Presented at the American Literature Association conference then spent the rest of my birthday with Marc enjoying the Rookery building, some of Chicago's Filipino food offerings (Side Practice Coffee, Kanin, Del Sur Bakery), Ravenswood Spring Market, and catching up with a dear friend and her cat.

Thousands are marching in Selma calling for a full restoration of the voting rights act.

“We have made a technology that creates nothing but will ensure you have no future while we get richer and richer wait why are you boooing?”

My 2025 reads, courtesy of @thestorygraph.com #booksky

Here we are—what a fun panel! @rosstangedal.bsky.social @dawnburns.bsky.social @leahamilne.bsky.social @indianahumanities.bsky.social

Look at that beautiful cover! Look at those beautiful people! @rosstangedal.bsky.social @dawnburns.bsky.social @leahamilne.bsky.social

Being "evil is silly. It may be horrible, but it's not a compelling idea. It's predictable: it needs a tuxedo, a headline, blood, fingernails, all that costume to get anybody's attention. But the opposite... is survival, blossoming, endurance." --Toni Morrison youtu.be/5xvJYrSsXPA?...

Catch me at Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest on Oct. 11 as part of the Literary Landscapes of the Midwest panel with @andyoler.bsky.social, Olga L. Herrera, @dawnburns.bsky.social, & @rosstangedal.bsky.social @indianahumanities.bsky.social Free & open to the public. RSVP: events.humanitix.com/proof2025

“Because freedom, I am told, is nothing but the distance between the hunter and its prey." — Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous

In order for me to write poetry that isn’t political I must listen to the birds and in order to hear the birds the warplanes must be silent. – Marwan Makhoul

Check it out: the pre-order link for Lingering Inland: A Literary Tour of the Midwest! This book collects dozens of #LiteraryLandscapes essays, and pre-orders will ship in November—perfect for Christmas! www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...

I haven't had the will to comment more publicly on this, but to so tragically disrupt the joy of an event created for and by us is just so damn heartbreaking.

"That’s history. It happened whether it offends you or not.” -Octavia Butler, Kindred

📣 DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTERS ARE NON-BINDING GUIDANCE LETTERS. You cannot change what is considered illegal discrimination under federal law through non binding guidance.

Fantastic keynote at the Zora Neale Hurston conference. Dr. Deborah Plant discussed editing Hurston's books, Life of Herod the Great and Barracoon, and the importance of preserving culture, history, orality, and language in the face of the overemphasis on efficiency and generative AI.

Remember to keep your eyes on the prize: the future world you want to build Don’t drown thinking only of the things you are against Remember to dream of and work to create what you’re for

the attack on humanities/social science education, courses, and departments, the removal of books from K-12 libraries, and the rush to AI-ify higher ed all have the same outcome. It's different ways to neutralize knowledge, whether by erasing it or turning it all into bland porridge.

Part of the overall project with these systems in addition to eliminating critical thinking, is to water down anything transformative or radical.

Tree.fm allows you to listen to a random forest. This is beautiful.

Mister Rogers never misses

My year in books @thestorygraph.com #Booksky 💙📚

Without downloading any new pics, what’s your energy going into 2025?

Kicking off the winter break with the poetry collections of Lauren Alleyne, DaMaris B. Hill, Philip B. Williams, Tara Betts, Sequoia Maner, darlene anita scott, Nikky Finney, and more. #Booksky 💙📚

20 years ago we were suing teenagers for millions of dollars because they were torrenting a single Metallica album and now billionaires are demanding the free right to every work in history, so that they can re-sell it. The law only ever serves capital.

Great list overall, but Danzy Senna and Percival Everett? Literary power couple. 💙📚

Animals with sharp objects 🔪🔪🔪 #art

I don't know who needs to know this, but Pro Publica has an online thing that will format a letter to your US health insurance company to demand the records behind a claim denial. (which the insurance is then legally required to provide in most cases) projects.propublica.org/claimfile/

Right now is a good time to call your reps and tell them you are against ANY form of book banning (including the "Parents Bill of Rights" bill). The GOP House majority is going to be super slim in January, and they couldn't get the entire caucus behind the bill last time. We can beat this bill!

Grateful for her 📚💙

Nature is healing.

Me leaving anywhere

Not Saeed's main point, but I wonder how much of U.S. cultural resistance to doing the reading/homework and getting smarter in general (note: not resistance to good grades—those are 2 diff. things) is a response to the pain it brings. Humans have done some bad things, and it hurts to learn about it.

Love when this book list drops every year: apps.npr.org/best-books/#... #booksky

Super excited that the #LiteraryLandscapes book has a title! Lingering Inland: A Literary Tour of the Midwest, forthcoming 2025 from @illinoispress.bsky.social

Featuring @jeffreyinsko.bsky.social @seeshespeak.bsky.social @taralconley.bsky.social @camdenburd.bsky.social @devintoshea.bsky.social @kellathornton.bsky.social @jraber.bsky.social @mattseybold.bsky.social @swellsr.bsky.social @dawnburns.bsky.social @dalockhart.bsky.social…

Plus @leahamilne.bsky.social @wickettred.bsky.social @werner1.bsky.social @charliecy.bsky.social @jacobbruggeman.bsky.social @ramya.bsky.social @jerklamerk.bsky.social @thomasruyssmith.com @jschiller.bsky.social @hobohistory.bsky.social & more!

I joined a cat cafe but it was kind of a neko chamber

Just picturing the response to my existential crisis being "I'm not sure what you mean by that, can you rephrase your question? Do you want to try asking that again?"

My article on #ZoraNealeHurston and indigeneity - "Making A Way Out of No Way: Hurston's Indigenous Inspirations" - is out with The Comparatist! If you can't access the article and want a PDF, let me know. muse.jhu.edu/article/940119 💙📚

The same approach to book covers is true now, except that they're sadly less intricate because many are reading on their tiny screens. 💙📚

These vintage gothic book covers are just *chef's kiss* 💙📚

My article on #ZoraNealeHurston and indigeneity - "Making A Way Out of No Way: Hurston's Indigenous Inspirations" - is out with The Comparatist! If you can't access the article and want a PDF, let me know. muse.jhu.edu/article/940119

I'll be giving a talk on Zora Neale Hurston for the Brownsburg Public Library on December 5. Details and link to RSVP here: indianahumanities.org/event/the-ma...

Just finished this beauty by @susanmd.bsky.social 💙📚 #amreading

Appropriately, hit 1000 days of gratitude journaling yesterday #Presently

you may not like it, but this is what the ideal schedule looks like

The Florentine Codex, the oldest Indigenous encyclopedia, a manuscript that documents the language, culture, politics, natural science, and the History of the Mexica and other Indigenous People of Mesoamérica is online, after seven years of work! Start exploring: florentinecodex.getty.edu

They're not book banners; they're just an organized group seeking "diminished access" to certain books by removing them from schools. (And libraries. And school book fairs. And bookstores.) stackedthoughts.substack.com/p/when-is-a-...