Michelle Davidson

Imagine the prosperity we'd experience if the administration would tell us what happened to Jimmy Hoffa.

What do members of state and local police forces, who were trained, must follow protocols, and were certified to serve and protect the public think if these people?

For more than 50 years, I thought I was alone! I found my people!

A photo of the book, The AI Con, by Emily Bender and Alex Hanna.

For more on this subject, see

Me posing next to a sculpture of the word TOLEDO at The University of Toledo.

Commencing year 27 teaching first-year writing @ UToledo. #GoRockets #Utoledo

When I talk to students about gathering sources, reading the existing literature, and learning about their topic area, I am careful to not refer to this as " doing research." It is reading.

Agreed. So many people outside the classroom told me to " do the research" on vaccines and masks. I told them I prefer to read the studies conducted by researchers. This made me realize I needed to change my vocabulary with students.(1)

I read this for the first time last summer and it us now one of my favorite books! I bought a collection of Shirley Jackson short works and also read Hangsaman, which I recommend!Recommend! She is brilliant.

Not a cat, but a dog who knows the routine and has started insisting it be followed when she is ready for bed....

Note that she has zero complaints about the depiction of the massacre of all puppies.

Cover of the novel,, The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

These are the very pitas we get down here in Toledo. I drive 8 miles to get them!

MISTS! Mists of ignorance!

Speaking of Greene, McCullough includes this gem quotation from Greene' writings: "I lament the want of a liberal education. I feel the lists of ignorance to surround me."

My grandfather died if tuberculosis in 1963...in the TB hospital....set up to isolate all the TB patients from everyone else.

I have been thinking about this, too, mostly to detach feedback from the Blackboard gradebook. A colleague uses email folders--one for each class, and 3 for each assignment (not read/read/returned). Students email drafts and she moves them through the folders. Sounds dreadful, but I may try it.

I took care of my mom with Parkinson's for 7 years. I was desperately looking for facility w/ a Medicaid bed when Covid hit. I worked remotely for 2 years and ran myself ragged until it wasn't safe for her or me. She passed in Nov., but I can't imagine moving her back in fully bedridden.

The Em Dash Responds to the AI Allegations “In recent months, a curious fixation has emerged in corners of academia: the em dash. More specifically, the apparent moral panic around how it is...

"Writers have been using me long before the advent of AI. I am the punctuation equivalent of a cardigan—beloved by MFA grads, used by editors when it’s actually cold, and worn year-round by screenwriters. I am not new here."

A pile of academic articles, notes, and data on an outdoor table next to a laptop. In the foreground are two hanging baskets of flowers, and two planters of ornamental flowers. In the background us a grassy area and swimming pool.

Outdoor office temp: 85-degrees. Major road construction one street over. Roofers are executing a tear-off next door, and I wouldn't be surprised if they start shingling before 2 pm. No matter. This is my favorite place to write. #Writingsky, #academicsky,

You are not alone. "Right two times to 33, back past 33 to 5, right to 15."

Not to mention that the money is running out....

To comply with a state law banning diverse, equitable and inclusive programming and initiatives on campuses, my alma material and employer renamed its nearly 50-year-old womens center....

Well, yes...but we didn't learn this in school. We learned that the Shah was a good guy and the Ayatolah Kohmeni was a bad guy who was holding innocent civillians hostage because we were just helping out.

I was a school-age kid in the 70s, and remember the repercussions, but didn't fully understand WHY until I read "All the Shah's Men" about 10 years ago. We destroyed what seems like a good man (Mossadegh) and a democracy, so US/British oil could profit.

I do understand! You will get better with practice...you might go to your university writing center, or ask a friend to read your drafts and tell you what you are missing!

You do not need a machine to validate your position. You are a thinking, feeling human with ideas and defenses. I get it; you were looking for things you may have missed, but humans miss things..it's ok! New ideas come through the act of writing. If you outsource to an LLM, no new ideas rise!

And the AI comments are all generalities and platitudes! He values empty speech over human interaction?

I am TRYING to "not work." Its hard.

My contract ended May 9. No pay until 8/29. I have written a panel proposal, and am cowriting a chapter, organizing a writing camp, participating in a work-related book club. Just finished a poster for a conference next week. Getting a jump on fall plans. Does that answer the question?

YouTube video by Media Education Foundation PETER ELBOW ON WRITING - Trailer - Extended Preview

Mske a mess! Sit down and just purge your thoughts about your topic. At least 15 minutes. It works for me every time! Watch this to understand why it works: youtu.be/qKVnBFbSxp0?...