Dr. Emily Friedman
@friede.bsky.social
Storyteller about storytellers.
18th century to today & beyond.
J.W.Liles Prof of English
Words: Polygon (RIP), LARB, etc
Next book: THE ACTUAL HISTORY OF ACTUAL PLAY (#TTRPG digital storytelling performance)
ecfriedman.com
(free) patreon.com/ecfriedman
18th century to today & beyond.
J.W.Liles Prof of English
Words: Polygon (RIP), LARB, etc
Next book: THE ACTUAL HISTORY OF ACTUAL PLAY (#TTRPG digital storytelling performance)
ecfriedman.com
(free) patreon.com/ecfriedman
Pinned
Dr. Emily Friedman
@friede.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Howdy, y’all.
I’m a tenured prof who studies storytelling outside the rules of mass media. This has included never-published manuscripts from during the age of print (1750-1900) & of late has made me a leader in the study of #TTRPG Actual Play.
I’ve learned a lot about friendship along the way.
I’m a tenured prof who studies storytelling outside the rules of mass media. This has included never-published manuscripts from during the age of print (1750-1900) & of late has made me a leader in the study of #TTRPG Actual Play.
I’ve learned a lot about friendship along the way.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
I mean, I irritate my friends sometimes, and they are the people who love me, I can entirely understand why people who don't, in fact, care about me would decide I'm too much to deal with
It's also humbling seeing that people have blocked me, and forcing myself to say, "that's okay".
November 28, 2025 at 3:41 PM
I mean, I irritate my friends sometimes, and they are the people who love me, I can entirely understand why people who don't, in fact, care about me would decide I'm too much to deal with
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
It’s useful to think about things like this in numbers of tenure track professors.
$53M is 575 assistant professors. Or more than thirty percent of the total number of full-time faculty at LSU.
$53M is 575 assistant professors. Or more than thirty percent of the total number of full-time faculty at LSU.
November 28, 2025 at 3:38 AM
It’s useful to think about things like this in numbers of tenure track professors.
$53M is 575 assistant professors. Or more than thirty percent of the total number of full-time faculty at LSU.
$53M is 575 assistant professors. Or more than thirty percent of the total number of full-time faculty at LSU.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Congrats to AW and CoC for their Classics status but also No Thank You Evil and Sodalitas for winning awards.
No Thank You Evil is by Monte Cook Games, aimed at kids. Sodalitas is a bright adventuring game by French designers Jan Van Houten and Nicolas Folliot.
No Thank You Evil is by Monte Cook Games, aimed at kids. Sodalitas is a bright adventuring game by French designers Jan Van Houten and Nicolas Folliot.
When the ALA recognizes one's work, that's pretty dang cool.
"The games recognized as 2026 Platinum Play Classics are Clue, Jenga, Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Apocalypse World, Call of Cthulhu, Mario Kart 8, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater."
#ApocalypseWorld #AW3rd #PBTA
www.ala.org/news/2025/11...
"The games recognized as 2026 Platinum Play Classics are Clue, Jenga, Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Apocalypse World, Call of Cthulhu, Mario Kart 8, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater."
#ApocalypseWorld #AW3rd #PBTA
www.ala.org/news/2025/11...
GameRT Announces 2025 Platinum Play Award Recipients
www.ala.org
November 28, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Congrats to AW and CoC for their Classics status but also No Thank You Evil and Sodalitas for winning awards.
No Thank You Evil is by Monte Cook Games, aimed at kids. Sodalitas is a bright adventuring game by French designers Jan Van Houten and Nicolas Folliot.
No Thank You Evil is by Monte Cook Games, aimed at kids. Sodalitas is a bright adventuring game by French designers Jan Van Houten and Nicolas Folliot.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
🎉 Upcoming BARS Digital Event: Romantic Creativity Roundtable
8th Dec, 1-2:30pm GMT
6 speakers reflect on the relationship between Romanticism & creativity as it permeates writing, teaching and research. Chaired by @adamneikirk.bsky.social
More details & free tickets: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6228
8th Dec, 1-2:30pm GMT
6 speakers reflect on the relationship between Romanticism & creativity as it permeates writing, teaching and research. Chaired by @adamneikirk.bsky.social
More details & free tickets: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6228
BARS Digital Event: “Romantic Creativity” Roundtable – BARS Blog
www.bars.ac.uk
November 19, 2025 at 3:26 PM
🎉 Upcoming BARS Digital Event: Romantic Creativity Roundtable
8th Dec, 1-2:30pm GMT
6 speakers reflect on the relationship between Romanticism & creativity as it permeates writing, teaching and research. Chaired by @adamneikirk.bsky.social
More details & free tickets: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6228
8th Dec, 1-2:30pm GMT
6 speakers reflect on the relationship between Romanticism & creativity as it permeates writing, teaching and research. Chaired by @adamneikirk.bsky.social
More details & free tickets: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6228
So much of this year I could not have predicted or planned. So too this week, this day. Such is the way of gifts. I hope I am grateful.
I hope you too are surprised by joy and beauty in the middle of so much that is hard, uncertain.
I hope you too are surprised by joy and beauty in the middle of so much that is hard, uncertain.
November 28, 2025 at 3:18 AM
So much of this year I could not have predicted or planned. So too this week, this day. Such is the way of gifts. I hope I am grateful.
I hope you too are surprised by joy and beauty in the middle of so much that is hard, uncertain.
I hope you too are surprised by joy and beauty in the middle of so much that is hard, uncertain.
November 28, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
To put this in context, I was offered a teaching track job in 2023 that had a salary of $55,000.
November 27, 2025 at 9:09 PM
To put this in context, I was offered a teaching track job in 2023 that had a salary of $55,000.
What a joy (and what a list)
When the ALA recognizes one's work, that's pretty dang cool.
"The games recognized as 2026 Platinum Play Classics are Clue, Jenga, Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Apocalypse World, Call of Cthulhu, Mario Kart 8, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater."
#ApocalypseWorld #AW3rd #PBTA
www.ala.org/news/2025/11...
"The games recognized as 2026 Platinum Play Classics are Clue, Jenga, Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Apocalypse World, Call of Cthulhu, Mario Kart 8, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater."
#ApocalypseWorld #AW3rd #PBTA
www.ala.org/news/2025/11...
GameRT Announces 2025 Platinum Play Award Recipients
www.ala.org
November 28, 2025 at 12:30 AM
What a joy (and what a list)
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Endowing a faculty position runs about $2–3 million, in case you were wondering
LSU confirms Kelly was fired 'without cause' and is owed his full $54 million buyout
Former LSU coach Brian Kelly has received a letter from LSU confirming that he was fired without cause and is owed his full $54 million buyout.
apnews.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Endowing a faculty position runs about $2–3 million, in case you were wondering
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
I made a public + curated 7+ hour holiday-themed playlist on Tidal, for all your winter & holiday soundtrack needs tidal.com/playlist/2b1...
I Made You a Winter Holiday Mixtape
Playlist - I Made You a Winter Holiday Mixtape - 148 items
tidal.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:13 PM
I made a public + curated 7+ hour holiday-themed playlist on Tidal, for all your winter & holiday soundtrack needs tidal.com/playlist/2b1...
I don’t really celebrate but I’m deeply thankful today to have many doors open to me, friends & family wherever my feet take me.
I’m grateful to sit with folks who’ve known me over half my life, rarely seen but treasured.
I hope you have people you belong to & belong to you, this day & always.
I’m grateful to sit with folks who’ve known me over half my life, rarely seen but treasured.
I hope you have people you belong to & belong to you, this day & always.
November 27, 2025 at 11:46 PM
I don’t really celebrate but I’m deeply thankful today to have many doors open to me, friends & family wherever my feet take me.
I’m grateful to sit with folks who’ve known me over half my life, rarely seen but treasured.
I hope you have people you belong to & belong to you, this day & always.
I’m grateful to sit with folks who’ve known me over half my life, rarely seen but treasured.
I hope you have people you belong to & belong to you, this day & always.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
It can't just be on the teachers and professors. Parents and other members of the community need to stand with them.
This is why OpenAI is selling so aggressively to education at all levels—they want to create entire generations of users incapable of reading, writing and thinking without ChatGPT to hold their hands
And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is
And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is
To bear out this rosy projection, HSBC assumes that OpenAI will become "as ubiquitous [...] as Microsoft 365" (345mm users worldwide) while bringing in 10x the number of users (3bn).
November 27, 2025 at 8:23 PM
It can't just be on the teachers and professors. Parents and other members of the community need to stand with them.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Pauses this to go get a cup of coffee at the best possible moment.
November 27, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Pauses this to go get a cup of coffee at the best possible moment.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Amazingly excited to see Lovecraftesque on Quinns Quest!
We will have copies for sale at #Dragonmeet2025 this Saturday and I'll put a link below to the Backerkit Christmas Holiday Sale which has a Lovecraftesque bundle in it!
#boxisthefuture #ttrpg #rpg #cosmichorror
We will have copies for sale at #Dragonmeet2025 this Saturday and I'll put a link below to the Backerkit Christmas Holiday Sale which has a Lovecraftesque bundle in it!
#boxisthefuture #ttrpg #rpg #cosmichorror
New Quinns Quest review is a boxed RPG special! 📦✨
I dunno folks, I think running RPGs out of 400 page hardback books might be dumb and bad
I dunno folks, I think running RPGs out of 400 page hardback books might be dumb and bad
Quinns Quest Reviews: The Boxed RPG Special!
YouTube video by Quinns Quest
www.youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Amazingly excited to see Lovecraftesque on Quinns Quest!
We will have copies for sale at #Dragonmeet2025 this Saturday and I'll put a link below to the Backerkit Christmas Holiday Sale which has a Lovecraftesque bundle in it!
#boxisthefuture #ttrpg #rpg #cosmichorror
We will have copies for sale at #Dragonmeet2025 this Saturday and I'll put a link below to the Backerkit Christmas Holiday Sale which has a Lovecraftesque bundle in it!
#boxisthefuture #ttrpg #rpg #cosmichorror
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Want to hold a major academic conference in the humanities and social sciences? We offer up to £20k (and sometimes £25k) for a conference on any topic to be held between April 27/March 28. Apply by 29 Jan 2026.
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
British Academy Conferences funding for UK-based researchers
An exceptional opportunity for UK-based scholars to run a landmark event featuring leading-edge research as part of the British Academy’s events programme.
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
November 26, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Want to hold a major academic conference in the humanities and social sciences? We offer up to £20k (and sometimes £25k) for a conference on any topic to be held between April 27/March 28. Apply by 29 Jan 2026.
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
"oh, you research literature? you must get to read all the time, how fun!"
*me, going through every single (digital) issue of an 18th century daily newspaper to make a spreadsheet listing number of advertisements and the portion of them that were for books*
*me, going through every single (digital) issue of an 18th century daily newspaper to make a spreadsheet listing number of advertisements and the portion of them that were for books*
November 27, 2025 at 2:30 PM
"oh, you research literature? you must get to read all the time, how fun!"
*me, going through every single (digital) issue of an 18th century daily newspaper to make a spreadsheet listing number of advertisements and the portion of them that were for books*
*me, going through every single (digital) issue of an 18th century daily newspaper to make a spreadsheet listing number of advertisements and the portion of them that were for books*
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Hm. It’s really strange to see boxed games having a moment and being really exciting for design space while being at a very tricky moment production-wise when we see boardgame companies struggling and shutting down.
November 27, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Hm. It’s really strange to see boxed games having a moment and being really exciting for design space while being at a very tricky moment production-wise when we see boardgame companies struggling and shutting down.
In terms of the goals of QQ, I would argue this is the best work Quinns has done to date.
New Quinns Quest review is a boxed RPG special! 📦✨
I dunno folks, I think running RPGs out of 400 page hardback books might be dumb and bad
I dunno folks, I think running RPGs out of 400 page hardback books might be dumb and bad
Quinns Quest Reviews: The Boxed RPG Special!
YouTube video by Quinns Quest
www.youtube.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:09 PM
In terms of the goals of QQ, I would argue this is the best work Quinns has done to date.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
I have two books, but instead of promoting them, I will promote someone else's.
Alison Parish's "Wendit Tnce Inf", a book of poems that can never be read—in two ways:
1. The letters are almost but not quite real.
2. The book (56 copies printed) is sold out.
www.aleator.press/releases/wen...
Alison Parish's "Wendit Tnce Inf", a book of poems that can never be read—in two ways:
1. The letters are almost but not quite real.
2. The book (56 copies printed) is sold out.
www.aleator.press/releases/wen...
November 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I have two books, but instead of promoting them, I will promote someone else's.
Alison Parish's "Wendit Tnce Inf", a book of poems that can never be read—in two ways:
1. The letters are almost but not quite real.
2. The book (56 copies printed) is sold out.
www.aleator.press/releases/wen...
Alison Parish's "Wendit Tnce Inf", a book of poems that can never be read—in two ways:
1. The letters are almost but not quite real.
2. The book (56 copies printed) is sold out.
www.aleator.press/releases/wen...
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
from what i can tell we're in a period where the rammies of lyric games are rippling outwards, OSR has never been more brightly colored/ubiquitous/dead, we're on the edge of an apocalypse world renaissance, and walled gardens dominate
November 27, 2025 at 4:55 AM
from what i can tell we're in a period where the rammies of lyric games are rippling outwards, OSR has never been more brightly colored/ubiquitous/dead, we're on the edge of an apocalypse world renaissance, and walled gardens dominate
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Did you know games are cool?? Find out at our next Playtest Zero! For our US-friendly session, join us next Thursday, 4 December from 6 pm (PT) / 9 pm (ET) to late over at the Session Zero Discord server to do some 1-hour playtests of TTRPGs/game bits and chat with other designers! (Image unrelated)
November 27, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Did you know games are cool?? Find out at our next Playtest Zero! For our US-friendly session, join us next Thursday, 4 December from 6 pm (PT) / 9 pm (ET) to late over at the Session Zero Discord server to do some 1-hour playtests of TTRPGs/game bits and chat with other designers! (Image unrelated)
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
“‘You are the world expert in your idea,’ I would say.”
This essay is big-hearted, heart-aching, tenderhearted, 🫀. It’s also so wise about the value of close reading, now/forever.
This essay is big-hearted, heart-aching, tenderhearted, 🫀. It’s also so wise about the value of close reading, now/forever.
I wrote an essay for @bostonreview.bsky.social about what I learned about close reading when I taught at West Virginia University
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
The Claims of Close Reading - Boston Review
Literary studies have been starved by austerity, but their core methodology remains radical.
www.bostonreview.net
November 27, 2025 at 4:13 AM
“‘You are the world expert in your idea,’ I would say.”
This essay is big-hearted, heart-aching, tenderhearted, 🫀. It’s also so wise about the value of close reading, now/forever.
This essay is big-hearted, heart-aching, tenderhearted, 🫀. It’s also so wise about the value of close reading, now/forever.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
What's the flavour of the current era of TTRPG design? Social Media Refragmentation? Is it a consolidation cycle? What are the new upcoming designers struggling with and against now?
November 27, 2025 at 4:18 AM
What's the flavour of the current era of TTRPG design? Social Media Refragmentation? Is it a consolidation cycle? What are the new upcoming designers struggling with and against now?
Welcome to my last week.
(I did not cry on camera)
(I did not cry on camera)
Academics need to tell families and friends, especially at holidays, that there are forbidden questions:
How's that book coming?
Oh, you are still working on that book?
Does it usually take that long?
How much money will you make?
How's that book coming?
Oh, you are still working on that book?
Does it usually take that long?
How much money will you make?
PROMOTE YOUR BOOKS! EVERYONE WANTS TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR PUBLISHED BOOKS! Do not ask me how my writing is going.
November 27, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Welcome to my last week.
(I did not cry on camera)
(I did not cry on camera)
I wrote a book about smell and had folks imitate the cover.
Suggestions for what pose best represents TTRPG Actual Play (the subject of my next book) would be welcome.
Suggestions for what pose best represents TTRPG Actual Play (the subject of my next book) would be welcome.
November 27, 2025 at 3:57 AM
I wrote a book about smell and had folks imitate the cover.
Suggestions for what pose best represents TTRPG Actual Play (the subject of my next book) would be welcome.
Suggestions for what pose best represents TTRPG Actual Play (the subject of my next book) would be welcome.