Classical Studies Support

I hope you’ve all had a lovely Christmas break!

I’d love to say that I have, but unfortunately it didn’t quite work out like that! There have been various illnesses going around the family, and what with one thing and another, the Christmas holiday was a bit of a blur. I’m still trying to get the storm damage to my house fixed, and the exhaustion from my bout of Covid in October is ongoing, although it’s difficult now to separate from the effects of the cold that walloped me last week. At this point all I want is for someone to invent a coffee tap that I can install at my desk.

But I’m back at work now, and intending to make this year better by sheer force of will. What could go wrong?

There are all sorts of exciting things ahead, if I can stay awake long enough to achieve them. Our neurodiversity hub, Asterion, is one exciting thing; we have lots of plans for Asterion in 2022, including conference papers, initiatives to launch, and resources in preparation. We’d love to get more people involved, too – so if you have a personal or professional interest in neurodiversity and Classics, do email me at director@asterion.uk! You can write for us, help out with organisational things, or even apply to join our Editorial Board.

Another thing I’m working on is a scholarship project at the Open University, called The Relaxed Tutorial Project, looking at different ways of running online tutorials to make them more accessible. You can read a bit about it on this webpage. It’s just a small-scale research project, but it’s close to my heart, and I’m thrilled that I’ve had the chance to put it into action this year!

I’m also involved with the upcoming launch of a new branch of the Classical Association – more on that soon!

I’m in the middle of writing a few things as well, and I’m still trying to find my feet as an illustrator. I haven’t managed to do much over the holiday, but here are a few little doodles…

Of course there are many things coming up in 2022 which have nothing whatsoever to do with me! One is the Hadrian’s Wall 1900 Festival, which I’m really excited about. Events start in January, and range from History talks to the 1900 Bunting Challenge. Well worth checking out if you’re in the North, or might be able to visit sometime this year! There are a few online activities too.

Another thing to note is a new free Latin reading group run by OU graduate Tony Potter. If you’d like to brush up on your Latin on a Saturday morning, drop Tony a message at reading.classical.latin@gmail.com. It sounds like a lot of fun!

Thank you to everyone who sent me cards, presents and Christmas wishes! I haven’t been able to reply to everyone yet, but I’m working through my email mountain now!

Next week I’ll be back to writing a proper post, with links and interesting stuff (I hope!) – but for now I’d just like to wish you all a Happy New Year!