Thrilled to be featured in the January 2026 issue of @thenation.com with my colleague David Landes! I argue “no” & draw attention to how the loneliness crisis is a symptom of late-stage capitalism & a society unable to support its youth. I also share insights on digital & youth culture in Japan. 📱

“But that praise usually masks the reality that we’re absorbing stress the system refuses to hold. We become the buffer, the translator, the proof of concept, the person who makes things work without ever being asked what it costs us.” open.substack.com/pub/blckgirl...

Interested in data centers? In critical data center studies? Here's an open biblio -- anyone can add or borrow from it. Please do add anything that's missing. Enjoy! docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Returned to my PhD alma mater to speak with alumni, faculty, and current Princeton EAS PhD students about career pathways in academia! And in a full circle moment, I finished the first full draft of my book manuscript (!!) in the same cafe where I wrote my dissertation. 🥳 Excited for next steps!!

I’m on the ballot for the Diversity and Equity Committee! As an Afro-Latina scholar in Asian Studies, advocacy for scholars of underrepresented identities has been central to my service. If elected, I will work with AAS in aiding these scholars to thrive—not just survive—in the field.

Dream sale from my dream press!

Hey folks, I was lucky enough to be invited onto Ashley ML Guajardo (Brown)'s stream/podcast, The Work Left Behind. If you're free Thursday night at 9 pm EST, feel free to stop by! Twitch twitch.tv/professor_ashley YouTube www.youtube.com/@TheResearch... Spotify open.spotify.com/show/6pATELL...

Year 5 of the Black Feminist Theory Summer Institute: Applications are open, more info on our website. Please spread the word.

Japan Past & Present is pleased to announce that online registration is now open for Japan Past & Present’s symposium, "Humanistic Approaches to the Study of Premodern Japanese Law," to be held at UCLA with virtual streaming from September 26–27, 2025. ⚖️ japanpastandpresent.org/en/jpp-event...

this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like

First day (night) has been worth staying up until almost 4 AM @kimberly-hassel.bsky.social @paularcurtis.bsky.social Great stuff, provocative discussion. And Prof. Schmidt-Hori taking on internet trolls (and winning). Good stuff!!

omg??? @kimberly-hassel.bsky.social otaku hot girls rise up!!!

Check this out online or in person! On Friday I'll be presenting on teaching Japanese Studies in Japanese universities alongside Junxiao Leng and Alexandra Hambleton.

Excited to be back in Tokyo to present at this inaugural symposium! Please drop by/tune into our panel on 05/29: “Whose Japan Is It Anyway?: Navigating the Competing Desires and Crossed Thresholds as Japan Studies Scholars and More.” I’ll be presenting with Junnan Chen and Sachi Schmidt-Hori! ✨

Come work with me! My dept. at Meiji U. has an opening for a full-time, permanent faculty position (専任). Candidate must have native or near-native fluency in Japanese and be able to teach in both Japanese and English. App deadline: July 4. More info: (#7 on list): www.meiji.ac.jp/seikei/koubo...

Just listened to an *incredible* keynote today by Dr. @kimberly-hassel.bsky.social, titled “Mediating Afro-Japanese Encounters from Yasuke to Megan Thee Stallion.” Dr. Hassel’s neologism #OtakuHotGirlStudies promises some exciting transnational feminist scholarship! 🤩 👏🏽

Great keynote and so much more going on here ✨💖

I'm sitting in on this for the Queer and Feminist Perspectives on Japanese Popular Cultures Symposium 2025 and it's fascinatingly wonderful! You should follow Kimberly! Especially if you're interested in Black focused feminist perspectives on Japanese media!💯🙌🏼

"can the otaku hot girl speak?" - @kimberly-hassel.bsky.social phewww i need that book/paper *now*

all this to say, dr. hassel's keynote on "Mediating Afro-Japanese Encounters from Yasuke to Megan Thee Stallion" is incredible!!

I actually DM'ed Megan Thee Stallion and invited her to my keynote tomorrow, which is titled: "Mediating Afro-Japanese Encounters from Yasuke to Megan Thee Stallion." 😛🔥 Might be a long shot, but if she attends my soul WILL leave my body. #OtakuHotGirlStudies

Starting Monday!!!!! I’m so excited!! We are finalizing some details and it’s gonna be so so so good 😍 We sold out so quickly (300 tickets in 10 days) but we released a few more tickets to let people in from the waiting list 🌸🌸🌸🌸

Had a full circle moment this month: I delivered my presentation for the 2025 meeting of AJLS in the SAME ROOM as my undergrad senior honors thesis defense in 2016! I was high-key emotional to be back at Dartmouth as a Duke professor. Grateful for those who helped me get here. 🥹

Excited to be giving a public lecture at Kanagawa University, 21st of May about my research for my book on Harajuku (currently in the works)💫💫 “Hyperfeminine Harajuku: Exploring Queer KAWAII Practices in a Tokyo Subcultural District” It’s both online and in person- details on the flyer 🌈💕

We're looking forward to your keynote talk (and to the presentation by our own Lilia Yan!) 🎉

Absolutely thrilled to be delivering a keynote for the Queer and Feminist Perspectives in Japanese Popular Cultures Symposium 2025. Please register if you haven’t already! Can’t wait to think with everyone on digital mediations of Afro-Japanese encounters and #otakuhotgirlstudies. ✨

Since I will be playing Assassin's Creed Shadows for the first time tonight, I figured it would be a good time to reshare this article I co-authored with Kimberly Hassel and John G Russel! If there is interest, I may consider streaming my playthrough! criticalasianstudies.org/commentary/2...

An inspiring and important read!

Tomorrow! So excited to be in conversation with everyone. Also realizing that this is coinciding with the release of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows!

Friends and colleagues at/near Penn State! I'll be giving a public talk hosted by the Humanities Institute on Thursday, March 20th from 3:30-5:00 PM. Would love to see some familiar faces in the crowd as I present some new and ongoing research! events.la.psu.edu/event/mediat...

Publication day for my first book - DARK LABORATORY!! Released today. So happy to be in London with family. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Teaching tomorrow with this great @criticasianstds.bsky.social piece by @kimberly-hassel.bsky.social, @theblackblackmage.bsky.social, & John G. Russell on the Yasuke/Assassin's Creed controversy in tandem with my lecture on Nobunaga & modern Sengoku legacies. criticalasianstudies.org/commentary/2...

So excited to be a part of this! Check out our panel: "Reimagining Japanese Studies & Global Asias: Positionality, Perspectives, Possibilities." sites.psu.edu/vergeglobala...

Please consider submitting an abstract for this fantastic symposium!

I HIGHLY recommend Ellen's workshop for anyone working on a book project (especially a first book)! I participated in Ellen's workshop last summer and emerged with a solid book narrative, cohesive chapter flow, more confidence in my project, and new friends! Feel free to message me with questions!

I created this @dukepress.bsky.social starter pack, since it seemed like time! I'm sure I have missed some people so write me and I will add you in. go.bsky.app/D2cEz4t

Just got here and got dope stuff to share! Big thanks to @kimberly-hassel.bsky.social for asking me to write her!

Thrilled to share this new piece in @criticasianstds.bsky.social! I had the opportunity to collaborate with two brilliant scholars—Akil Fletcher and John G. Russell—on a commentary that addresses the controversy surrounding Assassin's Creed: Shadows. criticalasianstudies.org/commentary/2...

Finally joining this side of social media! 👋 Special greetings to any fellow scholars in digital anthropology, Black Studies, and Japanese Studies!