A guest post in our Your Stories series, by Kwizera Mugisha, creator of the Umwero alphabet. I. Introduction The Umwero alphabet is an African alphabet that is able to write all Ntu-related languages, but it is specifically for Kinyarwanda.“Everything needs a spirit to begin, and flesh to be revealed.” ~ Kwizera Mugisha. All languages are … Continue reading Umwero Alphabet: The Flesh and Spirit of a new Writing System – by Kwizera Mugisha
Writing on Mount Hymettos… in Duplo!
I recently published an article about writing on Mount Hymettos over the last (nearly) 3,000 years - a bit of a departure for me personally because I was trying out some new place-centred approaches to practised writing. Then a couple of weeks ago when I was playing with my son with his Duplo, I realised … Continue reading Writing on Mount Hymettos… in Duplo!
World Endangered Writing Day, and our first VIEWSletter
This Friday, 23rd January, is one of the biggest days of our year: World Endangered Writing Day (WEWD), an annual celebration of the diversity of global writing traditions. It is also a call to address the inequalities and threats that lead to the endangerment of some 90% of the world's diverse scripts, and the languages … Continue reading World Endangered Writing Day, and our first VIEWSletter
VIEWS events, January-April 2026
We are excited to announce our programme of VIEWS project and Endangered Writing Research Network events for the coming months. Find out about our one-day events, register for our seminars and browse the programme for our upcoming conference - all below. World Endangered Writing Day: Friday 23rd January Join Tim Brookes, Pippa Steele and a … Continue reading VIEWS events, January-April 2026
The festive epigraphist – with books and crafts
I didn't manage to write a post before taking a break for Christmas (sorry), but after having a particularly writing-themed festive season, I thought some of my experiences might be of interest. Read on for some book recommendations and ideas for fun craft activities (generally involving my two-year-old too). Written in the style of an … Continue reading The festive epigraphist – with books and crafts
Hieroglyph of Lovecraft
A story for All Hallows' Eve by Tian Tian “But the rest, countless plagues, wander amongst men; for earth is full of evils, and the sea is full.” This is the very sentence emerged in my head, like a pale dead fish surfaced from the boundless dark waters, when I was in that fiendish lecture … Continue reading Hieroglyph of Lovecraft
VIEWS Autumn Seminars 2025
We are excited to announce our autumn termcard of hybrid seminars, with three events coming up. The topics include Anatolian Hieroglyphs, Linear A and B, Greek alphabetic education and European and Japanese heraldry. You can find the details, zoom registration link and poster below. VIEWS Autumn Seminars 2025 Selected Wednesdays, 16.30-18.00 UK time In person: … Continue reading VIEWS Autumn Seminars 2025
The Foundry of the Baskervilles
Last week I spent a lovely evening at a special event (Make Your Mark) celebrating the work of 18th century type pioneer John Baskerville, immortalised in the font that still bears his name. It was run as part of the Small Performances project shared between Birmingham City University and the University of Cambridge, which is … Continue reading The Foundry of the Baskervilles
Writing Practices of Ethnic Minority Groups in China: The Dongba Script of the Naxi people
This post is by Yanru Xu, who joins the VIEWS team as a research associate at the beginning of October. You can also read this post as a PDF by clicking HERE. Apart from Chinese scripts, numerous other writing practices of ethnic groups have existed throughout China. Some of these were communication systems that made … Continue reading Writing Practices of Ethnic Minority Groups in China: The Dongba Script of the Naxi people
Your Stories: Joshua Jacob Nzamah and Kambai Akau, The Akai Script: Future of the Nenzit Languages
In an era when languages are disappearing at an alarming rate, even with advancements in technology and digital documentation, the threat to the growth and development of languages is more pressing than ever. A notable aspect of this trend is the system's failure to evolve in tandem with technological progress. It has not adapted quickly … Continue reading Your Stories: Joshua Jacob Nzamah and Kambai Akau, The Akai Script: Future of the Nenzit Languages
The VIEWS project 