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Alan

@alanallanallen.bsky.social

Beloved Literary Institution

152 Followers  |  134 Following  |  362 Posts  |  Joined: 10.09.2023
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Posts by Alan (@alanallanallen.bsky.social)

Are we bombing elementary schools because we’re evil or because we’re relying on AI to determine targets, and is there a meaningful difference?

01.03.2026 17:17 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

i’m at the anti-ICE protest
i’m at the anti-war with iran protest
i’m at the combination anti-ICE anti-war with iran protest

01.03.2026 02:28 β€” πŸ‘ 4875    πŸ” 643    πŸ’¬ 80    πŸ“Œ 19
Preview
Malarkey Book Club β€” Malarkey

Here's one thing you can do to support independent artists: Join the Malarkey Book Club

malarkeybooks.com/malarkey-boo...

27.02.2026 19:47 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

β€œThe children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.”

James Baldwin

posted today by @sjcerv.bsky.social

01.03.2026 00:05 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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The Trump Administration Can’t Kill Black History Month We don’t need permission from the government to commemorate a complex past.

Last week, my mother took me and my kids to see the school where, 60 years ago, she was among the first wave of Black students to integrate a previously all-White school. We wanted to remind my kids that Black history is not just famous people in textbooks, it is often the people right next to you.

25.02.2026 16:41 β€” πŸ‘ 1160    πŸ” 327    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 6

Columbia economics professor telling students they *must* use AI for reading assignments, for coding assignments, for lecture supplements.

Why not just let AI run a simulation of a college education and call it a day? You can get a little NFT diploma and show it off to your ChatGPT girlfriend too.

22.02.2026 16:32 β€” πŸ‘ 1268    πŸ” 272    πŸ’¬ 49    πŸ“Œ 9

I got a voice mail the other day, which was creepy.

22.02.2026 16:05 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Framed photo of basketball legend Allen Iverson, with accompanying text: β€œThe only AI with the answer.”

Framed photo of basketball legend Allen Iverson, with accompanying text: β€œThe only AI with the answer.”

Made this for my classroom.

22.02.2026 15:35 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Mostly my fault but my senior classes have been hit and miss this year. Good day yesterday, though, with students going all in making props for act V of Macbeth.

21.02.2026 15:23 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

When people see crows playing they say "look how intelligent," yet when they see humans playing they say "why aren't they creating more shareholder value"

21.02.2026 14:41 β€” πŸ‘ 38    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

he's so fancy

20.02.2026 20:21 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This book I was looking forward to turns out to be blah.

20.02.2026 23:25 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Waiting to hear back on a venue with a patio so you very well could.

19.02.2026 18:19 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

You should read my story that, like Marty Supreme, involves--but ultimately does not really feature that much--ping-pong

17.02.2026 20:56 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Death to AI.

18.02.2026 00:19 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I will be there too! Yes, I’m a real person, not just your hilarious internet friend.

17.02.2026 20:41 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I hope literary scholars are proud of the fresh, grounded stuff coming out lately. Big Fiction, Teaching Archive, now Manshel on high school English, McGrath forthcoming on literary agents ("Middlemen"). All the concrete aspects of literature-as-human-activity we used to ignore. +

14.02.2026 00:32 β€” πŸ‘ 78    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 1
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Liz Shulman and William Liang: Why aren’t we talking about the harm AI is doing to students? Despite the evidence showing AI is killing students’ critical thinking skills, schools have signed contracts with Big Tech companies.

More of this genre, please: high school teacher and student co-write an op-ed.

"Big Tech may have the money that schools need, but schools shouldn’t sell their souls for the funding they deserve. Besides, public schools remain massively underfunded despite their contracts with tech companies."

16.02.2026 15:30 β€” πŸ‘ 26    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
Small stack of tiny homemade books

Small stack of tiny homemade books

Not too bad

15.02.2026 22:54 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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High School English and the Making of American Readers Abstract. The high school English classroom is the most influential literary institution in the United States, and the most overlooked by literary scholars

As some of you may know, I’m writing a book on the history of high school English in the United States, and I’m excited to share a new article from that projectβ€”β€œHigh School English and the Making of American Readers”—out today in American Literary History! 🧡

academic.oup.com/alh/article/...

13.02.2026 19:21 β€” πŸ‘ 278    πŸ” 103    πŸ’¬ 12    πŸ“Œ 24

Lot more work up front but I can put the instructions in a shoebox when the project is done instead of losing them in the Google Drive void.

15.02.2026 16:27 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Gonna sneak in a quick tiny memoir assignment and instead of slides I’m making sidebound books with instructions, following steps in Alisa Golden’s book, Making Handmade Books: 100+ Bindings, Structures & Forms because I’m going to ask students to make diy commonplace books over The Book Thief.

15.02.2026 16:26 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Dan Sinykin - Close Reading Podcast Episode Β· Required Reading from Liberties Β· 02/09/2026 Β· 36m

Just delighted to talk with @mortenhoijensen.bsky.social (whose own recent book on Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain is excellent) about close reading for the Required Reading podcast. He's a fantastic interviewer and conversationalist. Listen! Share! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

12.02.2026 14:57 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
My book, First Aid for Choking Victims, on a bookstore shelf next to Herta MΓΌller’s The Land of Green Plumbs. Joho Moyes and Otessa Moshfegh are hanging around too.

My book, First Aid for Choking Victims, on a bookstore shelf next to Herta MΓΌller’s The Land of Green Plumbs. Joho Moyes and Otessa Moshfegh are hanging around too.

Always fun to see your book on a bookstore shelf, and the neighbors it finds. Just me and Herta hanging out.

@malarkeybooks.bsky.social

10.02.2026 04:17 β€” πŸ‘ 42    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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So You've Got a Book Coming Out on an Indie Press β€” Malarkey LJ Pemberton And you’re excited, and can’t believe it, but also now you need people to actually buy and read your book!  If you’re lucky, you’ve got five to ten people who are already very excit...

I’d just like to give a shoutout to this incredible guide for writers with an upcoming book from @ljabouttown.bsky.social

malarkeybooks.com/publishing/s...

10.02.2026 16:34 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2

Every time I order a book I anticipate it as if the moment it gets here it will save me, and I’m almost always right.

10.02.2026 14:24 β€” πŸ‘ 41    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

No Kings includes Draft Kings

08.02.2026 23:49 β€” πŸ‘ 26115    πŸ” 6106    πŸ’¬ 185    πŸ“Œ 110
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Bookstore β€” Malarkey You can order signed books through this website. Feel free to request a signature and a friendly note.

One day flash sale. Code FLASHY gets you 40% off anything we have at

malarkeybooks.com/store

08.02.2026 13:25 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 16    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 3
Title: Sick Sad Queer
Author: Ly Faulk
A plant goes through four stages of growth, with its bud a human face that grows bigger in each stage until it is full grown and crying, watering itself with its tears.

Title: Sick Sad Queer Author: Ly Faulk A plant goes through four stages of growth, with its bud a human face that grows bigger in each stage until it is full grown and crying, watering itself with its tears.

Preorder @trentbwrites.bsky.social’s book and you will also get a poetry EP by @lyfaulk.bsky.social.

malarkeybooks.com/store/thewal...

07.02.2026 16:14 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 7

Update: I am calling my zine β€œManimal Farm” and it begins with a biographical note in the form of a CIA fact sheet detailing plans for an animated movie adaptation of AF. My classes were chaotic today in a good way as everyone worked on their covers.

05.02.2026 23:56 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0