Andrea Kaston Tange
@aktange.bsky.social
Victorianist & lit professor, gardener, lover of quirky details. Writing sporadically at https://andreakastontange.com
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Andrea Kaston Tange
@aktange.bsky.social
· Jul 16
![Reading Scenario Experiments. This series of prompts is designed to get you thinking about how the setting for reading affects concentration, comprehension, and even the existential experience of reading. Every week, one of the following prompts will appear on the syllabus. I encourage you to try all of them that you are able. How does a different reading setting affect your mood? Your receptiveness to the prose? Your pleasure or difficulty reading? What are the particular impacts of changing your lighting or surroundings? What do you notice about yourself and about the work you are reading during this experiment?
1. read by candlelight (use a small lamp in dorms where no candles are allowed!)
2. read for one hour without checking any devices, answering texts, etc.
3. walk out into nature (climb a tree, sit on a rock, grab a spot in a hammock) and read
4. host a reading night with friends & food (sit in companionable silence, reading without chatting)
5. read aloud a chapter to someone else
6. climb into bed at night and read by flashlight under the covers for at least 30 minutes, as if you’ve already been told “lights out” as a kid
7. reread a chapter and see what new things you notice the second time through
8. change your ambient-noise level: add music if you normally read in the quiet; or read without music if you are normally a music-listener
9. read with a sketchpad at hand and sketch scenes, characters, or other elements from the story
10. practice focused listening: have someone read to you
11. make yourself a special, fancy snack on a real plate to nibble while eating: pay attention to the cooking or arranging or choosing of ingredients to make it especially appetizing first
12. make tea (even if you’re not usually a tea drinker), and read and sip
13. invent a new reading scenario for yourself, or repeat the one you liked the best from this term
[writing assignment using these prompts follows; text character limit prevents inclusion of it in full]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rfs7afx6ue4mknbhhpnrzkyz/bafkreiel77b25truczj372qokmg5p3apa2dphux3jtplpz3dv35jul6wdu@jpeg)
Here you go! I'll write some new ones for this semester too. They loved them. The "read without your phone or screens in the room" was a revelation, and many of them decided to keep doing it. They had NO IDEA (& were horrified) how often they interrupt themselves to look at a phone for no reason.
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
This is nauseating: “As the emails stretch through the years, they show how that protected realm vanished into the mists of time, pulled under by the rising forces of the internet and the #MeToo movement.” A “Gone With the Wind” framing for sexual abuse and harassment.
November 16, 2025 at 12:55 PM
This is nauseating: “As the emails stretch through the years, they show how that protected realm vanished into the mists of time, pulled under by the rising forces of the internet and the #MeToo movement.” A “Gone With the Wind” framing for sexual abuse and harassment.
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
In case you thought there was finally an issue the @nytimes.com couldn't both sides...
November 16, 2025 at 2:20 PM
In case you thought there was finally an issue the @nytimes.com couldn't both sides...
In case you thought there was finally an issue the @nytimes.com couldn't both sides...
November 16, 2025 at 2:20 PM
In case you thought there was finally an issue the @nytimes.com couldn't both sides...
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
When I think about how exquisitely careful NEH staff were to be fair, impartial, and rigorous, and how much work people put into grants so small they’re pocket change…I just want to scream.
Fired Scholars and Big Grants to Favored Projects: Inside Trump’s N.E.H.
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:12 PM
When I think about how exquisitely careful NEH staff were to be fair, impartial, and rigorous, and how much work people put into grants so small they’re pocket change…I just want to scream.
If he doesn't want the files release, that means it gets much worse than what's in the emails, no?
November 15, 2025 at 11:22 PM
If he doesn't want the files release, that means it gets much worse than what's in the emails, no?
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
I do not want to “Do my own research.” I want to pay trained accredited experts to do the research, trained accredited experts to report on findings, and trained accredited experts to make policy based on them.
I am busy af with my own job, I don’t need to do eight zillion more.
I am busy af with my own job, I don’t need to do eight zillion more.
November 15, 2025 at 1:11 PM
I do not want to “Do my own research.” I want to pay trained accredited experts to do the research, trained accredited experts to report on findings, and trained accredited experts to make policy based on them.
I am busy af with my own job, I don’t need to do eight zillion more.
I am busy af with my own job, I don’t need to do eight zillion more.
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
If it's hard to imagine how you could have had a worse week, may I recommend spending a few hours making a large cake for someone you love? There's something immensely soothing about delivering a heavy cake to an apartment full of college kids who are beside themselves to spend an evening in eating.
November 15, 2025 at 1:48 AM
If it's hard to imagine how you could have had a worse week, may I recommend spending a few hours making a large cake for someone you love? There's something immensely soothing about delivering a heavy cake to an apartment full of college kids who are beside themselves to spend an evening in eating.
If it's hard to imagine how you could have had a worse week, may I recommend spending a few hours making a large cake for someone you love? There's something immensely soothing about delivering a heavy cake to an apartment full of college kids who are beside themselves to spend an evening in eating.
November 15, 2025 at 1:48 AM
If it's hard to imagine how you could have had a worse week, may I recommend spending a few hours making a large cake for someone you love? There's something immensely soothing about delivering a heavy cake to an apartment full of college kids who are beside themselves to spend an evening in eating.
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
This is, indeed, cool -- I made a donation to Courier as a thanks, and I suggest y'all do the same: secure.actblue.com/donate/couri...
This is cool. COURIER has created a searchable database with all 20,000 of the files just released from Epstein’s estate.
Trump's name appears in them more than anyone else, in 1,628 documents.
couriernewsroom.com/news/we-crea...
Trump's name appears in them more than anyone else, in 1,628 documents.
couriernewsroom.com/news/we-crea...
We created a searchable database with all 20,000 files from Epstein’s Estate
Easily find every mention of Trump, Clinton, blackmail, and potential sex crimes in the thousands of private messages between Epstein and his close associates.
couriernewsroom.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:04 PM
This is, indeed, cool -- I made a donation to Courier as a thanks, and I suggest y'all do the same: secure.actblue.com/donate/couri...
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
If you or anyone you know would be interested in a GREAT Victorian studies conference in the spring, here's the CFP. Proposals due Dec 6. Especially let anyone within driving distance of Cincinnati know! The lovely @nathankhensley.bsky.social will be keynote speaker. midwestvictorian.org/conference/
Conference
“The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression”2026 Call for Papers April 10-12, 2026, hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio. Baker Street Station on the Metropolitan Railway, 1863 &#…
midwestvictorian.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:31 PM
If you or anyone you know would be interested in a GREAT Victorian studies conference in the spring, here's the CFP. Proposals due Dec 6. Especially let anyone within driving distance of Cincinnati know! The lovely @nathankhensley.bsky.social will be keynote speaker. midwestvictorian.org/conference/
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
If you have tenure at Texas A&M and aren't maliciously emailing the president a dozen times every day to ask if you can say this or you can say that, then what's the point in having tenure?
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
November 13, 2025 at 11:18 PM
If you have tenure at Texas A&M and aren't maliciously emailing the president a dozen times every day to ask if you can say this or you can say that, then what's the point in having tenure?
Not to mention, "here's a pic of my 20yo girlfriend, taken two years after I gave her to Tr*mp"
“would you like photos of donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen?” -Jeffrey Epstein
November 12, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Not to mention, "here's a pic of my 20yo girlfriend, taken two years after I gave her to Tr*mp"
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
If anybody would like to, or knows anybody who might like to, do a small amount of paid research work for me at the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh, I would be very glad to hear from them.
November 12, 2025 at 2:44 PM
If anybody would like to, or knows anybody who might like to, do a small amount of paid research work for me at the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh, I would be very glad to hear from them.
Twin Cities checking in
November 12, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Twin Cities checking in
If you or anyone you know would be interested in a GREAT Victorian studies conference in the spring, here's the CFP. Proposals due Dec 6. Especially let anyone within driving distance of Cincinnati know! The lovely @nathankhensley.bsky.social will be keynote speaker. midwestvictorian.org/conference/
Conference
“The Underground: Prohibition, Abolition, Expression”2026 Call for Papers April 10-12, 2026, hosted by Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio. Baker Street Station on the Metropolitan Railway, 1863 &#…
midwestvictorian.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:31 PM
If you or anyone you know would be interested in a GREAT Victorian studies conference in the spring, here's the CFP. Proposals due Dec 6. Especially let anyone within driving distance of Cincinnati know! The lovely @nathankhensley.bsky.social will be keynote speaker. midwestvictorian.org/conference/
Over here just *begging* university webpage designers to clearly identify department chairs at TOP of the alphabetical list of dept faculty, even if their last name is not Aardvark, and to include a general contact email for department questions. Bonus points for identifying DGS & DUS up top too.
November 10, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Over here just *begging* university webpage designers to clearly identify department chairs at TOP of the alphabetical list of dept faculty, even if their last name is not Aardvark, and to include a general contact email for department questions. Bonus points for identifying DGS & DUS up top too.
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
I think all Democratic eight senators who caved to the GOP should have to read this to truly understand who they've hurt.
The voices of SNAP
Recipients have become political pawns. They explained, in their own words, what Trump withholding funds has been like.
www.thehandbasket.co
November 10, 2025 at 5:46 PM
I think all Democratic eight senators who caved to the GOP should have to read this to truly understand who they've hurt.
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
I received this email about Democrats caving to end the shutdown from one of the SNAP recipients I spoke to:
November 10, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I received this email about Democrats caving to end the shutdown from one of the SNAP recipients I spoke to:
I have little hope @schumer.senate.gov understands this, but call your Senators anyway, and tell them this deal is an outrageous abdication of leadership.
(www.senate.gov/senators/sen...)
(www.senate.gov/senators/sen...)
November 10, 2025 at 3:02 PM
I have little hope @schumer.senate.gov understands this, but call your Senators anyway, and tell them this deal is an outrageous abdication of leadership.
(www.senate.gov/senators/sen...)
(www.senate.gov/senators/sen...)
Chocolate chip cookies made with tahini and sesame seeds. Just what the doctor ordered for a chilly, overcast, winter-is-coming Sunday.
November 10, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Chocolate chip cookies made with tahini and sesame seeds. Just what the doctor ordered for a chilly, overcast, winter-is-coming Sunday.
It's all so tacky, of course, but intrepid people have sourced these doo-dads & apart from the picture frames, it seems to be all molded gold plastic that costs $13.99 from shops like Blings Я Us, which I love because a) HE can't tell the difference; and b) its only permanence is in landfills.
November 8, 2025 at 10:09 PM
It's all so tacky, of course, but intrepid people have sourced these doo-dads & apart from the picture frames, it seems to be all molded gold plastic that costs $13.99 from shops like Blings Я Us, which I love because a) HE can't tell the difference; and b) its only permanence is in landfills.
10/10 NO NOTES
November 8, 2025 at 1:51 PM
10/10 NO NOTES
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
Once again, @yaelrice.bsky.social and I published this article in 2020 so that no one ever has to debunk this vile nonsense point-by-point ever again. As we write (see the next post in this thread)...
hyperallergic.com/604897/how-s...
hyperallergic.com/604897/how-s...
November 6, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Once again, @yaelrice.bsky.social and I published this article in 2020 so that no one ever has to debunk this vile nonsense point-by-point ever again. As we write (see the next post in this thread)...
hyperallergic.com/604897/how-s...
hyperallergic.com/604897/how-s...
Reposted by Andrea Kaston Tange
UPDATE: We have added more entries to this list of Utah restaurants and other businesses offering free meals to those in need.
‘Your community cares’: Here’s a list of Utah restaurants offering free meals, and how to help
You can grab a bite if you’re struggling — or chip in if you can. Here's a list of what we've heard so far.
www.sltrib.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:17 AM
UPDATE: We have added more entries to this list of Utah restaurants and other businesses offering free meals to those in need.
I like to think it says "The Presidential Walk of Shame."
It should say that, for a thousand reasons, not least of which is that he's decorating the place with hotel wedding signage.
It should say that, for a thousand reasons, not least of which is that he's decorating the place with hotel wedding signage.
This, in particular, is spectacularly hideous. It's like something you'd see on the wall of a car dealership where they put pictures of their top salespeople every month
November 6, 2025 at 11:21 PM
I like to think it says "The Presidential Walk of Shame."
It should say that, for a thousand reasons, not least of which is that he's decorating the place with hotel wedding signage.
It should say that, for a thousand reasons, not least of which is that he's decorating the place with hotel wedding signage.