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itstomshiels.bsky.social
Writer, currently working as a comms manager in academic publishing. Interests include food, coffee, books and music. Partial to a Dad joke. Irish living in Yorkshire. itstomshiels.substack.com Buy me a coffee or 3: https://buymeacoffee.com/itstomshiels
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A threat to academic freedom is a threat to society. Sign the declaration to defend research here: docs.google.com/document/d/1... #DefendResearch

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

While digging through copies of the @londonreview.bsky.social from earlier in the year I came across this brilliant piece by Paul Taylor. He points out that “many of the most worrying consequences of AI will stem from it being used exactly as intended.” www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

submitted 73 days ago • 0 comments

That feeling when you have a 20+ message email thread with an editor, spanning over two months, for it to end with “sorry, I don’t have the budget, maybe next year.”

submitted 79 days ago • 1 comment

A two act story…

submitted 79 days ago • 0 comments

Took a little time recently to write a short essay remembering my friend and gifted songwriter Stevie Martin. You can read it here. itstomshiels.substack.com/p/the-whole-...

submitted 80 days ago • 1 comment

Just FYI - this isn’t Douglas Stuart, but someone pretending to be him.

submitted 86 days ago • 4 comments

One of the biggest lessons of the last 10-20 years is knowing that there are some things in life that just don’t need to be ‘disrupted’.

submitted 88 days ago • 0 comments

Telling authors, or any artist, that it's "a little cringe" to show off their work or talk about what they do is straight up evil. Creatives are only going to talk about the work they want to share, the work they created specifically to share. And you want them to shut up? Miss me with that.

submitted 89 days ago • 11 comments

From the archive: [6/10/23] “Finally, as Elon Musk continues to rip the complete arse out of it with Twitter, I was recently invited to Bluesky, an alternative to the toxic, decency destroying dead bird.” Plus, LYR in Leeds, and watching the Verb. itstomshiels.substack.com/p/the-sun-is...

submitted 100 days ago • 0 comments

Having flown through Mayflies, I’m making my way through this winding and twining state of the nation novel from Andrew O’Hagan. Thoroughly enjoying every second of it so far. What are you reading?

submitted 101 days ago • 3 comments

Hello new arrivals, I think you’ll like it around here. Please do say hello, introduce yourself, and grab a cold beer from the fridge. It’s good to see you.

submitted 101 days ago • 1 comment

You come across a collection of memoir style essays available to read or listen to on Substack. Are you reading or listening? Asking for a friend.

submitted 102 days ago • 2 comments

From the Rialto to the Bound For Boston, to Ebrington Square and Claude's Cafe, here are some Derry memories told through a walk around the town. itstomshiels.substack.com/p/if-the-wal...

submitted 131 days ago • 0 comments

It's time for a bit of Sunday silliness. George Orwell famously wrote some rules for making 'a nice cup of tea' back in 1946. Almost eight decades have passed since so it's time to revisit George's guidelines to see if they still hit the pot. itstomshiels.substack.com/p/too-good-t...

submitted 153 days ago • 0 comments

Headachy feeling from last week slowly starting to lift. A (sort of) tongue-in-cheek piece will be ready for Substack in a few days. Set some new and lofty targets. Meanwhile, currently reading this gem.

submitted 159 days ago • 0 comments

Spalding flower parade, British Book Awards, and grumpy old men. open.substack.com/pub/itstomsh...

submitted 261 days ago • 0 comments

I've been working on a slightly different format for my work in progress. Over the coming weeks, I'm opening up the Substack archive of early versions of the early chapters. For this one, I'll be forever grateful to Christy Moore for speaking with me. itstomshiels.substack.com/p/so-hard-to...

submitted 283 days ago • 0 comments

Just realising the Smiths lyric quoted in the title for my latest Substack instalment should actually be “hopes may rise ON the Grasmere” The pedant in me is dying inside. But here you go: itstomshiels.substack.com/p/hopes-may-...

submitted 290 days ago • 0 comments

I started a new job at Emerald Publishing this week and it’s been a brilliant week. This morning, I woke up to the news that we’ve been shortlisted for the Academic, Educational and Professional Publisher of the Year award at this year’s British Book Awards. Talk about ending the week on a high!

submitted 344 days ago • 0 comments

Haven’t checked in here in a few weeks. Real life took over. Are we all still here?

submitted 354 days ago • 0 comments

The Cover of George Orwell’s 1984 Becomes Less Censored with Wear & Tear www.openculture.com/2024/02/the-...

submitted 374 days ago • 0 comments

In a previous life, I played original music around the UK and Ireland. Here’s me in Tynemouth sometime in summer 2018 (I think). What are your previous life stories?

submitted 373 days ago • 1 comment

Friends - is inner city Dublin a new phrase? I could swear I’ve never used it. Am I being ignorant?

submitted 385 days ago • 1 comment

Here we go again…

submitted 390 days ago • 0 comments

Despite feeling absolutely wrecked, I can’t sleep. So here I am, back at the door of Seamus.

submitted 391 days ago • 0 comments

I’ve spent the entire day in front of the fire and TV watching old comedy shows and the film Filth. I’ve felt absolutely rubbish. My limbs and muscles ache and my head feels heavy with the odd feeling of dizziness. I have such a big week ahead so this needs to be short lived and gone by Monday. 🤞

submitted 391 days ago • 1 comment

You could do worse things this weekend than sticking on the album A Day in the Life by Wes Montgomery. open.spotify.com/album/5Z6DQM...

submitted 392 days ago • 0 comments