Mitch R. Murray
@mitchrmurray.bsky.social
Lecturer at Rensselaer Polytechnic, Contributing editor @ ASAP/J, William Gibson and the Futures of Contemporary Culture https://t.co/eVTDsrcgtv. Opinions my own.
"This film could have been good I guess--if only I didn't, personally, hate it for reasons I won't explain."
jacobin.com/2025/11/del-...
jacobin.com/2025/11/del-...
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein Is Dead Flesh Reanimated
Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited Frankenstein adaptation for Netflix is a big, bloated mess. Much like Frankenstein’s Creature, it’s dead matter, crudely stitched and bolted together.
jacobin.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:47 PM
"This film could have been good I guess--if only I didn't, personally, hate it for reasons I won't explain."
jacobin.com/2025/11/del-...
jacobin.com/2025/11/del-...
And is this sandwich in the courtroom here today?
November 4, 2025 at 5:06 PM
And is this sandwich in the courtroom here today?
Sick.
Just listened to the first episode of my friend Ramzi's podcast. He's a public intellectual doing the thing with some of the smartest, coolest people. It's cool for nonacademics who would listen to podcasts on these topics and for academics, come on, nerds 🌈 open.spotify.com/episode/4JbC...
Liberal Bias at the University
open.spotify.com
September 17, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Sick.
Formatting a forthcoming essay on how its bad for higher ed out here, which I wrote in, uh, 2023
July 31, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Formatting a forthcoming essay on how its bad for higher ed out here, which I wrote in, uh, 2023
Doesn't Harvard already have a Center for Conservative Scholarship? I think it's called "Harvard"
Exclusive: Harvard leaders have discussed creating a center for conservative scholarship as the school fights the Trump administration’s accusations that it is too liberal.
Harvard Explores New Center for Conservative Scholarship Amid Trump Attacks
The Ivy League school has discussed an effort to ‘support viewpoint diversity’ with potential donors. Harvard says the initiative ‘will not be partisan.’
on.wsj.com
July 11, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Doesn't Harvard already have a Center for Conservative Scholarship? I think it's called "Harvard"
Deadline extended! TEACHING 21st CENTURY LITERATURE calls for short essays of avid, teching-oriented criticism. CFP:
call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/04/...
call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/04/...
cfp | call for papers
call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu
June 25, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Deadline extended! TEACHING 21st CENTURY LITERATURE calls for short essays of avid, teching-oriented criticism. CFP:
call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/04/...
call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/04/...
Gave a talk at Siena College the other day on 1930s sci-fi fandom's anti-fascism, tech broligarchs, and the salience of Marxism to contemporary science fiction. This gave me a chance to form some thoughts on recent archival work, and I'm happy to share it here: www.mitchrmurray.com/blog-2-1/sci...
Science (Fiction) in the Capital — Dr. Mitch R. Murray
Siena College, 19 June 2025
www.mitchrmurray.com
June 23, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Gave a talk at Siena College the other day on 1930s sci-fi fandom's anti-fascism, tech broligarchs, and the salience of Marxism to contemporary science fiction. This gave me a chance to form some thoughts on recent archival work, and I'm happy to share it here: www.mitchrmurray.com/blog-2-1/sci...
Before the eldritch terrors of our current moment, I reviewed @katemarshall.bsky.social's Novels by Aliens on how eldritch terror is, uh, realism. Up now at ALH: academic.oup.com/alh/article/...
June 14, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Before the eldritch terrors of our current moment, I reviewed @katemarshall.bsky.social's Novels by Aliens on how eldritch terror is, uh, realism. Up now at ALH: academic.oup.com/alh/article/...
Even though it was a forgone conclusion, turns out it still sucks to receive the NEH rejection!
May 7, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Even though it was a forgone conclusion, turns out it still sucks to receive the NEH rejection!
If you ever wanted to read about Donald Glover's "Atlanta," trap, and the Hollywood Dystopia that is Atlanta, then have I got the essay for you: asapjournal.com/feature/disn...
Disney Trap House, Or: Atlanta’s Atlanta
“A Grotesque Disneyland” When recalling the infamous Atlanta child murders of 1979–81, James Baldwin described the city as “a kind of grotesque Disneyland.” This unwholesome carnival arose from a fascination with “Black death,” which “has never before elicited so much attention.
asapjournal.com
May 5, 2025 at 8:53 PM
If you ever wanted to read about Donald Glover's "Atlanta," trap, and the Hollywood Dystopia that is Atlanta, then have I got the essay for you: asapjournal.com/feature/disn...
Men, what's stopping you from speaking to God in AI form and tapping into the ancient archive of the creation of the universe?
People Are Losing Loved Ones to AI-Fueled Spiritual Fantasies
Marriages and families are falling apart as people are sucked into fantasy worlds of spiritual prophecy by AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT
www.rollingstone.com
May 4, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Men, what's stopping you from speaking to God in AI form and tapping into the ancient archive of the creation of the universe?
Open call for chapters for edited collection TEACHING TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY LITERATURE: call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/04/...
cfp | call for papers
call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu
May 1, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Open call for chapters for edited collection TEACHING TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY LITERATURE: call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2025/04/...
CFP in brief:
I'm editing a book titled TEACHING TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY LITERATURE.
It features 3000-word essays of avid, teaching-focused criticism. Each contrib. selects one key C21 text that, in their institutional context, teaches exceedingly well.
Email or DM for details/to pitch!
I'm editing a book titled TEACHING TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY LITERATURE.
It features 3000-word essays of avid, teaching-focused criticism. Each contrib. selects one key C21 text that, in their institutional context, teaches exceedingly well.
Email or DM for details/to pitch!
April 29, 2025 at 2:37 PM
CFP in brief:
I'm editing a book titled TEACHING TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY LITERATURE.
It features 3000-word essays of avid, teaching-focused criticism. Each contrib. selects one key C21 text that, in their institutional context, teaches exceedingly well.
Email or DM for details/to pitch!
I'm editing a book titled TEACHING TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY LITERATURE.
It features 3000-word essays of avid, teaching-focused criticism. Each contrib. selects one key C21 text that, in their institutional context, teaches exceedingly well.
Email or DM for details/to pitch!
The planes just burst into flames *before* they take off now
DOGE to make "rapid safety upgrades" to air traffic control: Elon Musk
Musk's announcement follows a tragic time in aviation after the fatal midair collision near D.C.'s airport last week.
www.newsweek.com
February 5, 2025 at 9:50 PM
The planes just burst into flames *before* they take off now
Getting in that last vote for Kamala
December 31, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Getting in that last vote for Kamala
Does anyone know grad students or very early career teacher-scholars who are also outstanding pedagogues?
I'm seeking contributors to round out a project on teaching 21st century anglophone lit. I'd like to include more people who fit this description. Recommendations welcome and appreciated!
I'm seeking contributors to round out a project on teaching 21st century anglophone lit. I'd like to include more people who fit this description. Recommendations welcome and appreciated!
December 20, 2024 at 4:07 PM
Does anyone know grad students or very early career teacher-scholars who are also outstanding pedagogues?
I'm seeking contributors to round out a project on teaching 21st century anglophone lit. I'd like to include more people who fit this description. Recommendations welcome and appreciated!
I'm seeking contributors to round out a project on teaching 21st century anglophone lit. I'd like to include more people who fit this description. Recommendations welcome and appreciated!
Jay Taj was robbed, man
December 9, 2024 at 8:40 PM
Jay Taj was robbed, man
Just heard on good authority* that Dua Lipa is "so obsessed with [me]."
*Spotify wrapped
*Spotify wrapped
December 4, 2024 at 3:49 PM
Just heard on good authority* that Dua Lipa is "so obsessed with [me]."
*Spotify wrapped
*Spotify wrapped
Just finished this excellent book! Thanks, @jordanscarroll.bsky.social, really taking one for the team by reading these freaks www.upress.umn.edu/978151791708...
Speculative Whiteness
Reveals the alt-right’s project to claim science fiction and—by extension—the future Fascists such as Richard Spencer interpret science fiction films a...
www.upress.umn.edu
November 28, 2024 at 7:22 PM
Just finished this excellent book! Thanks, @jordanscarroll.bsky.social, really taking one for the team by reading these freaks www.upress.umn.edu/978151791708...
Had a blast teaching @isabel.kim's "Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole?" in sci fi class today: clarkesworldmagazine.com/kim_02_24/
Clarkesworld Magazine - Science Fiction & Fantasy
Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast. This page: Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole by Isabel J. Kim
clarkesworldmagazine.com
November 22, 2024 at 5:28 PM
Had a blast teaching @isabel.kim's "Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole?" in sci fi class today: clarkesworldmagazine.com/kim_02_24/
Highly recommend following MTC. Some of the best in (what remains of) the biz
Mid Theory decided to join you in the blue skies! Check us out!
mid-theory.com
mid-theory.com
Mid Theory Collective
the contemporary and its curiosities
mid-theory.com
November 18, 2024 at 2:26 PM
Highly recommend following MTC. Some of the best in (what remains of) the biz
The only reason I have NYT--maybe the only legitimate reason anyone should--is that my login from my old work gets me access to NYT Cooking
Good Lord. The #BrokenTimes's Trump-centric worldview overtakes the perspective of democracy. Not the "deep state" but the agencies that tried to defend the nation against him.
Trump Takes On the Pillars of the ‘Deep State’ www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/u...
Trump Takes On the Pillars of the ‘Deep State’ www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/u...
With Gaetz, Gabbard and Hegseth, Trump Takes on Pillars of the ‘Deep State’
The Justice Department, Pentagon and intelligence agencies were the three areas of government that proved to be the most stubborn obstacles to Mr. Trump in his first term.
www.nytimes.com
November 15, 2024 at 12:12 PM
The only reason I have NYT--maybe the only legitimate reason anyone should--is that my login from my old work gets me access to NYT Cooking
Please pray for me. This is the end of my tumeric I brought to NY from Your Dekalb Farmer's Market in Decatur
November 13, 2024 at 4:27 PM
Please pray for me. This is the end of my tumeric I brought to NY from Your Dekalb Farmer's Market in Decatur