Dr. Emily Friedman
@friede.bsky.social
Storyteller about storytellers.
18th century to today & beyond.
J.W.Liles Prof of English
Words: Polygon (RIP), LARB, etc
Next book: THE ACTUAL HISTORY OF ACTUAL PLAY (#TTRPG digital storytelling performance)
ecfriedman.com
(free) patreon.com/ecfriedman
18th century to today & beyond.
J.W.Liles Prof of English
Words: Polygon (RIP), LARB, etc
Next book: THE ACTUAL HISTORY OF ACTUAL PLAY (#TTRPG digital storytelling performance)
ecfriedman.com
(free) patreon.com/ecfriedman
Pinned
Dr. Emily Friedman
@friede.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Howdy, y’all.
I’m a tenured prof who studies storytelling outside the rules of mass media. This has included never-published manuscripts from during the age of print (1750-1900) & of late has made me a leader in the study of #TTRPG Actual Play.
I’ve learned a lot about friendship along the way.
I’m a tenured prof who studies storytelling outside the rules of mass media. This has included never-published manuscripts from during the age of print (1750-1900) & of late has made me a leader in the study of #TTRPG Actual Play.
I’ve learned a lot about friendship along the way.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
secret late night announcement. I'm launching later this month, in collaboration with illustrator @supercoolspyclub.bsky.social, JANUARY : a postcard writing game for two people, set in a kaiju-filled alternate history, about distant but persistent friendships.
February 10, 2026 at 4:48 AM
secret late night announcement. I'm launching later this month, in collaboration with illustrator @supercoolspyclub.bsky.social, JANUARY : a postcard writing game for two people, set in a kaiju-filled alternate history, about distant but persistent friendships.
It was a choice to eliminate those accounts as a way to minimize bot accounts, I believe they noted elsewhere.
February 10, 2026 at 3:46 AM
It was a choice to eliminate those accounts as a way to minimize bot accounts, I believe they noted elsewhere.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Now online and accepting applications. The 2026 AAS Summer Seminar in the History of the Book— “Paper Relations: Hisrories and Futures of Indigenous Print Cultures” Led by Katie Walkiewicz and Kelly Wisecup. Deadline to apply is April 3!
February 9, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Now online and accepting applications. The 2026 AAS Summer Seminar in the History of the Book— “Paper Relations: Hisrories and Futures of Indigenous Print Cultures” Led by Katie Walkiewicz and Kelly Wisecup. Deadline to apply is April 3!
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Okay, so aside from my jacked-on-cold-medicine-coughing collapse there at the end...what a rich conversation w the generous @jamellebouie.net that I wish could have been twice as long.
Three immediate takeaways:
1) "Follow the footnotes." Essential to his process as a writer and thinker. 🤩
Three immediate takeaways:
1) "Follow the footnotes." Essential to his process as a writer and thinker. 🤩
TODAY!
Join us at 5 p.m. EST for a conversation between JCB Library Director Karin Wulf and NYTimes columnist Jamelle Bouie.
For 2026, the JCB is hosting the series Journalism and History When History Is News. More details at jcblibrary.org!
Register here: brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi....
Join us at 5 p.m. EST for a conversation between JCB Library Director Karin Wulf and NYTimes columnist Jamelle Bouie.
For 2026, the JCB is hosting the series Journalism and History When History Is News. More details at jcblibrary.org!
Register here: brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi....
February 9, 2026 at 11:43 PM
Okay, so aside from my jacked-on-cold-medicine-coughing collapse there at the end...what a rich conversation w the generous @jamellebouie.net that I wish could have been twice as long.
Three immediate takeaways:
1) "Follow the footnotes." Essential to his process as a writer and thinker. 🤩
Three immediate takeaways:
1) "Follow the footnotes." Essential to his process as a writer and thinker. 🤩
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
El Apagón (The outage) is a song about the privatization, corruption, & neglect of PR's failing power grid & frequent outages.
The flag he holds is light blue, symbolizing Puerto Rico Independence from U.S. rule. 🇵🇷
He also created an extended cut / documentary to highlight PR hardship 👇🏼🧵
The flag he holds is light blue, symbolizing Puerto Rico Independence from U.S. rule. 🇵🇷
He also created an extended cut / documentary to highlight PR hardship 👇🏼🧵
February 9, 2026 at 4:24 PM
El Apagón (The outage) is a song about the privatization, corruption, & neglect of PR's failing power grid & frequent outages.
The flag he holds is light blue, symbolizing Puerto Rico Independence from U.S. rule. 🇵🇷
He also created an extended cut / documentary to highlight PR hardship 👇🏼🧵
The flag he holds is light blue, symbolizing Puerto Rico Independence from U.S. rule. 🇵🇷
He also created an extended cut / documentary to highlight PR hardship 👇🏼🧵
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Another resistance quilt finished this week. The eye is my own design, the letters are a fpp pattern by QuiltByNight, the rounded corners and black binding are meant to resemble the phones we the people are using to document the horrors and disprove the government’s lies about what they are doing.
February 9, 2026 at 12:54 AM
Another resistance quilt finished this week. The eye is my own design, the letters are a fpp pattern by QuiltByNight, the rounded corners and black binding are meant to resemble the phones we the people are using to document the horrors and disprove the government’s lies about what they are doing.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
I was honored to lecture last night at the National Library of Australia on Pop Bibliography ✨ The recording is available here: www.youtube.com/live/ssI69kp...
February 9, 2026 at 11:24 PM
I was honored to lecture last night at the National Library of Australia on Pop Bibliography ✨ The recording is available here: www.youtube.com/live/ssI69kp...
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Johannesburg’s Nyamakop Studios turns African artifact repatriation into a bold heist game.
Protagonist Nomali and a crew of ordinary citizens reclaim 70 real-life artifacts taken during the colonial era.
The 30-person dev team includes people from Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Protagonist Nomali and a crew of ordinary citizens reclaim 70 real-life artifacts taken during the colonial era.
The 30-person dev team includes people from Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Video game 'reloots' stolen artefacts, by reclaiming works of art from Western museums
www.france24.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Johannesburg’s Nyamakop Studios turns African artifact repatriation into a bold heist game.
Protagonist Nomali and a crew of ordinary citizens reclaim 70 real-life artifacts taken during the colonial era.
The 30-person dev team includes people from Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Protagonist Nomali and a crew of ordinary citizens reclaim 70 real-life artifacts taken during the colonial era.
The 30-person dev team includes people from Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
This is an unusual update, but my heart is too full to wait.
Free to read/view.
Free to read/view.
February 9, 2026 at 11:15 PM
This is an unusual update, but my heart is too full to wait.
Free to read/view.
Free to read/view.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
she gets it
Who else ready for bad bunny 😎
TikTok video by Chrissy Allen
www.tiktok.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:51 PM
she gets it
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Extremely exciting news: We're hiring a full-time film critic to come work with me at The A.V. Club!
You probably have an idea if you're qualified for this, but if there's something that's not in the job listing, I'm sure I can answer Qs www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
You probably have an idea if you're qualified for this, but if there's something that's not in the job listing, I'm sure I can answer Qs www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
The A.V. Club hiring Film Critic in Greater Chicago Area | LinkedIn
Posted 8:42:22 PM. The A.V. Club is seeking an experienced Film Critic to join our team of trenchant writers and…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.
www.linkedin.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Extremely exciting news: We're hiring a full-time film critic to come work with me at The A.V. Club!
You probably have an idea if you're qualified for this, but if there's something that's not in the job listing, I'm sure I can answer Qs www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
You probably have an idea if you're qualified for this, but if there's something that's not in the job listing, I'm sure I can answer Qs www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Time to start canceling nitro and shouting from the rooftops how we won't stand for this. @discord.com is collecting our information and censoring our communications and claiming its for our safety.
Don't let them get away with this.
Don't let them get away with this.
Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month
Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month
Age verification for all.
buff.ly
February 9, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Time to start canceling nitro and shouting from the rooftops how we won't stand for this. @discord.com is collecting our information and censoring our communications and claiming its for our safety.
Don't let them get away with this.
Don't let them get away with this.
Plan to remedy is in place!
February 9, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Plan to remedy is in place!
We stared out the window for 45 minutes and it was the best day we’ve had in this class.
Week 6: back by popular demand, @megueyb.bsky.social is visiting class, talking to Alabama Historical Society, and running games.
February 9, 2026 at 8:22 PM
We stared out the window for 45 minutes and it was the best day we’ve had in this class.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
“Collection of Handwritten Letters from Children in Detention Center” sounds like an exhibit in the Holocaust Museum.
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
February 9, 2026 at 6:31 PM
“Collection of Handwritten Letters from Children in Detention Center” sounds like an exhibit in the Holocaust Museum.
It’s even more embarrassing (for reasons that will be public soonish) that I haven’t!
February 9, 2026 at 8:17 PM
It’s even more embarrassing (for reasons that will be public soonish) that I haven’t!
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Please do share this doctoral opportunity with MA/MSt students - four years of AHRC funding to work on the history of children's play in Wales, supervised by me and the lovely and brilliant Dr Jacky Tyrie. Any questions get in touch! www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate...
History: Serious about Play: Childhood, Play and Policymaking in Wales, 1945 to the present (RS936) - Swansea University
We offer a wide range of funded and fully funded research scholarships in all subject areas. Explore your options and apply now.
www.swansea.ac.uk
February 9, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Please do share this doctoral opportunity with MA/MSt students - four years of AHRC funding to work on the history of children's play in Wales, supervised by me and the lovely and brilliant Dr Jacky Tyrie. Any questions get in touch! www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate...
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
NYC area folks: join us Thursday 5:30-7 pm for @shannonmattern.bsky.social's visit to NYU IDM. Shannon will discuss a pair of new projects--the Cross-Reference Coalition & the Library Field--as part of our spring speaker series, EXTRAORDINARY.
Register @ the link
www.eventbrite.com/e/idm-x-onas...
Register @ the link
www.eventbrite.com/e/idm-x-onas...
IDM x Onassis ONX present Shannon Mattern
A guest lecture by Shannon Mattern, exploring public pedagogy, creative practice and the networked urban commons.
www.eventbrite.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:35 PM
NYC area folks: join us Thursday 5:30-7 pm for @shannonmattern.bsky.social's visit to NYU IDM. Shannon will discuss a pair of new projects--the Cross-Reference Coalition & the Library Field--as part of our spring speaker series, EXTRAORDINARY.
Register @ the link
www.eventbrite.com/e/idm-x-onas...
Register @ the link
www.eventbrite.com/e/idm-x-onas...
Look I’m just gonna use this the next time I teach DIE
Do you want tragedy? Do you want hurt/comfort? Whumph?? Angst?? 🥲
This is the game for you. Dive into your own AU and create your own fix-it fic 🤌
This is the game for you. Dive into your own AU and create your own fix-it fic 🤌
February 9, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Look I’m just gonna use this the next time I teach DIE
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Do you want tragedy? Do you want hurt/comfort? Whumph?? Angst?? 🥲
This is the game for you. Dive into your own AU and create your own fix-it fic 🤌
This is the game for you. Dive into your own AU and create your own fix-it fic 🤌
February 9, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Do you want tragedy? Do you want hurt/comfort? Whumph?? Angst?? 🥲
This is the game for you. Dive into your own AU and create your own fix-it fic 🤌
This is the game for you. Dive into your own AU and create your own fix-it fic 🤌
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
fwiw Americans are very bad at understanding that the 2 things you're not supposed to discuss - politics and religion - infuse literally everything that the country has done, is doing, and will do
it's the water we swim in, which is why we don't see it
it's the water we swim in, which is why we don't see it
February 9, 2026 at 5:55 PM
fwiw Americans are very bad at understanding that the 2 things you're not supposed to discuss - politics and religion - infuse literally everything that the country has done, is doing, and will do
it's the water we swim in, which is why we don't see it
it's the water we swim in, which is why we don't see it
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
the ENNIES website gives me a "There has been a critical error on this website." every time i've tried to submit for past few weeks
just went and checked the submissions, and i guess the 5 times i submitted all actually went through, but i never got the address to send physical products...
just went and checked the submissions, and i guess the 5 times i submitted all actually went through, but i never got the address to send physical products...
February 9, 2026 at 5:27 PM
the ENNIES website gives me a "There has been a critical error on this website." every time i've tried to submit for past few weeks
just went and checked the submissions, and i guess the 5 times i submitted all actually went through, but i never got the address to send physical products...
just went and checked the submissions, and i guess the 5 times i submitted all actually went through, but i never got the address to send physical products...
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
for The New York Times, I wrote about Iron Lung's recent box office success www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/a...
A YouTuber’s Film Beat ‘Melania’ at the Box Office. Here’s How.
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:23 PM
for The New York Times, I wrote about Iron Lung's recent box office success www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/a...
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
I say this regularly. People use performative as a substitute for 'inauthentic' and we could all just say the words we mean to say. Erving Goffman helps us to understand that we perform all of the time in real life. Life itself is often a performance of self.
People have worn out "performative." We often perform things that are real, you know. Posting is a kind of performance of one's politics. Performative doesn't actually mean "fake" or "empty," it just gets deployed that way. We actually need performance. Case in point: last night's performance.
February 9, 2026 at 3:57 PM
I say this regularly. People use performative as a substitute for 'inauthentic' and we could all just say the words we mean to say. Erving Goffman helps us to understand that we perform all of the time in real life. Life itself is often a performance of self.