…Eight literary Twitter accounts to follow
Since the majority of my time is consumed by two things, literature and social media, it brings me a certain amount of joy and satisfaction to compile this list. Literary Twitter accounts are wonderful streams of information for bookworms to furiously nerd-out for a few fleeting moments.
- Fake Library Stats @FakeLibStats
Whether you are a librarian or not, there’s something about this feed’s cardigan-wearing-cat-loving-nutter-but-secretly-a-genius-librarian aesthetic that forces a muffled snort out of me every time. The sheer ridiculousness of these made-up statistics about librarians will provide great procrastination entertainment. I’m not really sure why. Perhaps it’s the idiosyncrasy of its theme; or even the self-deprecation on which it so often bases its humour, masterfully opposing the current discourse in society about the futility of public libraries. Either way, it’s well worth a two minute scroll for some ephemeral librarian-themed fun!
- The Paris Review @parisreview
The Paris Review is a quarterly literary magazine founded in 1953 full of famous interviews and extracts from essays and fiction. These are usually captioned with a poignant quote which can be useful for capturing the imagination during furious Twitter scrolling fuelled by writers block. There’s also a certain je ne sais quoi about this literary magazine and I would recommend following it if you wish to balance out the’Kardashian to pretentious literary Tweets’ ratio on your feed.
- Electric Literature @Electriclit
I love the Electric Literature feed for rejuvenating literature by mixing the conventional with the unconventional. This Twitter feed is for those who are uninspired by their literature courses or want to find new ways of approaching texts. Often mixing media, technology and literature, Electric Literature really shocks dead texts back to life.
- Sylvia Plath @itssylviaplath
This next one is a classic: a Twitter feed entirely devoted to tweeting 140 characters of Sylvia Plath quotes everyday. I’ve followed this page since 2011 and I wouldn’t be surprised if the person who runs it knows the works of Plath by heart now. This page is perfect for your ‘bad days’ when you need to find that sentence which encapsulates the very complexities of your soul. Other practical uses include the indirect targeting of an ex in a more ‘poetic’ way by retweeting some of Sylvia’s harrowing quotes about heart-break.
- Olivia Laing @olivialanguage
Author of The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone actually discusses in this very book how Twitter saved her from feeling completely alone in New York. It is no surprise then that her Twitter feed is greatly entertaining. Mostly comprised of accurate and humorous observations about daily life, the beauty of this Twitter feed is the intermittent wisdom which chops up her tweets. Often recommending literature by the authors who inspire her as well as the knowledge that she takes from such works, Laing’s Twitter is a perfect curation of personality, prose and punch.
- Astro Poets @poetastrologers
A Twitter feed in which poets read the stars for you! Not only does this Twitter page articulate your horoscope in a poetic way; it also analyses the tweets of famous people through an astrological lens. Reading the tweets from this page is now integral to my daily routine and has made my life that little bit more pleasant.
- KimKierkegaardashian @KimKierkegaard
The philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard mashed with the tweets and observations of Kim Kardashian. Why? Well, that is merely an abstraction. Really, Kim Kardashian is a modern day Kierkegaard and the tweets evoke some interesting questions about the opinions and ideas we choose to valourise in academic discourse. Oh and it’s really good for, like, realising stuff.
- LitRejections @LitRejections
Perhaps the most wholesome on this list is Lit Rejections. This is essentially a Twitter feed full of inspirational and motivational quotes about getting back to your desk and trying after getting your work rejected. For further comfort, look no further than the ‘likes’ section to feel less alone.
Words by Rebecca Gaff
