Summertime, and the Living is (Not Very) Easy

For most people in academia, the summer is a double edged sword. 

Throughout the teaching year, we promise ourselves that, this summer, we're definitely going to get that research project done and we're definitely going to rest. (We are too overwhelmed by our workloads to notice that those two promises counteract each other.) 

This summer, I have been trying to honour both promises. I went on holiday to Crete and spent most of the time reclining on a deck chair by the pool, reading books for fun! Of course, I also went to the Palace of Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, where I saw some antiquities that I've been yearning to see for years - especially the Blue Ladies and the sculpture of Artemis slaying Niobe's children. 

But I also have a very big deadline breathing down my neck. 

As you may have seen on my Bluesky account, I have signed a contract with a publisher! I am writing a book and a real publishing house wants to make it real! 

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but… I SIGNED A BOOK CONTRACT 📖 I’m writing a book about Greek myths & the manosphere and McFarland Press is going to publish it! This is genuinely my biggest dream and it’s coming true 🌙

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— Dr. Shelby Judge (@shelbyjudge.bsky.social) Apr 7, 2025 at 12:37

I am so, so excited about this project. I get to bring together my two great research interests: contemporary reception of Greek myth & Incels / the manosphere. 

I know the two seem quite disparate, but they converse with one another surprisingly well. Time for the elevator pitch: I am using figures from Greek myth as hyperbolic metaphors to explain and challenge the ideologies of different facets of the manosphere. Greek myths are full of personifications of certain character traits, and these can be mapped onto the extreme and unambiguous views within the manosphere. Hopefully, by using these familiar, ancient cultural touchstones, I can shed light on this shadowy but serious modern-day issue. 

 I don't think I can give much more insight than that right now, but stay tuned for more book updates - !!!!! - soon.

***

When I was offered this contract, I think I forgot to breathe for too long and my brain was dangerously deprived of oxygen. For some incomprehensible reason, I said I could have a draft completed by the end of summer. 

So, please forgive me if this blog post is shorter than you were expecting, but I have to get back to writing! 

***

That would be such a neat place to end this post, wouldn't it? Except, of course, that I have way more plates in the air than that. 

I am also - amazingly, unbelievably - on tour! Seed Talks is an independent events company that puts on talks around the UK. They invite speakers who are experts in their fields to give talks on topics of public interest. These aren't your usual public lectures - they're more of a mix between a TedX talk and stand-up comedy ... at least, that's how I'm doing it. 

I'm touring the UK with a show on Folklore and Women: 

For centuries, feminist writers and thinkers have turned to myths, legends, fairytales, religious stories, and cultural traditions to make sense of women’s experiences. All of these come under the umbrella of ‘folklore’. This talk will explore the enduring relevance of folklore, asking how these stories can be reclaimed and reimagined for the 21st-century feminist.

We’ll trace figures like the witch, the shapeshifter, and the maiden across different traditions, examining the societal norms they were created to enforce and how feminist thinkers have reshaped them into symbols of resistance and possibility.

Finally, we will ask why we continually return to ancient stories to tell new ones — does this suggest that we’re out of new stories, or is it a part of a longstanding literary tradition in women’s writing, to look back, to subvert dominant myths, and to challenge the patriarchal ideas embedded in our society?

You can find tickets here - I've been to Brixton, Bristol, and Manchester so far, and I've got further events coming up in Newcastle, Norwich, Leicester, Glasgow and Edinburgh. 

I'm hoping more dates will be added soon, as I absolutely love doing this. It's been an incredible experience, sharing my knowledge and passion with people all around the UK. 

***

I've also got a few journal articles in the pipeline and I'm writing the syllabi and lesson planning for more modules than I care to count for the academic year 2025/26. 

So, really this time, I do have to go. For anyone else in similar trenches: you might not make it to Crete this summer, but make sure you do have a break and you get some sunshine. Your body needs to build up some Vitamin D reserves before our bleak British winter returns.