Chris Forster
@cforster.bsky.social
Associate English Prof., Syracuse University.
Interested in modernism, history of media, obscenity, and computational approaches to literary studies (uh, fine *digital humanities*).
https://cforster.com
Interested in modernism, history of media, obscenity, and computational approaches to literary studies (uh, fine *digital humanities*).
https://cforster.com
Reposted by Chris Forster
the proximate reason i post here — beyond the fact that i like a lot of you and enjoy reading your thoughts and jokes and observations — is that this is a non-algorithmic platform where people share lots of stuff and people read what is shared. that's still valuable even if it doesn't "influence!"
December 15, 2025 at 8:17 PM
the proximate reason i post here — beyond the fact that i like a lot of you and enjoy reading your thoughts and jokes and observations — is that this is a non-algorithmic platform where people share lots of stuff and people read what is shared. that's still valuable even if it doesn't "influence!"
Reposted by Chris Forster
Folks, this is a massive (up to $5 mil) matching fund program for "Western civilization, American history and government, and civics." This is the govt siphoning your tax dollars off to those Centers for civics & W Civ being founded by conserv politicians and donors+
A new NOFO is out. “Endowments for Advancing the Humanities” to strengthen financial stability and sustain long-term work for certain organizations. Perhaps we should start a pool on who gets the awards.
www.neh.gov/sites/defaul...
www.neh.gov/sites/defaul...
www.neh.gov
December 15, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Folks, this is a massive (up to $5 mil) matching fund program for "Western civilization, American history and government, and civics." This is the govt siphoning your tax dollars off to those Centers for civics & W Civ being founded by conserv politicians and donors+
Reposted by Chris Forster
1/ In a recent @britishacademy.bsky.social video @rebeccasear.bsky.social from @brunelpsy.bsky.social takes a clear-eyed look at the 21st‑century rise of eugenics - an ideology that should have been left behind, yet is now re‑emerging in a number of troubling ways ⚠️🧬 🧪
Watch the full talk here 🎥👇
Watch the full talk here 🎥👇
The 21st Century Resurgence of Eugenics
YouTube video by The British Academy
www.youtube.com
December 15, 2025 at 1:48 PM
1/ In a recent @britishacademy.bsky.social video @rebeccasear.bsky.social from @brunelpsy.bsky.social takes a clear-eyed look at the 21st‑century rise of eugenics - an ideology that should have been left behind, yet is now re‑emerging in a number of troubling ways ⚠️🧬 🧪
Watch the full talk here 🎥👇
Watch the full talk here 🎥👇
Reposted by Chris Forster
And 10,000 steps to go before I sleep,
And 10,000 steps to go before I sleep.
And 10,000 steps to go before I sleep.
December 11, 2025 at 7:48 PM
And 10,000 steps to go before I sleep,
And 10,000 steps to go before I sleep.
And 10,000 steps to go before I sleep.
Reposted by Chris Forster
this represents the hollowing out of an entire sector of public education; nothing will address this besides some kind of disqualification campaign for the universities and admin that engage in this now
I like how they just come right out and say you don’t have to do any research for tenure, just offer courses that pass our ideological litmus test.
December 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM
this represents the hollowing out of an entire sector of public education; nothing will address this besides some kind of disqualification campaign for the universities and admin that engage in this now
Reposted by Chris Forster
This is from a satirical magazine written by Anthony Kenny and Julius Kovesi in Oxford, 1958-59. I have reviewed so many papers in the last 5 years that are basically just this.
December 10, 2025 at 11:54 AM
This is from a satirical magazine written by Anthony Kenny and Julius Kovesi in Oxford, 1958-59. I have reviewed so many papers in the last 5 years that are basically just this.
Reposted by Chris Forster
ok these are pretty fun to make
December 10, 2025 at 2:26 PM
ok these are pretty fun to make
Reposted by Chris Forster
My final manuscript in! And now I give you..... COVER REVEAL (US cover, UK is sooooo different but it's not public yet)
December 10, 2025 at 2:11 PM
My final manuscript in! And now I give you..... COVER REVEAL (US cover, UK is sooooo different but it's not public yet)
Reposted by Chris Forster
This is the Tufts PhD student who seized by masked agents on the street and jailed for two months because she wrote an op-ed calling for the school to divest from Israel.
December 8, 2025 at 10:52 PM
This is the Tufts PhD student who seized by masked agents on the street and jailed for two months because she wrote an op-ed calling for the school to divest from Israel.
10+ years ago I amateurishly wrote XSLT to convert a single TEI file into www.harlemshadows.org. There are bug fixes (& improvements) that I have meant to do for ages . But I despair of getting Saxon running...
December 9, 2025 at 11:06 PM
10+ years ago I amateurishly wrote XSLT to convert a single TEI file into www.harlemshadows.org. There are bug fixes (& improvements) that I have meant to do for ages . But I despair of getting Saxon running...
The end of Marianne Moore’s “A Grave,”
“and the ocean, under the pulsation of lighthouses and noise of bellbuoys,
advances as usual, looking as if it were not that ocean in which dropped things are bound to sink—
in which if they turn and twist, it is neither with volition nor consciousness.”
“and the ocean, under the pulsation of lighthouses and noise of bellbuoys,
advances as usual, looking as if it were not that ocean in which dropped things are bound to sink—
in which if they turn and twist, it is neither with volition nor consciousness.”
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?
December 8, 2025 at 4:36 AM
The end of Marianne Moore’s “A Grave,”
“and the ocean, under the pulsation of lighthouses and noise of bellbuoys,
advances as usual, looking as if it were not that ocean in which dropped things are bound to sink—
in which if they turn and twist, it is neither with volition nor consciousness.”
“and the ocean, under the pulsation of lighthouses and noise of bellbuoys,
advances as usual, looking as if it were not that ocean in which dropped things are bound to sink—
in which if they turn and twist, it is neither with volition nor consciousness.”
Reposted by Chris Forster
"Make Looney Tunes gay"
December 6, 2025 at 1:36 AM
"Make Looney Tunes gay"
Reposted by Chris Forster
True and maybe even obvious-- but we need to keep saying things like this to protect our sanity.
"Inflicting collective punishment based on the heinous and isolated crimes of one person is not a rational, appropriate or moral policy response."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/o...
"Inflicting collective punishment based on the heinous and isolated crimes of one person is not a rational, appropriate or moral policy response."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/o...
Opinion | I’m an Immigration Lawyer. Trump Is Shattering My Clients’ Lives.
www.nytimes.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:26 PM
True and maybe even obvious-- but we need to keep saying things like this to protect our sanity.
"Inflicting collective punishment based on the heinous and isolated crimes of one person is not a rational, appropriate or moral policy response."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/o...
"Inflicting collective punishment based on the heinous and isolated crimes of one person is not a rational, appropriate or moral policy response."
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/04/o...
… and Pokémon cards, and blind bags. I’m not kidding, kids entertainment has an alarming amount of pure gambling in it.
So much of this shit is gambling! Robinhood is fucking gambling! Crypto is gambling! Videogame business models are gambling! It's all fucking gambling! Laws need to really catch up to the fact that the brain can be hacked by this shit.
This is gambling, and we've essentially decided that it's okay to let it go on entirely unregulated for ??? Reasons.
December 4, 2025 at 12:24 AM
… and Pokémon cards, and blind bags. I’m not kidding, kids entertainment has an alarming amount of pure gambling in it.
Reposted by Chris Forster
Not sure if any single part of academia felt more like a weird cheat code than Interlibrary Loan. Like, I just say a book I want, basically any book, and this crack team of experts just *get it*????
December 3, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Not sure if any single part of academia felt more like a weird cheat code than Interlibrary Loan. Like, I just say a book I want, basically any book, and this crack team of experts just *get it*????
December 3, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Chris Forster
broke: teach the kids to code because it's employable
woke: teach the kids humanities because it's important to know about art, philosophy and other languages
bespoke: teach the kids to code because it's important to know about art, society, philosophy and other languages
woke: teach the kids humanities because it's important to know about art, philosophy and other languages
bespoke: teach the kids to code because it's important to know about art, society, philosophy and other languages
December 2, 2025 at 9:26 PM
broke: teach the kids to code because it's employable
woke: teach the kids humanities because it's important to know about art, philosophy and other languages
bespoke: teach the kids to code because it's important to know about art, society, philosophy and other languages
woke: teach the kids humanities because it's important to know about art, philosophy and other languages
bespoke: teach the kids to code because it's important to know about art, society, philosophy and other languages
Reposted by Chris Forster
Has this been posted yet
December 1, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Has this been posted yet
Reposted by Chris Forster
Absolute debasement of academic standards
*student submits opinion in psych class
*gets bad grade
*instructor says she can make whatever arguments she wants but must draw on empirical sources
*student & Turning Point says her religious freedom & first amendment rights violated
*professor suspended
*student submits opinion in psych class
*gets bad grade
*instructor says she can make whatever arguments she wants but must draw on empirical sources
*student & Turning Point says her religious freedom & first amendment rights violated
*professor suspended
OU has put the professor here on administrative leave:
November 30, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Absolute debasement of academic standards
*student submits opinion in psych class
*gets bad grade
*instructor says she can make whatever arguments she wants but must draw on empirical sources
*student & Turning Point says her religious freedom & first amendment rights violated
*professor suspended
*student submits opinion in psych class
*gets bad grade
*instructor says she can make whatever arguments she wants but must draw on empirical sources
*student & Turning Point says her religious freedom & first amendment rights violated
*professor suspended
Reposted by Chris Forster
Are you a grad student working on post-1945 culture? Could your research benefit from incorporating some data, even minimally? Want feedback from journal editors?
This Post45 Data Collective virtual workshop may be for you!
Applications are due DECEMBER 1: data.post45.org/news/grad-wo...
This Post45 Data Collective virtual workshop may be for you!
Applications are due DECEMBER 1: data.post45.org/news/grad-wo...
The Post45 Data Collective invites graduate students in the humanities or adjacent fields to explore cultural data reflexively and collaboratively in a mini-workshop hosted virtually on Friday, March 13. Details here: data.post45.org/news/grad-wo...
November 26, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Are you a grad student working on post-1945 culture? Could your research benefit from incorporating some data, even minimally? Want feedback from journal editors?
This Post45 Data Collective virtual workshop may be for you!
Applications are due DECEMBER 1: data.post45.org/news/grad-wo...
This Post45 Data Collective virtual workshop may be for you!
Applications are due DECEMBER 1: data.post45.org/news/grad-wo...
Reposted by Chris Forster
The EUP sale has our Companion to Modernism and Technology for only $22.48 (co-edited with Alex Goody). Really proud of how this one turned out. Brilliant essays and gorgeous images. edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-edi...
November 29, 2025 at 2:55 PM
The EUP sale has our Companion to Modernism and Technology for only $22.48 (co-edited with Alex Goody). Really proud of how this one turned out. Brilliant essays and gorgeous images. edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-edi...
Reposted by Chris Forster
Cyber Monday is a terrible name but @columbiaup.bsky.social is a great press and my book will be on sale for %50 off. All the slow motion for half the price!
cup.columbia.edu
cup.columbia.edu/book/downtim...
cup.columbia.edu
cup.columbia.edu/book/downtim...
Downtime | Columbia University Press
Slow motion has become perhaps the least special effect in film and media, a stylistic technique for showing violence, dream sequences, and flashbacks or oth... | CUP
cup.columbia.edu
November 29, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Cyber Monday is a terrible name but @columbiaup.bsky.social is a great press and my book will be on sale for %50 off. All the slow motion for half the price!
cup.columbia.edu
cup.columbia.edu/book/downtim...
cup.columbia.edu
cup.columbia.edu/book/downtim...
I just read "Arcadia" a few months ago and it was the most breathtaking thing I've read in a while. A hilarious play, but the closing image of Septimus and Thomasina waltzing is haunting.
My favorite playwright, perhaps ever. Also a genius screenplay doctor. His uncredited work on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade made it unforgettable. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Playwright Sir Tom Stoppard dies at 88
Sir Tom won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for the screenplay for Shakespeare In Love.
www.bbc.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:05 PM
I just read "Arcadia" a few months ago and it was the most breathtaking thing I've read in a while. A hilarious play, but the closing image of Septimus and Thomasina waltzing is haunting.
Reposted by Chris Forster
Without much reading, you will no more be able to penetrate the moral of the next marbled page (motley emblem of my work!) than the world with all its sagacity has been able to unravel the many opinions, transactions, and truths.
(Happy birthday to Laurence Sterne.)
(Happy birthday to Laurence Sterne.)
November 24, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Without much reading, you will no more be able to penetrate the moral of the next marbled page (motley emblem of my work!) than the world with all its sagacity has been able to unravel the many opinions, transactions, and truths.
(Happy birthday to Laurence Sterne.)
(Happy birthday to Laurence Sterne.)
Reposted by Chris Forster
a Friday surprise! my beloved book, Other Networks: A Radical Technology Sourcebook, is now officially back in print AND ON SALE! #othernetworks if you know folks who have been trying to track down a copy, I'd love it if you'd repost shop.mexicansummer.com/merch/495898...
Lori Emerson - Other Networks: A Radical Technology Sourcebook. Mexican Summer & Anthology.
Buy Other Networks: A Radical Technology Sourcebook by Lori Emerson on Mexican Summer & Anthology.
shop.mexicansummer.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:11 PM
a Friday surprise! my beloved book, Other Networks: A Radical Technology Sourcebook, is now officially back in print AND ON SALE! #othernetworks if you know folks who have been trying to track down a copy, I'd love it if you'd repost shop.mexicansummer.com/merch/495898...