Five Years of Pubs and Pubs

Krysten Blackstone |

‘It started, as so many things do, at a wine reception.’

Laura Harrison, founding and long-time committee member, wrote those words in February of 2016 to celebrate the first anniversary of Pubs and Publications, fondly known to us as Pubs and Pubs. Now, five years from its inception, we, the current Pubs and Pubs Committee, mean to go on as the blog started – with good ideas, and wine.

We decided to celebrate this momentous achievement, FIVE years of Pubs and Publications, by looking back on some blog highlights. Throughout February there will be one, if not two posts every day, that we feel showcase what Pubs and Pubs is all about. These posts range from new additions written by old committee members, group posts, and some of our favourites from the archive.  You will also find that throughout the month there will be one throwback post for every Pubs and Pubs committee member from over the years.  We hope you enjoy reading and reminiscing as much as we have had scheduling and choosing these articles for you.

What is it exactly that Pubs and Pubs has done/attempted to do in the last five years?

Pubs and Pubs began with a committee of six PhD students, from the University of Edinburgh.  The idea was simple  – they wanted to create a helpful forum about the PhD, and all its highs and lows. The blog’s aim was to be space that had useful information pertaining to both standard PhD dilemmas like publishing, teaching, and conference-going, but also the lesser discussed aspects of the PhD like navigating the post-seminar pub trip, and the all-important question of which Hogwarts house do you really belong in?

Over the past 5 years, the blog has sought to continue that initial mission. To post, from a variety of contributors, articles that speak to the PhD experience, in all its many forms, fun and serious alike.

Now, for the crucial question:  Has Pubs and Pubs achieved what it set out to do? 

I think so.

• We have had 26 PhD students, from 14 different institutions, across the UK and Europe, act as Pubs and Publications committee members.
• We have published over 400 posts, from over 150 contributors on the blog.
• Our site has had over 204,000 views, from 198 countries.
• Each year, for the past 5 years, the number of views our site receives annually has grown.
• Pubs and Publications is the longest consecutively running, exclusively student-managed, blog in the UK. Even with all the caveats, we are pretty proud of this one (and moderately confident in its accuracy).

As you may be able to tell from this quite self-indulgent post, we are all very proud of what Pubs and Pubs has accomplished over the last five years.  Having said that,  it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the vast amount of support Pubs and Publications has received.

With many thanks to The University of Edinburgh for hosting our site, and the many guest contributors who have written for us over the years.  To the 26 incredible committee members who have founded, run, written for, edited and continuously offer unfailing support to the blog.  And lastly, but certainly not least, to you, our readers – new and old.  We hope you have found, and will continue to find, our blog as useful and as fun to engage with, as we had putting it together for you.

In honour of all of the above, please join the current committee and raise your cups of coffee, mugs of tea, pints of beer, glasses of wine, drams of whisky, shots of tequila, or whatever poison you prefer:

Here is to five more years of Pubs and Publications!

Cheers, everyone.

Krysten Blackstone is a current committee member, and former Chair of Pubs and Publications.  She uses her position to avoid writing/editing the thesis she has due in the imminent future.  Her research looks at morale in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War from 1775-1783.  You can find adamantly refusing to accept she is in her 4^th year and procrastinating further on twitter.