Sheffield Gothic Blog Re-Launch

The University of Sheffield Gothic group would like to welcome you to the 2015 Gothic Blog re-launch!  We’re always working to improve the site and our engagement with Gothic studies. To celebrate a new year of Gothic research and to preview our interdisciplinary and public engagement program “Re-Imagining the Gothic” we’re bringing you two weeks of Gothic blog posts for your Goth-themed entertainment and enlightenment.

We will be posting a new Gothic-themed blog every other day for the next two weeks.  These works represent a range of thoughts, experiences and research from members of the Sheffield Gothic Group, all of whom put in a great deal of time and energy into making Sheffield Gothic what it is.  Past blog posts are still easily accessible through this site and we encourage you to browse through them – we've covered all sorts of themes and topics and will continue to do so in the future.  If there’s one thing we've learned it’s that there is something Gothic for everyone!

As a member of Sheffield Gothic who is now approaching the end of her third and (theoretically) final year at the University of Sheffield, I’d like to thank all the barbarous Goths in Sheffield and in connected institutions such as the University of Manchester for their enthusiasm and commitment, both to the blog and to Sheffield Gothic in general.  Working in Sheffield Gothic has been an amazing experience, not only in the big Gothic projects we’ve done but also in the little day-to-day conversations and emails and meetings.  You guys are the best, most barbaric, wickedest, creepiest, spookiest, kookiest, smartest, most sublimely terrifying Goths I know! Thanks for being awesome!

We didn't choose the Goth life...

Sheffield Gothic is always on the look-out for new projects and new ways of exploring Gothic studies.  We encourage you to attend our reading group meetings for in-depth yet informal discussions about the Gothic, or to contact us if you want to engage with the Gothic in some other project.  We’re a pretty normal bunch of people (in the daylight) and we're always striving to create a fun and comfortable environment for the new members of our army of darkness.

We also encourage you to attend “Re-imagining the Gothic” a symposium and showcasing event on May 9^th at the University of Sheffield.  This will be an innovative event demonstrating the complex nature of Gothic studies and its interdisciplinary implications (always trying to answer that great question – "but is it Gothic?").  It’s also a much larger attempt to inspire, create, and present new ways of exploring the ‘Gothic’ and integrating Gothic studies into myriad areas of research.  We are hoping to use the experiences and projects inspired and created through “Re-imagining the Gothic” to expand the boundaries of Gothic studies and to develop the Sheffield Gothic online presence as a space where people can present and promote Gothic research.  Please check out our blog pages for a complete schedule and "Re-imagining the Gothic" information or follow @Reimagining15 on Twitter.

Those interested in Gothic studies can contact us at gothicreadinggroup@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter @SheffieldGothic

Enjoy the re-launch of the Sheffield Gothic Blog!  Stay tuned for new blog posts fro Sheffield Gothic!

Kathleen Hudson is a third year postgraduate researcher in Gothic studies at the University of Sheffield.  She is just one of many Gothic minions spreading uncanny joy wherever she goes.