Laura Vivanco
@lauravivanco.bsky.social
Independent scholar of popular romance fiction https://www.vivanco.me.uk/ On the Editorial Board of the Journal of Popular Romance Studies https://www.jprstudies.org/
My database of scholarship about romances: https://rsdb.vivanco.me.uk
Can't access chat
My database of scholarship about romances: https://rsdb.vivanco.me.uk
Can't access chat
Not quite contemporary with your illustration, but a long time ago now (www.vivanco.me.uk/blog/post/ne...) I had the passing thought that the arts/humanities in universities were maybe in the same position as monasteries just before the Reformation.
November 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Not quite contemporary with your illustration, but a long time ago now (www.vivanco.me.uk/blog/post/ne...) I had the passing thought that the arts/humanities in universities were maybe in the same position as monasteries just before the Reformation.
The first line of the description there (and in the blurb at www.amazon.com/Trace-Elemen... ) includes a typo: "a groundbreaking look at how SF and fantasy writing—and reading!" has either a superfluous "how" or something's missing somewhere.
Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Amazon.com: Trace Elements: Conversations on the Project of Science Fiction and Fantasy eBook : Walton, Jo, Palmer, Ada: Kindle Store
www.amazon.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:52 PM
The first line of the description there (and in the blurb at www.amazon.com/Trace-Elemen... ) includes a typo: "a groundbreaking look at how SF and fantasy writing—and reading!" has either a superfluous "how" or something's missing somewhere.
Combination Hampster Dance and
a close up of a hamster 's face looking at the camera
Alt: a close up of a hamster 's face looking at the camera. It's a very cute hamster, with shiny black eyes and orange and white fur. It lifts its paw and makes a CGI "thumbs up" gesture.
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Combination Hampster Dance and
Is their policy platform to let the masses eat cake?
November 9, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Is their policy platform to let the masses eat cake?
Yes, I've got no idea if they continue using that style anywhere inside the book, but it puts me off so much I don't tend to bother reading even a sample.
November 8, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Yes, I've got no idea if they continue using that style anywhere inside the book, but it puts me off so much I don't tend to bother reading even a sample.
I'm thinking this might have been a reply to you @sherbert-lemon.bsky.social but it's been posted in reply to the original post by mistake? bsky.app/profile/jopa...
We do usuallu advise it, but i think you may have emailed me? Im a bit behind on correspondance so will get back to you next week but were you thinking of doing a creative practice or critical one?
November 8, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I'm thinking this might have been a reply to you @sherbert-lemon.bsky.social but it's been posted in reply to the original post by mistake? bsky.app/profile/jopa...
Having read it, I'm a bit sad neither text was a romance, so I can't add the article to my database. 🦕
November 7, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Having read it, I'm a bit sad neither text was a romance, so I can't add the article to my database. 🦕
No! Will have to go and have a look for it....
November 7, 2025 at 8:39 PM
No! Will have to go and have a look for it....
Sounds like he's going to spend lots of money on equipment that might not work, because he thinks that's better than waiting a long time to get equipment that will definitely work?
November 7, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Sounds like he's going to spend lots of money on equipment that might not work, because he thinks that's better than waiting a long time to get equipment that will definitely work?
I've found this on the history behind them (and an estimate of how many artists are still working in this tradition in the UK)
Canal art and boat painting - Heritage Crafts
Charity that promotes, safeguards and celebrates heritage craft skills in the UK
www.heritagecrafts.org.uk
November 7, 2025 at 8:35 PM
I've found this on the history behind them (and an estimate of how many artists are still working in this tradition in the UK)
Well, that certainly wasn't what I was expecting.
a woman in a blue shirt is drinking from a white cup .
Alt: a woman in a blue shirt is drinking from a white cup, starts laughing and spews liquid all over the place.
media.tenor.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Well, that certainly wasn't what I was expecting.
The style looks like what you can still see decorating canal boats in the UK e.g.
Narrowboat & Canal Ware - Including Painted Roses and Castles | Black Country Metalworks
Every element, including the colours used on our Canal Art is traditional. Our range of Buckby ware is available in three background colours, black, green and red, whilst the decoration of flowers var...
www.blackcountrymetalworks.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 7:42 PM
The style looks like what you can still see decorating canal boats in the UK e.g.
Gif representing Sam looking for anything good to say about this book....but finding nothing.
a woman in a green hooded cape holding a lantern
Alt: a person wearing glasses and a green hooded cape walks through a dark room holding a lantern aloft in one hand.
media.tenor.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Gif representing Sam looking for anything good to say about this book....but finding nothing.
I'm thinking that maybe Substack isn't the best place to have hosting your newsletter, though. It's kind of notorious for supporting the very movement you're fighting against.
Substack’s “Nazi problem” won’t go away after push notification apology
Substack may be legitimizing neo-Nazis as “thought leaders,” researcher warns.
arstechnica.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:32 PM
I'm thinking that maybe Substack isn't the best place to have hosting your newsletter, though. It's kind of notorious for supporting the very movement you're fighting against.
Makes me think "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" and of academic job-hunting as a hitherto unrecognised circle of Hell.
Also, here's a sympathetic kitten in place of Virgil
Also, here's a sympathetic kitten in place of Virgil
a close up of a kitten laying on a blanket
Alt: a grey and white kitten with huge dark eyes stares intently at the camera.
media.tenor.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Makes me think "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" and of academic job-hunting as a hitherto unrecognised circle of Hell.
Also, here's a sympathetic kitten in place of Virgil
Also, here's a sympathetic kitten in place of Virgil
LLMs are not sentient and by saying "good for them", what you're actually doing is removing culpability from the organisations/extremely rich people who're creating these LLMs.
November 7, 2025 at 3:54 AM
LLMs are not sentient and by saying "good for them", what you're actually doing is removing culpability from the organisations/extremely rich people who're creating these LLMs.
Here are some more examples
I wanted ChatGPT to help me. So why did it advise me how to kill myself?
ChatGPT wrote a woman a suicide note and another AI chatbot role-played sexual acts with children, BBC finds.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Here are some more examples
Yes, that kind of thing happens to me too. In my case, though, my theory is that it's because I'm not using the words often enough, so my vocabulary's shrinking.
November 6, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Yes, that kind of thing happens to me too. In my case, though, my theory is that it's because I'm not using the words often enough, so my vocabulary's shrinking.
It's OK. I tried one way (which didn't work), didn't want to verify another way and I'm guessing I'm not missing that much.
November 6, 2025 at 6:39 PM
It's OK. I tried one way (which didn't work), didn't want to verify another way and I'm guessing I'm not missing that much.
Note there are some things you can't turn off (i.e. you can't choose the let-me-know-about-this-and-don't-hide-it-completely) if you haven't age-verified and you're from somewhere which requires that.
November 6, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Note there are some things you can't turn off (i.e. you can't choose the let-me-know-about-this-and-don't-hide-it-completely) if you haven't age-verified and you're from somewhere which requires that.
One novel, for example, had to be taken off the curriculum because "I became less and less convinced that the intellectual pay-off was worth the anger and unhappiness that the text so clearly provoked in my students."
November 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
One novel, for example, had to be taken off the curriculum because "I became less and less convinced that the intellectual pay-off was worth the anger and unhappiness that the text so clearly provoked in my students."