helen
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hejparry.bsky.social
helen
@hejparry.bsky.social
770 followers 320 following 890 posts
reader, aspiring writer, wool-gatherer, cat-wrangler
chronically lazy
she/her
immigrant in Belgium!
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hejparry.bsky.social
helen @hejparry.bsky.social · 19d
Every Wednesday, I’m going to post a children’s book I’ve enjoyed.

If you’ve read it too, or you want to share another book, join in.

The Hungry Cloud, by Tom Ingram.

Of all the unjustly forgotten children’s books, this stone cold classic is the most unjustly forgotten.

#ukkidlit #kidlituk
Copy of The Hungry Cloud, by Tom Ingram, illustrated by Bill Geldert. The cover illustration shows two children in a small boat looking back at a castle-like structure in a rock. Behind the castle is an ominous black cloud. Published in 1971, it’s the story of Kai and Flor. While their royal parents are away, a mysterious cloud appears above their home, Scortallin castle. Meanwhile, they meet an unsettling travelling entertainer with his troupe of performing dogs, and an artist with a terrible gift. As it becomes clear that the entire kingdom is in terrible danger, how can the children save everyone they love? I was completely obsessed with this book as a child. It is genuinely tense and the atmosphere is heightened by the illustrations, just the perfect companion to the story. I have never met anyone else who has read it and I can’t understand why not. If you ever find a copy, seize it!
Reposted by helen
theodoragoss.bsky.social
New blog post. :) Short version: "We are on the cusp of an age of unreality, and the danger it poses to us, and to the planet we inhabit, is enormous."

theodoragoss.com/2025/11/23/t...
The Real and the Unreal: A Manifesto
When I was in college, the task of the researcher was to find information. When I was in graduate school, it was to sort through information. This spring, when my students arrive at the university,…
theodoragoss.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by helen
nickimags.bsky.social
A Girl A Tiger and A Very Strange Story by Paro Anand - Stunning and layered fiction for kids age 10+ by @booksteacupreviews.bsky.social #booksky #kidlit
A Girl A Tiger and A Very Strange Story by Paro Anand - Stunning and layered fiction for kids age 10+ / Books Teacup and Reviews
A Girl A Tiger and A Very Strange Story is a stunning, layered fiction for kids age 10+. It blends adventure, emotion, and activism with grace.
booksteacupreviews.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Reposted by helen
tate.bsky.social
Thomas Churchyard, View on the Deben,
https://botfrens.com/collections/14375/contents/1124438
Purchased 1972
November 23, 2025 at 4:37 AM
Reposted by helen
naomialderman.bsky.social
I flew to Canada this week to go to a Paul McCartney concert and I wrote about it here:

open.substack.com/pub/naomiald...
going through hell, keeping going
on art, grief, and the emotional heroism of just bloody keeping on making your work
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Reposted by helen
alisonfisk.bsky.social
A very good boy! 🐾🐕😍

An amazing c. 3,400 year-old ancient Egyptian dog carved from ivory. This leaping dog opens and closes its mouth as if barking by using a lever below its chest.

The Met 📷 by me

#Archaeology
My photo shows a three quarter profile of an ancient Egyptian figurine of a leaping dog facing left. Carved from ivory, now a warm caramel brown colour with glossy surface. The dogs eyes are outlined in black, the ears are floppy, the mouth is slightly ajar (the inside of the mouth is painted red - not sen in my photo). The front and back legs are outstretched as if running at full speed. A lever under the dog’s chest opens and closes the mouth so that the dog looks as if it’s barking. Dimensions: L 18.2 cm × H 6.1 cm × W 3.6 cm. Dated to Late Dynasty I8, I400-I350 BC, reign of Amenhotep III who was Tutankhamun’s grandfather. The dog is mounted on a thin metal rod in a display case. In the background in the same display case is a ‘galloping’ brown horse, which is the handle of an ancient Egyptian fly whisk or light whip.
November 22, 2025 at 9:37 AM
hejparry.bsky.social
Snow & traces of cat.
Thin covering of snow with two lines of cat pawprints running lightly through it; bottom to top in the left; across the top right-hand corner. No sign of the cat who by then was toasting herself in front of the gas fire in the sitting room.
November 23, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Reposted by helen
andraswf.bsky.social
Important: Read Dan's thread and then fill out the consultation on the link at the end

It's very important for as many of you as possible to take part
danielsohege.bsky.social Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 2d
I am currently, because I know how to enjoy a Saturday morning, writing some guidance for people on filling this consultation in. As I do several things are highly apparent. Before I go through them though I don't want this to put people off of filling it in. It is important to do so nonetheless. 1/
danielsohege.bsky.social Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 4d
Government has today published its consultation into "earned settlement", the forward alone contains a hot mess of misrepresentation of the current system by the Home Secretary. I would strongly urge anyone affected by the current system to respond.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/691edd...
November 22, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Reposted by helen
womensartbluesky.bsky.social
Joanna Koerten (1630-1715), Dutch painter, draughtswoman and pioneer in the art of paper cutting (silhouettes) #WomensArt
Paper cut artwork with intricate image of a landscape with trees, an arched building with two figures walking underneath and with a border of flowers, all in white against a black background
November 22, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Reposted by helen
kelseyjosephson.com
This applies to writers, too. I feel this in my bones
ethankocak.com Ethan Kocak @ethankocak.com · 10d
I think most artists hit a point where they’re like, well if I can’t be the best artist, I shall be the most ME artist.
November 14, 2025 at 7:35 PM
hejparry.bsky.social
This is a delightful poem which will cheer your Thursday morning. We all need some dragons.
theodoragoss.bsky.social Theodora Goss @theodoragoss.bsky.social · 7d
This poem isn't new . . . it was published about five years ago now, in a wonderful anthology called The Book of Dragons, edited by Jonathan Strahan. But I have not shared it publicly before. Here it is, in case you need some dragons . . .

theodoragosspoems.com/2025/11/16/t...
The Dragons
The Dragons by Theodora Goss One day, the dragons came. It was on a Tuesday, she remembers. It was the sort of thing that would happen on a Tuesday, which is an unsatisfying sort of day, not the be…
theodoragosspoems.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:56 AM
hejparry.bsky.social
What an excellent idea.
kishizuka.bsky.social Kathy Ishizuka @kishizuka.bsky.social · 5d
Solange Knowles’ Saint Heron has launched a free digital archival library of literature by Black and brown authors, poets, and artists. Readers can borrow rare and out-of-print books for up to 45 days
Solange Opens Free Digital Library Of Rare Black Books
Solange has launched a digital library archive of Black and brown authors where readers can borrow books at no cost.
peopleofcolorintech.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:38 AM
hejparry.bsky.social
Everyone read Rosalind Brackenbury, she’s so so good.
November 17, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by helen
judithflanders.co.uk
Fact 1. Important knowledge.

But

Fact 2. Mind. Officially. Blown.
presentcorrect.bsky.social Present & Correct @presentcorrect.bsky.social · 8d
Two interesting stationery facts that you might need to sit down for :

1. The blue part of a classic pink/blue eraser was originally intended for pencil on thick paper, not ink.

2. Etymologically ‘stationery’ stems from ‘stationary’.
November 16, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Reposted by helen
judithflanders.co.uk
An interesting article on the possible early 20th-c. origins of Wicca, but let me tell you, I AM HERE for any 'British-German noblewoman and occultist [named] Lady Walburga Paget'.

Even better, her pseudonym was 'Ermengilda'. Because of course it was.

publicdomainreview.org/essay/roma-l...
Roma Lister, Aradia, and the Speculative Origins of a Witchcraft Revival
In 1899, Charles Godfrey Leland published Aradia, “the gospel of the witches”, containing a goddess-orientated creation and saviour narrative, purported to descend from an ancient, hermetic tradition ...
publicdomainreview.org
November 16, 2025 at 12:58 AM
hejparry.bsky.social
Fed up with the news & the British government. Let's start celebrating the positives of migration more.

Migrants bring energy & work hard. They invigorate our culture with new perspectives, new food, new art & music & literature.

What else?
November 16, 2025 at 7:48 AM
hejparry.bsky.social
Hahaha
November 16, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Reposted by helen
peterpaulrubens.bsky.social
Out on their delightful camel-themed sled on a cold winter's day! Fun times in the Golden Age as painted by Gesina ter Borch of Zwolle. She was born OTD in 1633.
November 15, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by helen
artinsociety.bsky.social
Ancient mosaic of a reclining skeleton, holding a drinking cup, with a jug of wine and bread rolls. The caption is generally translated as “Enjoy Your Life” ~ life is fleeting, so enjoy it while you can (Antioch, est 3rd century BC)
mymodernmet.com/skeleton-mos...
November 14, 2025 at 7:05 AM
hejparry.bsky.social
Every Wednesday, I’m going to post a children’s book I’ve enjoyed.

If you’ve read it too, or you want to share another book, join in!

The Wrong Shoes, by Tom Percival.

Why do I like it? Read the alt text!

#ukkidlit #kidlituk
A copy of The Wrong Shoes, by Tom Percival. The cover illustration is a drawing of a young boy sitting down with a rucksack. This was recommended to me by a friend and I’ve just finished it. It’s the story of a boy whose poverty makes it hard for him to manage and fit in at school. It’s a very powerful depiction of how poverty impacts so many areas of a child’s life, and the difficult choices Will has to make, but all folded into a compelling story with characters it’s easy to care about. The book is beautifully illustrated too, by the author.
November 12, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Reposted by helen
louiestowell.bsky.social
Boosting this: if you're in the creative industries or have other creative skills or merch (eg signed books/prints) you can donate to our Sudan auction fundraiser, sign up here! If not? Please do share with your networks! #KeepEyesOnSudan #Creatives4Sudan
louiestowell.bsky.social Louie Stowell @louiestowell.bsky.social · 14d
Creative pals, we need you! A group of us are running an auction to raise funds for the Emergency Response Rooms in Sudan. Sudanese people are dealing with the worst humanitarian crisis since records began. Can you donate mentoring/art/signed books etc? SIGN UP HERE: www.sudancoup.com/auction
Creatives4Sudan Fundraising Auction — Keep Eyes On Sudan
Creatives coming together to raise life-saving funds for the people escaping genocide in El-Fasher, Sudan
www.sudancoup.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:46 AM
hejparry.bsky.social
'he’d never believe how missed he is.'

This story is absolutely gutting. Some people's lives are so hard.
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
When I met Craig he was 13 and homeless. I still thought his life might turn around. I was tragically wrong
The long read: I knew he was running away from something. It wasn’t until many years later that I discovered the truth
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by helen
hookland.bsky.social
A gentle reminder that this is one of those generational good books which will still being read in 20 years time.
pjrobichaud.bsky.social Paul Robichaud @pjrobichaud.bsky.social · 16d
A very occasional reminder that ‘Pan: the Great God’s Modern Return,’ published by Reaktion Books, is available in paperback through your favorite bookseller.
November 9, 2025 at 10:14 AM
hejparry.bsky.social
Absolutely fascinating article!
November 9, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by helen
matthewcobb.bsky.social
If you believe either that Franklin discovered the double helix, and / or Watson and Crick stole her data, ask yourself how you know this. Then take a read of this article.
November 8, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Reposted by helen
neuvel.net
The best thing you can do to help your favorite author is to pre-order 150,000 copies of their next book.
November 6, 2025 at 3:01 AM