Anna E. Clark
@annaeclark.bsky.social
Now: criticism, teaching, SoCal
Then: academia, 19thC, NYC
Always: "the novel," outdoor things, trying to figure it out
annaeclark.com
Then: academia, 19thC, NYC
Always: "the novel," outdoor things, trying to figure it out
annaeclark.com
Pinned
Anna E. Clark
@annaeclark.bsky.social
· Oct 10
Toward the Higher- and Secondary-Ed Alliance! - Public Books
The influence of K-12 policy and pedagogy on higher ed can perhaps be seen best in the trickle-up effect of the standards of the Common Core.
www.publicbooks.org
I wrote about the divide between high school and college English, and what we might do to bridge it, for @publicbooks.bsky.social—part of an excellent roundtable on higher ed under Trump organized by @dennismhogan.bsky.social
www.publicbooks.org/toward-the-h...
www.publicbooks.org/toward-the-h...
Every year, the new year becomes a little more "whew, we made it!" than "woohoo, the future!" and I can't tell if it's age or, you know, end times
January 1, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Every year, the new year becomes a little more "whew, we made it!" than "woohoo, the future!" and I can't tell if it's age or, you know, end times
Reposted by Anna E. Clark
Happy to see this, written with the excellent @mattseybold.bsky.social , out in the world. Solidarity to everyone fighting for education and civil society!
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
The ‘Crisis of the Humanities’ Is Over. That’s Not a Good Thing.
All of higher ed now suffers the attacks of politics and technology.
www.chronicle.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Happy to see this, written with the excellent @mattseybold.bsky.social , out in the world. Solidarity to everyone fighting for education and civil society!
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
Reposted by Anna E. Clark
Carnegie Mellon’s literature PhD is being liquidated in favor of “computation,” casualized labor, and AI.
That has profound ramifications for, students, faculty, and program alums like myself.
I wrote it about it (w/ Catherine Evans, a current PhD student).
www.chronicle.com/article/a-co...
That has profound ramifications for, students, faculty, and program alums like myself.
I wrote it about it (w/ Catherine Evans, a current PhD student).
www.chronicle.com/article/a-co...
Opinion | A Coup at Carnegie Mellon?
The university is replacing the humanities with more computers.
www.chronicle.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Carnegie Mellon’s literature PhD is being liquidated in favor of “computation,” casualized labor, and AI.
That has profound ramifications for, students, faculty, and program alums like myself.
I wrote it about it (w/ Catherine Evans, a current PhD student).
www.chronicle.com/article/a-co...
That has profound ramifications for, students, faculty, and program alums like myself.
I wrote it about it (w/ Catherine Evans, a current PhD student).
www.chronicle.com/article/a-co...
Maybe its helpful to remember how many very smart people had educations that basically consisted of haphazard reading from a large and varied supply of weighty books
December 12, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Maybe its helpful to remember how many very smart people had educations that basically consisted of haphazard reading from a large and varied supply of weighty books
Honestly I've been waiting for someone to confront me about my pencil usage
December 10, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Honestly I've been waiting for someone to confront me about my pencil usage
I think that sometimes when people say they want to turn their brain off or whatever what they actually crave is something to deeply, luxuriously absorb it
November 21, 2025 at 2:17 AM
I think that sometimes when people say they want to turn their brain off or whatever what they actually crave is something to deeply, luxuriously absorb it
Reposted by Anna E. Clark
We asked our first-year students to take a survey about the ethics of using LLMs at various points in the writing process (research, brainstorming, drafting, spell-checking) and the results were sort of heartening. Especially in their comments, it was clear that they're really thinking about it.
November 20, 2025 at 12:44 AM
We asked our first-year students to take a survey about the ethics of using LLMs at various points in the writing process (research, brainstorming, drafting, spell-checking) and the results were sort of heartening. Especially in their comments, it was clear that they're really thinking about it.
I mean, shouldn’t we *want* to ruin the workplace?
November 13, 2025 at 4:07 PM
I mean, shouldn’t we *want* to ruin the workplace?
Reposted by Anna E. Clark
New chalkbeat piece that highlights some of the less well-known realities of our current moment for higher ed. I got to chat at length with Matt about the actual trend in tuition (flat or decreasing at publics) versus the perception in the media.
www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/11/i...
www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/11/i...
Is college enrollment plummeting?
Reports of the death of the bachelor’s degree have been greatly exaggerated.
www.chalkbeat.org
November 12, 2025 at 1:56 PM
New chalkbeat piece that highlights some of the less well-known realities of our current moment for higher ed. I got to chat at length with Matt about the actual trend in tuition (flat or decreasing at publics) versus the perception in the media.
www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/11/i...
www.chalkbeat.org/2025/11/11/i...
Someone asked me recently if I thought it was worth it for middle and high school English teachers to ban the use of AI in their courses despite the headaches and active opposition in some quarters, and, um, yes. Yes I do. And this is one of the many reasons why.
"We clearly see that all AI-written texts are much more similar to each other [...] than they are to human texts, which show far more pronounced patterns of register variation."
Human (aka real!) language embraces variation; AI embraces standaridzation and sterilization of content and form.
🧵/3
Human (aka real!) language embraces variation; AI embraces standaridzation and sterilization of content and form.
🧵/3
November 12, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Someone asked me recently if I thought it was worth it for middle and high school English teachers to ban the use of AI in their courses despite the headaches and active opposition in some quarters, and, um, yes. Yes I do. And this is one of the many reasons why.
ah, another bold move from the guy who wouldn’t say who he voted for in a historic race between a ranting sexual harasser endorsed by his nominal opponent and one of the most inspiring young politicians in decades
November 10, 2025 at 3:20 AM
ah, another bold move from the guy who wouldn’t say who he voted for in a historic race between a ranting sexual harasser endorsed by his nominal opponent and one of the most inspiring young politicians in decades
Objectively disgusting but a gift to Victorianists everywhere
A new paper suggests a photo can tell a recruiter much about an applicant’s personality
Should facial analysis help determine whom companies hire?
A new paper suggests a photo can tell a recruiter much about an applicant’s personality
econ.st
November 7, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Objectively disgusting but a gift to Victorianists everywhere
I can’t believe it’s 2025 and we’re still calling wanting things like workplace and job flexibility feminine instead of, you know, humane
November 6, 2025 at 10:47 PM
I can’t believe it’s 2025 and we’re still calling wanting things like workplace and job flexibility feminine instead of, you know, humane
Reposted by Anna E. Clark
I wrote about why I can't sleep at night: the devaluation of so many things (critical thinking, creativity) I thought were paramount. lithub.com/when-we-deva...
When We Devalue Art (Books!) We Devalue the Future
When you’ve spent your whole adult life working in and around book publishing you get used to hearing that people don’t read anymore and that the industry is on its last legs. There is always a cri…
lithub.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:01 PM
I wrote about why I can't sleep at night: the devaluation of so many things (critical thinking, creativity) I thought were paramount. lithub.com/when-we-deva...
My Canadian husband currently in Canada when I told him about the flight cancelations: " oh. .... no?"
November 6, 2025 at 3:05 AM
My Canadian husband currently in Canada when I told him about the flight cancelations: " oh. .... no?"
I wish local politicians had more niche things they platformed, the way candidates do in high school gov elections. Like, instead of "nachos every Friday," "every movie theater must screen a Kelly Reichardt release no fewer than three weeks at good times" ... or something.
November 6, 2025 at 2:55 AM
I wish local politicians had more niche things they platformed, the way candidates do in high school gov elections. Like, instead of "nachos every Friday," "every movie theater must screen a Kelly Reichardt release no fewer than three weeks at good times" ... or something.
Ah, schadenfreude. Hello old friend.
November 5, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Ah, schadenfreude. Hello old friend.
I‘m *so* excited for NYC and all my friends and family there. And I’m excited that I’m excited about an election! Aaaaaah!!! Joy??!
November 4, 2025 at 2:10 PM
I‘m *so* excited for NYC and all my friends and family there. And I’m excited that I’m excited about an election! Aaaaaah!!! Joy??!
Gatsby is of course an arriviste who literally fills his library with fake books and has no actual friends. I mention this for absolutely no reason at all
November 4, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Gatsby is of course an arriviste who literally fills his library with fake books and has no actual friends. I mention this for absolutely no reason at all
Wandered into a new bookstore recently (Composition Shop, in Longmont, CO) that featured quotes from book reviews alongside bookseller blurbs in those little shelf notes, and briefly it felt like I’d entered some parallel timeline where criticism and fan readership were symbiotic rather than opposed
November 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Wandered into a new bookstore recently (Composition Shop, in Longmont, CO) that featured quotes from book reviews alongside bookseller blurbs in those little shelf notes, and briefly it felt like I’d entered some parallel timeline where criticism and fan readership were symbiotic rather than opposed
Reposted by Anna E. Clark
Been thinking a lot lately about the strange affect of billionaires; how unworldly they seem, how lacking in self awareness or interest in others, how their gaze always seems to be looking very far away.
When you see Mamdani looking all normal doing normal person things—petting bodega cats, riding public transport—you realize just how bizarre and estranged our average candidate for public office is. Rich martians in flesh suits
November 2, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Been thinking a lot lately about the strange affect of billionaires; how unworldly they seem, how lacking in self awareness or interest in others, how their gaze always seems to be looking very far away.
When you see Mamdani looking all normal doing normal person things—petting bodega cats, riding public transport—you realize just how bizarre and estranged our average candidate for public office is. Rich martians in flesh suits
November 2, 2025 at 2:26 PM
When you see Mamdani looking all normal doing normal person things—petting bodega cats, riding public transport—you realize just how bizarre and estranged our average candidate for public office is. Rich martians in flesh suits
Somehow del Toro’s Frankenstein managed to be both the most and least faithful adaptation ever. Anyway. Anyone want oh 2k words on this?
November 2, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Somehow del Toro’s Frankenstein managed to be both the most and least faithful adaptation ever. Anyway. Anyone want oh 2k words on this?
I think I feel about seasonal baking squash the way other people feel about tomatoes
November 1, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I think I feel about seasonal baking squash the way other people feel about tomatoes
Reposted by Anna E. Clark
Eminently reasonable proposed principles for professors’ use of AI, from a student refusinggenai.wordpress.com/2025/08/29/a...
October 31, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Eminently reasonable proposed principles for professors’ use of AI, from a student refusinggenai.wordpress.com/2025/08/29/a...