“The Democrat Intellectual Complex,” my essay on the Democratic Party and the decline of intellectual life in the US, is now live on Substack.

to @jefflawcdm.bsky.social, Emily Shortslef, Ellen Song, Michael Trask, and JCMS’s anonymous reviewers, for comments on multiple drafts; to Jeff Menne, for stewarding the essay through JCMS’s system; and to Lauren Stachew and her team at University of Michigan, for expert copyediting.

Jeff Lawrence's part 2 for El Roommate, "On Literature, Politics, and Privilege", continuing the essay a coupple of days ago for the "Two paths for the Whitexican novel". tinyurl.com/3un4hwnz @jefflawcdm.bsky.social

Now in El Roommate 'Two Paths for the Whitexican Novel'- This piece by Jeff Lawrence is not just a serious critique of the novels of Valeria Luiselli and Nicolás Medina Mora, but rather a systemic critique of the US literary markets. @jefflawcdm.bsky.social elroommate.com/2025/05/21/j...

Speaking today at the University of Kentucky on anti-Trumpism. Starting with Carlos Manuel Álvarez's line, "To see half of the nation trying to annihilate Trump is like watching a body attempting to get rid of its shadow.” Grateful to my old friend @jordanrbrower.bsky.social for the invitation!

COOL ELH NEWS: Exhibit 1! @jefflawcdm.bsky.social’s essay “Mobilizing Literature” is one of my favorites we’ve published, and I’m chuffed that @atpost45.bsky.social took note.

enjoyed the cluster but especially this response—i’m trained in comp lit/eastern european lit & i always get the sense that post45 forgets it’s mostly former english majors having a conversation with little knowledge of what’s going on beyond itself

The third GESEI Colloquium on Independent Publishing, titled “From Latin America to the World: Publishing Today,” will take place at Princeton University next Tuesday, April 8. Congrats to Nora Muñiz and the rest of the Princeton team for organizing!

What role do social movements play in recent literary history? @franciscondine.bsky.social and I gathered some brilliant scholars to debate Jeffrey Lawrence's essay, "Mobilizing Literature," published last fall for @atpost45.bsky.social

post45.org/2025/03/intr...

My response to the Post45 cluster, "Moving Beyond Institutionalism," discusses the challenges that a social movements-based method for post-1945 US literary study presents to the dominant institutionalist and neo-Jamesonian modes. @atpost45.bsky.social @post45.bsky.social
post45.org/2025/03/movi...

Nine responses to my 2024 ELH essay "Mobilizing Literature: Social Movements and Post-1945 US Literary Studies" just went live on @atpost45.bsky.social. I'm grateful to @dan-sinnamon.bsky.social and @franciscondine.bsky.social
for organizing the cluster.
post45.org/2025/03/intr...

Don’t the tech bros realize that if they destroy higher education nobody will read the AI stories?

Donald Trump is an unrepentant racist, a grotesque caricature of all the worst aspects of our society, and an embarrassment to the office of the Presidency and I look forward to working with him.

I continue to be confused by mainstream Democrats. Why are you surprised that Zuckerberg kissed the ring? At what point did he lead you to believe he shared your principles?

I think @jordanrbrower.bsky.social’s book is just terrific. A game-changer for anyone working on Classical Hollywood. Teachable, for sure, with superb readings, but also thinkable in the ways it reshuffles transmedia history and the place of the literary.