Prof Erica Borgstrom

What books about death or grief would you recommend to a friend? #WorldBookDay

Doing Death Research: Interviews and Career Reflections with Death Studies Scholars This book brings together illuminating interviews with the most influential scholars who have shaped the interdisciplinary field of death studies. From sociological explorations to psychological frame...

New edited available for pre-order! Doing Death Research: Interviews and Career Reflections with Death Studies Scholars
www.routledge.com/Doing-Death-...

Cool studentship available - check out below

a man in a purple suit is dancing on a stage and says so what 'd i miss . ALT: a man in a purple suit is dancing on a stage and says so what 'd i miss .

Been away from my work desk/inbox/usual grind for several weeks, and this line from Hamilton is on repeat in my head....So What Did I Miss?

What is it like to research death and loss? Three members of the Centre for Open Thanatology share their insights, experiences and advice on death and loss.

Last month, @ericaborgstrom.bsky.social, @saramackian.bsky.social and I recorded a podcast on what it's like to study death. We're all from very different disciplines but we found a lot of common ground.

You can listen to it here
www.open.edu/openlearn/he...

We can help support applications; we do not have our own OU fellowship funding scheme. Do bear in mind that the OU is based in the UK and staff work either hybrid or remotely.

Looking to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship? Want to work with others interested in death, dying, loss or bereavement? Get in touch! The Centre for Open Thanatology is growing its postdoc membership. Let us know what funding & topic you are interested in. Email: Open-Thanatology-Admin@open.ac.uk

OU BBC Trail 2026 This is "OU BBC Trail 2026" by Broadcast & Partnerships on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

One of my roles at The Open University (OU) involves working on co-productions with the BBC. I love it! vimeo.com/1163280559?f...

Make it aesthetic, not fully functional. Maybe the next level is to turn the bucket into a plant pot.

The Midnight Moth, an illustrated picture book by DEAD GOOD A magical story for children & adults about love, loss and a light in the darkness. Written and illustrated by Lindsey Vigurs

I just backed The Midnight Moth, an illustrated picture book by DEAD GOOD on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/dea...

Submission to open panels—Extended deadline for 4S Toronto 2026!
Call closes Feb 9th 2026. You can submit here: www.xcdsystem.com/4sonline/abs...

Letter EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – NURSING PROGRAMME 27.01.2026 The Open University Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA 27th January 2026 EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – NURSING PROGRAMME ...

As part of making changes to the nursing teaching, The Open University is inviting people with experience of using the UK health system to share their views over the next few months. More info and who to contact: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Clicking the heart button here just felt wrong as a way to acknowledge this.

As an immigrant in the UK and as someone with family in Minnesota, people's recent conversations with me about what's happening try to imply it could not happen in the UK, and that they feel helpless about it. Instead of disbelief, what are you trying or willing to do to ensure it doesn't happen?

As someone who cares about so many people in Minnesota, I've been following various developments over the past months. And it has been so important to see examples of what people are doing to connect, protect and survive, and not just how people are being harmed.

Examples of this can be seen in the singing resistance groups, the art (and businesses enabling people to produce resistance artworks), community mutal aid (donate if you can!), the social networks people are building and intensifying, people-led education (about rights, solidarity, care).

Palliative Care and Hospice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives over the Decades This book offers a comprehensive collection of seminal research into palliative care and hospice, providing an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of end-of-life care,...

Available for pre-order now from Routledge - Palliative Care and Hospice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives over the Decades. Edited by myself, Bethan Michael-Fox & Arnar Arnason. www.routledge.com/Palliative-C...

Pitch my Project: an opportunity for early career historians to present their work at the Chalke History Festival 2026 - RHS Have you ever wanted to share your research with a wide audience? Would you like to gain experience in public speaking, and be supported to develop imaginative ways to communicate your research to the...

Applications are now invited for a new RHS programme for 2026, co-hosted with @ihr.bsky.social and @chalkefestival.bsky.social

'Pitch my Project' is for early career historians to present their research at the Chalke History Festival in June bit.ly/44kfUMM. Closing date: 6 February. #Skystorians

"I'm not in Minnesota -- what can I do to help?"

A list of ideas!

Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Upcoming seminar from Gemma Briggs on Feb 11 7-8pm(UK) online - Why do we tolerate road deaths? Implications for policy and practice. It's the first The Open Psychology Research Centre Public Lecture. Link for info & register: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/279390...

The Open University

Some of my work this week has reminded me of the initial analysis of data on higher education staff's experiences of bereavement, including unclear policies, workload and support at work. Link to report here: oro.open.ac.uk/88719/

Yup! The rush is on as people aim to get their manuscripts off their desks and submitted before the end of the year.

Academic Mug Mugs and more for all of the academic mugs in the world... because life in university and higher education needs more joy and laughter.

I recently got a mug from Academic Mug that says 'I should have said no'. Currently my favourite ❤️ I'd recommend the site if you're looking for an academia-related gift ahead of the holidays www.academicmug.com

The Open University

Did you know that @openuniversity.bsky.social currently works in over 150 prisons and supports around 2000 students a year in prison, secure units and under licence in the community?

Higher education changes lives. See more of the work The Open University are doing⬇️

www.open.ac.uk/blogs/news/b...

Critical Approaches to Death, Dying and Bereavement This book is the first of its kind to examine key topics in death, dying, and bereavement through a critical lens, highlighting how the understanding and experience of death can vary considerably, bas...

Our book Critical Approaches to death,dying and bereavement is part of the Routledge Black Friday Sale!

@ericaborgstrom.bsky.social 📚💙

www.routledge.com/Critical-App...

In Dumfries today, ready for our event discussing death and dying - looking forward to meeting others there later! Thanks to the OU in Scotland and the University of West Scotland for hosting it.

Open Thanatology Hub Check out the FREE content from Open Thanatology, The Open University’s interdisciplinary research group for the study and education of death, dying, loss and grief.

Do you teach about dying, death, grief, or end of life care? Need some free resources for your class or assignments? We've got lots of great short articles, animations, and interactives you could use on our Open Thanatology Hub on OpenLearn. www.open.edu/openlearn/he... #ThanatologyThursday

A new Open University PhD studentship, inspired by the palliative and end of life care JLA Priorities and associated To Know Dying report, is available.
Interested? Contact Katie Davis - katie.davis@open.ac.uk

More details below👇

📢 Reminder: Still time to register!

Join us for our webinar: Schools: Supporting Bereaved Students

🗓 Date: Friday 21st of November
🕒 Time: 12:30pm-2pm
👉 Register: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/supporting-bereaved-children-an-open-evening-for-parents-carers-tickets-1794621403929?aff=bluesky
#BCAW2025

Ah yes, thank you, pain, for being so intense today that I couldn't finish sentences mid-speech in meetings. Including when responding to direct, simple questions. Grateful for the patience of colleagues in those moments.