Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1h

This is whimsical as fuck.

Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 1h

Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild, son of Nathaniel Rothschild, the first Jewish peer in England, once rode a zebra-drawn carriage to Buckingham Palace, to prove that zebras could be domesticated and should be legally permitted as transportation in London.

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 2h

Thank you!

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 3h

I miss them so much 😭

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 3h

Would anyone be interested in either a couple-hour writing club or a reading group (academic article or book)? Maybe once a week or every two or once a month?

Full disclosure: I am sad about being unemployed and I am in need of academic community and conversation to feel like me again.

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 17h

This review of James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein is much more about the cultural imagination of Frankenstein and the lives of the ideas within the story that were resurrected from Shelley's 1818 novel and made new again by Whale with a Depression-era slant on the monster 🧌

Monster Mash II: Monsters in a Crystal Cave of Culture – Black and White and Read All Over

A Contemporary History and Disciplinary Approach to Frankenstein (1931)

blackwhiteandread.com

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 17h

This review of James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein is much more about the cultural imagination of Frankenstein and the lives of the ideas within the story that were resurrected from Shelley's 1818 novel and made new again by Whale with a Depression-era slant on the monster 🧌

Monster Mash II: Monsters in a Crystal Cave of Culture – Black and White and Read All Over

A Contemporary History and Disciplinary Approach to Frankenstein (1931)

blackwhiteandread.com

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 18h

This week's review is a monster in itself, winding through my thoughts of a crystalline structure of the cultural lives of ideas. So, if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now's your chance to uh, well, — I warned you!
blackwhiteandread.com/monster-mash...

Poster for James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein, tagline The Man Who Made A Monster
Down the left side and across to the right are illustrated headshots of characters in the film including Boris Karloff as the creature and Mae Clarke illustrated in a full body pose in a wedding dress

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Dr. Damien P. Williams Wants A Better Sociotechnical Paradigm @wolvendamien.bsky.social · 1d

*Lil Jon Voice* States' Rights to What

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

CaptDedEyes @captdedeyes.bsky.social · May 29

This Tumblr post gave me a huge confidence boost:

Tumblr post that reads: kill the imposter syndrome in your head because not only is there someone out there doing it worse than you, they're also using chat gpt to do it

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Theresa Therrien @tdtherrien.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you SO MUCH for including me!! 🖤

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1d

Please check out our Announcements on Black & White & Read All Over for a CfP from @contingent-mag.bsky.social, a podcast series from @melusinagr.bsky.social, and praise to @tdtherrien.bsky.social and @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social for new book deals!

Please send your news/calls with us to share!

Announcements – Black and White and Read All Over

This space is reserved for you! If you have a talk coming up, a book on its way, a podcast trailer to drop, or an accomplishment to celebrate, we want to help you share it! Please contact us to share ...

blackwhiteandread.com

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 22h

Of course!! So excited for you!

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Joe Stieb @joestieb.bsky.social · 1d

This is savage and completely righteous.

Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 1d

With receipts!

www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/o...

‘Amoral, evil’: vitriolic backlash builds against comics who played Riyadh festival

Murder by bone-saw, lashings for rape victims, punishment amputation, jail for satirists … these are the Saudi human rights abuses fuelling the fury being directed at the likes of Louis CK, Dave Chapp...

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 1d

Authoritarians rule based on fear.

Ridiculing them this way weakens their propaganda.

It matters.

Laura Jedeed @laurajedeed.bsky.social · 1d

This video is everywhere because it's a hilarious visual refutation of Portland being on fire. You can't get a mass movement going without convincing the masses

so yes, this does do something actually

Post

Dallas Steele

@Cherrykickstart

Follow

This literally does nothing. You are not beating fascism by dressing up in inflatable suits and dancing

Quote tweeting Claude Taylor @TrueFactsStated

Follow

|

Portland is leading the way. This is how you (non violently) beat Fascism. Humor and ridicule are key.

Stillframe from a video of Portland protesters dancing in inflatable suits

9:17 AM 08 Oct 25 758K Views

13:01 09 Oct 25 32.6K Views

88 Reposts

11 Quotes

1,049 Likes

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1d

Please check out our Announcements on Black & White & Read All Over for a CfP from @contingent-mag.bsky.social, a podcast series from @melusinagr.bsky.social, and praise to @tdtherrien.bsky.social and @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social for new book deals!

Please send your news/calls with us to share!

Announcements – Black and White and Read All Over

This space is reserved for you! If you have a talk coming up, a book on its way, a podcast trailer to drop, or an accomplishment to celebrate, we want to help you share it! Please contact us to share ...

blackwhiteandread.com

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1d

I think this was one of my favorite reviews I've ever written. If you haven't checked it out yet, please do and please consider subscribing if you like it!

I'm currently working on this week's Monster Mash which should be up later today!

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 6d

This week for the first in my Spooky Season Monster Mash series, I watched a movie with the scariest monster I can think of: Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame in which the monster wraps himself in unjust laws and bible quotes to commit genocide and assault.
blackwhiteandread.com/monster-mash...

Poster for the animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). From the top of the bell tower, we see between the bells down into Paris blazing in orange. Quasimodo sits on the ledge reaching out for a dove.

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

jenn m. jackson @jennmjacksonphd.bsky.social · 1d

The fact that so many US citizens have no idea Bad Bunny is also a US citizen (and don't believe he can be a US citizen) tells you that when they say "citizen," they really just mean white.

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 6d

This week, I was prompted to review The Hunchback of Notre Dame from a genre perspective and I realized it's probably the film I would most recommend for everyone right now, young and old alike.

Frollo is a genocidal potential rapist who gleefully orders law enforcement to murder innocent civilians

And you might be like, “V, what the fuck? You just said that this is a phenomenal film for kids? Are you some kind of sick fuck like Disney filmmakers in the 1990s?” And, yea, kinda. How many moments in reading just that little synopsis did you go “well that sounds familiar”? A rapist leader threatening to round up and imprison innocent people because they’re different, because they live lives untethered to his own “norms”, because they dare to enjoy being human, because they provide for themselves and their families by creating art and music, because they promote self-expression, kindness, generosity, and justice? Sounds like something to warn against and to teach kids young that that’s the worst, most evil motherfucker Disney could think of.

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Jonathan W. Gray @elmcitytree.blacksky.app · 2d

Updated the Blackademics starter pack again (!) to include Vincent Brown, Imani Perry, the Harare Review of Books and others. Stay tuned for more developments coming soon....

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1d

Congratulations!!! How exciting!!

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Theresa Therrien @tdtherrien.bsky.social · 1d

So, a lil something I’ve been cookin’ up…

Debut author, Theresa Therrien’s SAINT JOAN BLACKHEART to Annette Pollert-Morgan at Sourcebooks Fire, at auction, in a two-book deal, in a six figure deal, by Rachel Letofsky at Transatlantic Agency (World, English) for publication Spring of 2027

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1d

Most of the time I'm terrified of releasing Selling Out Santa publicly because I still can't believe someone let me write it and gave me a PhD for it, but someone who is reading it ahead of an interview said they're absolutely loving it and adding it to their own historiography chapter 🥹 and I cried

Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · Aug 28

Everything is terrible right now in general, but in personal good news, my book has a cover and I'm so excited to share it!!!

Selling Out Santa is about Hollywood's manipulation of the Christmas holiday for socially conservative ends in the early Cold War 🗃️
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/selling-ou...

A book cover from De Gruyter. A faded American flag's red and white stripes sets the background. In the foreground are three Christmas baubles: a darker red ball is in front coming in from the left, a white ball is behind it, and a light navy blue ball hangs behind that. White text reads the title: Selling out Santa Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy. On the blue ball white text reads Vaughn Joy and the series name pop culture in context

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Jennifer van Alstyne @jenvanalstyne.bsky.social · 1d

What types of academic websites are there? A guide for faculty, researchers, and graduate students, #AcademicSky #ScienceSky

theacademicdesigner.com/2025/types-o...

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Reposted by Dr. Vaughn Joy

Malinda Lo @malindalo.bsky.social · 1d

Hey, Massachusetts! Help tell our legislators they should pass An Act Regarding Free Expression to protect libraries, schools, and authors from book bans by sending them a postcard! Instructions on how to do this and where to get postcards here: www.massfreedomtoread.org/act @massaabb.bsky.social

Take Action — Mass Freedom To Read

www.massfreedomtoread.org

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1d

"Listening" is the key word there and you can tell from how Shapiro continues his inane question that he is obviously unwilling to do so. He'll turn over creative control of his thoughts to a machine but won't listen to a man whose career is dedicated to helping us expand our thoughts' horizons.

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 1d

We just finished watching Simon's Treme and @americanstudier.bsky.social and I went to a screening and conversation with him and Wendell Pierce last month, and if you spent even 10 seconds listening to David Simon talk about art, you would never "imagine" he'd ever want anything to do with AI.

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 2d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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