I am a big advocate for meditation and mindfulness. I have practised on and off for years, and even done a few courses. I find it really helps me to manage my stress and energy levels. It’s taken me a while to find a routine and a type of meditation that works for me and…
Author: amyjanebarnes
Independent Researcher
Why I’m striking
Today is the first of eight consecutive days of industrial action by members of the UCU – the University and College Union. I am participating. What is the strike about? We are university staff and members of the University and College Union (UCU) and we are taking strike action over falling pay, the gender and…
EAMENA exhibitions now online
Just a quick note to say that the seven pop-up exhibitions I helped to design and produce earlier this year and last for the EAMENA project are now available to browse online. Please do have a look and, if you have a moment, send the team your feedback. Thanks! Image: The Tunisia exhibition on display…
Shut Up and Write!
A quick post about the rebirth of Shut and Write! Leicester, now on the first Sunday afternoon of each month. If you’d like to find out more, please join the Facebook group or email me for details. Image by Parker Byrd
Sprout: Working from home – tips and tricks
As my new job will be home-based, I recently asked friends and followers on social media for their top hints and tips for productive home-working. They had lots of great ideas and I thought they might also be useful for anyone for anyone who doesn’t have an office or a comfortable office space (PhD students…
Some news and the future of this site
Pastures new, geddit? (Not an accurate representation of Milton Keynes.) So, I received some rather stunning and unexpected news a couple of weeks ago. After nine years of precarity, someone round here has finally got herself a permanent, full-time academic job! From the beginning of November 2019, I will be joining the Open University as…
Sprout: REF and those elusive 4* triggers
So, by way of an update, I recently started working back in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester as a ‘REF Pathway’ Research Associate. Over the next six months (five months now, to be precise), I will be supporting the REF-able academics within the School to write and publish outputs judged to meet the…
Sprout: Reward yourself for writing
Yeah, I know this sounds like one of those scammy ads on social media but it isn’t, trust me. Inspired by this post on rewarding yourself for writing, I’ve decided to give it a go. If nothing else it might help me finish the paper I’ve been working on since 2015 and kick-start my efforts…
Sprout: Writing text for public engagement: my top 10 tips for success
Academics are not known for their ability to write readable and accessible text. It’s not something that most of us are trained to do, we deal in difficult and complex theories and concepts, and for the most part, we write for carbon-copies of ourselves – other academics typically working in our subject area, largely familiar…
New freelance services for museums and heritage, arts and cultural organisations
A quick post about my new freelance services. I’m offering: desk-based audience and content research analysis of audience research data editing and proofreading report writing; and writing and editing of interpretive text Please see the dedicated page on my website for more information. There’s a contact form there too for any enquiries. Image by Janko…
