‘Reading and Wellbeing’ during the Pandemic, Open University HOBAR/IES Annual Seminar Series

The Open University’s History of Books and Reading (HOBAR) research collaboration ‘Reading and Wellbeing’ seminar series kicked off on Monday 3 February at the Institute of English Studies, London. However, shortly after the launch, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. In the space of two months, lives have been turned upside down and our most natural instincts suppressed. Pandemic social distancing rules have cut us off from participatory culture, sport and social life, and is causing a surging mental health crisis. Never has reading matter, specifically, having books at home, been of greater importance. Confined to our homes, many have turned to the printed books on our shelves and the eBooks on our digital devices for reassurance, reflection, or escape. Putting this seminar series together in the pre-Coronavirus world, we had never imagined that our research topic would be so close to home for so many people, including ourselves.

Responding to this change, HOBAR have just launched a blog, hosted by the Institute of English Studies Virtual Community. This blog series will reflect on the HOBAR seminars' ‘Reading and Wellbeing’ theme, with organisers and speakers considering the relevance of reading and wellbeing in the current pandemic.

OU researchers Dr Shafquat Towheed has written the first blogpost, on ‘Reading and Wellbeing revisited: surviving the pandemic’ and will be followed by blogposts from OU English & Creative Writing colleagues Dr Edmund King and Prof Sara Haslam, as well as external contributors.

Watch the blog space for weekly updates.