My new thing is to answer questions if I see a college tour passing. Inevitably someone says, "You're a professor?!' And then I look like a deranged Goth Mary Poppins as I explain games and performance before retreating back into the woods.
UC professors have a Union, and it's deeply impactful. Our colleagues at USC deserve a Union, and to be met with this type of resistance shows that administration often doesn't understand that the power isn't in who staples the papers in an office, but who is literally teaching the classes.
This is worth it. Come hear what's new and going down in Nordic Larp. ❣️
Yeah, the conference is that special. I can argue with people, dance with them, make a larp, argue again, write a paper, come up with a new theory and walk away confident I am respected and cared for. Then get home and argue again.
Knutepunkt is happening and I haven't seen my friends and colleagues for so long that yesterday when I assigned a bunch of their videos and papers for my students I literally burst into tears. I'm still holding out hope that my class loads will let me come home next year. ❣️
Anyway if you've wondered why I've been excruciatingly silent it's because I spend every waking moment of the day trying to teach while AI encroaches upon my charges' very way of expressing themselves. Hard to do anything of my own when so many of my students need a real person to engage with.
When I became a tenure track professor I had no clue I would be at the forefront of fighting for the soul of arts education in a way that mirrors a fantasy epic written by a man whose only brush with academia was a hastily researched paper he did in his freshman year art history course.
I'm working on a new theory and a new model of immersion while making a new set of larps that are explicitly designed for emancipatory bleed. If you're going to Neotropolis, you can sign up to play but first I need a few interesting places to set up shop! If that's you, fill out that form.
Are you going to Neotropolis? Do you wish there was more... futurism? Do you have a semi private space that can fit at least 4 people and want to help me run my Afrofuturist non-affiliated larp and be a part of my new line of research? Well, it's your lucky day. forms.gle/Arq9HKCPgB6J....
Excuse me how did you get this image of me, I did not consent. 😅
It is also important to note that I was not embarrassed by walking around in jeans with Hamlet quotes in highschool. In fact, much later as a grown ass adult, I bought Hamlet quote leggings and wore them to Inside Hamlet (held at Kronborg Castle) for workshop day. So be a little weirdo kids. ✨
One important piece of personal lore to know about me is that in highschool I memorized Hamlet and wrote quotes all over my favorite pair of jeans. My AP English teacher let me skip the unit test on Hamlet and made me promise not to wear my pants on test day so no one could read my legs.
The Quarter system btw is perhaps the most exhausting of the college time cycles. Everyone is planning on a spring break and I'm planning on starting two new classes. 🫠
I answered 76 emails this week so far. End of the Quarter. GDC. Union stuff. Service. Here's hoping I get to the last 27 so I can write up my GDC feels. And grade. 🫠
This year's festival includes a call for games! Come larp, run a ttrpg, etc. Come play with us!
Completely forgot to mention that I will be giving a whole ass workshop at GDC on Transformational Game Design and running my game Nightmare High, which was made especially to introduce teens into tabletop role-playing. ✨ You'll see me mostly running around with @bananachangames.bsky.social.
I think this every fucking time I see them.
A person with brown eyes and tan skin in a green velvet robe.
They asked me to NPC for them, and I got to die dramatically. The world is a mess, but I always have hope for the future when I let my students do weird shit. Tomorrow I have two more groups!
My students are running their first larps today and tomorrow and I am actually *crying* in pride.
I think I've said this before, but this time I bought a larp mallet.
Design Mentors!
Make a Scene provides its authors an experienced mentor for one-to-one feedback, advice, and support. Anyone can benefit a sympathetic person to bounce ideas off of, and first-time larp designers are especially encouraged to apply!
Submit your pitch for a scenario by March 9.
I keep seeing job talk that are like, "Teaching is a stable way game designers can earn money while designing." And whoo boy is that a complicated and mostly untrue thing to say.
Wild thought for the timeline but if you don't like teaching and you're unwilling to give students what they deserve you shouldn't be a professor. If I didn't love teaching I absolutely would not in a million years be doing this job.
Tickets on sale now! Dive in, connect with others, & fuel your passion. gdocexpo.com
GET HYPE! 🎉
Game Devs of Color Expo returns September 22-25, 2026.
✅ Submissions are now open for panels, speakers, interviews, and games.
❌ No exhibition or submission fees.
💰 Speakers are compensated and all participants are considered for a grant.
You in? Tickets: ti.to/GDoCExpo/2026
It should also be pointed out that WGA representation can't be just for Video Games. People who make ttrpgs are literally creating games that studios want for IP. SFWA values us, if WGA takes us in, the Union only gets stronger. 🤷🏾
Every once in a while I have to use Tumblr for fandom research and I always come away with the feeling that maybe some of their thoughts should be inside thoughts not post it on the internet thoughts.
I don't know who needs to hear this, but teachers (ECE- graduate school) are fucking exhausted right now and have to keep teaching during *points to world*. It's rough normally, it's been extra rough for years, and right now it's basically boss levels rough. Don't beat yourself up, fellow educators.
Ash is correct! Consider learning how to be a street medic, you can also do childcare, conflict de-escalation, food distribution. There's a wide variety of ways to be useful to your neighbors.
Many many moons ago I specialized in photojournalism and often brought my camera everywhere. It's extremely important to get tools and training (or at least have advice) to keep you safe and secure as you report.
