Dennis Wise
@denniswise.bsky.social
Tolkien & fantasy scholar
Editor: SPECULATIVE POETRY & THE MODERN ALLITERATIVE
REVIVAL (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781683933304/)
denniswilsonwise.net
Editor: SPECULATIVE POETRY & THE MODERN ALLITERATIVE
REVIVAL (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781683933304/)
denniswilsonwise.net
Pinned
Dennis Wise
@denniswise.bsky.social
· Sep 22
IT'S OUT!!!! ... the *paperback* edition of SPECULATIVE POETRY AND THE MODERN ALLITERATIVE REVIVAL, which was just short-listed for the Mythopoeic Society Scholarship Award.
PLUS, publisher' s running a sale, so pb copies are just under $25 (even less for ebook) 1/2
PLUS, publisher' s running a sale, so pb copies are just under $25 (even less for ebook) 1/2
For anyone forced to do Likert Scales when submitting letters of rec for students to graduate school, I've developed something I like to call the "Dennis Wise" method of rating: 100% of my students are in the top 1% of all students I've ever taught.
(Seriously, Likert Scales, go *^@* yourself)
(Seriously, Likert Scales, go *^@* yourself)
January 16, 2026 at 10:17 PM
For anyone forced to do Likert Scales when submitting letters of rec for students to graduate school, I've developed something I like to call the "Dennis Wise" method of rating: 100% of my students are in the top 1% of all students I've ever taught.
(Seriously, Likert Scales, go *^@* yourself)
(Seriously, Likert Scales, go *^@* yourself)
My two syllabi for MONSTERS and WORLD-BUILDING are 7 and 6 pages, respectively, including the daily schedule.
a man speaking in front of a crowd with a sign that says trusted leadership for a stronger america
ALT: a man speaking in front of a crowd with a sign that says trusted leadership for a stronger america
media.tenor.com
January 11, 2026 at 9:27 PM
My two syllabi for MONSTERS and WORLD-BUILDING are 7 and 6 pages, respectively, including the daily schedule.
Look like my course mascot, Draggie, is ready for a new semester of ENGL 178: Dragons, Elves, and How to Build Imaginary Worlds!
January 9, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Look like my course mascot, Draggie, is ready for a new semester of ENGL 178: Dragons, Elves, and How to Build Imaginary Worlds!
Reposted by Dennis Wise
Interesting blog post by @denniswise.bsky.social on Christopher Paolini's alliterative poem in the works ...
stratofanatic.blogspot.com/2026/01/comi...
stratofanatic.blogspot.com/2026/01/comi...
Long Alliterative Poem by Christopher Paolini in the Works
My friend Doug Anderson, who manages the blog Wormwoodiana on old forgotten fantasy texts, just informed me about an interesting new allite...
stratofanatic.blogspot.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Interesting blog post by @denniswise.bsky.social on Christopher Paolini's alliterative poem in the works ...
stratofanatic.blogspot.com/2026/01/comi...
stratofanatic.blogspot.com/2026/01/comi...
So, here's a little nugget from my data set.
From 1978-1991, out of the five SF editors LEAST receptive to female authors (as measured by their % of female-authored SF titles), four of those editors .... were women.
Now, let's play a guessing game. Which 1980s editor had ...
From 1978-1991, out of the five SF editors LEAST receptive to female authors (as measured by their % of female-authored SF titles), four of those editors .... were women.
Now, let's play a guessing game. Which 1980s editor had ...
December 27, 2025 at 4:13 PM
So, here's a little nugget from my data set.
From 1978-1991, out of the five SF editors LEAST receptive to female authors (as measured by their % of female-authored SF titles), four of those editors .... were women.
Now, let's play a guessing game. Which 1980s editor had ...
From 1978-1991, out of the five SF editors LEAST receptive to female authors (as measured by their % of female-authored SF titles), four of those editors .... were women.
Now, let's play a guessing game. Which 1980s editor had ...
I should've been an accountant, b/c despite being a humanities, I have an insane love of spreadsheets.
For instance, the years 1977-1981 are when Del Rey Books became the first publisher to successfully establish FANTASY as a publishing category.
So one thing I'm analyzing ...
For instance, the years 1977-1981 are when Del Rey Books became the first publisher to successfully establish FANTASY as a publishing category.
So one thing I'm analyzing ...
December 26, 2025 at 4:08 PM
I should've been an accountant, b/c despite being a humanities, I have an insane love of spreadsheets.
For instance, the years 1977-1981 are when Del Rey Books became the first publisher to successfully establish FANTASY as a publishing category.
So one thing I'm analyzing ...
For instance, the years 1977-1981 are when Del Rey Books became the first publisher to successfully establish FANTASY as a publishing category.
So one thing I'm analyzing ...
Been working on my spreadsheet on SFF publishing b/t1972-1991. The results are wild.
Here's a brief sample. Throughout the 1970s, Berkley Medallion was a major SFF publisher, and in the first four years of my data set, they published 55 novels .... and all but two were written by guys.
Here's a brief sample. Throughout the 1970s, Berkley Medallion was a major SFF publisher, and in the first four years of my data set, they published 55 novels .... and all but two were written by guys.
December 23, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Been working on my spreadsheet on SFF publishing b/t1972-1991. The results are wild.
Here's a brief sample. Throughout the 1970s, Berkley Medallion was a major SFF publisher, and in the first four years of my data set, they published 55 novels .... and all but two were written by guys.
Here's a brief sample. Throughout the 1970s, Berkley Medallion was a major SFF publisher, and in the first four years of my data set, they published 55 novels .... and all but two were written by guys.
I already know that I tend to over-prep for classes ... but I just finished my final lesson plan for ENGL 380: LITERARY ANALYSIS, and I've just bested my own record.
All told, my total lesson plans span 110 pages and nearly 60,000 words of content. I also created five cinematic powerpoints.
All told, my total lesson plans span 110 pages and nearly 60,000 words of content. I also created five cinematic powerpoints.
December 10, 2025 at 3:03 PM
I already know that I tend to over-prep for classes ... but I just finished my final lesson plan for ENGL 380: LITERARY ANALYSIS, and I've just bested my own record.
All told, my total lesson plans span 110 pages and nearly 60,000 words of content. I also created five cinematic powerpoints.
All told, my total lesson plans span 110 pages and nearly 60,000 words of content. I also created five cinematic powerpoints.
Re-reading THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON .... and damn, I'm just going to come out and say it. Harlan Ellison's the best prose writer that SFF has ever had. Fight me.
December 1, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Re-reading THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON .... and damn, I'm just going to come out and say it. Harlan Ellison's the best prose writer that SFF has ever had. Fight me.
Reposted by Dennis Wise
Are you a grad student working on post-1945 culture? Could your research benefit from incorporating some data, even minimally? Want feedback from journal editors?
This Post45 Data Collective virtual workshop may be for you!
Applications are due DECEMBER 1: data.post45.org/news/grad-wo...
This Post45 Data Collective virtual workshop may be for you!
Applications are due DECEMBER 1: data.post45.org/news/grad-wo...
The Post45 Data Collective invites graduate students in the humanities or adjacent fields to explore cultural data reflexively and collaboratively in a mini-workshop hosted virtually on Friday, March 13. Details here: data.post45.org/news/grad-wo...
November 26, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Are you a grad student working on post-1945 culture? Could your research benefit from incorporating some data, even minimally? Want feedback from journal editors?
This Post45 Data Collective virtual workshop may be for you!
Applications are due DECEMBER 1: data.post45.org/news/grad-wo...
This Post45 Data Collective virtual workshop may be for you!
Applications are due DECEMBER 1: data.post45.org/news/grad-wo...
I just saw this thing for the first time. I'm not exactly sure what kind of snack it is, but I'm guessing it's a candy with only 17 syllables.
November 13, 2025 at 8:08 PM
I just saw this thing for the first time. I'm not exactly sure what kind of snack it is, but I'm guessing it's a candy with only 17 syllables.
You know, I've read a LOT of student papers created through Generative AI ... and I can't remember seeing a single emdash in any of them.
I'm not sure where the "AI = emdashes" myth came from, but if there was ever a basis for it, there's not anymore, so far as I can tell.
I'm not sure where the "AI = emdashes" myth came from, but if there was ever a basis for it, there's not anymore, so far as I can tell.
November 13, 2025 at 5:19 PM
You know, I've read a LOT of student papers created through Generative AI ... and I can't remember seeing a single emdash in any of them.
I'm not sure where the "AI = emdashes" myth came from, but if there was ever a basis for it, there's not anymore, so far as I can tell.
I'm not sure where the "AI = emdashes" myth came from, but if there was ever a basis for it, there's not anymore, so far as I can tell.
Wow now, THIS is cool. Last year, I served as the scholarly consultant and interviewee for "Judy-Lynn del Rey: The Galaxy," a biographical documentary about the woman who made SFF into a publishing powerhouse. This episode was for the PBS series RENEGADES. 1/3
November 12, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Wow now, THIS is cool. Last year, I served as the scholarly consultant and interviewee for "Judy-Lynn del Rey: The Galaxy," a biographical documentary about the woman who made SFF into a publishing powerhouse. This episode was for the PBS series RENEGADES. 1/3
Apparently, there now exists a thing called GROKIPEDIA.
Also apparently, it still needs some help getting its facts straight.
@adambolivar.bsky.social @sfpoetry.bsky.social @medievalists.bsky.social @rhunedhel.bsky.social
stratofanatic.blogspot.com/2025/10/anal...
Also apparently, it still needs some help getting its facts straight.
@adambolivar.bsky.social @sfpoetry.bsky.social @medievalists.bsky.social @rhunedhel.bsky.social
stratofanatic.blogspot.com/2025/10/anal...
Analyzing the Mistakes in Grokipedia's Entry for Alliterative Verse
Apparently, Elon Musk has just launched Grokipedia , based off GenAI, as a way to compete with wikipedia (which it's probably plagiarizing)....
stratofanatic.blogspot.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Apparently, there now exists a thing called GROKIPEDIA.
Also apparently, it still needs some help getting its facts straight.
@adambolivar.bsky.social @sfpoetry.bsky.social @medievalists.bsky.social @rhunedhel.bsky.social
stratofanatic.blogspot.com/2025/10/anal...
Also apparently, it still needs some help getting its facts straight.
@adambolivar.bsky.social @sfpoetry.bsky.social @medievalists.bsky.social @rhunedhel.bsky.social
stratofanatic.blogspot.com/2025/10/anal...
Just saw a long, heart-felt tweet about how the "best" way to discourage Generative AI is to encourage students to view themselves as writers, and to take pride in their own distinct writing voices....
... and it's precisely that combination of idealism & wish-fulfillment ...1/2
... and it's precisely that combination of idealism & wish-fulfillment ...1/2
October 21, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Just saw a long, heart-felt tweet about how the "best" way to discourage Generative AI is to encourage students to view themselves as writers, and to take pride in their own distinct writing voices....
... and it's precisely that combination of idealism & wish-fulfillment ...1/2
... and it's precisely that combination of idealism & wish-fulfillment ...1/2
An author from the upcoming issue of Forgotten Ground Regained!
To introduce the Fall issue of Forgotten Ground Regained, releasing next Saturday, I'm introducing its authors first.
@jordanriverwrites.bsky.social is author of Banquet & Ashes. (amzn.to/4ogAhSE).
His poem, "Song Hall of the Bone-Mother" tells a short but chilling tale, without any happy endings.
@jordanriverwrites.bsky.social is author of Banquet & Ashes. (amzn.to/4ogAhSE).
His poem, "Song Hall of the Bone-Mother" tells a short but chilling tale, without any happy endings.
Banquet & Ashes: A Book of Gold & Hunger, of Gates & Fire, of Feasts That Devour and Flames That Purge
Banquet & Ashes: A Book of Gold & Hunger, of Gates & Fire, of Feasts That Devour and Flames That Purge [River, Jordan D] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Banquet & Ashes: A Book of Gold & Hunger, of Gates & Fire, of Feasts That Devour and Flames That Purge
amzn.to
October 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
An author from the upcoming issue of Forgotten Ground Regained!
Countdown to the next issue of FORGOTTEN GROUND REGAINED begins!
To introduce the Fall issue of Forgotten Ground Regained, releasing next Saturday, I'm introducing its authors first.
D.A. Cooper is publishing "Hellhound" (based on a scene from Dante's Inferno) in FGR. Previous publications include "Rise" in The North American Anglican:
northamanglican.com/rise/
D.A. Cooper is publishing "Hellhound" (based on a scene from Dante's Inferno) in FGR. Previous publications include "Rise" in The North American Anglican:
northamanglican.com/rise/
Rise | The North American Anglican
Thick, mist-forged shackles held us in the cave, imprisoned for the crime of losing all. We saw nothing but shadows on the wall— they gamboled and they taunted us. We gave in to the dark. A crushing f...
northamanglican.com
October 18, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Countdown to the next issue of FORGOTTEN GROUND REGAINED begins!
Reading the "about" section from Giovanni's Room bookstore in Philly, one of the oldest queer bookstores in the world, but I'm guessing that the following tidbit, while definitely interesting, is maaaaaaybe every HR person's nightmare: 1/2
October 14, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Reading the "about" section from Giovanni's Room bookstore in Philly, one of the oldest queer bookstores in the world, but I'm guessing that the following tidbit, while definitely interesting, is maaaaaaybe every HR person's nightmare: 1/2
Oh, in addition to accidentally re-inventing book history, looks like I've also accidentally re-invented distance reading (!).
Absolutely love this article by Ted Underwood"
dhq.digitalhumanities.org/vol/11/2/000...
Absolutely love this article by Ted Underwood"
dhq.digitalhumanities.org/vol/11/2/000...
DHQ: Digital Humanities Quarterly: A Genealogy of Distant Reading
dhq.digitalhumanities.org
October 13, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Oh, in addition to accidentally re-inventing book history, looks like I've also accidentally re-invented distance reading (!).
Absolutely love this article by Ted Underwood"
dhq.digitalhumanities.org/vol/11/2/000...
Absolutely love this article by Ted Underwood"
dhq.digitalhumanities.org/vol/11/2/000...
Given my newfound appreciation for how book packaging & distribution -- hc vs. pb, covers, bookstores vs. wholesalers -- affects interpretation, I realized I've just invented a new field of literary studies.
I think I'm going to call it "book history." Hope it catches on!
I think I'm going to call it "book history." Hope it catches on!
October 12, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Given my newfound appreciation for how book packaging & distribution -- hc vs. pb, covers, bookstores vs. wholesalers -- affects interpretation, I realized I've just invented a new field of literary studies.
I think I'm going to call it "book history." Hope it catches on!
I think I'm going to call it "book history." Hope it catches on!
Just saw that this came out! Holmes has always written *extremely* insightful reviews and articles. I'll be looking forward to this one .... although mainly to see what he says about Tolkien's alliterative poetry!
mcfarlandbooks.com/product/tolk...
mcfarlandbooks.com/product/tolk...
Tolkien’s Glee - McFarland
Tolkien’s Glee A Reading of the Songs in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings John R. Holmes 978-1-4766-9865-6 978-1-4766-5735-6
mcfarlandbooks.com
October 12, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Just saw that this came out! Holmes has always written *extremely* insightful reviews and articles. I'll be looking forward to this one .... although mainly to see what he says about Tolkien's alliterative poetry!
mcfarlandbooks.com/product/tolk...
mcfarlandbooks.com/product/tolk...
A very pleasant review of my anthology from Douglas A. Anderson, writing for @mythlore.bsky.social .
dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol...
dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol...
<i>Speculative Poetry and the Modern Alliterative Revival: A Critical Anthology</i>, edited by Dennis Wilson Wise
Book review, by Douglas A. Anderson, of Speculative Poetry and the Modern Alliterative Revival: A Critical Anthology (2024), edited by Dennis Wilson Wise
dc.swosu.edu
October 11, 2025 at 7:21 PM
A very pleasant review of my anthology from Douglas A. Anderson, writing for @mythlore.bsky.social .
dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol...
dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol...
I've always been puzzled by standing conferences that have "themes." ICFA always has a theme, and this year's theme ("cognition") is perfectly decent .... but how many academics actually write their paper to match the theme?
The chances that any one theme randomly...
The chances that any one theme randomly...
October 2, 2025 at 2:49 PM
I've always been puzzled by standing conferences that have "themes." ICFA always has a theme, and this year's theme ("cognition") is perfectly decent .... but how many academics actually write their paper to match the theme?
The chances that any one theme randomly...
The chances that any one theme randomly...
Reposted by Dennis Wise
Announcing the 2025 Rhysling Award Winners
The Rhysling Award honors the year's best in speculative poetry ✨
Nominees were selected by the membership of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Each member is allowed to nominate one work in each of two categories: Long and Short poem
thread/
The Rhysling Award honors the year's best in speculative poetry ✨
Nominees were selected by the membership of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Each member is allowed to nominate one work in each of two categories: Long and Short poem
thread/
October 2, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Announcing the 2025 Rhysling Award Winners
The Rhysling Award honors the year's best in speculative poetry ✨
Nominees were selected by the membership of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Each member is allowed to nominate one work in each of two categories: Long and Short poem
thread/
The Rhysling Award honors the year's best in speculative poetry ✨
Nominees were selected by the membership of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Each member is allowed to nominate one work in each of two categories: Long and Short poem
thread/
Christmas is coming up...and what do you get the person who has everything? Clearly, SPECULATIVE POETRY & THE MODERN ALLITERATIVE REVIVAL, the most exciting compilation since the 10th-century Exeter Book!
(Seriously, the pb edition's still on sale for only $25.)
www.bloomsbury.com/us/speculati...
(Seriously, the pb edition's still on sale for only $25.)
www.bloomsbury.com/us/speculati...
Speculative Poetry and the Modern Alliterative Revival
2025 Mythopoeic Scholarship Award Finalist for Myth and Fantasy StudiesIf a literary movement arises but no one notices, is it still a movement? In Speculative…
www.bloomsbury.com
October 1, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Christmas is coming up...and what do you get the person who has everything? Clearly, SPECULATIVE POETRY & THE MODERN ALLITERATIVE REVIVAL, the most exciting compilation since the 10th-century Exeter Book!
(Seriously, the pb edition's still on sale for only $25.)
www.bloomsbury.com/us/speculati...
(Seriously, the pb edition's still on sale for only $25.)
www.bloomsbury.com/us/speculati...