Jay Hulme 's avatar

Jay Hulme

@jayhulmepoet.bsky.social

3513 followers 218 following 260 posts

Poet. Speaker. Educator. Performer. Adult, YA, and Children's poetry. Occasionally picture books. Lots of tweets about churches. Unapologetically trans (he/him)

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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There's nothing like a friend basically saying "I don't believe in the same thing as you, but I recognise that it's important to you; and I know you don't believe in the same thing as me, but take this gift, it's the most I can give you, even if you don't understand it."

1 replies 7 reposts 96 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I wonder how many other pilgrims in the past, setting out on a long journey that they could never be truly prepared for, took similar talismans with them, handed over by those who love them, and who look forward to welcoming them home.

1 replies 1 reposts 50 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Leaving for my long pilgrimage and my friend, a witch, presses a hagstone into my hand, says it's for guidance, and a safe journey. I tie it to my bag, later, at the end of a Eucharist the Priest blesses it with the rest of my kit. He prays for us, too, for guidance, and a safe journey.

1 replies 2 reposts 95 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I join my voice to those who are, (behind the scenes) pushing for a full independent review of the way this situation was handled. "whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops." - Luke 12:3

0 replies 1 reposts 24 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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And, as that statement says - l encourage ALL victims of Venessa, and other abusers within church structures, to come forward and seek support. That's all I ever wanted, as I pursued this case through multiple diocesan and legal structures. For other victims to be supported.

1 replies 2 reposts 16 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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We cannot allow Cover ups of abuse to continue, or for victims to continue to be silenced by those with power. There are things I have not been able to say about this. Things still do not feel able to say. But will be prayerfully reconsidering my silence in respect of this.

1 replies 1 reposts 21 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Fascinating that the one thing asked of the Diocese, despite all their catastrophic mis-handlings of this case (though I do want to make clear that the safeguarding team did their best) - that a statement is issued so that other victims can feel able to come forward - has been reneged on.

2 replies 3 reposts 20 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Currently in an informal support meeting with other victims of my stalker within the diocese, and have just been told by them, (not by the diocese), that this was taken down weeks ago.

4 replies 5 reposts 24 likes

Reposted by Jay Hulme

Zoe Tunnell's avatar Zoe Tunnell @zoewithasword.bsky.social
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It is very exhausting to see people doing "ha ha look how dumb Chat GPT is it can't get basic questions right" right as we are getting constant stories about how much energy even basic queries for AI uses up. Just don't use it! The bit isn't that funny!

8 replies 392 reposts 849 likes

Reposted by Jay Hulme

Joe Dunman's avatar Joe Dunman @joedunman.bsky.social
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We have the technology to find precisely what existing thing you’re looking for on the Internet but instead here’s technology that finds nothing at all and makes up nonsense instead. That will be $100 billion and all the electricity please.

6 replies 199 reposts 777 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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(the extra price also encourages you to buy your books from bookshops unless you genuinely want a signed copy, because, as you can imagine, I like to keep a good relationship with booksellers and don't want to poach their trade)

0 replies 0 reposts 8 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I like to give bookshops a fair few months before putting a book up on my site - and I only offer signed copies. The signed copies cost £2 more than unsigned copies, and that extra price subsidises the copies of my children's books that I donate to schools and such.

1 replies 0 reposts 7 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Don't worry if you don't live on the damp and haunted island I call my home, I ship internationally!

1 replies 1 reposts 7 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Signed and dedicated copies of my latest book are finally available from my website. They'll be up until the end of the month, at which point I'll be going on a 500 mile pilgrimage, so won't be able to sign books for a while.

Grab em while they're still damp and mossy:
jayhulme.com/shop/the-van...

1 replies 9 reposts 24 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I absolutely adore the way Theodora renders the clothing in this window, especially Simeon's pink and purple robe. It's such a vibrant and shimmering use of colour, and genuinely glows against the dim stone walls.

0 replies 2 reposts 19 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Theodora Salisbury was born in Leicester, trained in London, and worked between the two world wars (so there's not a huge amount of her work out there). She would sign her work with a small painted peacock on one of the quarries of glass. You can see it here, below the crest.

1 replies 4 reposts 26 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I have been trying to get this photo of the Lady Chapel window at St Nick's for years. It's really hard to get it neat and lined up and in the right light and I finally succeeded! This window is from 1929 and was created by Theodora Salisbury. It's my favourite window in the church!

3 replies 9 reposts 99 likes

Reposted by Jay Hulme

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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It's Joan of Arc's feast day. Here's a poem about her from my latest book.

1 replies 16 reposts 57 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I am EXTREMELY tempted! (We are very overdue a hangout regardless)

1 replies 0 reposts 3 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I was not the first to complain. I was just the only one to involve the police.

1 replies 0 reposts 6 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Finally, in the full knowledge that I am not the only victim, I echo the Diocese in encouraging anyone affected by this or similar behaviour to seek help and support, whether that be to Diocesan safeguarding teams if the situation involves the church, or to charities such as the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

0 replies 1 reposts 50 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I am all too aware of horrendous accusations my stalker made against me, many of them backed up by fake accounts created in my name, or photoshopped screenshots, and I sincerely hope that any assumptions made off the back of these horrible things are now considered in a new light.

1 replies 1 reposts 40 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I am very grateful for the support of my friends, and for all of you, who contained to support me and my work, even as my productivity noticeably dropped off. I have lost many thousands of pounds of work and genuinely could not have made it through these last few years financially without you.

1 replies 0 reposts 42 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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l am glad that recently conversations have been had about the fact that male victims of stalking exist, and hope that future victims have an easier time being believed and taken seriously when seeking justice than I did.

1 replies 1 reposts 52 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I am grateful for the work of the safeguarding team but hope lessons are learned more widely as to how someone engaging in such behaviour could, after it had been reported, be elected to General Synod, the Crown Nominations Committee, and continue holding pastoral roles and power as long as she did.

3 replies 2 reposts 62 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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My stalker was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court today. I began being stalked in June 2021 and reported it to the police in January 2022 and the diocese in March 2022. I haven't been able to speak about it for fear of prejudicing the legal process, but it has been a very difficult few years.

14 replies 3 reposts 130 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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"straight off, a seagull came, pulling, pecking at the paper to take my words to God." Cara L. Mckee

0 replies 8 reposts 24 likes

Reposted by Jay Hulme

💖's avatar 💖 @uncannycarnage.bsky.social
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Thinking again this morning how thankful I am for the work of @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social

which has been so foundational in the recontextualizing and rekindling of my faith and religious practice.

0 replies 3 reposts 17 likes

Reposted by Jay Hulme

Jo Kershaw's avatar Jo Kershaw @mthrjo.bsky.social
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And remember, priests die in hot cars.

0 replies 4 reposts 36 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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"Christ bares Her breast in the darkness and speaks of a world full of love"

4 replies 11 reposts 39 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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"Christ bares Her breast in the darkness and speaks of a world full of love"

4 replies 11 reposts 39 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Not to be a toddler showing off their collage skills, but I've never made a zine before and I'm VERY proud of the one I just made at the church zine making night tonight.

3 replies 3 reposts 50 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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"let’s pound her fingers into paste, pound the hand open, [...]" - Nick Flynn

1 replies 2 reposts 11 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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"There's no other way to say this: I fell in love." - Yusef Komunyakaa

0 replies 3 reposts 15 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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I'm keynoting the Trans Theology Conference this year

September 5th & 6th. You should come. Especially if you're a trans Christian who feels alone in that or a cis person who works in the church and supports trans rights

Tickets for online & in person attendance👇
www.eventbrite.com/e/transgende...

0 replies 9 reposts 50 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Me, seeing a strange doorway in an old church: "oooh! There's not a 'no entry' sign!" Me, moments later, from the creaking and pendulous darkness: "There DEFINITELY should have been a 'no entry' sign!"

1 replies 4 reposts 113 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Pov: you think you're alone in an old church, until suddenly you hear a suspicious climbing noise...

4 replies 3 reposts 67 likes

Jay Hulme 's avatar Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
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Do you feel lic a prinses? Yes or 【𝗡𝗼】 ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴀᴍ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ

4 replies 45 reposts 316 likes