Amanda K. Allen
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amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Amanda K. Allen
@amandaallenphd.bsky.social
2.8K followers 1.1K following 370 posts
English Prof. I research 1940s-1960s teen romance & print culture, the female network of editors & librarians who published midcentury #KidLit & #YALit, and fan & fandom studies. YA editor of JPRS. LOVES BOOKBINDING! She/her.
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amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Happy International Women's Day, peeps!
Illustration of many women from different racial and cultural backgrounds. The superimposed text reads "International Women's Day! Our day is intersectional and trans-inclusive!"
March 8, 2025 at 5:08 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
With everything going on, I’ve been struggling with some hard feels.

I’ve decided to leave said hard feels behind and be more like this frog friend.

There will be glitter and PINK PONY CLUB at the top of my lungs (or, like, more than usual).
Green frog standing on back legs, wearing a pink dress and a glitter hat, and holding a gold and pink wand. Above the frog is a caption reading, “The horrors persist but so do I.”
March 3, 2025 at 6:52 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
I finally figured out how to modify my little starter sewing machine to do free motion sewing!

(I don’t think I’ll keep it, but it was good stress-relieving practice)!

Content inspired by the times… #CraftSky #Sewing
Red and teal “Fuck It” sewn onto white cloth and framed with teal velvet and a third white and gold fabric.
March 1, 2025 at 3:46 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
And goodnight!
An illustration of a mouse making coffee. Above it reads “Rest here weary doom-scroller, you’ve seen enough bullshit for one day.”
February 20, 2025 at 3:47 AM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
“But I believe we fight for something, not against something.”
February 20, 2025 at 12:19 AM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Today was BABY’S FIRST MAMMOGRAM!

It’s not fun. But I had a super lovely nurse, the waiting room had plants and felt like a spa, and there were free “knitted knockers” made by volunteers.

It all made me emotional about the importance of women’s health.

Love.❤️
A basket of multiple “knitted knockers,” which are free breast prosthetics worn by women experiencing mastectomy, and knitted by volunteers. The knockers are blue, beige, pink, and white. A pink paper explains their use.
February 17, 2025 at 11:11 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💝
Embroidery on pink fabric, with the words “Roses are red, alt-facts aren’t true, I want to destroy white supremacy with you” and three red raised fists that look like roses.
February 15, 2025 at 1:01 AM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
It’s a snow day tomorrow,

and I am SO HAPPY

because I desperately need that time to catch up on alllllllllllllllllll the work…
Text post announcing that classes are canceled due to weather. Above it is a caption that reads “It’s a snow day tomorrow!” Below is another caption, “I’m so happy! Thank you, snow!” Below that is a drawing of a pink dinosaur laughing in the snow.
February 13, 2025 at 12:06 AM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
“I remember damage. Then escape.”

Has anyone seen Station Eleven?
I finished watching it a couple of nights ago, but I just keep thinking about it…
Station Eleven promotional poster shows a partial head, neck, and shoulder of a young blond white woman, with a cabin in the distance. Page from the graphic novel made as a prop for the series. A faceless astronaut floats amongst stars. In the middle is a large caption reading “I don’t want to live the wrong life and die.”
February 12, 2025 at 12:04 AM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Love in the time of chaos ❤️

(best with sound on)
February 8, 2025 at 3:01 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
*cough* *wheeze* oh my heart
😂😂😂

PS: the National Parks Service already announced that there’s not enough carvable rock for another figure…
Screenshot of a bill labeled “H.R.792 - To direct the Secretary of the Interior to arrange for the carving of the figure of President Donald J. Trump on Mount Rushmore National Memorial.” Sponsor is Rep. Luna, Anna Paulina (R-FL-13).
February 3, 2025 at 6:39 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Yesterday, in “crafting through my fears because what even is happening and how do we protect everyone,” I made a new pillow for my bedroom!

It’s made from an old tablecloth and an old sheet, and I learned how to mitre! YAY CRAFTING THROUGH CHAOS!

#CraftSky
Pink square pillow with large flowers and leaves and a vaguely tropical vibe!
February 3, 2025 at 2:54 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Please admire this beautiful wall of tools I put together today while I was hiding from all of the terrible news. (Sometimes self care means taking a little crafting break from reading about the horrors).

It’s so pretty! 😍

#CraftSky #Resist #CraftingTheResistance
White wall with various woodworking tools hanging from it, including saws, hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches.
February 2, 2025 at 3:14 AM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
I just watched Caroline Kennedy’s message urging the senate to reject RFK Jr’s confirmation, and…wow.

She makes multiple excellent points, but this more personal one about RFK Jr expropriating her father’s image must have been particularly difficult to voice.

#Senate #RFK #JFK #SenateConfirmations
January 28, 2025 at 9:59 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
I am proud of my spring onions for SUPER GROWING after I chop them each day to add to my eggs.

Go, little allium! You work so hard! I’m proud of you!

(Yes, I need a pet).
Glass jar of hydroponic spring onions sitting on a kitchen counter, with small succulent plants nearby.
January 27, 2025 at 7:38 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
FYI: you can get your own printable red cards from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.

They’re little cards that tell you what to do when ICE comes.

They’re available in multiple languages: www.ilrc.org/red-cards-ta...
White card with writing that reads: “You have constitutional rights: • DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR if an immigration agent is knocking on the door. • DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS from an immigration agent if they try to talk to you. You have the right to remain silent. • DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without first speaking to a lawyer. You have the right to speak with a lawyer. • If you are outside of your home, ask the agent if you are free to leave and if they say yes, leave calmly. • GIVE THIS CARD TO THE AGENT. If you are inside of your home, show the card through the window or slide it under the door.” Back of white card with writing that reads “I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions, or sign or hand you any documents based on my 5th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution. I do not give you permission to enter my home based on my 4th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution unless you have a warrant to enter, signed by a judge or magistrate with my name on it that you slide under the door. I do not give you permission to search any of my belongings based on my 4th Amendment rights. I choose to exercise my constitutional rights. These cards are available to citizens and noncitizens alike.”
January 23, 2025 at 3:22 AM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Today, I’m desperately clinging to this old Jack Layton quotation.

This is my mantra for the next four years. (This, and a whole lot of Hannah Arendt, as a warning).
Orange poster reads, “Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. J. Layton, 1950-2011.”
January 21, 2025 at 1:01 AM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
I made some cute, colourful notebook sets for friends.

Sometimes you just want a small library of notebooks!

#BookSky #Bookbinding
Three slipcases filled with colourful notebooks. Two red, empty slipcases next to a yellow slipcase filled with notebooks, and a pile of notebooks in front. Two red slipcases and 8 colourful sewn notebooks, all of a green cutting mat.
January 19, 2025 at 7:38 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Good morning!

This is not my photo. This is not my beautifully-clear workspace or my cozy blanket. This is not my mountain sunrise over my still lake.

This is the life I’d like to live, if only in my mind’s eye. 🩵
A table with a laptop and a chair with a blanket sit in front of a large window. The view shows sunrise coming between mountains and over a still lake.
January 13, 2025 at 1:25 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
There’s my car’s cute bum hanging in the air, costing me a fortune…

(This January is feeling particularly January. Sigh).
Back end of a gray car, lifted in the air in a mechanic’s shop.
January 6, 2025 at 3:26 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
A snowy night…

(Illustration by Pascal Campion).
A snowy night scene showing a lamplight in front of a bridge. A small animal leaves prints in the snow.
January 3, 2025 at 3:55 AM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Me.
A painting of a 19th century woman reclining on a chair. Text reads: “December 26 - December 30th. What day is it? I need to eat a vegetable.”
December 27, 2024 at 5:36 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
I’m feeling particularly Decemberish today (which is a little off, considering it’s 11C and raining when it should be -8 and snowing, but I’ll take it)!
Illustration of a snowy scene of large conifers with mountains behind. I’m the foreground is a bundled-up woman walking and carrying branches and a little dog beside her. At the top is written “artwork by Jane Newland.”
December 16, 2024 at 10:49 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Sending cosy winter evening vibes out into the world. ✨❤️
Illustration of a woman in bed reading. A dog and cat are curled up nearby. There are three stockings hanging at the foot of the bed, a large Christmas tree on the right side of the illustration, and candles and stars in a window on the left.
December 9, 2024 at 11:30 PM
amandaallenphd.bsky.social
Me tonight.

(Illustration by Randi Lynn Reed).
Painting of a squirrel sitting in a chair, holding a mug, within a very cosy-looking burrow with fireplace and bed. Above the burrow are trees with snow falling.
December 6, 2024 at 1:49 AM