Julianne Benford
@juliannebenford.bsky.social
Books, writing, crafts, plants, higher education, community, sustainable fashion. Documenting my quest for TBR Zero on YouTube. Author of Unlucky in Lockdown, creator of Ignite Your Passion for Reading course. She/her, was @ladyjulianne on the old place
Reposted by Julianne Benford
"We grant people different rights based on their genetic heritage and on which scrap of land they happened to be born on. That’s mad, isn’t it?"
I just think, when debating immigration and so on, that we should try not to lose sight of the fact that "nationality" is a made up thing.
I just think, when debating immigration and so on, that we should try not to lose sight of the fact that "nationality" is a made up thing.
Why does nationality matter, anyway?
Deciding someone's legal rights based on a nebulous combination of birthplace and parentage is a bit weird
www.newstatesman.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:33 AM
"We grant people different rights based on their genetic heritage and on which scrap of land they happened to be born on. That’s mad, isn’t it?"
I just think, when debating immigration and so on, that we should try not to lose sight of the fact that "nationality" is a made up thing.
I just think, when debating immigration and so on, that we should try not to lose sight of the fact that "nationality" is a made up thing.
Reposted by Julianne Benford
Grand opening, grand closing.
X quietly disabled a new feature that showed which country an account was posting from when it revealed that lots of popular right wing MAGA accounts were being run from foreign countries like India and Nigeria.
X quietly disabled a new feature that showed which country an account was posting from when it revealed that lots of popular right wing MAGA accounts were being run from foreign countries like India and Nigeria.
November 22, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Grand opening, grand closing.
X quietly disabled a new feature that showed which country an account was posting from when it revealed that lots of popular right wing MAGA accounts were being run from foreign countries like India and Nigeria.
X quietly disabled a new feature that showed which country an account was posting from when it revealed that lots of popular right wing MAGA accounts were being run from foreign countries like India and Nigeria.
Reposted by Julianne Benford
If you're an author being published by small and tiny presses, please shamelessly promote your work, however much your temperament might militate against it. I've seen many wonderful authors at this level so quickly forgotten when they die, you deserve all the readers you can get while you're alive.
November 23, 2025 at 6:49 AM
If you're an author being published by small and tiny presses, please shamelessly promote your work, however much your temperament might militate against it. I've seen many wonderful authors at this level so quickly forgotten when they die, you deserve all the readers you can get while you're alive.
Reposted by Julianne Benford
I’m gonna come right out on here on main and say that my father-in-law, who most of these people hero worship, fully believed in the role of medical intervention where necessary, and in the importance of birth attendants who can recognise that ‘when necessary’ part
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors
As Esau Lopez was asphyxiated for the first 17 minutes of his life on Earth, the atmosphere in the room remained serene, even ecstatic. Acoustic music crooned from a speaker in a modest two-bedroom apartment in a suburb of Pennsylvania. “You are a queen,” murmured one of three friends in the room.
Only Esau’s mother, Gabrielle Lopez, felt something was wrong. She was pushing hard, but her son would not be born. “Can you help [him] out?” she asked, as Esau crowned. “Baby is coming,” the friend replied. Four minutes later, Lopez asked again, “Can you grab [him]?” Another friend murmured, “Baby is safe.” Six minutes passed. Again, Lopez asked, “Can you grab [him]?” Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:38 PM
I’m gonna come right out on here on main and say that my father-in-law, who most of these people hero worship, fully believed in the role of medical intervention where necessary, and in the importance of birth attendants who can recognise that ‘when necessary’ part
Reposted by Julianne Benford
Huge TW for graphic descriptions of obstructed labor and infant death, but if you can stomach that, this is worth reading. Tells us a lot about where we are as a culture. The rightward heel-turn of the birth influencers in question will surprise no one
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors
As Esau Lopez was asphyxiated for the first 17 minutes of his life on Earth, the atmosphere in the room remained serene, even ecstatic. Acoustic music crooned from a speaker in a modest two-bedroom apartment in a suburb of Pennsylvania. “You are a queen,” murmured one of three friends in the room.
Only Esau’s mother, Gabrielle Lopez, felt something was wrong. She was pushing hard, but her son would not be born. “Can you help [him] out?” she asked, as Esau crowned. “Baby is coming,” the friend replied. Four minutes later, Lopez asked again, “Can you grab [him]?” Another friend murmured, “Baby is safe.” Six minutes passed. Again, Lopez asked, “Can you grab [him]?” Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Huge TW for graphic descriptions of obstructed labor and infant death, but if you can stomach that, this is worth reading. Tells us a lot about where we are as a culture. The rightward heel-turn of the birth influencers in question will surprise no one
Reposted by Julianne Benford
Should any of you be contemplating Christmas shopping for graphic novels, we have a cheat code for you! Here are the books of the year compiled by the experts at Gosh! Comics goshlondon.com/the-gosh-blo...
Gosh! Comics Best of 2025 - Adult
You've been asking, and we have answered! Once again, we merry Gosh! crew have trawled through the releases of 2025 to reel in our absolute faves from the past year. While we look into our crystal bal...
goshlondon.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Should any of you be contemplating Christmas shopping for graphic novels, we have a cheat code for you! Here are the books of the year compiled by the experts at Gosh! Comics goshlondon.com/the-gosh-blo...
Reposted by Julianne Benford
Over on Whatever today I confirm that, indeed, all those emails authors and other writers are getting promising access to readers and book clubs and such are 100% scams, share all the scam emails I got just this morning, and note why they are all awful and bad:
whatever.scalzi.com/2025/11/22/y...
whatever.scalzi.com/2025/11/22/y...
Yes, All Those Author Services and Book Club Emails Are Fake, and No, Don’t Send Them Any Money
If you’re an author, or honestly if you just happen to be standing near an author these days, then you have probably seen a flood of emails in the past couple of months promising you that who…
whatever.scalzi.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Over on Whatever today I confirm that, indeed, all those emails authors and other writers are getting promising access to readers and book clubs and such are 100% scams, share all the scam emails I got just this morning, and note why they are all awful and bad:
whatever.scalzi.com/2025/11/22/y...
whatever.scalzi.com/2025/11/22/y...
Reposted by Julianne Benford
Is anyone else overwhelmed by the number of newsletters they could potentially be a paid subscriber for? I am interested in MANY things. I could easily spend over £1k per annum on newsletters. I do not know how to manage this.
(The ideal would be they all collaborate on a magazine instead 😞😭😭) 1/4
(The ideal would be they all collaborate on a magazine instead 😞😭😭) 1/4
November 20, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Is anyone else overwhelmed by the number of newsletters they could potentially be a paid subscriber for? I am interested in MANY things. I could easily spend over £1k per annum on newsletters. I do not know how to manage this.
(The ideal would be they all collaborate on a magazine instead 😞😭😭) 1/4
(The ideal would be they all collaborate on a magazine instead 😞😭😭) 1/4
Reposted by Julianne Benford
Cat purrs help speed bone-knitting and healing rates, so having a lap cat is good for recovering from injury and illness
Man, everything is so bleak, anyone got a fun fact or little bit of trivia they want to share
November 21, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Cat purrs help speed bone-knitting and healing rates, so having a lap cat is good for recovering from injury and illness
Reposted by Julianne Benford
this isn't fun but it's reminded me of something i feel like everyone should know just in case, like a form of first aid:
if you or someone near you has a traumatic experience, playing games like Tetris ASAP disrupts the brain's creation of intrusive/sticky memories and will help prevent PTSD
if you or someone near you has a traumatic experience, playing games like Tetris ASAP disrupts the brain's creation of intrusive/sticky memories and will help prevent PTSD
Man, everything is so bleak, anyone got a fun fact or little bit of trivia they want to share
November 21, 2025 at 3:12 PM
this isn't fun but it's reminded me of something i feel like everyone should know just in case, like a form of first aid:
if you or someone near you has a traumatic experience, playing games like Tetris ASAP disrupts the brain's creation of intrusive/sticky memories and will help prevent PTSD
if you or someone near you has a traumatic experience, playing games like Tetris ASAP disrupts the brain's creation of intrusive/sticky memories and will help prevent PTSD
Reposted by Julianne Benford
Hey. HEY. Just look at these pencils a mate of mine found in a pound shop earlier.
November 21, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Hey. HEY. Just look at these pencils a mate of mine found in a pound shop earlier.
Reposted by Julianne Benford
Reposted by Julianne Benford
hey does anybody want to mind some rich moron's five neglected kids while getting malnutrition in a shack full of dangerous snakes lmk. no pay
November 21, 2025 at 4:13 AM
hey does anybody want to mind some rich moron's five neglected kids while getting malnutrition in a shack full of dangerous snakes lmk. no pay
No wonder I spent half my pocket money on Rowntree's fruit gums when I was in years 7-11, my favourites were the green ones which were pretty sour
eating something sour helps ease off the effects of anxiety and panic attacks by distracting your brain and grounding you in the present moment
Man, everything is so bleak, anyone got a fun fact or little bit of trivia they want to share
November 21, 2025 at 10:11 PM
No wonder I spent half my pocket money on Rowntree's fruit gums when I was in years 7-11, my favourites were the green ones which were pretty sour
Reposted by Julianne Benford
We need to go back to Eighties school vocabulary so that "disruptive" means "what a little shit" again rather than being aspirational
November 21, 2025 at 4:04 PM
We need to go back to Eighties school vocabulary so that "disruptive" means "what a little shit" again rather than being aspirational
Reposted by Julianne Benford
The Cozy Coupe by Little Tikes has a claim to being the world's bestselling make and model of car.
November 21, 2025 at 8:18 PM
The Cozy Coupe by Little Tikes has a claim to being the world's bestselling make and model of car.
Reposted by Julianne Benford
me, when people ask about my friend groups
November 21, 2025 at 7:26 PM
me, when people ask about my friend groups
Reposted by Julianne Benford
god tier
He said "Amen" straight into the drop
Lmao Pope Leo threw a rave for an archbishop's 75th birthday this is kind of incredible
Lmao Pope Leo threw a rave for an archbishop's 75th birthday this is kind of incredible
November 21, 2025 at 9:54 PM
god tier
Reposted by Julianne Benford
🎵 …couldn’t bescape if I bonted to 🎶
November 16, 2025 at 3:42 PM
🎵 …couldn’t bescape if I bonted to 🎶
Reposted by Julianne Benford
It's not a smear if it's likely to be true - waffle about 'It was a different time' doesn't cut it when someone's views haven't changed, and they haven't apologised.
November 20, 2025 at 6:27 PM
It's not a smear if it's likely to be true - waffle about 'It was a different time' doesn't cut it when someone's views haven't changed, and they haven't apologised.
Is anyone else overwhelmed by the number of newsletters they could potentially be a paid subscriber for? I am interested in MANY things. I could easily spend over £1k per annum on newsletters. I do not know how to manage this.
(The ideal would be they all collaborate on a magazine instead 😞😭😭) 1/4
(The ideal would be they all collaborate on a magazine instead 😞😭😭) 1/4
November 20, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Is anyone else overwhelmed by the number of newsletters they could potentially be a paid subscriber for? I am interested in MANY things. I could easily spend over £1k per annum on newsletters. I do not know how to manage this.
(The ideal would be they all collaborate on a magazine instead 😞😭😭) 1/4
(The ideal would be they all collaborate on a magazine instead 😞😭😭) 1/4
Reposted by Julianne Benford
"i hate it when podcasters plug their patreons" yeah and i hate it when sainsbury's make me pay at the checkout
November 19, 2025 at 1:56 PM
"i hate it when podcasters plug their patreons" yeah and i hate it when sainsbury's make me pay at the checkout
Reposted by Julianne Benford
Shoutout for teachers who hold a degree and/or QTS, and think anti-trans policies are unethical...
Please comment if you would be interested in taking on some paid online tutoring work for UK trans kids who have been forced out of schooling by policy and/or bullying.
Please comment if you would be interested in taking on some paid online tutoring work for UK trans kids who have been forced out of schooling by policy and/or bullying.
November 19, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Shoutout for teachers who hold a degree and/or QTS, and think anti-trans policies are unethical...
Please comment if you would be interested in taking on some paid online tutoring work for UK trans kids who have been forced out of schooling by policy and/or bullying.
Please comment if you would be interested in taking on some paid online tutoring work for UK trans kids who have been forced out of schooling by policy and/or bullying.
Reposted by Julianne Benford
I have started asking colleagues to find any good news stories that I can - because everything feels unremittingly bleak, so I am now extending this to BlueSky, share a good news story
November 19, 2025 at 12:15 PM
I have started asking colleagues to find any good news stories that I can - because everything feels unremittingly bleak, so I am now extending this to BlueSky, share a good news story
Reposted by Julianne Benford
sexism upsets me for many reasons but one of them is that no one ever asks me to back them up in a brawl but I’d be so good at it
November 18, 2025 at 11:28 PM
sexism upsets me for many reasons but one of them is that no one ever asks me to back them up in a brawl but I’d be so good at it