Jamie Harris

Decided to pair books and albums from the same year and place on shelf (D). Today is Don Delillo’s Mao II and Dinosaur Jr’s much-maligned Green Mind. 1991 is pretty much a vintage year for me.

*The year is 1986. You’re plugging away at your poems, sending them to editors, magazines, seeking even the tiniest crumb of feedback. You settle in to read RS Thomas’s latest collection (to whom you have periodically sent drafts, never hearing back)…

It’s arrived! It’s great to be able to hold a copy of ‘The Routledge Handbook of Literary Geographies’ I’ve edited with Neal Alexander. An enormous thank you to the 41 contributors & the editorial team @RoutledgeLit for making it happen.

It’s here! Happy and proud to have contributed a chapter on utopian geographies to this excellent volume. Thanks to the patience and advice of editors Neal Alexander and @DrDavidCooper. Excited to read the rest (nice cover too)!

I would have loved to be at #AWWE24 this year. Originally didn’t book because we’re expecting a little one to arrive any second now. Then I broke my foot playing football last night (so wouldn’t have made it anyway). It’s such a brilliant event, hopefully next year I’ll be back!

@SamParryWSA Ardderchog! Genuinely chuffed for you Sam

Dr Sam Parry

@Gerontius1 @RSThomaspoet Political jibe or innocent misspeaking?

@coruthers @RSThomaspoet Raymond Garlick was my grandmother’s neighbour. He was a very nice man, but my grandmother kept calling him ‘Mr Scargill.’

RS Thomas, in a letter to Raymond Garlick, complimenting Ted Hughes in his own inimitable way

@daniel_westover @SarahM0rse As a writer known for good put-downs, I’m sure TS would appreciate RS’s efforts here

@SarahM0rse @coruthers And Patti Smith!

@jonnywilliams It’s from a published collection of letters from RS to Garlick. A very interesting insight into RS, though this comment about Hughes comes completely out of nowhere! Did you ever chat to him much? He seems to be a very different character beyond poetry.

@coruthers What is this extract from? I used to strim RS’s garden.

@AdrianBennion @FootballCliches Not sure if @FootballCliches have covered automated text commentary before

Surely this is Ward-Prowse territory now @FootballCliches

@SamParryWSA I was astounded at what had already been demolished! Makes work like this even more essential in any effort to save what’s left

@coruthers Looks amazing! Real shame it's out of stock. Think I see a building in Wrexham in thrre thats knocked down now...

Best believe I'm copping this. It can live next to my soviet brutalism book on the coffee table.

Hemingway was asked to come up with a six-word story to encapsulate the economic mismanagement of the UK

@AliceVernon10 I think Stephen K is flirting with her!

The sign on my door mysteriously disappeared, so I have taken the opportunity to put up something new, something ultimately better and more powerful, something that holds up the very emotional fabric of the building.

This semester I had the chance to redesign part of a theory module, based on my own interests. It's so gratifying to see students' work on Jan Morris, Le Guin, Raymond Williams, and utopianism. I've written on them all before and I'm still learning loads from their essays!

A statement from our Board 👇

@Alys_Rogers17 @cardiffuni @JamesPantyfed That’s great news Alys! Da iawn i ti

Really excited to say that as of January 2024 I’m starting a PhD in Nigerian and Welsh fiction (written in English) w/ @cardiffuni and @JamesPantyfed The biggest thank you to all who listened to my fears and encouraged me throughout the process of applying 🤍

@Alys_Rogers17 @DrDavidCooper I think I’ve seen Wheatley already mentioned, but if you want something a bit different then Sightseers is deeply weird (but I always thought it would be fun to teach!)

@DrDavidCooper @EnglishAssoc @coruthers seems like something you and Neil A. Would be able to contribute too

I teach a module, ‘Writing & Place’, which concentrates on British & Irish texts published in the last 10 years. In 2024, I’d like to introduce a film or two. What should our students watch? It’s an open question, I know, but suggestions - in any genres - would be appreciated!

If you haven’t seen this campaign yet, please take a look. The continued existence of our magazines in spite of continued cuts to funding is miraculous, but it can’t continue like this forever. We would all be diminished by their absence #SaveWelshMagazines

@DrDavidCooper Definitely!

@coruthers Thanks for your excellent contribution, Jamie. I’ll have to join you both for that drink at some point!

We’ve - finally! - submitted just under 250,000 words to the publisher. A massive ‘thank you’ to all 40 of our contributors - from Geography, Literary Studies & beyond - for helping us to get to this point.