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roaringgirle.bsky.social
claire m. l. bourne
@roaringgirle.bsky.social
1.2K followers 440 following 130 posts
¶ a figure of tollerable [sic] disorder ¶ plays & typography & dirty books ¶ accidental miltonist ¶ editrix ¶ elder-cat mom ¶ she|her|hers ¶ all opinions my own ¶ https://www.ofpilcrows.com
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Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
sonjadrimmer.bsky.social
What, exactly, does this string of words mean? Why does everyone who stands to profit from selling "AI" love to repeat it? And what's the value of slogans that masquerade as history?

sonjadrimmer.com/blog-1/2025/...
"The Printing Press Democratized Knowledge": When Slogans Masquerade as History — Sonja Drimmer
The phrase is said so frequently it seems, like the mechanism it celebrates, to mechanically replicate itself.  It's become a favorite catchphrase among tech boosters of any sort (see my post on...
sonjadrimmer.com
September 10, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
hltn.bsky.social
✍ Introducing ✍

Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for beginner #EarlyModern #palaeography

gjhilton.github.io/Sharpie/

AKA What I Did Over Reading Week.

#skystorians I’d be so grateful if you had time to share or take a look and tell me what sucks and needs fixing.

Love g 🗃️
Sharpie
Sharpie, a letterform recognition game for apprentice Early Modern palaeographers
gjhilton.github.io
November 12, 2025 at 11:11 PM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
i’m talking more about john milton and ‘books read promiscuously’ on monday at penn state.

if you’re in central PA and want to learn about what we are learning about milton’s reading from what he wrote in his books, i’d love to see you!

📚♾️
October 23, 2025 at 12:58 PM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
a tiny bit of good news is that we have secured funding to digitize john milton's copy of holinshed's CHRONICLES (1587).

the images will form part of MILTON'S LIBRARY, an open-access site featuring the 10 books positively identified as milton's w/ transcriptions/translations of his marginal notes.
A close-up image of a handwritten note in a sixteenth-century book. The note reads: 'Spenser repor / teth otherwise / [o]f this Knight / [D]ialogue of Ire- / [la]nd / [p]. 76.
October 14, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
emilyrowe1.bsky.social
Lots of fun getting students to collate, fold, and stab-stitch Hamlet Q1 today (adapted from @roaringgirle.bsky.social’s class!). And now have a little interactive quarto for my office door 📖
October 3, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
tamarajatkin.bsky.social
Realise there’s. It much to go on here, but what do we think about this vellum wrapper? Recycled indenture?
September 24, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
roaringgirle.bsky.social
we welcome papers about public libraries, public records offices, or any other public institution that stewards or interacts with shakespeare and early modern texts.

what can we be doing—as early modernists, book historians, & shakespeareans—to defend our public libraries? think capaciously!
bkadams.bsky.social Brandi K. Adams @bkadams.bsky.social · Aug 11
For those of you going to Denver’s SAA, please consider joining @roaringgirle.bsky.social and me to talk about the importance of public libraries, Shakespeare, and other early modern literature. There’s so much to consider in our current political climate:
[ SEMINAR • SAA 2026 ] SHAKESPEARE & PUBLIC LIBRARIES This seminar examines the role of public libraries (local, national and international) in the preservation, dissemination, and study of the books and other media that transmit works by Shakespeare and other early modern writers. The recent identification of two books once owned by John Milton—a Shakespeare First Folio and a copy of Holinshed's Chronicles-at two American public libraries (The Free Library of Philadelphia and the Phoenix Public Library, respectively) and the presence of another of Milton's books (a sammelband of early Italian editions) at a third (The New York Public Library) invites us to acknowledge and rethink an implicit bias towards well-funded elite libraries and collections as privileged sites of textual and historical research. How might our knowledge of early modern textual history and the history of early modern books in the longue durée change with greater consideration of public collections? What do (and could) scholarly partnerships with public libraries look like-and what can they achieve in terms of bolstering the value of humanistic inquiry? How might the histories of (and transmitted by) the early modern books in these collections, which we are uniquely positioned to tell, relate to the specific local communities that they serve? In this way, the seminar is also interested in the ways that public libraries feature Shakespeare in the promotion of their circulating collections, educational programming, and public events, as many U.S. public libraries did during the quatercentenaries of Shakespeare's death in 2016 and of the publication of the first folio in 2023. While the idea for this seminar emerges from our experiences working in American public libraries, we would welcome contributions from scholars and librarians considering the role of public libraries in Shakespeare and early modern studies in various different regional and national traditions.
August 15, 2025 at 11:07 AM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
paperback coming early 2026! ✨
September 5, 2025 at 8:42 PM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
new academic year = new planner
August 17, 2025 at 3:53 PM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
we welcome papers about public libraries, public records offices, or any other public institution that stewards or interacts with shakespeare and early modern texts.

what can we be doing—as early modernists, book historians, & shakespeareans—to defend our public libraries? think capaciously!
bkadams.bsky.social Brandi K. Adams @bkadams.bsky.social · Aug 11
For those of you going to Denver’s SAA, please consider joining @roaringgirle.bsky.social and me to talk about the importance of public libraries, Shakespeare, and other early modern literature. There’s so much to consider in our current political climate:
[ SEMINAR • SAA 2026 ] SHAKESPEARE & PUBLIC LIBRARIES This seminar examines the role of public libraries (local, national and international) in the preservation, dissemination, and study of the books and other media that transmit works by Shakespeare and other early modern writers. The recent identification of two books once owned by John Milton—a Shakespeare First Folio and a copy of Holinshed's Chronicles-at two American public libraries (The Free Library of Philadelphia and the Phoenix Public Library, respectively) and the presence of another of Milton's books (a sammelband of early Italian editions) at a third (The New York Public Library) invites us to acknowledge and rethink an implicit bias towards well-funded elite libraries and collections as privileged sites of textual and historical research. How might our knowledge of early modern textual history and the history of early modern books in the longue durée change with greater consideration of public collections? What do (and could) scholarly partnerships with public libraries look like-and what can they achieve in terms of bolstering the value of humanistic inquiry? How might the histories of (and transmitted by) the early modern books in these collections, which we are uniquely positioned to tell, relate to the specific local communities that they serve? In this way, the seminar is also interested in the ways that public libraries feature Shakespeare in the promotion of their circulating collections, educational programming, and public events, as many U.S. public libraries did during the quatercentenaries of Shakespeare's death in 2016 and of the publication of the first folio in 2023. While the idea for this seminar emerges from our experiences working in American public libraries, we would welcome contributions from scholars and librarians considering the role of public libraries in Shakespeare and early modern studies in various different regional and national traditions.
August 15, 2025 at 11:07 AM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
editor for life, it seems
August 15, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
meganlcook.bsky.social
The news is all bad so here's a treat: a bunch of horoscopes written out by John Dee, a bunch of shopping lists written out by John Dee. A magus has to eat. (Bodleian Ms Ashmole 337)
August 13, 2025 at 7:29 PM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
soon-to-be material texts!
August 14, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
bkadams.bsky.social
For those of you going to Denver’s SAA, please consider joining @roaringgirle.bsky.social and me to talk about the importance of public libraries, Shakespeare, and other early modern literature. There’s so much to consider in our current political climate:
[ SEMINAR • SAA 2026 ] SHAKESPEARE & PUBLIC LIBRARIES This seminar examines the role of public libraries (local, national and international) in the preservation, dissemination, and study of the books and other media that transmit works by Shakespeare and other early modern writers. The recent identification of two books once owned by John Milton—a Shakespeare First Folio and a copy of Holinshed's Chronicles-at two American public libraries (The Free Library of Philadelphia and the Phoenix Public Library, respectively) and the presence of another of Milton's books (a sammelband of early Italian editions) at a third (The New York Public Library) invites us to acknowledge and rethink an implicit bias towards well-funded elite libraries and collections as privileged sites of textual and historical research. How might our knowledge of early modern textual history and the history of early modern books in the longue durée change with greater consideration of public collections? What do (and could) scholarly partnerships with public libraries look like-and what can they achieve in terms of bolstering the value of humanistic inquiry? How might the histories of (and transmitted by) the early modern books in these collections, which we are uniquely positioned to tell, relate to the specific local communities that they serve? In this way, the seminar is also interested in the ways that public libraries feature Shakespeare in the promotion of their circulating collections, educational programming, and public events, as many U.S. public libraries did during the quatercentenaries of Shakespeare's death in 2016 and of the publication of the first folio in 2023. While the idea for this seminar emerges from our experiences working in American public libraries, we would welcome contributions from scholars and librarians considering the role of public libraries in Shakespeare and early modern studies in various different regional and national traditions.
August 11, 2025 at 2:42 AM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
🙏🏼
meganlcook.bsky.social Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · Jul 18
Hi crusades #medievalsky people, do we have evidence of swords being left by returning crusaders as votive offerings in churches? (Asking for @roaringgirle.bsky.social )
July 18, 2025 at 10:15 AM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
louder for the people in the back!
meganlcook.bsky.social Megan L. Cook @meganlcook.bsky.social · Jul 17
If 👏 you're 👏 writing 👏 about 👏 reception 👏 history 👏 you 👏have 👏 to 👏 cite 👏 the 👏 historical 👏 editions
July 17, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
bowerbox.com
This is the new matrix I engraved last night. It will cast on an 18 point quad and can be rotated or used as a border. I'll be testing this later and hopefully it will turn out as i envision! #typecasting #engraving #letterpress
A close up view of a brass rectangle which has a design of a flower engraved on it. The rectangle has 2 corners cut off at an angle and sizing notes stamped in it.
July 12, 2025 at 1:10 PM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
a timelapse of #slowbibliography featuring one of its best practitioners.
tarallyons.bsky.social Dr. Tara Lyons @tarallyons.bsky.social · Jun 26
In 1671, Rachel (Fane) Bouchier, the Countess of Bath, purchased £200 of books for the library at @tcddublin.bsky.social The books were housed together and known as “The Countess of Bath’s Library.” This week I reconstructed the bequest, with the help of the amazing TCD librarians.
June 26, 2025 at 11:42 AM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
consider joining me and @bkadams.bsky.social for a conversation about public libraries at #shax2026.

if you have an idea and aren't sure whether it fits the remit of the seminar, it probably fits! but feel free to reach out to either of us with questions.
roaringgirle.bsky.social claire m. l. bourne @roaringgirle.bsky.social · May 17
thanks to @saaupdates.bsky.social for including the SHAKESPEARE & PUBLIC LIBRARIES seminar on the 2026 annual meeting program.

& thanks to @bkadams.bsky.social for collaborating with me on making space for this increasingly urgent conversation about the value of public libraries.

please sign up!
SEMINAR DESCRIPTION: This seminar examines the role of public libraries (local, national and international) in the preservation, dissemination, and study of the books and other media that transmit works by Shakespeare and other early modern writers. The recent identification of two books once owned by John Milton—a Shakespeare First Folio and a copy of Holinshed’s Chronicles—at two American public libraries (The Free Library of Philadelphia and the Phoenix Public Library, respectively) and the presence of another of Milton’s books (a sammelband of early Italian editions) at a third (The New York Public Library) invites us to acknowledge and rethink an implicit bias towards well-funded elite libraries and collections as privileged sites of textual and historical research. How might our knowledge of early modern textual history and the history of early modern books in the longue durée change with greater consideration of public collections? What do (and could) scholarly partnerships with public libraries look like—and what can they achieve in terms of bolstering the value of humanistic inquiry? How might the histories of (and transmitted by) the early modern books in these collections, which we are uniquely positioned to tell, relate to the specific local communities that they serve? In this way, the seminar is also interested in the ways that public libraries feature Shakespeare in the promotion of their circulating collections, educational programming, and public events, as many U.S. public libraries did during the quatercentenaries of Shakespeare’s death in 2016 and of the publication of the first folio in 2023. While the idea for this seminar emerges from our experiences working in American public libraries, we would welcome contributions from scholars and librarians considering the role of public libraries in Shakespeare and early modern studies in various different regional and national traditions.
June 23, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
dnmcinnis.bsky.social
📣 CFP: Shakespeare Quarterly special issue

Shakespeare’s Twenty-First Century / The Twenty-First Century’s Shakespeare

This will be Vanessa I. Corredera, Arthur L. Little, Jr. and my first issue as Editors! Please submit your finest!

More info: networks.h-net.org/group/announ...
Photo (by David McInnis) of Australian artist Jimmy C’s famous mural of Shakespeare in Clink Street near the Globe. It depicts Shakespeare as known via the Chandos portrait, holding a skull like Hamlet does, and a quill, in front of a psychedelic swirl of colour.
June 20, 2025 at 12:19 PM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
it is already the solstice ☀️ & i am just now building a summer reading list of great & good bookish (as in, book historical & bibliographical) things-i-have-not-had-time-to-read-but-am-going-to-create-time-to-read before back-to-school 📚📖

please share your recs for recent articles & chapters ⬇️🙏🏼
June 20, 2025 at 9:41 PM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
add one+ of these titles in the ELEMENTS IN SHAKESPEARE & TEXT series to your summer reading list. they're short!

look out for more titles soon—& please get in touch with me or @loughnrv.bsky.social if you have your own idea for an element! we'd love to chat.

ℹ️: www.cambridge.org/core/publica...
The title pages of six books in the Elements in Shakespeare and Text series. Titles and authors are as follows: Tiffany Stern, Shakespeare, Malone, and the Problems of Chronology Holger Schott Syme, Theatre History, Attribution Studies, and the Question of Evidence Paul Salzman, Facsimiles and the History of Shakespeare Editing Rory Loughnane and Willy Maley, Editing Archipelagic Shakespeare Beth Sharrock, Shakespeare Broadcasts and the Question of Value Anupam Basu, Shakespeare and Scale
June 17, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
sonjadrimmer.bsky.social
Love to refuse a prompt. static1.squarespace.com/static/53a4b...
REFLECTIONS ON AI IN THE CLASSROOM: How We are Not Using Al in the Classroom By Sonja Drimmer & Christopher J. Nygren Premise Prompt engineering is a term that has become commonplace since the widespread availability of generative Al applications like ChatGPT. The idea is that the outputs of the large language models (LLMs) on which these applications are based are only as good as the prompts that are input: vague prompts result in equally vague outputs. And thus was born the race to train for careers in prompt engineering. Unfortunately, the bubble seems to have burst before even the first generation of students was trained for this career outcome. We were given a prompt as an invitation to participate in this newsletter: "How are you using Al in the classroom?" While we have accepted this invitation, we are engaging in the most humanistic act we can imagine—refusing the prompt.”
March 22, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Reposted by claire m. l. bourne
emilydourish.bsky.social
This is what happens when you add a fancy fore edge title, then 150 years later someone realises the book was misbound and moves the last 100 pages to the front. Should look like the first pic, actually looks like the second 🤦
A fore edge title reading IULI[us] / DEI GRA [tia] / EP [iscopu]S WIR /CEB AC / FRANCI / ORIENT / DUX . CUL Sel.3.82 A fore edge title reading ULI[us] D I / RA[tia] G EP[iscopu]S / VIRC ET V / RAN OR F/ DUX. CUL F*. 8.31(c) A book whose date should read 1578 has been rebound so that it reads 5781.
June 6, 2025 at 4:49 PM
roaringgirle.bsky.social
a #herbook inscription for the ages:

Elizabeth Pride her Book giuen her by [the?] Lord Larrance / a ugly Lord a rogue a folle of a Lord

🔥🔥🔥

STC 22545 • @folger.edu
A handwritten inscription in the margin of THE COVNTESSE OF PEMBROKES ARCADIA (1621) that reads: “Elizabeth Pride her Book giuen her by [the?] Lord Larrance / a ugly Lord a rogue a folle of a Lord” STC 22545 • Folger Shakespeare Library
June 6, 2025 at 1:05 PM