Helen Smith
@wordsmith.bsky.social
Professor, @UoYEnglish. Printer, @thinicepress.
Opinions mainly culled from the dustier corners of the sixenteenth century.
Opinions mainly culled from the dustier corners of the sixenteenth century.
Reposted by Helen Smith
An amazing opportunity for a PhD and a 4-year postdoc on this important project with the brilliant and lovely @smschober.bsky.social - hair, race, trade and multispecies history!
#EarlyModern 🗃️
#EarlyModern 🗃️
Want to work on the history of hair? I am looking for a doc and postdoc to join my project team researching #earlymodern hair, race, trade and multispecies history at the University of Lucerne.
Do apply and spread the word!
www.unilu.ch/en/universit...
www.unilu.ch/en/universit...
Do apply and spread the word!
www.unilu.ch/en/universit...
www.unilu.ch/en/universit...
PhD position in History (100%, 4 years) - Vacancies - University of Lucerne
Assistant or doctoral positions, employment or internship: Looking for a job at the University of Lucerne? Find our listed open positions and apprenticeships here.
www.unilu.ch
October 8, 2025 at 8:37 AM
An amazing opportunity for a PhD and a 4-year postdoc on this important project with the brilliant and lovely @smschober.bsky.social - hair, race, trade and multispecies history!
#EarlyModern 🗃️
#EarlyModern 🗃️
Reposted by Helen Smith
House prices will be our last bulwark against fascism.
A reader who is selling their property is worried that England flags will deter potential buyers
My neighbour is flying St George’s flags — can I legally stop him?
A reader who is selling their property is worried that England flags will deter potential buyers
www.thetimes.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:04 PM
House prices will be our last bulwark against fascism.
Please do not tell me it is time for my annual password update. I can't update my password, there are no more passwords, the universe is empty of passwords, it is all void.
October 1, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Please do not tell me it is time for my annual password update. I can't update my password, there are no more passwords, the universe is empty of passwords, it is all void.
Still fighting my losing battle against capitalising articles after a colon.
September 29, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Still fighting my losing battle against capitalising articles after a colon.
Reposted by Helen Smith
do my clever and knowledgeable followers have examples of historians writing (eg journal article or book chapter) about their own *failures* in interesting ways? eg research goes wrong, wrong questions etc 🗃️
September 25, 2025 at 3:17 PM
do my clever and knowledgeable followers have examples of historians writing (eg journal article or book chapter) about their own *failures* in interesting ways? eg research goes wrong, wrong questions etc 🗃️
Please can someone come up with a flowchart for 'Is the Union Flag racist?', with Gerri Halliwell's dress featuring on one side and anything funded by Tommy Robinson and his right-wing mates marked out clearly on the other?
September 22, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Please can someone come up with a flowchart for 'Is the Union Flag racist?', with Gerri Halliwell's dress featuring on one side and anything funded by Tommy Robinson and his right-wing mates marked out clearly on the other?
Quite a niche question today. Does anyone know if the phrase 'a nun's buttock' or similar is in any way proverbial in France?
September 20, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Quite a niche question today. Does anyone know if the phrase 'a nun's buttock' or similar is in any way proverbial in France?
I am writing more about buttocks today than I had anticipated.
September 18, 2025 at 8:11 AM
I am writing more about buttocks today than I had anticipated.
Reposted by Helen Smith
In London, hate will never win.
September 17, 2025 at 6:10 AM
In London, hate will never win.
Reposted by Helen Smith
How we talk about history is the issue where the media and political discourse is perhaps most out of touch with how out of touch Nigel Farage is with the British public, outside his core vocal minority
'Nigel Farage has hit out at universities for “poisoning the minds” of students with what he said was a “twisted interpretation of history” in his speech on the opening day of the Reform UK conference.' 1/3
Universities ‘poisoning student minds’, says Farage
Populist leader takes aim at higher education in speech on first day of the Reform UK conference in Birmingham
www.timeshighereducation.com
September 6, 2025 at 7:43 AM
How we talk about history is the issue where the media and political discourse is perhaps most out of touch with how out of touch Nigel Farage is with the British public, outside his core vocal minority
With apologies for making you feel ancient, Anna Elizabeth Smith is 10!!!!!!!! today!
August 30, 2025 at 8:17 AM
With apologies for making you feel ancient, Anna Elizabeth Smith is 10!!!!!!!! today!
Eurostar waitress spotted my daughter gnawing on a block of parmesan, in preference to her train meal.
'Oh, you're living your best life right now', she cried. 'No need to hide the cheese, I'm French.'
'Oh, you're living your best life right now', she cried. 'No need to hide the cheese, I'm French.'
August 17, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Eurostar waitress spotted my daughter gnawing on a block of parmesan, in preference to her train meal.
'Oh, you're living your best life right now', she cried. 'No need to hide the cheese, I'm French.'
'Oh, you're living your best life right now', she cried. 'No need to hide the cheese, I'm French.'
A plethora of new ODNB entries on early modern women stationers! Entries from Heidi Craig, Andrea Silva, Kirk Melnikoff, @mgyarn.bsky.social, Andreas P. Bassett, @tarallyons.bsky.social and @georginaemw.bsky.social, me, and of course from @valeriewayne.bsky.social who cooked up the whole cluster.
August 15, 2025 at 4:26 PM
A plethora of new ODNB entries on early modern women stationers! Entries from Heidi Craig, Andrea Silva, Kirk Melnikoff, @mgyarn.bsky.social, Andreas P. Bassett, @tarallyons.bsky.social and @georginaemw.bsky.social, me, and of course from @valeriewayne.bsky.social who cooked up the whole cluster.
Reposted by Helen Smith
A petition against the mass redundancies proposed at my university: www.change.org/p/stop-mass-...
Sign the Petition
Stop Mass Redundancies at Lancaster University – Hold Senior Management Accountable
www.change.org
July 30, 2025 at 1:43 PM
A petition against the mass redundancies proposed at my university: www.change.org/p/stop-mass-...
I wrote about John Taylor and ethnographies of paper. It's out online today, prior to publication in *Critical Quarterly*.
Thanks to @georginaemw.bsky.social and co for kicking off this train of thought with a wonderful conference, and giving it a home.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Thanks to @georginaemw.bsky.social and co for kicking off this train of thought with a wonderful conference, and giving it a home.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Ethnographies of Paper in Early Modern England
Click on the article title to read more.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
July 28, 2025 at 2:29 PM
I wrote about John Taylor and ethnographies of paper. It's out online today, prior to publication in *Critical Quarterly*.
Thanks to @georginaemw.bsky.social and co for kicking off this train of thought with a wonderful conference, and giving it a home.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Thanks to @georginaemw.bsky.social and co for kicking off this train of thought with a wonderful conference, and giving it a home.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Helen Smith
It was wonderful to be present when @wordsmith.bsky.social introduced Margaret Atwood, who received an Honorary Degree, and who spoke so movingly about the power of books, words and reading in a world in crisis. youtu.be/BWpdOg4DZHc?...
Margaret Atwood receives an honorary degree from the University of York
YouTube video by University of York
youtu.be
July 21, 2025 at 7:34 PM
It was wonderful to be present when @wordsmith.bsky.social introduced Margaret Atwood, who received an Honorary Degree, and who spoke so movingly about the power of books, words and reading in a world in crisis. youtu.be/BWpdOg4DZHc?...
Reposted by Helen Smith
#CfP: Poetry & Science, From the Renaissance to Enlightenment
York, June 26-27 2026. Abstracts Sept 30 2025
Keynote: @manymanyplies.bsky.social. Confirmed speakers: @medrenliza.bsky.social, @titachico.bsky.social, Jonathan Sawday, @wordsmith.bsky.social Lizzie Swann #Skystorians
shorturl.at/rYg7H
York, June 26-27 2026. Abstracts Sept 30 2025
Keynote: @manymanyplies.bsky.social. Confirmed speakers: @medrenliza.bsky.social, @titachico.bsky.social, Jonathan Sawday, @wordsmith.bsky.social Lizzie Swann #Skystorians
shorturl.at/rYg7H
July 21, 2025 at 3:02 PM
#CfP: Poetry & Science, From the Renaissance to Enlightenment
York, June 26-27 2026. Abstracts Sept 30 2025
Keynote: @manymanyplies.bsky.social. Confirmed speakers: @medrenliza.bsky.social, @titachico.bsky.social, Jonathan Sawday, @wordsmith.bsky.social Lizzie Swann #Skystorians
shorturl.at/rYg7H
York, June 26-27 2026. Abstracts Sept 30 2025
Keynote: @manymanyplies.bsky.social. Confirmed speakers: @medrenliza.bsky.social, @titachico.bsky.social, Jonathan Sawday, @wordsmith.bsky.social Lizzie Swann #Skystorians
shorturl.at/rYg7H
Reposted by Helen Smith
Thanks to Thin Ice Press and @georginaemw.bsky.social @wordsmith.bsky.social for an enlightening three days of material thinking! If I have learned anything it is that there is there is no end to matter and 'digressions are sunshine'!
Print Matters summer school hard at work at Thin Ice Press amid 3 days of book-making, reading Lucretius, depicting 'chaos', and perusing the Minster Library and Shandy Hall
July 19, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Thanks to Thin Ice Press and @georginaemw.bsky.social @wordsmith.bsky.social for an enlightening three days of material thinking! If I have learned anything it is that there is there is no end to matter and 'digressions are sunshine'!
Please someone buy the last two tickets for my Edgar Allen Poe-stcards workshop at York Art Gallery!
www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/whats-on/eve...
www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/whats-on/eve...
Edgar Allan Poe-stcards – letterpress workshop | York Museums Trust
www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk
July 18, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Please someone buy the last two tickets for my Edgar Allen Poe-stcards workshop at York Art Gallery!
www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/whats-on/eve...
www.yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk/whats-on/eve...
Spitting blood at being thanked for my 'patience and resilience' in the face of VS schemes. I have resilience in spades, and patience in a small number of extremely niche contexts, but I have felt neither of those emotions when it comes to the damage these measures are doing across the sector.
July 17, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Spitting blood at being thanked for my 'patience and resilience' in the face of VS schemes. I have resilience in spades, and patience in a small number of extremely niche contexts, but I have felt neither of those emotions when it comes to the damage these measures are doing across the sector.
I had not seen this before, and it made me smile...
July 15, 2025 at 4:44 PM
I had not seen this before, and it made me smile...
We're advertising two artist's residencies at Thin Ice Press: the York Centre for Print. Please share!
www.thinicepress.org/research/pri...
www.thinicepress.org/research/pri...
print matters artist’s residencies — Thin Ice Press: the York Centre for Print, offering memberships, workshops, equipment hire, events & exhibition space.
Thin Ice Press: the York Centre for Print welcomes applications for two artist’s residencies, to take place across five days between August and September 2025 as part of our research project: Print ...
www.thinicepress.org
July 14, 2025 at 12:55 PM
We're advertising two artist's residencies at Thin Ice Press: the York Centre for Print. Please share!
www.thinicepress.org/research/pri...
www.thinicepress.org/research/pri...
Reposted by Helen Smith
Saw the play Nye last night, starring Michael Sheen, about the founding of NHS. Both Sheen and play magnificent. The takeaway message.
July 9, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Saw the play Nye last night, starring Michael Sheen, about the founding of NHS. Both Sheen and play magnificent. The takeaway message.
Still not persuaded that the answer to women's work being undervalued is for women to behave more like (certain) male colleagues. How about instead we recognise, value and reward the work that gets done? Workloads are an institutional responsibility, not a personal one.
In a study of professors, women got 378 new work requests over 4 weeks vs 118 for men. Women spent more time on service, advising & teaching; men on research. Orgs should track who is taking extra duties & ensure they are rewarded and distributed fairly. www.forbes.com/sites/kimels...
Being Too Helpful At Work Can Hurt Your Career—Here’s How To Say No
Women are more likely to take on behind-the-scenes duties at work—extra tasks like onboarding or event planning—and it's hurting their careers. Here's how to say no.
www.forbes.com
July 8, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Still not persuaded that the answer to women's work being undervalued is for women to behave more like (certain) male colleagues. How about instead we recognise, value and reward the work that gets done? Workloads are an institutional responsibility, not a personal one.