Academic and creative writer | Professor of Literature and Culture, Lancaster University | all things Gothic | fashion | folk horror | she/herhttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3msh5ehxzps22Obviously plagiarism is unacceptable and credible allegations should be investigated. But (a) since when has an academic integrity hearing been front-page headline news and (b) where were the tabloids when LLMs stole *hundreds of thousands* of academics’ and other writers’ work?06 Aug 2026 22:58 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3msh5ehxzps22https://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mqqtjxmo6k2n“This is not just a crisis for higher education – it is a crisis for social mobility, young people’s careers, the skills our economy depends on and the opportunities available in communities across the UK” https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jul/14/university-job-cuts-humanities-social-sciences?fbclid=IwdGRleATFdy9wZG9mAWZkaWQWUKpufbzQkQkP9ydK_QE-dAT2iPjMeGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR5AIov8y00ACUX2rxmAQqklFlyQzgCOl9IPWnNOt4U0hp6wZf-Fx_vxC5P15A_aem_QeG02UvDflx8-aE-e1xfBQ16 Jul 2026 08:39 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqqtjxmo6k2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mqjelfgnas2xSo much here that’s relevant to writing and other creative professions too. ❤️ Sam Neill (click through for video of Sam talking acting and mental health). [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Jul 2026 09:22 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqjelfgnas2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mq7pat4p6s2zWandered back over to the old place in my lunch break. So very happy we will be back here, in individual offices once more, in a month’s time. 🌳 🤞09 Jul 2026 13:07 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq7pat4p6s2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mq3l23o7w22uAt the launch of A Ghost Story: Into the Gothic Imagination at Wordsworth Grasmere. Featuring Byron’s snuffbox and the oldest surviving manuscript of Christabel!07 Jul 2026 21:41 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq3l23o7w22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mmvojes4dc2iEssential reading for anyone concerned about the current state of British universities. Completely nails the complex economics and political wrangling behind the situation and the cultural vandalism that results. [contains quote post or other embedded content]28 May 2026 09:11 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmvojes4dc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mmex6aqans2qI was delighted to be asked onto @hayfestival.bsky.social Book Club last week to talk about Dracula with Anthony Delaney and Eimear McBride - watch the full conversation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1Ffp0MMnrg21 May 2026 17:31 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmex6aqans2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mk7wk22dxk2kThis is a dance off. If you see this, repost a dance. [contains quote post or other embedded content]24 Apr 2026 06:46 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk7wk22dxk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mjmnjradx224New Lancaster University School of Arts podcast dropped! Listen in on me, Richard Rushton, @debraferreday.bsky.social and Kamilla Elliott get over-excited about Wuthering Heights, Charli XCX, costume design and much more: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2hKgwftgi6eKjs4LaeyHzy16 Apr 2026 14:44 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmnjradx224https://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mjmmsgddw224I'm headed to Sheffield later this term to talk about one of my obsessions for the Ann Radcliffe, Then and Now project. Come and join me and talk women in white dresses and why we are all watching Gothic cinema now! [contains quote post or other embedded content]16 Apr 2026 14:31 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjmmsgddw224https://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mjcpfup6lk2nThrilled that my poem 'Scrimshaw' has been commended in the Magma Poetry Competition Editor's Prize. Magma Poetry is a fabulous magazine, so the commendation is really worth having. [contains quote post or other embedded content]12 Apr 2026 15:51 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjcpfup6lk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mi4nwx4y4s2cGreat blog by @harrietfletcher.bsky.social on Lady Gaga and Gothic Celebrity: https://theconversation.com/lady-gagas-mayhem-ball-reveals-the-gothic-tradition-behind-modern-celebrity-277788?fbclid=IwZnRzaAQ0rA9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeTRJXnNtj-mVnSLY9DTLbK8uGmqGRVAafL5s598euqs4JhMCHCjumplgUcbs_aem_yX3PnV9ZoVT0JoH9GrQkVw28 Mar 2026 12:44 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi4nwx4y4s2chttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mhuwwypsmk2pYoung men get a lot of bad press at the moment, but my 18yo & 8 of his friends walked from Lancaster to Kendal (40km) this weekend to support a friend with mental health difficulties & raise money for Lancashire Mind. They’re still accepting donations at https://www.justgiving.com/page/mighty-nine-lancs?utm_medium=FR25 Mar 2026 11:04 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhuwwypsmk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mdzojcta5222Lancaster’s first LGBTQ+ bookstore opened today on the charter market and look what I got! Brand new books by @louisewelsh00.bsky.social and @inkyrosey.bsky.social04 Feb 2026 10:35 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdzojcta5222https://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mb73ryebbk2yHow I’m walking out of 2025 [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Dec 2025 10:01 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mb73ryebbk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/catherinespooner.bsky.social/post/3mb73ryebbk2yHow I’m walking out of 2025 [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Dec 2025 10:01 +0000at://did:plc:4rrdflpvbpcchurkm4yeaog7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mb73ryebbk2y