Today’s agenda: Pretending this Lego build is somehow relates to my research. Sure, it’s not writing, but I am justifying it as hands-on engagement with queer cultural production. A win on the dissertation front.

I’ve summoned a cybernetic fetch demon—powered by chaos, fueled by a “baby” (aka stuffed toy).

A plus to the Blizzard in the Plains…. The weather takes it out of our dachshunds. Look at Linus, sleeping like an angel. Enjoying the calm before he wakes and resumes his role as the AIC (A**hole In Charge).

Rereading a great story of resilience, while curled up in blanket with a side-eyeing, sassy dachshund (Linus). Protect the history, as it is about to be attacked!

With increased scrutiny around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) language, it can be useful to adapt terms while staying committed to the values they represent. Here are some I’ve heard most recently. These words are not new, and neither is the work—let’s continue on with it! #DEI #education

#10. Pause your queer nonfiction research with some snarky machines. TJ Klune’s “In the Lives of Puppets” is a quirky, heart-filled #Pinocchio reimagining packed with love, adventure, and just enough chaos to reboot your spirit. Still research, right?—I deserve a little whimsy and some sassy robots!

#9. Audre Lorde (librarian, activist, poet, feminist) asserted, ‘Self-care is political warfare,’ so I took a yoga class waging war against the anxiety of not doing enough.
Doing nothing is sometimes the most productive thing you can do. #donothing #selfpreservation carmenkynard.org/audre-lorde/

#8. When I start to see myself in the subject of my research—or worse, my current mood in a photo itself—it’s time to take a break. History can wait, but my sanity can’t. #allthefeels #breaktime #researchwoes

#7. Introducing my research assistances (left: Elton; top right: Macintosh; bottom right: Linus). Companionship is a must for research! 🐾 My boys keep my spirits high during writer’s block, and their demands to be petted are reminders to take a break (occurs frequently). #dachshunds #cantgetenough.

#6. Archival research, where handwriting taunts you. The letterhead? Stunning and legible. The rest? A swirling mess that might say “Dear Sir” or “need more towels.” Is it business or juicy gossip? Who knows. Just me, bonding with history’s penmanship… and losing. Any takers on transcribing?

#5. In the Chautauqua days (brochure for the 1929 Redpath-Horner Premier Circuit) one poster toured as much as the performers—just add a new date and presto! Today, we swap locations in a PDF. From handbills to hashtags, the tools may change, but the art of clever marketing reuse stays timeless.

#4. Billing of Dr. Wherahiko Rawei, Maori cultural ambassador, and the Jackson Jubilee Singers, voices of African American resilience. Two worlds on one stage presented on the Sterling Circuit Redpath-Horner Chautauqua (1921). Is this cultural enlightenment or spectacle? I wonder what they thought.

#3. Currently reading “Queer Oz” by Tison Pugh, and honestly, it pairs perfectly with “Wicked” (wondermire!). Between Dorothy’s chosen family vibes and the Cowardly Lion’s campy energy, Baum (1856 - 1919) was clearly ahead of his time. Evidence that queer coding in Oz isn’t a glitch—it’s a feature.

#2. A piece of history to ponder…Edward Carpenter’s “The Intermediate Sex” (1911) imagined a society where love and identity transcended rigid binaries, yet here we are, over a century later, with society still caught up in culture wars over who gets to exist freely and where.