Danielle St Hilaire
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docsthilaire.bsky.social
Danielle St Hilaire
@docsthilaire.bsky.social
350 followers 390 following 290 posts
Hockey fan, early modernist, neophyte metal head, sighthound enthusiast. Not necessarily in that order. She/her.
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docsthilaire.bsky.social
No creature on earth happier than a cat sleeping on a heating vent.
A brown tabby lounges belly-up under a dark brown barrister bookcase, a little smile on his fuzzy kitty face.
November 12, 2025 at 2:43 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Sweater weather.
A fawn brindle whippet lounges on a beige dog bed wearing a blue and grey patterned dog sweater.
October 21, 2025 at 6:07 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Exceptionally proud of this little guy for earning his Canine Good Citizen title today. The last 3 years have been a wild ride with Phoenix, but a lot of training (and a little Prozac) has made a huge difference.
A fawn brindle whippet sits and looks intently at the camera, one ear folded slightly backwards. Next to him is a blue ribbon that says “Canine Good Citizen.”
October 20, 2025 at 1:37 AM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
No Kings Pittsburgh: come to say no to fascism, stay for the inflatable costume conga line!
October 18, 2025 at 7:18 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
I started learning to crochet in March and just finished my biggest project yet. I think I underestimated the satisfaction of wearing something I’ve made myself!
A woman talking a mirror selfie wearing a gray and charcoal sweater. A woman talking a mirror selfie in profile wearing a gray and charcoal sweater.
September 6, 2025 at 7:20 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
“Why would I lay on the floor when there’s a perfectly good chair here???” —my whippet, probably.
A brindle whippet in a grey sweatshirt sits on a chair with a black and white floral cushion on a deck painted red. He’s looking at a grey MuttMat with disdain.
September 2, 2025 at 12:00 AM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Out for an afternoon paddle and saw a plane flying a banner over the lake. “YOU SUCK AT THIS, BOB! SELL THE *@%! TEAM!!” Check on your Pirates fan friends; they aren’t doing well.
Picture of a mostly cloudy sky with a plane silhouetted against it, flying a banner behind it Plane banner against clouds that reads “YOU SUCK AT THIS, BOB! SELL THE @%*! TEAM!!”
July 18, 2025 at 11:46 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Oh to be a lazy dog on a big bed…
A fawn brindle whippet lies stretched out on a human bed atop blue-grey sheets and blanket, his back to the camera and his head propped up on a pillow.
June 24, 2025 at 3:22 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Great turnout for the first of 3 rallies in Pittsburgh today!
June 14, 2025 at 5:49 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social

You don’t win friends with slashing!
April 21, 2025 at 1:46 AM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
On a dreary day when you’re home with Covid, receiving advance copies of your second book in the mail is a nice pick-me-up!
A disembodied hand hold a book; the cover reads “The Art of Pity: Aesthetics, Ethics, and Compassion in Sidney, Spenser, and Shakespeare, Danielle A. St. Hilaire”
March 28, 2025 at 8:01 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Very excited to be in possession of this beauty from All Grim Prints, courtesy of @allgrim.bsky.social
A woman peeks out from behind a black and white print of 1915 Boston Globe article titled “Is Novel Reading a Disease?”, with the word “EXTRA” in large print above and “BEWARE!” In large print below.
March 14, 2025 at 10:05 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Duquesne English is extending our deadline for PhD applications—please share and feel free to reach out with any questions!

www.duq.edu/academics/co...
Image reads, “EXTENDED PHD IN ENGLISH LITERATURE Apply by Friday, February 7th • Comprehensive training in writing and literature! • Work closely with faculty mentors! • Opportunities for funding and teaching! • Join a successful alumni network!”
January 22, 2025 at 8:37 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Fun in the snow!
A young fawn brindle whippet stands in the snow with a bunch of it piled on the tip of his nose. He’s wearing knee-high snow booties, a black and yellow striped onesie, and a black winter coat with a grey hood that cover his ears. He looks ridiculous, but happy.
January 11, 2025 at 10:20 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Oh and this is the cover!
Image of a book cover: beige background with an ornate red, green, and gold diamond pattern. Over the top third is the title: “The Art of Pity: Aesthetics, Ethics, and Compassion in Sidney, Spenser, and Shakespeare, DANIELLE A. ST. HILAIRE”
December 13, 2024 at 6:16 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Proofs returned! The Art of Pity is one step closer to being a thing in the world!
A page that reads, “The Art of Pity Aesthetics, Ethics, and Compassion in Sidney, Spenser, and Shakespeare DANIELLE A. ST. HILAIRE The Kent State University Press KENT, OHIO”
December 13, 2024 at 6:13 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
It snowed on us today on our little hike and my heart is still so happy.
A snow-covered bridge over the Youghiogheny river Snowflakes are falling in a shot of the Youghiogheny river taken from the foot bridge above: bare trees, a grey river, and a snowy riverbank in the distance A wide path through bare trees stretches forward into the distance, snow covering the verge.
November 30, 2024 at 3:09 AM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
And this is my current upper-level self-asssessment. #UngradingChat
Engl 412W/519 Dr. St. Hilaire Self-Assessment Fall 2024 Self-Assessment and (Un) Grading "Ungrading" is a set of practices currently being explored in academic contexts as a way to redress some of the inequities of traditional grading and assessment structures. Traditional grading encourages students to focus on the grade rather than the work. But the most valuable thing I can give you in this class is not a grade: it's access to texts, knowledge, and ideas, the opportunity to explore your own ideas in that context, and feedback on your work. To reflect that fact, I will be providing you with plenty of feedback on your work, but I will not be assigning it a grade. Instead, at the end of the semester, you will assess your own work and progress in the course and assign yourself a grade. I also want to make space for you to take risks and try new things without the fear that you will be penalized if the experiment doesn't work out. And I want you to be engaged in assessing your own progress: instead of me telling you how you're doing, I want you to be thinking about what you're learning in order to develop meta- awareness of your development in this course. Meta-awareness is a skill that aids in the transfer of knowledge from one context to another, and so asking you to be involved in assessing your own learning is a way to help you take what you learn here and bring it forward with you after you leave this class. To that end, you will be engaging in a substantial self-assessment project that will accompany your final research project, at the end of which you will tell me what grade you believe you have earned in the course. As long as you are able to make a reasonable case for the grade you propose, that will be your grade in the course. While I reserve the right to adjust self-assessed grades up or down in cases where the self-assessment is significantly off the mark, in general you will be the one deciding your grade for the semester. Minimum Requirements for Passing That said, there are minimum requirements for passing this course: anyone who does not meet these basic requirements is not eligible for a passing grade. The minimum requirements for passing are: • Complete all written assignments for the course; • Miss no more than 3 of our class meetings; Engl 412W/519 Dr. St. Hilaire • Maintain standards of academic integrity in all work. Fall 2024 Exceptions Sometimes life throws us curveballs that can derail our schedules and plans. If something like this happens to you during the semester and interferes with your ability to complete the course, please let me know-I'm happy to see if we can work out a plan to get you back on track! Self-Assessment For this self-assessment, you should expect to spend 2-3 hours reviewing your work for the semester and writing your responses to the questions below. The purpose of this assessment is for you to reflect on the work you did (and, if applicable, the work you didn't), to think about what you learned as a result of that work, and to reflect on what you might carry forward with you after this semester. I'm asking for your honest answers with these questions. Admitting to a weakness or a regret does not mean that you necessarily deserve a lower grade; conversely, claiming you have no weaknesses and made no mistakes doesn't mean you deserve an A (it probably just means you haven't reflected very seriously). In some of these questions you also have the opportunity to tell me which assignments were most helpful to you and which were not, which is useful information for me as l assess my own course design and make changes for future semesters. Please answer all questions and subquestions, using complete sentences. You can format your responses using paragraphs or bullet points, but please use the section names to help you organize your responses. The more detail you provide on each answer, the more likely I am to agree with your self-assessment. Section 1: Course Requirements • Did you keep up with the reading this semester? - What did you find most interesting in the reading, and why? - Are there any texts you think this class didn't need? Which one(s) and why? • Did you participate weekly in the class discussion board? Engl 412W/519 Dr. St. Hilaire Fall 2024 - How useful was the discussion board to you in achieving the SLOs for this class, in understanding the course texts, and/or in answering you questions about the course? • Did you participate actively in our class meetings? - How many class meetings did you miss? - If you missed classes, what effect did missing class have on your learning in the course? What did you do to try to minimize the impact on your learning of missing class? - What did you find most valuable in our class time together? What do you feel you learned from our class meetings? • Did you make use of my office hours? - If so, what did you take away from your meeting(s) with me? - If not, why not? Do you think attending my office hours might have helped you with anything? Section 2: Assessment of Major Assignments • Review your major assignments, including the research project, and my feedback on your drafts. What learning did you gain from these assignments? - Are there any common themes that arise across the comments? - Is there anything you particularly excelled at? - Is there anything that was a persistent challenge for you across the semester? • Assess the amount of time and attention you put into the major assignments for this course. - What assignment did you put the most time into, and why? What did you do with that time, and was it effective? - Which assignment did you spend the least time on, and why? Do you wish you'd spent more time on it? Why or why not? - If you could go back and give yourself 1 more week to work on any of the major assignments, which would it be and why? What would you do with that extra week? • What are you most proud of from your work in this course this semester, and why? • Is there anything you wish you could have done differently in this course? If so, why? • What ideas, skills, or practices from this class do you think you can make use of in the future, and how? Section 3: Learning Objectives and the Research Project • Describe how your research project demonstrates achievement of each of the SLOs for this course (listed below). You may also discuss how earlier assignments Engl 412W/519 Dr. St. Hilaire Fall 2024 demonstrated achievement of the SLOs, but the bulk of your discussion should be on the research project. • Once you've gone through the SLOs, tell me what you like best about your research project, and why. SLOs: Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: 1. Describe major events and works in the lives of Shakespeare and Milton; 2. Describe and analyze themes that cut across each poet's career; 3. Develop and support arguments about their work in writing using scholarly research; 4. 519 only: Develop new ideas about their works and situate those ideas in an existing scholarly conversation. Section 4: Grade Yourself Explain what grade you believe you have earned in the course and why. Your explanation should take into account your responses on this self-assessment, and you should explain the criteria you are using to assign your grade (in other words, what do you think your grade should be based on, and how have you achieved on that scale?).
November 19, 2024 at 3:14 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Sure! Here’s part of my FYW grading contract. #UngradingChat
8 1 of 6 UCOR 101 - 24 Dr. St. Hilaire Fall 2023 Grading Contract Because this is a 100-level course, I am most interested in helping you to develop the kinds of habits in reading, writing, and researching that lead to success. Developing these habits now will positively affect your work in later semesters, which is part of the purpose of this course. To that end, instead of basing your final grade on assessments of the final products you produce in this course, I will be be assessing your process over the course of the semester. I have laid out here the criteria, focused on the completion of process activities that lead to learning, required to earn a species of A, B, or C in the course. Pluses and minuses (e.g., A-, B+, etc.) will be determined by a combination of my judgment based on the information outlined in this contract and the case you make for your final grade in the self-assessment piece of your final portfolio. A Contract Doing all of the following will mean that you will end the semester with a form of A grade Attendance • Attend 90% of class meetings (25 of our 28- in other words, miss no more than 3 classes). You can do alternative activities for up to 2 class meetings if you are unable to attend for whatever reason. Assignments • Complete at least 90% of homework assignments by the due date and time • Sign up for and attend your required conference with me before Oct 1 • Either meet with me at least one other time to discuss course work, OR take a draft of one of the Major Assignments to the Writing Center for feedback and use that feedback in your writing • Submit all drafts of Major Assignments by the due date and time (notwithstanding extension requests). Note that you can submit 1 draft late and still be eligible for an A, but I must receive the draft within 1 week of the due date. Revision • Thoroughly revise all Major Assignments according to feedback from me ("thorough revision" means that at least 50% of the revised essay is new, rewritten, or substantially reorganized material) Class Participation • Bring the materials required for the day's activities (e.g., the text we are discussing, copies of your paper if we are workshopping) to class each day • Be attentive during class meetings (demonstrate attentiveness by showing attention to whoever is speaking, participating in discussion, and generally avoiding distraction behavior like messaging on electronic devices or working on work for other class Portfolio • Submit a portfolio containing all required items on time • Demonstrate progress towards the course learning outcomes in your portfolio UCOR 101 - 24 Dr. St. Hilaire Fall 2023 B Contract Doing all of the following will mean that you will end the semester with a form of ABgrade Attendance • Attend 80% of class meetings (22 of our 28- in other words, miss no more than 6 classes). You can do alternative activities for up to 2 class meetings if you are unable to attend for whatever reason. Assignments • Complete at least 80% of homework assignments by the due date and time • Sign up for and attend your required conference with me before Oct 1 • Submit all drafts of Majors Assignments by the due date and time (notwithstanding extension requests). Note that you can submit 1 draft late and still be eligible for a B, but I must receive the draft within 1 week of the due date. Revision • Revise all Major Assignments • Thoroughly revise at least 2 of 3 of the Major Assignments according to feedback from me ("thorough revision" generally means that at least 50% of the revised essay is new, rewritten, or substantially reorganized material) Class Participation • Bring the materials required for the day's activities (e.g., the text we are discussing, copies of your paper if we are workshopping) to class each day • Be attentive during class meetings (demonstrate attentiveness by showing attention to whoever is speaking, participating in discussion, and generally avoiding distraction behavior like messaging on Engaron activel in all workshops and cou cativities Portfolio • Submit a portfolio containing all required items on time • Demonstrate progress towards the course learning outcomes in your portfolio UCOR 101 - 24 Dr. St. Hilaire Fall 2023 C Contract Doing all of the following will mean that you will end the semester with a form of C grade Attendance • Attend 80% of class meetings (22 of our 28- in other words, miss no more than 6 classes). You can do alternative activities for up to 2 class meetings if you are unable to attend for whatever reason. Assignments Complete at least 70% of homework assignments • Sign up for and attend your required conference with me ubmit all drafts of Majors Assignments by the due date and time (notwithstanding extension requests). Note that you can submit 1 draft late and still be eligible for a C, but I must receive the draft within 1 week of the due date. Revision • Revise all Major Assignments • Thoroughly revise 1 of 3 of the Major Assignments according to feedback from me ("thorough revision" generally means that at least 50% of the revised essay is new, rewritten, or substantially reorganized material) Class Participation • Bring the materials required for the day's activities (e.g., the text we are discussing, copies of your paper if we are workshopping) to class each day • Be attentive during class meetings (demonstrate attentiveness by showing attention to whoever is speaking, participating in discussion, and generally avoiding distraction behavior like messaging on electronic devices or working on work for other classes) • Engage actively in all workshops and group activities Portfolio • Submit a portfolio containing all required items on time
November 19, 2024 at 3:11 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Update: he is sober but he would like to know why food hurts now.
A grey tabby sits on a lap and looks to the right.
November 19, 2024 at 2:30 AM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
This poor guy had 5 teeth removed today and is currently high as a kite.
A grey tabby lies at an awkward angle on a beige and green rug in front of an arm chair looking high as fuck.
November 18, 2024 at 10:58 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
I told Phoenix he was like a 40lb cat and next thing I knew he was sleeping on the cat tree.
A brindle whippet curled up on top of a beige cat tree with an expression that suggests he is questioning his life choices. Beside him are bookcases and in front a dark brown leather-ish reading chair.
November 17, 2024 at 3:38 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
The Pens game has gone so badly in the 3rd that SNPT’s streaming app has just been showing this for stretches of the final frame.
A black-framed TV mounted to a white wall above a mantel with a frosted fir garland; the TV shows only the Penguins’ logo.
November 16, 2024 at 2:33 AM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
Why am I at work when I could be home snuggling this little guy???
A brindle whippet lounges on a bed half-covered by a navy comforter. He looks off to the right, displaying his very excellent snoot.
November 14, 2024 at 6:34 PM
docsthilaire.bsky.social
My dog was chasing my cat, so my cat lured him into the study, pushed the baby gate shut, then jumped over the baby gate and left.

Erasmus doesn’t fight with his claws; he uses his wits.
A grey tabby lounges on top of wooden cat tree in front of a window. The fronds of a house plant frame him on the left as he gazes somewhere to the right of the frame.
November 13, 2024 at 9:27 PM