourne, East Sussex, say they have "safely rehomed" cannabis plants that were growing in a public space
www.theargus.co.uk
October 7, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Teenagers grass up guerrilla gardening, police 'rehome' cannabis plants 😉 World's turned upside down in Eastbourne, isn't it? www.theargus.co.uk/news/2552206...
Reposted by Marek Kohn
My book about climate change and the British Isles is in the new @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social ebook range; turns out that the 2100 future I imagined in 2009 is approaching faster than scheduled. #Climate breakdown and Britain's national identity crisis are on course to merge.
tinyurl.com/4663bue2
tinyurl.com/4663bue2
Turned Out Nice: How the British Isles will Change as the World Heats Up
How the British Isles will Change as the World Heats Up
tinyurl.com
October 3, 2025 at 8:04 AM
My book about climate change and the British Isles is in the new @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social ebook range; turns out that the 2100 future I imagined in 2009 is approaching faster than scheduled. #Climate breakdown and Britain's national identity crisis are on course to merge.
tinyurl.com/4663bue2
tinyurl.com/4663bue2
My book about climate change and the British Isles is in the new @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social ebook range; turns out that the 2100 future I imagined in 2009 is approaching faster than scheduled. #Climate breakdown and Britain's national identity crisis are on course to merge.
tinyurl.com/4663bue2
tinyurl.com/4663bue2
Turned Out Nice: How the British Isles will Change as the World Heats Up
How the British Isles will Change as the World Heats Up
tinyurl.com
October 3, 2025 at 8:04 AM
My book about climate change and the British Isles is in the new @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social ebook range; turns out that the 2100 future I imagined in 2009 is approaching faster than scheduled. #Climate breakdown and Britain's national identity crisis are on course to merge.
tinyurl.com/4663bue2
tinyurl.com/4663bue2
Yes. Remember the unbearable smugness of those remainers who were absolutely sure that they'd be in the majority at the Brexit vote? We might not be so far down this road now if they had been a little less smug and sure that we would win because we were right.
And yeah, 'don't worry, it's not going to happen' doesn't quite cut it right now. And the only way 'it's not going to happen' is if we fight it--that is, Reform getting in--rather than dismiss it as silly and impossible.
September 22, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Yes. Remember the unbearable smugness of those remainers who were absolutely sure that they'd be in the majority at the Brexit vote? We might not be so far down this road now if they had been a little less smug and sure that we would win because we were right.
Reposted by Marek Kohn
The immigrant experience, even the second or third generation immigrant experience, so often adds up to keeping the suitcases handy.
When I interviewed older South Asian British people about their retirement decisions over a decade ago, a large number said they had kept a passport and land in India and Pakistan 'just in case'
When I asked 'in case what?' they responded 'in case we are told to leave Britain'
When I asked 'in case what?' they responded 'in case we are told to leave Britain'
Nigel Farage: "We will abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR) status", and "We will rescind ILR statuses that have already been granted".
The first sentence is worryingly ignorant. The second sentence is frighteningly fascist.
The first sentence is worryingly ignorant. The second sentence is frighteningly fascist.
September 22, 2025 at 8:20 AM
The immigrant experience, even the second or third generation immigrant experience, so often adds up to keeping the suitcases handy.
'Bilingualism should not be reduced to a talking point about brain training ... it’s about helping children stay connected to their families, their heritage'. Yes. But brain training is an easier sell than helping children and communities keep their culture.
www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/empo...
www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/empo...
Bilingual Brains, Better Outcomes?: The Benefits of Multilingual Upbringing
Bilingualism shapes minds, identities, and relationships. Research shows it’s more than a “brain boost”—it’s about connection and resilience.
www.psychologytoday.com
September 19, 2025 at 4:02 PM
'Bilingualism should not be reduced to a talking point about brain training ... it’s about helping children stay connected to their families, their heritage'. Yes. But brain training is an easier sell than helping children and communities keep their culture.
www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/empo...
www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/empo...
'Are you writing in Polish?' No, Bluesky, I'm trying to reply to a post in English by @benstanley.eu , why do you ask? now let me get back to complaining about ios26 pls
September 16, 2025 at 11:51 AM
'Are you writing in Polish?' No, Bluesky, I'm trying to reply to a post in English by @benstanley.eu , why do you ask? now let me get back to complaining about ios26 pls
A siren on the audio tracks and Cuyahoga playing in my head as I edited this #R.E.M.
'I heard the air siren from the nearby village, and that was a really surreal experience, because you know that place where you grew up, running with friends, swimming in the river, herding cows, going for walks, and then that surreal sound …'
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ
Trubaitsi: the sounds of war reach deep into the Ukrainian countryside
YouTube video by Kupala Brighton
youtu.be
September 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
A siren on the audio tracks and Cuyahoga playing in my head as I edited this #R.E.M.
Splendid reconstruction at Tustan Fortress in the #Ukrainian #Carpathians – not of the fort, but of the camp made by the archaeologists who investigated it in 1970. Material culture and way of life authentically represented; Volga in surprisingly good nick #HillfortWednesday
September 10, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Splendid reconstruction at Tustan Fortress in the #Ukrainian #Carpathians – not of the fort, but of the camp made by the archaeologists who investigated it in 1970. Material culture and way of life authentically represented; Volga in surprisingly good nick #HillfortWednesday
Reposted by Marek Kohn
The sounds of war just reached deep into the Polish countryside too. Surreal experiences are often previews of a new reality.
#Poland #Ukraine
#Poland #Ukraine
'I heard the air siren from the nearby village, and that was a really surreal experience, because you know that place where you grew up, running with friends, swimming in the river, herding cows, going for walks, and then that surreal sound …'
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ
Trubaitsi: the sounds of war reach deep into the Ukrainian countryside
YouTube video by Kupala Brighton
youtu.be
September 10, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Reposted by Marek Kohn
'I heard the air siren from the nearby village, and that was a really surreal experience, because you know that place where you grew up, running with friends, swimming in the river, herding cows, going for walks, and then that surreal sound …'
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ
Trubaitsi: the sounds of war reach deep into the Ukrainian countryside
YouTube video by Kupala Brighton
youtu.be
September 9, 2025 at 4:01 PM
'I heard the air siren from the nearby village, and that was a really surreal experience, because you know that place where you grew up, running with friends, swimming in the river, herding cows, going for walks, and then that surreal sound …'
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ
youtu.be/oB_HOjDeUyQ
Reposted by Marek Kohn
also on Spotify
audio-only: Apple, Amazon podcasts
YouTube has English subtitle option
audio-only: Apple, Amazon podcasts
YouTube has English subtitle option
September 9, 2025 at 8:06 AM
also on Spotify
audio-only: Apple, Amazon podcasts
YouTube has English subtitle option
audio-only: Apple, Amazon podcasts
YouTube has English subtitle option
Reposted by Marek Kohn
We travelled to the Ukrainian village that is the deep inspiration for our project, and talked on the edge of its wetlands: about nature, childhood, imagination, the sounds of war in the air, and why places must not be stolen from people.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx_X...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx_X...
Trubaitsi: wetland spirits and night spirits in a Ukrainian village
YouTube video by Kupala Brighton
www.youtube.com
September 8, 2025 at 3:51 PM
We travelled to the Ukrainian village that is the deep inspiration for our project, and talked on the edge of its wetlands: about nature, childhood, imagination, the sounds of war in the air, and why places must not be stolen from people.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx_X...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx_X...
The flag of St George tops the Bhangra Fusion outfit off perfectly, don't you think?
Well done and thanks @bestfootmusic.bsky.social for yesterday's Summer Fusion Festival in Brighton yesterday ☀️
Well done and thanks @bestfootmusic.bsky.social for yesterday's Summer Fusion Festival in Brighton yesterday ☀️
September 8, 2025 at 8:05 AM
The flag of St George tops the Bhangra Fusion outfit off perfectly, don't you think?
Well done and thanks @bestfootmusic.bsky.social for yesterday's Summer Fusion Festival in Brighton yesterday ☀️
Well done and thanks @bestfootmusic.bsky.social for yesterday's Summer Fusion Festival in Brighton yesterday ☀️
I bought some dried mushrooms in the Ukrainian Carpathians, but not the ones in the tub on the right, this isn't a fairy tale 🍄
September 5, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I bought some dried mushrooms in the Ukrainian Carpathians, but not the ones in the tub on the right, this isn't a fairy tale 🍄
Reposted by Marek Kohn
If you're in the UK and your phone sounds a strident alarm this Sunday 7 at 3pm, don't panic. This is just the alert from Penguin Random House signalling one month till the publication of the new Pynchon novel
September 3, 2025 at 8:29 AM
If you're in the UK and your phone sounds a strident alarm this Sunday 7 at 3pm, don't panic. This is just the alert from Penguin Random House signalling one month till the publication of the new Pynchon novel
Reposted by Marek Kohn
All these brilliant performers, and we'll be there too! Looking forward hugely to the Summer Fusion Festival at the Jubilee Library in Brighton, Sun 7 Sept, 11 – 3, free, all welcome!
bestfootmusic.net/2025/07/10/s...
bestfootmusic.net/2025/07/10/s...
August 29, 2025 at 10:07 AM
All these brilliant performers, and we'll be there too! Looking forward hugely to the Summer Fusion Festival at the Jubilee Library in Brighton, Sun 7 Sept, 11 – 3, free, all welcome!
bestfootmusic.net/2025/07/10/s...
bestfootmusic.net/2025/07/10/s...
Reposted by Marek Kohn
"The rise of the city's #underground nightlife."
Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @marekkohn.bsky.social & @grantabooks.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @marekkohn.bsky.social & @grantabooks.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
August 28, 2025 at 1:19 PM
"The rise of the city's #underground nightlife."
Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @marekkohn.bsky.social & @grantabooks.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Today's book pick from Damn History, a free monthly newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to author @marekkohn.bsky.social & @grantabooks.bsky.social!
Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe
A week ago I was eating grapes from a Ukrainian kitchen garden (= small farm in UK city terms) and thinking I should follow the example in my own small way back home
so ... rose hip syrup (too early, but best I can do)
soundtrack: The Ukrainian Shelf 5: Food
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwOD...
so ... rose hip syrup (too early, but best I can do)
soundtrack: The Ukrainian Shelf 5: Food
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwOD...
August 27, 2025 at 11:18 AM
A week ago I was eating grapes from a Ukrainian kitchen garden (= small farm in UK city terms) and thinking I should follow the example in my own small way back home
so ... rose hip syrup (too early, but best I can do)
soundtrack: The Ukrainian Shelf 5: Food
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwOD...
so ... rose hip syrup (too early, but best I can do)
soundtrack: The Ukrainian Shelf 5: Food
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwOD...