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willpooley.bsky.social
will pooley
@willpooley.bsky.social
8.2K followers 2.9K following 5.6K posts
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
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willpooley.bsky.social
sights of the antique shop. the champagne bath is bollinger branded and is engraved “I drink champagne when i win to celebrate… and i drink champagne when u lose to console myself, Napoleon Bonaparte”
Champagne bath in antique shop MY COUSIN RAcHEL DAPHNE DU MAURIER READ BY MEL GIBSON
November 9, 2025 at 5:02 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
when you look up “range” in the dictionary this is what it links to
Screenshot of Jason Mantzoukas IMDB page: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023- ) 14 7 41 VIDEOS 99+ PHOTOS Jason Mantzoukas is an American actor, comedian, writer and podcaster. He is best known for his recurring role as Rafi in the FX comedy series The League, and as one of the three co-hosts of the podcast How... › Born December 18, 1972 Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie 5.6 Chumsley (voice)... 2025 & Tommy * 7.2 TV Mini Series Tommy Lee's Penis (voice)... 1 episode 2022
November 9, 2025 at 12:07 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
morning!
Pink and peach sky rising above hills over a lake reflecting the polychrome sky
October 30, 2025 at 7:53 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
uncanny!
Pen drawing of a man with glasses holding a “wine glass” (per artist) sticking his tongue out (it’s me)
October 29, 2025 at 9:33 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
NO MOVEMENT 😂
Paula, who preferred not to share her surname, said she knew it was a legal requirement to clean up after dogs but not any rule about carrying bags. "I honestly thought that I would be giving words of advice, told off, told what the law was so that I knew for next time, but there was no movement," she added.
October 29, 2025 at 6:26 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
if paula’s dog didn’t do the poo i have to say this leaves just one obvious suspect

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Picture of a woman with a dog on a leash. Headline and caption read “'I was fined £100 for a poo my dog didn't do' Paula said the enforcement officer was "polite but firm" in issuing the fine”
October 29, 2025 at 6:22 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
in many years of being on the academic jobs emails etc i think this one takes the prize of most confusing. predoctoral? in vienna? but not that vienna. in ohio? but paid in euro

also it’s paid several million a year
University Assistant Predoctoral, Historical and Cultural Studies - South Vienna, Ohio - The basic salary of EUR 3,714,80 (on a full-time basis) - UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA
October 28, 2025 at 7:57 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
I’m old enough to remember when everybody agreed that higher education was a “market” and offering “choice” was how the universities were meant to grow

on.ft.com/3WTwBue
Graphic shows % of universities undertaking various cost cutting measures, comparing spring 2024 with spring 2025. Course closures, cutting optional modules, compulsory redundancies, and department closures have all surged
October 27, 2025 at 7:32 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
Pumpkin lit up against darkening night sky behind
October 25, 2025 at 5:24 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
CONFIRMED: parenting IS rocket science!
BBC News screenshot. Astronaut in orange suit with child and headline “'It's harder to be a parent than a space shuttle commander', trailblazing Nasa pilot tells BBC”
October 25, 2025 at 1:31 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
evening!
Albert bridge illuminated against the night sky
October 22, 2025 at 6:43 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
student feedback
anonymous word on the street is that you used to provide coffee and biscuits for the 9am classes. Just wondering if that could happen again, no worries if not.
October 21, 2025 at 2:01 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
morning!
View of bristol from st Michael’s hill, with the almshouse in foreground left and orange sunrise in rear
October 21, 2025 at 6:52 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
ICYMI

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cq...
Education secretary delivers statement on universities in England Over to the Commons now, where Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has just taken her place at the dispatch box. As we've been reporting, we're expecting her to make a statement on higher education in England. We'll bring you the key lines here. Tap the watch live button at the top of this page to follow along.
October 20, 2025 at 4:40 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
“graveyard of the apples”
(staff car park)
Half rotten and mangled apples ina puddle
October 20, 2025 at 12:50 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
finally found the corner of the internet where the truth reigns
Cloudiness Could Be Permanent If you've tried the process outlined above and your glasses are still cloudy after they dry, Peterson says the condition is likely permanent. "If you angle the glass toward the light, you'll probably see shades of pink, purple, brown, or blue, ," she says. "At that point, it's unlikely you can restore the glasses."
October 19, 2025 at 2:18 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
forgot the bread was in the oven during an hour long meeting
very blackened crust on the loaf
October 17, 2025 at 4:43 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
ok, on one hand this is typical of a joke that my students won’t get, which also adds nothing to the material and is just finally confusing and unhelpful

but on the other hand, lol
Slide reads Lynn Hunt but the picture is Lynn from Alan Partridge
October 16, 2025 at 9:44 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
The newest volume in the Cambridge Elements in Magic is John Callow’s ‘Gerald Gardner and the Creation of Wicca’.

The PDF is free to download and read for 2 weeks!

www.cambridge.org/core/element...

🗃️ #HexTag #Wicca #Witches #Gardner
Gerald Gardner (1884-1964) provided the central inspiration for Wicca, as a modern, revived, form of Pagan witchcraft. As such, his cultural and religious significance has grown exponentially over the 60 years since his death. 'A Rough Magic' re-evaluates the sources of Gardner's inspiration, redefines his early life within the context of colonial Malaya and the opium trade, and emphasises his vision and ability in fashioning an entirely new synthesis of magical beliefs drawn from both Eastern and Western traditions. In so doing, he stripped away the demonic elements of witchcraft and emphasised Wicca as a creative, mutable and undogmatic nature religion, serving as both fertility cult and a unique source of personal empowerment, that was capable of transforming the world.
October 13, 2025 at 11:04 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
This visual story from the FT is so good (paywalled but if you work for a university check if you have institutional subscription!)

ig.ft.com/mega-batteri...
Chart shows the mix of how electricity is generated in California. During the day it’s mostly solar, at night batteries take some of the slack. There is also wind and hydro and some energy imported and exported (from eg solar surplus)
October 13, 2025 at 5:39 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
POV you’re a little goblin
and you live in a very wholesome forest
many mushrooms grow from a fallen tree White glistening mushrooms on a branch Orange mushrooms grow from a tree trunk Orange mushrooms sprout on the ground
October 12, 2025 at 8:58 AM
willpooley.bsky.social
evening
View of the moonlit sky above the Thames, lighted buildings and boats
October 8, 2025 at 6:39 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
live scenes from me, teaching
White board shows a kind of triangle with animals-questions written at the top and mouse written at the bottom
October 6, 2025 at 4:12 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
was there ever a band more on brand for “cool academic who wears a leather jacket”?
Just to make conversation, I told you about a dream I had Which Jean Baudrillard was rapping with Public Enemy Shouting, "Don't believe the hyperreal!" with Flava Flav and Chuck D And I said I think we might have a lot in common then, possibly Because I'm also a musician and also a student of hip-hoposophy
October 4, 2025 at 7:21 PM
willpooley.bsky.social
the redundancies of the english language continue to fascinate me
Evomit 1. - To vomit.
October 4, 2025 at 6:28 PM