will pooley
@willpooley.bsky.social
historian of witchcrafts, folklore, France 18-20th c
ass. ed. French History
ed. Cambridge Elements in Magic
also #CreativeHistories
that’s an actual photo of me
ass. ed. French History
ed. Cambridge Elements in Magic
also #CreativeHistories
that’s an actual photo of me
Pinned
will pooley
@willpooley.bsky.social
· Nov 10
Sheet Happens
When I started working on witchcraft cases in France from 1790-1940, I knew I wanted to count them. This, of course, was my first mistake. The oldest version I have of the Excel spreadsheet I built…
williamgpooley.wordpress.com
My reintroduction: historian of french magic, folklore, witchcraft, tarot. I blog about all that, as well as writing, creative historical methods, quantification and research process.
A surprising number of you sickos can’t get enough spreadsheet chat🗃️
williamgpooley.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/s...
A surprising number of you sickos can’t get enough spreadsheet chat🗃️
williamgpooley.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/s...
Reposted by will pooley
![Comic. [Comment section on a video. 564 comments, including posts from three different avatars: “Who else is here in 2023?” “Is anyone else watching this in 2017?” “Anyone else here in 2025?”] [caption] For some reason, confused time travelers always try to find each other using YouTube comments.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreia42izz36bkhdteb5743objgf2s3whe3kblmnxnwjvgggtu66ea54@jpeg)
January 2, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Reposted by will pooley
On January 1, 1804, revolutionaries established the independent country of Haiti, the first nation to permanently ban slavery. As we begin a year engulfed by the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, it’s worth reading the Haitian Declaration of Independence in full. 🇭🇹
January 1, 2026 at 1:04 PM
On January 1, 1804, revolutionaries established the independent country of Haiti, the first nation to permanently ban slavery. As we begin a year engulfed by the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, it’s worth reading the Haitian Declaration of Independence in full. 🇭🇹
Reposted by will pooley
Lots being said - quite rightly - about this. But two things more:
- The desire to create a sort of 'final act' of an academic career by throwing in with reactionaries is neither sympathetic nor dignified.
- Adapting to the state of the field is part of the job, not a burden.
- The desire to create a sort of 'final act' of an academic career by throwing in with reactionaries is neither sympathetic nor dignified.
- Adapting to the state of the field is part of the job, not a burden.
The reason this Harvard history professor decided he was done with one of the best and most privileged jobs in the world was, in his own words, because he was forced to lecture in a mask during peak Covid.
I’m not making this up.
I’m not making this up.
December 31, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Lots being said - quite rightly - about this. But two things more:
- The desire to create a sort of 'final act' of an academic career by throwing in with reactionaries is neither sympathetic nor dignified.
- Adapting to the state of the field is part of the job, not a burden.
- The desire to create a sort of 'final act' of an academic career by throwing in with reactionaries is neither sympathetic nor dignified.
- Adapting to the state of the field is part of the job, not a burden.
Reposted by will pooley
2025 has been a rotten year for most early career postdoctoral researchers, especially in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
For a better 2026, check out (or repost) this short thread on a free resource for UK-based SHAPE PhDs within 10 years (excluding career breaks) of the doctorate. 1/3
For a better 2026, check out (or repost) this short thread on a free resource for UK-based SHAPE PhDs within 10 years (excluding career breaks) of the doctorate. 1/3
Early Career Researcher Network
An inclusive, researcher-led network for UK-based early career researchers working in the humanities and social sciences
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
December 31, 2025 at 2:47 PM
2025 has been a rotten year for most early career postdoctoral researchers, especially in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
For a better 2026, check out (or repost) this short thread on a free resource for UK-based SHAPE PhDs within 10 years (excluding career breaks) of the doctorate. 1/3
For a better 2026, check out (or repost) this short thread on a free resource for UK-based SHAPE PhDs within 10 years (excluding career breaks) of the doctorate. 1/3
*goose with lowered head shouting*
“independence from what?
INDEPENDENCE FROM WHAT???!”
“independence from what?
INDEPENDENCE FROM WHAT???!”
January 1, 2026 at 8:26 AM
*goose with lowered head shouting*
“independence from what?
INDEPENDENCE FROM WHAT???!”
“independence from what?
INDEPENDENCE FROM WHAT???!”
Reposted by will pooley
Oh no, thank you, I actually just had a year.
January 1, 2026 at 4:17 AM
Oh no, thank you, I actually just had a year.
transphobia is a disease and it certainly appears to me that the recovery rate is v low if not zero
December 31, 2025 at 7:22 AM
transphobia is a disease and it certainly appears to me that the recovery rate is v low if not zero
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours disc
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours disc
December 30, 2025 at 8:23 AM
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours disc
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours discourse
i will not engage in ny honours disc
Reposted by will pooley
I always tell students if you ask a good question the article will write itself
December 30, 2025 at 4:12 AM
I always tell students if you ask a good question the article will write itself
Reposted by will pooley
"The crisis of the humanities has been revealed by the events of the last year to be a crisis of civil society writ large."
I wasn’t sure they were going to publish this. So good for them.
The ‘Crisis of the Humanities’ Is Over. That’s Not a Good Thing.
All of higher ed now suffers the attacks of politics and technology.
www.chronicle.com
December 29, 2025 at 4:01 PM
"The crisis of the humanities has been revealed by the events of the last year to be a crisis of civil society writ large."
Reposted by will pooley
My annual list of blog posts, articles and other internet things that I enjoyed or found especially interesting this year:
thesphinxblog.com/2025/12/29/b...
thesphinxblog.com/2025/12/29/b...
Blogs of the Year 2025
As ever, one of the fun aspects of end-of-year reflection is revisiting the blog posts, articles and other internet things that I noted down in the course of the year as worth revisiting – so…
thesphinxblog.com
December 29, 2025 at 11:41 AM
My annual list of blog posts, articles and other internet things that I enjoyed or found especially interesting this year:
thesphinxblog.com/2025/12/29/b...
thesphinxblog.com/2025/12/29/b...
luxury pet food shop name free to anyone who needs it
“bone vivant”
“bone vivant”
December 29, 2025 at 8:25 AM
luxury pet food shop name free to anyone who needs it
“bone vivant”
“bone vivant”
“NO screent1me! the tiny computers are sending young people crazy!”
-guy who will spend most of this year doing his job of
“screen time he is paid for”
-guy who will spend most of this year doing his job of
“screen time he is paid for”
December 29, 2025 at 7:46 AM
“NO screent1me! the tiny computers are sending young people crazy!”
-guy who will spend most of this year doing his job of
“screen time he is paid for”
-guy who will spend most of this year doing his job of
“screen time he is paid for”
Reposted by will pooley
Reposted by will pooley
The Goat is down!
But unfortunately (?) not by act of man, but it collapsed after being hit by strong winds.
www.dn.se/sverige/stor...
But unfortunately (?) not by act of man, but it collapsed after being hit by strong winds.
www.dn.se/sverige/stor...
Stormen Johannes välte Gävlebocken
Gävlebocken har ännu en gång gått ett olyckligt öde till mötes. Bockens ben vek sig under stormen Johannes framfart – och den ligger nu ihopsjunken.
www.dn.se
December 27, 2025 at 5:38 PM
The Goat is down!
But unfortunately (?) not by act of man, but it collapsed after being hit by strong winds.
www.dn.se/sverige/stor...
But unfortunately (?) not by act of man, but it collapsed after being hit by strong winds.
www.dn.se/sverige/stor...
Reposted by will pooley
That time of year again!
December 26, 2025 at 8:09 PM
That time of year again!
me “i wonder what happened to that minor dickens character” oh well guess ill never know. now to take a big sip of coffee and log on to Blue Sky
December 26, 2025 at 7:53 AM
me “i wonder what happened to that minor dickens character” oh well guess ill never know. now to take a big sip of coffee and log on to Blue Sky
Reposted by will pooley
As many of us begin Christmas meal prep, allow me to share the advice that my ER nurse sister puts in the chat every year:
A dropped knife has no handle. Jump away. Let it fall. You can pick it up and wash it.
A dropped knife has no handle. Jump away. Let it fall. You can pick it up and wash it.
December 24, 2025 at 6:31 PM
As many of us begin Christmas meal prep, allow me to share the advice that my ER nurse sister puts in the chat every year:
A dropped knife has no handle. Jump away. Let it fall. You can pick it up and wash it.
A dropped knife has no handle. Jump away. Let it fall. You can pick it up and wash it.
Reposted by will pooley
Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...
Donate to Duvet Know It's Christmas, 2025, organized by Rhodri Marsden
Unbelievably, it's the 15th year of this thing.
What is it?
Improbably, the nig… Rhodri Marsden needs your support for Duvet Know It's Christmas, 2025
www.gofundme.com
December 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...
Reposted by will pooley
This is the 15th year of #DuvetKnowItsChristmas, which is preposterous. Rules: if you find yourself dealing with unusual / claustrophobic / gaudy sleeping arrangements this Christmas Eve, share a picture with the world. Use the hashtag (with capitalisation) and cc me if you can be bothered.
December 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
This is the 15th year of #DuvetKnowItsChristmas, which is preposterous. Rules: if you find yourself dealing with unusual / claustrophobic / gaudy sleeping arrangements this Christmas Eve, share a picture with the world. Use the hashtag (with capitalisation) and cc me if you can be bothered.
if we’re up at 4 on Xmas eve that’s a good sign that they can’t possibly do it again on Xmas right
right???
right???
December 24, 2025 at 5:16 AM
if we’re up at 4 on Xmas eve that’s a good sign that they can’t possibly do it again on Xmas right
right???
right???
strikes a chord hehe
December 23, 2025 at 8:12 PM
strikes a chord hehe
Reposted by will pooley
1. This is terrible.
2. This is such a BS claim from a university: “We are committed to teaching students how to think, not what to think.” No! We do, in fact, commit to teaching you what to think. You sign up for a psych course, you have to learn psychology. You can ignore it later if you choose.
2. This is such a BS claim from a university: “We are committed to teaching students how to think, not what to think.” No! We do, in fact, commit to teaching you what to think. You sign up for a psych course, you have to learn psychology. You can ignore it later if you choose.
A graduate teaching assistant who gave a University of Oklahoma student a failing grade on a psychology essay will no longer be teaching at the university
Graduate instructor who gave failing grade to Samantha Fulnecky no longer teaching at OU
A graduate teaching assistant who gave a University of Oklahoma student a failing grade on a psychology essay will no longer be teaching at the university.
www.koco.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:51 PM
1. This is terrible.
2. This is such a BS claim from a university: “We are committed to teaching students how to think, not what to think.” No! We do, in fact, commit to teaching you what to think. You sign up for a psych course, you have to learn psychology. You can ignore it later if you choose.
2. This is such a BS claim from a university: “We are committed to teaching students how to think, not what to think.” No! We do, in fact, commit to teaching you what to think. You sign up for a psych course, you have to learn psychology. You can ignore it later if you choose.