The Allusionist
Podcast of adventures in language with @helenzaltzman. theallusionist.org patreon.com/allusionist
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- there's a new episode in your podfeed! Featuring dino gobs, feminist cookbooks, and swear school, with @aketchum22.bsky.social, @martinaustwick.bsky.social, @suchmayer.bsky.social, #HannahMcGregor, #KellyElizabethWright and @mixedlinguist.bsky.social theallusionist.org/bonus2025
- Reposted by The AllusionistToday is @allusionistshow.bsky.social's eleventh birthday! Happy birthday, show! My voice has returned sufficiently so there'll be a new episode this week, and there are 200+ not-new ones at theallusionist.org to catch up on if this is your first time hearing that this podcast exists
- Welp, laryngitis has compelled me to postpone the last episode of the year (and also AMT) to 2026. But now is a fine time to listen to some Festivelusionists, which are gathered in a playlist at theallusionist.org/festivelusionist
- Including me reading the whole of A Christmas Carol; the Winterval war on Christmas; @gregjenner.bsky.social on the many names for Father Santa Claus Kringle; answering kids’ letters to Santa; and a fact-checking trip to the Dickens Fair
- Reposted by The Allusionist8. @allusionistshow.bsky.social reading the whole of A Christmas Carol with music and sfx by @martinaustwick.bsky.social is a festive delight. Well worth 2 and a bit hours of your time www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/...
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- Reposted by The AllusionistIf you've not yet before experienced @helenzaltzman.bsky.social's festive offerings, you're in for a treat! She and @martinaustwick.bsky.social create such a wonderful, cosy mood with their readings. Plus, once you've experienced the book, you'll realise just how close the Muppet version is!
- New episode in your podfeed: I read all of A Christmas Carol, with musical backing from @martinaustwick.bsky.social. It’s a banger! theallusionist.org/christmascarol
- Reposted by The AllusionistThings I’m not mad about today: 2) Enjoying @hels.bsky.social reading “A Christmas Carol” on @allusionistshow.bsky.social and hearing “Keep it in your pants, Dickens!” 😂
- New episode in your podfeed: I read all of A Christmas Carol, with musical backing from @martinaustwick.bsky.social. It’s a banger! theallusionist.org/christmascarol
- new episode is in your podfeed! @timbrookes.bsky.social of #EndangeredAlphabetsProject takes us on a delightful journey of handwriting. Listen/read via theallusionist.org/scribe and find Tim's book By Hand at endangeredalphabets.com
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- Reposted by The AllusionistI hate portmanteau words but “slopaganda” is magnificent
- Reposted by The AllusionistPowered by vegan chocolate truffles & queer feminism, this was SO MUCH (fun). Intense & exhilarating!
- New episode in your podfeed, starring @suchmayer.bsky.social, whose new book #BadLanguage is out next week! We talk about many things, including coming out as a speech act, power, shame, finding vocab for oneself... Listen/read via theallusionist.org/disobedience and The Podplaces
- Reposted by The AllusionistI *just* listened to this excellent episode of @allusionistshow.bsky.social about Dr. Alex Ketchum’s Feminist Restaurant Project and went to check out Bloodroot…only to learn they announced *today* that they’re closing after nearly 50 years!
- So excited to have my work featured on @allusionistshow.bsky.social by @helenzaltzman.bsky.social !! www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/... Check it out! @arsenalpulp.bsky.social @concordiapress.bsky.social @mcgillarts.bsky.social @mcgillumedia.bsky.social
- New episode in your podfeed, starring @suchmayer.bsky.social, whose new book #BadLanguage is out next week! We talk about many things, including coming out as a speech act, power, shame, finding vocab for oneself... Listen/read via theallusionist.org/disobedience and The Podplaces
- New episode is in your podfeed, for Banned Books Week theallusionist.org/bannedbooks
- Reposted by The AllusionistExcellent real world example of a chilling effect @allusionistshow.bsky.social
- SCOOP: Last year, Ubisoft cancelled an Assassin's Creed game set during Reconstruction. Was to feature a Black Assassin who, among other things, fought the rise of the Klan Sources: Leadership nixed it over concerns re: U.S. political climate, backlash to Yasuke www.gamefile.news/p/scoop-ubis...
- Reposted by The AllusionistSo excited to have my work featured on @allusionistshow.bsky.social by @helenzaltzman.bsky.social !! www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/... Check it out! @arsenalpulp.bsky.social @concordiapress.bsky.social @mcgillarts.bsky.social @mcgillumedia.bsky.social
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- Happy tenth anniversary of Pig-gate theallusionist.org/gate
- Reposted by The AllusionistReally unexpectedly lovely song about Scunthorpe from @martinaustwick.bsky.social on this episode of @allusionistshow.bsky.social www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/...
- Reposted by The Allusionistlike so many products to come out of silicon valley in the last decade or so, AI is a legal innovation masquerading as a tech innovation. the legal theory seems to be that AI is entitled to everything but liable for nothing.
- The finale of Four Letter Word season is heading to your podfeed this weekend. Which word do you think it’ll be about?
- Reposted by The AllusionistI love The Allusionist, every so often they will casually release something transcendent
- New episode: all the two-letter words you can play in Scrabble. Listen to become unbeatable/annoying theallusionist.org/two
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- New episode: all the two-letter words you can play in Scrabble. Listen to become unbeatable/annoying theallusionist.org/two
- Reposted by The AllusionistGet the song here! Pay what you can! palebird.bandcamp.com/track/poison...
- There’s a new episode on your podfeed, featuring placentas, curses and a very catchy new song by @martinaustwick.bsky.social about poisonous plants theallusionist.org/bane
- There’s a new episode on your podfeed, featuring placentas, curses and a very catchy new song by @martinaustwick.bsky.social about poisonous plants theallusionist.org/bane
- There's a new episode in your podfeed! Next in #FourLetterWord season is 'dino', which means 'terrible'. Hannah McGregor of Material Girls podcast joins to talk about Jurassic Park, and humans' relationship with language for dinosaurs. Hear/read via theallusionist.org/dino and the usual podplaces
- this, in the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, is the first time I saw dinosaurs represented as brightly coloured and with feathers/hair. And also...humping??
- Reposted by The AllusionistThis is TODAY and sounds fascinating:
- Hey! Our piece #souvenirs is being broadcast on BBC Radio 4 tomorrow, 22 July at 4pm UK time (also available on the internet for a while thereafter), I’d love for you to listen! Especially if you enjoy tales of hurt feelings & petty revenge.
- Hey! Our piece #souvenirs is being broadcast on BBC Radio 4 tomorrow, 22 July at 4pm UK time (also available on the internet for a while thereafter), I’d love for you to listen! Especially if you enjoy tales of hurt feelings & petty revenge.
- Broken friendship, typefaces, lost words, self-destruction and the legacies we didn’t intend to leave… Listen to Souvenirs (produced by @allusionistshow.bsky.social’s @helenzaltzman.bsky.social and @martinaustwick.bsky.social) in tomorrow’s Artworks on BBC Radio 4 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
- Also perfect for you if you enjoy history, typefaces, Spice Girls, gorgeous music by @martinaustwick.bsky.social
- We’re having a #Souvenirs live listening party during tomorrow’s broadcast in the Allusioverse Discord, what a great time to join: theallusionist.org/donate
- Look mum, I’m in the Radio Times! [Falls back down to Earth] Oh, no, it was that Helen Zatlzman again
- oh but language isn't political, the screamers in my inbox tell me www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/j...
- Reposted by The AllusionistGot to geek out with another geek about the geekery behind the names and uses and backstories of Vancouver parks. If that interests you, check out the podcast!
- A new episode is in your podfeed! We go on a field trip with @jmcelroy.bsky.social around several of Vancouver's parks, to consider what IS park, also how their names can make us feel about them. Listen, see more photos, read the transcript at theallusionist.org/park
- A new episode is in your podfeed! We go on a field trip with @jmcelroy.bsky.social around several of Vancouver's parks, to consider what IS park, also how their names can make us feel about them. Listen, see more photos, read the transcript at theallusionist.org/park
- Reposted by The AllusionistDelighted to hear Aotearoa mentioned on the '-gate' episode of @allusionistshow.bsky.social. And it's a fabulous excuse to post this photo of the incident. I can think of a few current politicians who deserve this treatment. See the whole story at: thespinoff.co.nz/politics/05-...
- Reposted by The AllusionistStarting a new series of interviews on the @lingcomm.bsky.social blog with people who are doing neat community collaboration linguistics projects that don't otherwise have much of a web presence Starting with Linguistics + Girl Scouts! lingcomm.org/2025/07/09/l...
- There’s a new quiz in your podfeed! All about four letter words, but none of the rude ones (sorry). Listen and play along theallusionist.org/444
- Reposted by The AllusionistNote THUS FAR, LAT is covering this as a response to Trump's ICE escalation (other outlets are treating the protests as the spark).
- Good morning Montréal! Brace yourself, I’m going to be on CBC’s All In A Weekend around 8am, talking about tomorrow’s live show #Souvenirs without swearing, even though some of the subject matter is about some swears. Wish me luck! Come to the live show! theallusionist.org/events
- If you have a sudden appetite for two adult men rapidly turning from friends to petty, petty enemies, I recommend the Allusionist live show #Souvenirs, playing in Montreal on Monday! www.blueskiesturnblack.com/show/theallu...
- This time tomorrow, the Toronto show will be over - so don’t submit yourself to a lifetime of regret, get tickets now! theallusionist.org/events (Montreal, you have a few more days for regret-proofing yourself - show is 9 June)
- ALSO! The live show #Souvenirs contains some very important cunt content (educational and etymological, I promise) and is coming to Toronto 1 June @hotdocs.bsky.social and Montréal 9 June. Get tickets via theallusionist.org/events
- Reposted by The AllusionistI loved talking to the amazing @helenzaltzman.bsky.social about a word that I still struggle to say, but that’s culturally very important!
- New episode! #FourLetterWord season continues with a return to the cunt-word. Since I covered it 10 years ago (!) in the 4th ever episode (!!) of the show, there have been exciting developments, which the wonderful @mixedlinguist.bsky.social & #KellyElizabethWright explore theallusionist.org/serving
- New episode! #FourLetterWord season continues with a return to the cunt-word. Since I covered it 10 years ago (!) in the 4th ever episode (!!) of the show, there have been exciting developments, which the wonderful @mixedlinguist.bsky.social & #KellyElizabethWright explore theallusionist.org/serving
- ALSO! The live show #Souvenirs contains some very important cunt content (educational and etymological, I promise) and is coming to Toronto 1 June @hotdocs.bsky.social and Montréal 9 June. Get tickets via theallusionist.org/events
- Reposted by The AllusionistWant to know what kind of jobs people go on to do after a linguistics degree? Join us on Patreon for a bonus episode about all the cool things people have done with their linguistics training www.patreon.com/posts/83814530
