Dr Tim Rideout

PUBLICATION DAY! I am delighted to announce that Gothic Precarity: Fear and Anxiety in Twenty-First-Century Fiction is published today! Writing this book has been a journey into the shadows—into the ways fear and uncertainty shape our culture, our literature, and our sense of ourselves in the twenty-first century. The Gothic has always been a literature of unease, but today it feels especially urgent. From climate crisis to political instability, we live in precarious times, and fiction often gives voice to those anxieties when we struggle to name them ourselves. My hope is that this book shows how contemporary writers continue to deploy the Gothic mode to capture the fragility, dread, and resilience of our moment. This project wouldn’t exist without the support of friends, colleagues, and mentors who encouraged me when the task felt overwhelming, and of course without the writers whose work I’ve had the privilege of exploring. So today isn’t just about a book—it’s about conversation, community, and the stories we tell to make sense of our fears. I hope this work is well received and that it adds to a much needed debate. #Gothic #precarity #neoliberalism #fear @UniWalesPress uwp.co.uk/book/gothic-pr… amzn.eu/d/diwAjG1 waterstones.com/book/gothic-pr…

I can’t guarantee much, but I can guarantee this. If Kamala Harris — or Joe Biden, for that matter — was President today, I guarantee we would not be at war with Iran, our economy would be much stronger, the US would be more respected & the world would be safer and more peaceful.

Dear One Absent This Long While BY LISA OLSTEIN It has been so wet stones glaze in moss; everything blooms coldly. I expect you. I thought one night it was you at the base of the drive, you at the foot of the stairs, you in a shiver of light, but each time leaves in wind revealed themselves, the retreating shadow of a fox, daybreak. We expect you, cat and I, bluebirds and I, the stove. In May we dreamed of wreaths burning on bonfires over which young men and women leapt. June efforts quietly. I’ve planted vegetables along each garden wall so even if spring continues to disappoint we can say at least the lettuce loved the rain. I have new gloves and a new hoe. I practice eulogies. He was a hawk with white feathered legs. She had the quiet ribs of a salamander crossing the old pony post road. Yours is the name the leaves chatter at the edge of the unrabbited woods.

Tonight’s movie 🖤 CRY OF THE BANSHEE dir. by Gordon Hessler #folkhorror @hammerfilms

“Practice any art… no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow.” - McKellen reciting Vonnegut

How Lin Anderson Writes: 'This interview with Lin is super special. Lin's sharing and generous spirit really highlight what this entire podcast is all about. I want to say a special thank you to Lin for her time.' bit.ly/HowLinWrites #AmWriting #HowWritersWrite #Podcast

Wonderful. There are still new delights to be discovered.

Q. Why has the Gothic returned? A. Economic inequality & War. Nothing to do with the real world, of course. Two useful books & their respective (academic) authors. amazon.com.au/Underground-Em… amazon.com.au/Political-Econ… henryfarrell.net sais.jhu.edu/users/hfarrel1 abrahamnewman.georgetown.domains/about/ scholar.google.com/citations?hl=e… gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/0033… scholar.google.com/citations?hl=e… thomasoatley.org liberalarts.tulane.edu/political-scie… scholar.google.com/citations?user…

It is superb. I have watched it 5 times and my appreciation has grown with every viewing. It works on many levels. It’s a direct take on the appropriation and exploitation of Black culture and it’s a cracking vampire story. Musical tradition and its potency are central to the film; the best soundtrack in years. I hope when you do get to see it you love it as much as I do.

@Howlingmutant0 Maybe hold your opinion until you see it.

I admit I haven’t seen sinners (not racist, other reasons) but every clip or bit of promotional material I have seen make it look like the corniest movie ever made

@alexburns Thank you so much for these insights. Very much appreciated. Clear conceptual alignment with my own research. Thanks again.

MICKEY 7 by @edashtonwriting ‘You are the Ship of Theseus. We all are. There is not a single living cell in my body that was alive and a part of me ten years ago, and the same is true for you. We’re constantly being rebuilt, one board at a time.’ Science fiction, as written by Dashiell Hammett. Witty, clever and ever so slightly sad, MICKEY 7’s eponymous everyman tells us a lot about the human condition. Thanks to @sarah_hilary for the recommendation 🙏 @Solarisbooks

BLOODY SCOTLAND - Stories by Scotland's best crime writers that are by turns gripping, chilling and redemptive viewbook.at/BSbook #BloodyScotland #CrimeFiction #TartanNoir

Happy Spring Equinox. Sunrise from Glastonbury Tor. #Spring2026 #springequinox

I do think modern Paganism is one of the great achievements of post-war Britain. Gerald Gardner, codifying a dream of the deep past and the solace and inspiration of nature. Like the NHS and the Royal Festival Hall, long may it last.

Happy Friday! I’ve got Chouqettes! Join us @BBCRadio3 for The Great Gate of Kiev to start, a Peterborough Chipmunk 🐿️ in a 🎹 piece by Amy Beach, some Beethoven 7 & in the Playlister There Will Come Soft Rains by Lucy Walker

Happy Spring Equinox/Ostara. The balance of light and dark. Photograph taken this morning in Glastonbury. #Spring2026 #springequinox #ostara

‘Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.’ William Butler Yeats

This is a very special one for me ❤️ @mrbsemporium kickstarted my entire career over 15 years ago, and I am honoured to return to sign and dedicate copies of my debut novel, THORNBY MANOR, next month 🥀 Available for pre-order now! #HistoricalFiction #Gothic #books #booklover

Delighted by this engaging and thoughtful review of my book GOTHIC PRECARITY 🖤 A Fiction of Global Terror | Los Angeles Review of Books lareviewofbooks.org/article/gothic…

‘If you have the words, there's always a chance that you'll find the way.’ Seamus Heaney