Alicia Andrzejewski (she/her)

I’ve made my decision: the ebook version of Queer Pregnancy in Shakespeare’s plays will be open access.

I am thrilled because accessibility has always been important to me, & why I publish in online venues. I know this will increase readership when academic books are far too expensive.

I just heard an organization selected my book to fund for open access, meaning the ebook would be available to everyone for free.

I’m checking in with my mentors, but it seems like this is a great thing. it costs a lot of money to do this & it would make it very accessible.

it’s Wednesday of spring break & I feel great. I’ve been walking 10K steps a day, writing in my journal, going to yoga, & reading for fun. I did Zoom into a graduate class this AM to talk about public-facing writing, but it didn’t feel like work.

I’m living the good life.

I know a woman who was in labor, asked for an epidural, & her husband said, “already?”

shockingly he’s still alive.

I feel I ruined a Midsummer Night’s Dream for my class by pointing out women are conquered, threatened with death, poisoned, & manipulated for the entire play. I know it’s one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, but this begs the question: why is abusing women funny?

book project — Alicia Andrzejewski

aliciaandrzejewskiphd.com/book-project

really bad news for my haters. out in April:

I gave my daughter my long, Polish last name. she might hate me for it one day but I’ll take the heat. I carried her in my body, delivered her, & fed her from my body until she weaned herself. tell me why she’d only have my husband’s last name? it makes zero sense.

I just took a thirty minute walk with my daughter. I was around eight when I started walking with my mom. I know she knew me so well because of it—walks are a perfect way to give your kid undivided attention & hear whatever they have to say.

we’re going to try to do it everyday.

proofs of my book are here. it's really happening. I'm going to have published my first book.

I met my husband’s grandma one time. it was hot & I said I wanted to cut my long hair off but he didn’t want me to. his grandma looked me directly in the eye & said: “don’t ever let him tell you what to do.”

that was the last time I saw her, but my daughter has her middle name.

we all must contend with our shadow self.

I exercised every day this week—hot yoga two days in a row, lots of walks & steps. this GLP-1 has been life changing so far, but I’ll keep y’all posted.

my daughter just randomly yelled out,”I love you so much, mommy” & can someone explain to me how I’m going to survive her growing up & this going away?

lol

amazing story: my family & I were at a petting zoo & a goat escaped. instinct took over & I ran after him, caught him, & brought him back to his pen.

don’t ever tell me people with PhDs are useless. I’m basically a farmer now.

I went to yoga, walked, & took a shower. take that, treatment-resistant depression.

When I started my PhD I was coming from a corporate world. As a TA, I advised the prof that I don’t grade or meet on weekends, and I don’t answer emails after five on weekdays. Now, I tell my own classrooms that. People are always shook and tell me it’s impossible, but it very much isn’t.

I’ll never forget the undergrad professor who told us to treat being a student as a 9-5 job, with breaks, lunch, etc. he said school had no business taking up our brain space outside working hours.

I wish more academics, myself included, could follow this advice.

my favorite part about starting to walk again is all the books I read now, by listening to them. do not underestimate the power of audiobooks.

next week is spring break & I have some grading I need to finish & a talk I’m giving on Wednesday & my book proofs to look over & an article to finish—but other than that I’m going to relax.

I presented myself to my husband this morning & asked how I looked. he said, "wow, you look great." I pointed out he didn't even put his glasses on & he responded, "what are you, an eye chart?"

the joys of marriage.

the English major is so important now with the rise of ChatGPT. yes, the humanities are in decline; they’re seen as less useful than STEM, but with the rise of AI, we need people thinking about humanity.

what is the human? what makes us human? what could be more important?

so it’s even more important that we have people in English majors now with the rise of AI & ChatGPT. we need people in the humanities, people thinking about humanity. what is the human? what makes us human? what could be more important right now?

I have so much faith in that. if you prompted ChatGPT to replicate one of my student’s voices & put whatever text it generates in front of me, I could tell you in a second that it’s not them, that it’s AI.

I was interviewed about AI & here’s what I said:

I believe in the idea of a writer’s voice—a unique voice that’s particular to you, that only you can write with. & I really work hard to develop that with my students. AI will never have your voice—it cannot touch that voice.

I’ve been on a GLP-1 for a little over a week. I’m an addict & my relationship to alcohol, sugar, & shopping is transformed. all the compulsions, urges, & noises are quieter. there’s so much more space to think—& live my life.

I don’t care about losing weight; I care about this.

my friend called me unexpectedly today. she was driving & crossed the VA state line & thought of me.

I know there’s a lot of jokes out there about never calling people, but it was really good to hear her voice. much more intimate than messaging.

just to say, call your friends.

happy Monday, friends. it’s going to be a great week.

“I thank my stars I am happy.”