Preparing for the department holiday party:

Took this boy to the last day of my late 19c American lit class & WOW was it the best day for both my students & him:

Last call, friends! @hartmann-villalta.bsky.social and I are finishing up our annual list of lit studies publications—articles, books, book chapters—by NTT scholars for @contingent-mag.bsky.social. Please spread the word and send me your pubs by tomorrow/Tues 12/9! 🙏🫡

"O, how we entertain the angels / with our brief animation. O, // how I'll miss you when we're dead."

Why did no one tell me Freakier Friday was literally made for gay millennials??

Thanksgiving Dog Pile:

Happy Turkey Trot Day! This one went MUCH better than our first Lansing Trot eight (???) years ago.

UC Press is looking for a skilled Marketing Coordinator to help execute campaigns and keep our promotional efforts running smoothly. If you’re detail-oriented, collaborative, and ready to grow your marketing career in publishing, apply here: careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psc/ucop/EMP...

Actually doing holiday things:

Teaching post-doc position in UVa’s College, renewable for up to three years total. Apply!

I'm editing an anthology about unlikable characters and seeking work from younger writers, 15-21. If you know of one such writer who might want to submit their work for consideration, please share this call for submissions: audacity.substack.com/p/acquired-t...

Did you write a book/article *not* primarily about close reading but in which you discuss it for the purpose of your argument? Post a pic of the passage here👇! Seeking to collect instances of theories, framings, working definitions, etc. of close reading as they apply to your specific argument.

We are at it again! Myself & the wonderful @rcolesworthy.bsky.social😍 Seeking pubs -- articles, book chapters, monographs -- by contingent lit scholars for the 2025 list 👇👇 please spread the word!!! contingentmagazine.org/2024/12/08/2...

A good Sunday:

Finally watching the new Frankenstein; when Mia Goth appeared for the first time, my husband literally shouted.

Over the moon to have a little poem in the latest issue of @prairie-schooner.bsky.social, a journal I've long admired:

who has the recipe for the perfect coffee quickbread or loaf cake? (coffee as ingredient not coffee as accompaniment)

We're thrilled to announce the Pegasus Poetry Book Prize, recognizing a US poet aged 40 or older for their first or second poetry collection. In addition to publication by Graywolf, the awardee will receive $10,000 from the Poetry Foundation. www.poetryfoundation.org/awards/poetr...

ANMLY is now open for new work! We're especially seeking more from writers outside of the US, more nonfiction, & more translation! > anmly.submittable.com *Fee waivers available* Check out our latest issue to see what we're into! > anmly.org/ap41

Went to check out a stack of books dressed in weekend clothes & the librarian asked me for my student number. Still got it 💁‍♀️.

An actual headline at NPR, which suggests the end is indeed nigh:

Got a double strike on my last frame tonight & Bev--the tiny old woman sporting purple hair, a fedora, & a crucifix & solo-bowling one lane over--got so excited she gave me a high five:

Lit mag friends: I have a couple of undergrads who would be amazing readers for your journal. And one is looking for a summer internship, specifically (for grad hours, unpaid). Anyone have a spot to offer?

Never was there such a clown:

Omg how did I not know that The American Novel and It's Tradition was so CUTE in hardcopy?

Academic authors: self-promote! 💫 This is not a particularly popular account but: 🚨 If you have published a book in the last 5 years (since the hype wears off after a while), especially in the humanities, feel free to reply here and repost! 👇

In honor of her big 𝘑𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘺! win last night, a gentle reminder that Joyelle blurbed my first poetry collection (which you can still purchase here 👀: shorturl.at/pV0MM):

Delighted to have a cruisy little poem in the latest issue of the Gay & Lesbian Review / Worldwide!

We’re hiring interns! The application deadline for our Spring–Summer internship is November 25. Pay is $20/hour, 35 hours a week, with the option to enroll in health insurance. Apply here: buff.ly/buLv8c6

Today is the LAST DAY to submit works of drama to Third Coast---and our treat to you this Halloween is that submissions are free today! Submit using the link in our bio. #litmag #literarymagazine #opensubmissions #reading #plays #drama #writing

Some advice: do not buy Halloween candy early if you are in the middle of an intensive grading week.

New sticker for my water bottle courtesy of a colleague:

Mr. Boy is still awaiting a negative ringworm test (after ~6wks of quarantine 😩), so instead of going to the dog park, we have had to settle recently for visiting Dead Friends (who can't get ringworm):

We're looking for grad students who might want to work as volunteers at #MLA26 in exchange for free registration. We'll make sure you get plenty of time to go to sessions! www.mla.org/Events/2026-...

The face of a boy whose dads have returned after a weekend away:

Every time I read Mary Oliver, I wonder anew why people hate Mary Oliver. She is very good, actually!

Quote this with the first four Horror movies that come to your mind that are 10/10s for you. No cheating. Just the first four that pop into your head. The Others Talk to Me M3GAN Midsommar

TSA man wished me a happy early birthday (while working without pay!) 🥲.

The 11th annual Post45 Graduate Symposium will be hosted by Duke University's Department of English, February 20-21, 2026! Check out the CFP (post45.org/graduate/202...) and please share with anyone who might be interested. Abstracts are due November 14.

As an early birthday gift, my husband went to the Turkish market and got me

UC Press is looking for a Publicist! Help amplify authors, pitch stories that spark conversation, & champion bold, field-defining books. Apply here. Or spread the word! careerspub.universityofcalifornia.edu/psc/ucop/EMP...

Poets, Shenandoah reading periods are coming up fast! The one for Virginia poets will stay open till 10/31, but Samyak’s great call for formal experiment will hit the cap fast (I’d guess 3 days). www.shenandoahliterary.org/submissions/

C19 folks! Do you have a favorite book on American naturalism post-Jen Fleissner? What is it?? (Suggestions for articles that theorize the genre in broad strokes are also very welcome!)

Shutdown, Day 6:

My husband, hearing Adele come on the radio & having a revelation about what will solve the world's ills: "We need this. We need emotional singing. From a woman."

Merriam-Webster does it again!

Learn more & submit your work here: loom.ly/JUkTfFM

The University of Chicago is now hiring for a tenure-track assistant professor of fiction writing. apply.interfolio.com/174642