Finished grading for my "Thinking Kink with the Early Moderns" course. So many great topics: kinky fantasies in The School of Venus, divine voyeurism in Hero and Leander, a comparative essay on kink in Massinger's The Picture and the show M*A*S*H, & Donne and sanctioned violence vs. colonization.

In my first semester teaching, I had a student write a paper titled “Kendrick Lamar is the GOAT.” I was so excited that students could write about things like this.

This week, I taught Lamar’s halftime show in my social justice class. It feels cyclical and saddening, as I wrap up my time as a VAP.

What a whirlwind of a day: started out with some medieval conferencing at #Kzoo2025, now heading off to the Hilberry Symposium to celebrate K College’s graduating English majors, and then I’ll round out the day by volunteering at K’s Monte Carlo event.

I’m trying to soak up every minute of my VAP!

Imagine my surprise when I opened an email with the subject line of “Library Reading Room Closed” to read the full email: “Due to the turkey collision incident, the Library Reading Room is closed until the window is repaired. Thanks for your understanding.”

Some professors celebrate Shakespeare's birthday by bringing cake or other treats to their early modern classes; I had the pleasure of bringing both Gillian Knoll and Joseph Gamble (virtually) to mine today for a brilliant discussion on their work in kink studies! #HappyBirthdayShakespeare

My Thinking Kink with the Early Moderns class is the best thing I've ever done, and I, quite literally, want to stay with this group of students and do this thinking and learning ad infinitum.

It is really bothering me (understatement) that the message is “bring back that one innocent guy” and not “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK SHUT DOWN THIS WHOLE OPERATION IMMEDIATELY.”

You may be fearing your 401k is no longer enough for you to retire. But with all the cuts to NIH and Medicare you also won't live as long. So the policies are integrated.

My final term as a visiting assistant professor is upon me, and I have all the feelings. But I decided to go out on two classes I’ve designed that are so important to me: “Thinking Kink with the Early Moderns” and “Social Justice: Art as Resistance.” Here’s a slice of the material:

I have been doing so much with Midsummer lately that this sign at the grocery store was inexplicable to me for at least 3 seconds.

I sent you
the war plans
that were in
the group chat

and which
you were probably
saving
for select eyes

Forgive me
they were juicy
and and I was
shitfaced

Do you ever think about the way that lesbians are into work, sport, art, culture created by women, but straight men are absolutely not interested in any of those things?

And how society teaches us it's natural for straight men to just be more interested in stuff by other men.

People say attention spans are short now, but theatrical playbills from the olden days are like:

ᴍʀ ᴡᴀʀʙᴏʏs ᴡɪʟʟ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍ
ONELY THE GOOD BITS FROM
- 𝕁 𝕌 𝕃 𝕀 𝕌 𝕊 ℂ 𝔼 𝔸 𝕊 𝔸 ℝ -
ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ʟɪɴᴇs ғʀᴏᴍ
- 𝕆 𝕋 ℍ 𝔼 𝕃 𝕃 𝕆 -
ᴡʜᴇʀᴇᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴍʀs sᴀᴍsᴏɴ ᴡɪʟʟ
𝙱 𝚁 𝙴 𝙰 𝙺 𝙳 𝙰 𝙽 𝙲 𝙴

Conferencing is both the most fulfilling and draining thing I’ve ever experienced, but I am so fortunate to get to be a small part of such a wonderful group of people. #shax2025