Rhona Brown
Professor of Scottish Textual Cultures, University of Glasgow
18th-century Scottish poetry, early Scottish periodicals, textual editing.
Working on a new edition of the poetry of Robert Fergusson (1750-74). 🏴📚📖🗞️📰
@rfergussonpoet.bsky.social
- Reposted by Rhona BrownCFP: 2026 Scottish Literature PG Symposium (Mis)placing Scottish Literature 8 May 2026, University of Glasgow Details: ucsl-scotland.com/2026-pg-symp... Deadline 15 March, student travel bursaries available!
- Reposted by Rhona BrownFollowing the success of our book publishing offer we are preparing to launch our journal publishing programme. We are now accepting expressions of interest from editors of existing journals. As a cross-disciplinary publisher, all subjects will be considered. Learn more: bit.ly/3LSvLfx
- The wonderful @scotunipress.bsky.social has some vacancies on the Editorial Board, which I chair - if you care about Open Access scholarship, academic accessibility and not-for-profit academic publishing, come and join us. T&Cs, details and processes 👇 #OpenAccess
- Looking for a new challenge in 2026? Join SUP and support not-for-profit academic publishing. We have three vacancies for editorial board members. Submit your application by Monday 2 February 2026 sup.ac.uk/news/editorial-boar…
- Reposted by Rhona BrownGeorge Douglas Brown (1869–1902) was born #OTD, 26 January – best known for his 1901 novel THE HOUSE WITH THE GREEN SHUTTERS: “…the TRAINSPOTTING of its day… an angry young man’s response to the misrepresentation of contemporary Scottish life” A 🎂 🧵 💙📚 1/7 list.co.uk/news/39535/g...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownA letter written by Mary Queen of Scots just hours before her execution in 1587 has gone on display for the first time in nearly a decade
- Reposted by Rhona BrownIt's the centenary of the wonderful Agnes Owens' birth this year. Her books are being reissued & a satellite archive has officially opened within the Alasdair Gray archive. I spoke to her son, John, & wrote about this "most unfairly neglected of Scottish authors" in the @heraldscotland.bsky.social.
- Reposted by Rhona BrownExcited to say I have a new book chapter out in 'Nationalism and Royal Women in Early Modern England', part of the Queenship and Power series from Palgrave Macmillan. My chapter explores the anti-Scottish nature of Elizabethan propaganda on Mary Queen of Scots. Read it here: doi.org/10.1007/978-...
- Reposted by Rhona Brown“I have a harmonium and it’s going to explode in two minutes” Ivor Cutler (1923–2006) – poet, singer, musician, songwriter, artist, humorist – was born #OTD, 15 Jan In 2013, to mark what would have been his 90th birthday, BBC Radio 4 celebrated his life & career: 1/7 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...
- Reposted by Rhona Brown📣 We’re hiring! The History of Parliament are seeking a Research Fellow for our House of Lords 1660-1832 project. @georgianlords.bsky.social We’re looking for a historian with a PhD in 18thC British political or cultural history to join our expert team. 🔗 Details below: #AcademicJobs #HistoryJobs
- Reposted by Rhona BrownHis Faither’s Breeks, 1840s, photo by David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson.
- Reposted by Rhona BrownExciting announcement from Birlinn today - we are proud to be collaborating with them and @agnesowenslitest.bsky.social on centenary plans across 2026 and to bringing Agnes Owens work to a wider audience 💫
- Reposted by Rhona BrownTo celebrate the imminent exhibition of Mary Queen of Scots' last letter at Perth Museum, I wrote an article for @uk.theconversation.com about my PhD research into Mary's writing - have a read for my top 5 things you should know! ⬇️ theconversation.com/mary-queen-o...
- 🚨 Follow this new podcast - hosted by the brilliant @paulmalgrati.bsky.social - for all things Scottish literature and culture. As Paul says, 'The Carrying Stream is a place for long conversations', giving welcome breathing space for discussion and interaction. It's sure to be a treat! 🚨🏴📚
- The Carrying Stream is a new podcast for Scottish words and ideas – long-form conversations with writers, scholars, poets and artists. 🎙️🏴 Episode 0 is now live, alongside the first three full conversations. pod.link/1865430519
- Reposted by Rhona Brown✨Happy Hogmanay to all our pals on 🦋✨ As we welcome 2026, we’re remembering the women who boycotted the 1911 Census — refusing to be counted without rights. Here’s to a year of making women’s histories visible, valued, and everywhere ✊💜 #Hogmanay #WomensHistory #Herstories #Scotland
- Reposted by Rhona BrownJust making sure that 2025 is definitely over
- Reposted by Rhona Brown“I am a chorus in search of a tragedy, a raker of middens in the industrial North. “I am a genius in an obscure line of business. Try me a little. “I may have something you can use.” The artist & writer Alasdair Gray (1934–2019) was born #OTD, 28 Dec 💙📚 1/5 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/a...
- It’s been a fast five years! Scottish Literary Review is a pleasure to co-edit with the brilliant @scottlyall.bsky.social and it’s a real joy to see Scottish literary scholarship thriving throughout the world. Follow the links below to read or subscribe to SLR via @asls.org.uk 👇 #ScottishLiterature
- Five years of editing SCOTTISH LITERARY REVIEW with the fab @rhonabrown.bsky.social and more exciting issues to come in 2026. The latest bumper issue is out now. Get yours by joining @asls.org.uk here: share.google/P8K28t8SNfWU...
- This is THE Christmas poem for me, in its pure joy and wish for better things in the new year. 'Trio' sums up Edwin Morgan's wild optimism, which many of us need now... Monsters of the year go blank, are scattered back, can't bear this march of three... www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/trio/
- Orphean sprig! Melting baby! Warm chihuahua! #EdwinMorgan reading “Trio”, published in The Second Life (1968) and recorded by Ewan McVicar in 1990 at Tower Studio, Glasgow 🎄❄️
- Reposted by Rhona Brownjollymerry hollyberry jollyberry merryholly happyjolly jollyjelly jellybelly bellymerry hollyheppy jollyMolly marryJerry merryHarry hoppyBarry… —Edwin Morgan, “The Computer’s First Christmas Card” first published in THE SECOND LIFE, @edinburghup.bsky.social 1968 #poem #poetry #concretepoetry
- Reposted by Rhona BrownThe Society currently invites applications for its David Berry Fellowship in the History of Scotland and the Scottish People. The Fellowship, for up to £2500, supports research by historians of Scotland at any career stage: bit.ly/4ns6LJj Closing date: Friday 6 March 2026 #Skystorians
- Lots in this one! Iain Crichton Smith, two portions of James Hogg, William Thom, Susan Ferrier, Robert Burns, Tom Nairn, Rauf Coilyear, Muriel Spark, The Buik of King Alexander the Conquerour, James Beattie and a generous helping of reviews. Tuck in! @asls.org.uk @scottlyall.bsky.social
- The latest edition of SCOTTISH LITERARY REVIEW, edited by @rhonabrown.bsky.social and me, is now live on Project MUSE. This is a bumper edition, so fill yer boots! @asls.org.uk share.google/zC2gG3GXNdlu...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownNominations are open for the newly-founded Scottish Literary Studies Book Prize, administered by the Universities Committee for Scottish Literature and awarded biennially to an outstanding work of scholarship in the field of Scottish literary studies. £300 prize. ucsl-scotland.com/scottish-lit...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownFellows of the Royal Historical Society are historians working in a wide range of sectors (in and beyond education) in the UK and worldwide. We've a new guide about becoming a Fellow: bit.ly/48iH0oG If you'd like to join a 4000+ community of historians, please consider an application #Skystorians
- Reposted by Rhona BrownLaurence Sterne born #Onthisday 1713 "The freest spirit of the eighteenth century" (Goethe) "The most liberated spirit of all time" (Nietzsche) #LaurenceSterne #C18th #OTD www.laurencesternetrust.org.uk/sterne/
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A cough remedy to try this winter? Locally sourced, of course! - Reposted by Rhona BrownLatest update from @britishlibrary.bsky.social says they are launching a new version of their main catalogue on Monday 8 December and around that time also launch an interim version of their Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue. Hooray! www.bl.uk/stories/news...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownToday in the public history column: Leadhills Library, in South Lanarkshire, founded in 1741, is the oldest subscription library in the British Isles, and brought Enlightenment learning to a remote mining village in Scotland. www.thenational.scot/news/2562926...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownThe obituary on Elspeth King by our Custodian @sorchadallas.bsky.social will be in tomorrow’s @theguardian.com paper if anyone would like to read a physical version
- Huge congrats, @drleith.bsky.social - this is so well deserved! 👏
- Sincere congratulations to @drleith.bsky.social on her receipt of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the 18th-Century Scottish Studies Society. Leith is a committed and prolific scholar who continues to make major contributions to numerous fields within Scottish Studies. www.sfu.ca/scottishstud...
- Reposted by Rhona Brown📣Our UofG Library Visiting Research Fellowships are now open for applications! We’re delighted to invite scholars from across the globe to apply to work with our internationally significant collections. Apply at: www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/li... 📆Closing date: 5 January 2026 #UofGLibraryFellows
- Reposted by Rhona BrownAnnouncing publication of our response to @beckyfrancis.bsky.social & team #curriculumandassessmentreview after consultation with our community & English related networks. Special thks to our Cross-Sector Educational policy lead @bobeaglestone.bsky.social englishassociation.ac.uk/the-english-...
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- Reposted by Rhona Brown🔴 Muriel Spark to be honoured in first ever memorial dedicated to a woman in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens www.scotsman.com/arts-and-cul...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownDo we need humanities graduates to deliver the industrial strategy? Yes we do. www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/do-we-n...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownI went on my first solo trip to the NLS last week! Great Mary finds in their collection, including Emily Hahn’s biography for children ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ (1956). An American (and feminist?) perspective on a Scottish Queen: ‘Fifty years after Columbus discovered America Mary Stuart was born.’
- I'm chuffed to be appointed Director and Board member for Braw Clan, an award-winning theatre company making new Scots language plays for audiences in southern Scotland. Find out more about their brilliant plays, events and laudable community work: brawclan.com Can't wait to see where we go next.
- Reposted by Rhona BrownListen to this wonderful podcast with SUP Editorial Board member Dr Brianna Robertson-Kirkland @breerob-kirk.bsky.social, recorded for #OAWeek! Brianna discusses why #OpenAccess is so important, especially for smaller arts institutions and ECRs 🔓 Thanks to @sahavoice.bsky.social for arranging 🙏
- To mark International Open Access Week, we had the pleasure of having a SAHA Conversation with Dr Brianna Robertson-Kirkland (@breerob-kirk.bsky.social),member of the Editorial Board of the Scottish Universities Press (@scotunipress.bsky.social) Full episode available wherever you get your podcast
- Reposted by Rhona BrownWilkes was a proto-populist, who utilized pictorial propaganda to gain popularity and drive public political conversation & opinion to his benefit. He and his Wilkite faction remain useful examples when studying how political propaganda proliferate through different social orders.
- Reposted by Rhona BrownDreaming the Daily Darg: Working Lives in Scottish Writing since 1918 Studies in Scottish Literature 50/1, 2025 A special issue exploring work & working life in Scottish writing chiefly of the 20th & 21st centuries – available now on Open Access #litstudies scholarcommons.sc.edu/ssl/vol50/is...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownRobert Fergusson (1750–1774) died #OTD, 17 Oct, aged just 24. Notable for his poetry in both Scots & English, his works include “Auld Reikie”, “The Daft Days”, & “Hallow Fair”. His legacies are broad, from the literary & cultural to the medical. #C18 #litstudies 1/5 robert-fergusson.glasgow.ac.uk
- #OTD in 1774, Edinburgh poet Robert Fergusson died in the city’s asylum for pauper lunatics at 24. Despite the tragedy, his works are full of life, laughter and satire. My new edition of his works is out next year, but for now enjoy some treats from Project Fergusson robert-fergusson.glasgow.ac.uk
- Reposted by Rhona BrownQuotes from reviews of Collected Ramsay: ‘could hardly be surpassed' (Tea-Table Miscellany) 'deeply nuanced and illuminating’ (Gentle Shepherd); ‘exemplary’ (Ever Green, Prose) ‘groundbreaking’ (edition). Well done @stevenewman.bsky.social @rhonabrown.bsky.social @breerob-kirk.bsky.social & all.
- Allan Ramsay (1684–1758) – poet, playwright, founder of modern #Scots writing, & with a claim to be the father of #Romanticism – was born #OTD, 15 Oct. A 🎂 🧵 … #C18 1/6 🖼️ Allan Ramsay, 1684–1758, by William Aikman – Scottish National Portrait Gallery www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-arti...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownAllan Ramsay (1684–1758) – poet, playwright, founder of modern #Scots writing, & with a claim to be the father of #Romanticism – was born #OTD, 15 Oct. A 🎂 🧵 … #C18 1/6 🖼️ Allan Ramsay, 1684–1758, by William Aikman – Scottish National Portrait Gallery www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-arti...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownA gifted writer of #gothic & #horror fiction, Dorothy K. Haynes (1918–1987) was born #OTD, 12 Oct. Haynes & her twin brother spent 4 years in Aberlour Orphanage, from 1929 to 1933: last year, we republished her long out-of-print childhood memoir, HASTE YE BACK 💙📚 1/4 asls.org.uk/publications...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownBARS 2026 First Book Prize: Calls for Nominations Awarded biennially for the best first monograph in Romantic Studies, this prize is open to first monographs published between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2025. Deadline: 12th January 2026. More info: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6174
- Reposted by Rhona BrownReminder: Get your ticket's for next Wednesday's event in Edinburgh at Golden Hare Books! We look forward to celebrating our wonderful collection with you then!
- Thanks to all who read at and attended yesterday's online launch - what a fantastic event! Our final launch (for now!) is in Edinburgh on 15 October at Golden Hare Books with Scotland's Makar Pàdraig MacAoidh | Peter Mackay and a range of lovely poets! Get your tickets ⤵️ shorturl.at/Xg3XC
- Reposted by Rhona BrownBadenoch and Co see education only as a means to a massive income in some soul destroying career. Devoid of imagination and the power of knowledge they view life entirely through the prism of the CV. My advice always is to study what interests you and the rest will follow
- Reposted by Rhona BrownCalling library and professional services staff! Do you want to learn more about open research and how it impacts on your role? Join us during #OAWeek for 'A Practical Guide to Open Research'! Find out more and register: www.sup.ac.uk/news/upcomin... @scurlscottish.bsky.social
- It's #NationalPoetryDay! The perfect opportunity to share Robert Fergusson's translation of Horace's ode on the importance of seizing the day. In rich Scots, Fergusson gives us the keys to a good life: staying in the moment and surrounding ourselves with friends and conviviality. #RobertFergusson
- Good luck to @wilcocksonamy.bsky.social as she starts a new post at Queen Mary University of London, where she'll work as a Research Assistant on the Shelley Letters project. It has been a massive pleasure to work with Amy as RA on the @rfergussonpoet.bsky.social project, and there's more to come!
- Reposted by Rhona BrownFor anyone who is #teaching #18thcentury politics and/or electoral culture, or is doing #localhistory or #familyhistory, do check out our ECPPEC web resource : it's chock-full of short informative essays, polling data, and artefacts #skystorians ecppec.ncl.ac.uk
- Reposted by Rhona BrownThanks to all who read at and attended yesterday's online launch - what a fantastic event! Our final launch (for now!) is in Edinburgh on 15 October at Golden Hare Books with Scotland's Makar Pàdraig MacAoidh | Peter Mackay and a range of lovely poets! Get your tickets ⤵️ shorturl.at/Xg3XC
- Reposted by Rhona BrownCongratulations to IASSL members @rhonabrown.bsky.social and @wilcocksonamy.bsky.social on their new edited publication: '‘O’er a’ my labours sey your skill’: Poetic Responses to Robert Fergusson' (Taproot Press), published as part of the @rfergussonpoet.bsky.social project.
- We're thrilled to announce 'O'er a' my labours sey your skill: Poetic Responses to Robert Fergusson. Across Scots, English and Gaelic, a wealth of contemporary poets respond to Fergusson's work, proving that, 250 years since his death, his song immortal lives! taprootpressuk.co.uk/product/oer-...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownTook part in a fabulous online launch last night for 'O'er a' my labours sey your skill' with a bunch of other poets. Many thanks to @rhonabrown.bsky.social and @wilcocksonamy.bsky.social for organising. I did a Scots version of this song from the book which I've also provided a link to. #BowieBard
- Reposted by Rhona BrownThe Leverhulme Trust has teamed up with @britishacademy.bsky.social to produce Confessions of an Early Career Researcher, a new podcast by ECRs for ECRs. Tune in now: www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/audio-video/... Read more about this collaboration: www.leverhulme.ac.uk/news/confess...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownPleased to receive @rhonabrown.bsky.social and @wilcocksonamy.bsky.social’s brilliant collection of poems responding to Robert Fergusson, the bard of ‘Auld Reekie’. I’m also glad to have a wee Franco-Scots piece in there (riffing on Fergusson’s Jacobite/apocalyptical eclogue, ‘The Ghaists’). 🇫🇷🏴
- Reposted by Rhona Brown🎆It's out!🎆 'O'er a' my labours sey your skill': Poetic Responses to Robert Fergusson is out NOW! Check out our blog post for more info about the publication, about our wonderful Glasgow launch on Wednesday and for the link to buy your own copy! robert-fergusson.glasgow.ac.uk/publication-...
- Reposted by Rhona Brown“I mean, your society’s broken, so who should we blame? Should we blame the rich, powerful people who caused it? No let’s blame the people with no power & no money & these immigrants who don’t even have the vote, yeah it must be their fucking fault.” —Iain Banks www.theguardian.com/books/2013/j...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownConférence – Inauguration du programme EURETES « Consommations, marchés, cultures matérielles. Ve-XVIIIe siècles » rmblf.be/2025/09/16/c...
- Reposted by Rhona BrownA detail from: “The White Rose and the Red Rose” the 1902 panel by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh. A beautiful print to be enjoyed always: duille.com/whiteroseturin
