Alyssa S.
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drsepinwall.bsky.social
Alyssa S.
@drsepinwall.bsky.social
16K followers 3.6K following 8.4K posts
Writer. Prof. Lover of Music and Film. 🇭🇹🇫🇷🎮🎬🗃️Views expressed through this account represent my own opinions and not my employer's.
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drsepinwall.bsky.social
Love to see this next week at @brooklyncollege.bsky.social, inaugurating the Daniel Simidor Reading Room at CUNY's #Haitian Studies Institute.

Daniel was an amazing librarian & activist, who I learned so much from. The panels look great. 🙏 💙@rejinl.bsky.social!

www.eventbrite.com/e/daniel-sim...
Poster for event: Daniel Simidor Reading Room Inauguration and CUNY HSI Archives Open House By Haitian Studies Institute Follow 2900 Bedford Avenue Nov 18 from 10:30am to 5pm EST Overview Opening of the Daniel Simidor Reading Room at the CUNY HSI Archives and Special Collections.Will include Panels, Talks & Archival Tours. The Haitian Studies Institute Archives and Special Collections will be having its official opening of the Daniel Simidor Reading Room. To honor such an occasion CUNY HSI will be inviting three prominent archivists and librarians within Black and Haitian Studies along with an open house that will display his and other notable collections within the archives, and finally a book talk with Monique Clesca hosted by the Haitian Times. Come learn about Haitian Culture and history being preserved at the HSI Archives!
November 10, 2025 at 8:50 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Actually Cali the ILL bear is a she, my bad. Check out how they dressed her up for Halloween. And her message - you can borrow books or get journal articles from other campuses *fast* & *free* (rather than pull garbage from the internet or an LLM) - is more important than ever!
Cali the Library Bear, dressed as an ILL witch!
November 10, 2025 at 8:05 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Apparently Interlibrary Loan in my library system has a mascot. I am annoyed that he came to my campus & did not visit me, given that I'm a #1 power user of ILL & he's a very cute little library bear!

(& yes there are real things to be annoyed about but let me distract myself with something idle!)
Stuffed teddy bear sitting on a library book shelf
November 10, 2025 at 7:50 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Lol our roasting of @variety.com on their being completely out of touch with pop culture finally paid off. The ridiculous text was still up all yesterday but they changed it today.
Kendrick Lamar, whose “Not Like Us” single triumphed in two of the three top categories at the 2025 Grammys, has voters having still further opportunities to reward him this year, with the potent follow-through of both a smash album (“GNX”) and single (“Luther’) poised to offer the hip-hop superstar even more of a sweep in the 2026 awards. Lamar leads the pack of nominees for the 2026 Grammys with nine nods, in nominations rolled out by the Recording Academy Friday.
November 8, 2025 at 4:49 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Just so we're clear, BHL is an a**hole masquerading as a philosophe. (just a wee bit of summary about him from the Wiki ⬇️). He doesn't speak for me & this is DARVO crap from men who suck.
Text: In 2006, Lévy joined the British debate over Muslim women's veils by said to The Jewish Chronicle that wearing a veil had the effect of dehumanizing the wearer by hiding her face –and suggested, alluding to a passage by Emmanuel Levinas, that "the veil is an invitation to rape".[32] In August 2008, Lévy interviewed the President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, during the Russia-Georgian War.[33] In 2009, Lévy signed a petition in support of film director Roman Polanski, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.[34]
November 5, 2025 at 11:03 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Absolutely loving @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s press conference this morning. Love this staff - capable, smart women leading his transition!
Zohran Mamdani at the mic with a staff of badass women
November 5, 2025 at 4:33 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Just Shazam’ed the music Zohran is playing now. 🔥🔥
Dhoom Machale
November 5, 2025 at 4:44 AM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
60% of the early votes in San Diego went #YesOn50 🙌. These are our first returns of the night.
Voting totals showing 60% for prop 50, full list available at sdvote.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:16 AM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
I personally agree here, since right now leftist Israeli filmmakers are beleaguered from the right & not getting to show their films (whether No Other Land or others).

BUT... the answer by Paramount to a boycott they disagree with... should not be boycotting the people who signed it!
Text: In a statement in response to the pledge, the Israeli Film and TV Producers Association said, “The signatories of this petition are targeting the wrong people.” For decades, we Israeli artists, storytellers, and creators have been the primary voices allowing audiences to hear and witness the complexity of the conflict, including Palestinian narratives and criticism of Israeli state policies. We work with Palestinian creators, telling our shared stories and promoting peace and an end to violence through thousands of films, TV series, and documentaries. This call for a boycott is profoundly misguided.
November 5, 2025 at 12:38 AM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Yeesh. I used xcancel dot com to look at Robbie George's post & replies. Lots of words from racists overwhelming his post & insisting on the moral probity of racism.

OTOH, he should own what the GOP was doing all this time. But what a sign of the times for HIM to be overwhelmed by N*zis. A sample!
Screenshot of awful racist things. Sorry, I don't want to retype them and give them greater amplification or put them in search engines - use xcancel if you really want a screen reader to read the racist things out loud...
November 4, 2025 at 2:58 AM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
And just like that: what I call the Fool in the Rain scene! (but which person is the fool?) #Indochine
two people having sex in a car while the driver has to stand outside in an umbrella
November 3, 2025 at 4:16 AM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Seriously...
Will Ireton is a ringer for ⬇️ Vincent Perez in Indochine!
Vincent Perez rowing in Indochine
November 3, 2025 at 3:46 AM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
TELL ‘EM @ravmike.bsky.social!!!!!
enforcement official in the nation, FBI Director Kash Patel, who regularly appeared on the podcast of notorious Jew-hater Stew Peters. Where is the rabbinic outrage about this spate of antisemitism in the highest levels of power in this country? That rabbis composed and distributed a letter condemning a single candidate for mayor in one city, while too often remaining silent regarding the explicit hate speech that now runs through the Republican party, is embarrassing and shameful. The Trump administration recently scrubbed a report from the Department of Justice website showing that right-wing extremism is far and away the most prevalent threat to marginalized communities in this country. For more than 1,000 rabbis to treat this reality as less serious a threat than Mamdani, in itself, a threat to Jewish safety.
November 2, 2025 at 4:25 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Read it yourself, but 💥 again:
In a democratic society, the candidacy of a young mayoral candidate who challenges the righteousness of Israeli actions is not a threat to the “Jewish future.” It is an invitation to engage in discussion about those actions. By contrast, the rise of the “great replacement” theory and its ilk — baseless claims of “white replacement” or “white genocide” — is a threat to the future of all minorities, including Jews. This awful movement, which has led to violence against Jews, immigrants of color, Muslims, and trans people, has found a home in mainstream Republican politics. The Department of Homeland Security increasingly utilizes white supremacist language in recruiting new employees and arresting immigrants including phrases like “report all foreign invaders” and “defend your culture!” Frighteningly
November 2, 2025 at 4:22 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
I mean… 💥
The contrast between the anniversary of the tragedy of the Tree of Life and the furor about Mamdani has deeply troubled me. Because while many members of our national Jewish community have come to perceive the potential election of a mayor who is critical of Israel as one of the greatest threats to our future in this country, the hate speech that fueled those two killers continues to be not just normalized on the right, but turned into a central element of its political platform. It is this reality that makes the rabbinic letter about Mamdani heartbreaking. At a moment of increasing threats to the safety of all marginalized communities in this country, my colleagues have targeted the wrong person and the wrong movement.
November 2, 2025 at 4:20 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Now that the game is over, a #WorldSeries #Bluesky crossover niche tweet.

The Dodgers Japanese interpreter, Will Ireton, is a ringer for Vincent Perez 😆
Picture of Will Ireton in a Dodgers hoodie
November 2, 2025 at 4:21 AM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
This is really powerful in Lott Hill's chapter!

"Whenever I hear that a student doesn’t remember their teacher’s name, it tells me the teacher hasn’t taken the time to learn theirs."
Text: If students are complaining about the difficulty of a complex problem or a particular aspect of the discipline, at least some of them will remember the instructor’s name. But if they were complaining about something, the teacher does or doesn’t do (“He doesn’t care if we come to class or not.” or “She talks so fast and only the people in the first two rows ask questions.” or “His lectures are so long.”), then cue the awkward banter between the students while none of them can remember the name of the teacher. Whenever I hear that a student doesn’t remember their teacher’s name, it tells me the teacher hasn’t taken the time to learn theirs.
November 1, 2025 at 11:38 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
BOOM on all of this from Lott Hill's chapter in Joy-Centered Pedagogy. This builds on also what I've learned from @heatherleslie.bsky.social's work on the Trifecta of Engagement.
Text: Joy Comes from Feeling Your Voice Matters I also participate in these moments of community building (by modeling curiosity, emotional awareness and vulnerability) throughout the semester and seek opportunities to make personal connections to many of the things the students share (“I used to live in that city.” “I love dogs too!” “That’s also one of my favorite songs / bands / artists!”). And if you are reading this and thinking that this all sounds like a waste of time or a distraction from teaching your discipline, consider the years of research into how humans learn that José Antonio Bowen (2021) distills as: “What we do to foster relationships and make students feel welcome [is] more important for learning than any content we have to offer” (p. 177).
November 1, 2025 at 11:35 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
This passage is fabulous:
The potential for experiencing joy and processing a wide range of emotions is always present in inclusive strategies, and it shows up in both expected and unexpected ways in the classroom. As we get to know one another throughout the semester, the students and I feel joy when we discover that we have past experiences or current preferences that align. We experience joy during discussions because we’ve collaboratively built a community that allows for both belonging and respect for autonomy that encourages us to listen to each other with openness and humility. We experience joy when we have breakthroughs in understanding or master new skills because we’ve established a community of care and support. We acknowledge the joy when things are going smoothly, and perhaps most importantly, we consciously seek and hold on to moments of joy to sustain us through academic challenges and personal struggles. Because inclusive teaching allows students to have a voice, feel seen, and be in authentic relationships with each other, it fosters the belief that we are all in this together. Again, we care with and not only for each other.
November 1, 2025 at 11:33 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Reading this open access book right now (Joy-Centered Pedagogy in Higher Ed) & it's really good! Here's one passage from Lott Hill's chapter.
Text: Treat your students as if they are as important as the subject you teach and approach them with the same curiosity and engagement you hope they’ll bring to your discipline. As bell hooks (1994) posits in Teaching to Transgress, “The professor must genuinely value everyone’s presence” (p. 8). This is, quite simply, what is meant by the term inclusive teaching. When we demonstrate genuine curiosity about our students – their backgrounds, their interests, their ideas – we naturally invite them into a space of reciprocal engagement and curiosity about us and the subjects we teach. This, then, is also the heart of effective teaching. With increasing evidence of the importance of relationships for teaching and learning, centering our students is not only one of the most effective teaching strategies, it has the potential to be an antidote for the anxiety, stress, and sense of distraction that seems to be overwhelming students on our campuses while also allowing us as faculty to tap into the potential our classrooms hold for personal and collective joy.
November 1, 2025 at 11:29 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Fun to meet skypeeps in real life! @niema.net is in Computer Science at a neighboring campus - but is also interested in Game Studies & AI hype! Nice to have an IRL convo on teaching about games & to share bibliography by folks like @whitakeralmanac.bsky.social @chriskempshall.bsky.social &&!
Two profs smiling under umbrellas on a patio
November 1, 2025 at 8:50 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
🔥 from @theradr.bsky.social here, commenting on the rabbis who wrote the anti-Mamdani letter.

Yes, it's a choice to hope that Cuomo (a serial sexual abuser!) beats Mamdani!!!!
Ruttenberg said she sees something different in that lightning. “If we think that magically defeating Mamdani will somehow return us to the way things used to be,” she said, “that is not what is going to be the outcome.” She also questioned the moral calculus behind the opposition’s preferred candidate. “If we want to talk about Torah values,” she said, “Cuomo is a serial sexual abuser who spent $20 million of taxpayer money paying for his defense. In what way do my colleagues think this is any representation of either pragmatic or ethical values?”
October 30, 2025 at 8:12 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
Another gorgeous passage from the Rabbis for a Shared Future. This is the stuff that makes me want to go to shul instead of avoiding it!
Text: As antisemitism and Islamophobia both rise in America, we understand that our fates are bound together. History has taught us a painful truth: systems of oppression do not stop at one community. Jewish safety cannot be built on Muslim vulnerability, nor can we combat hate against our community while turning away from hate against our neighbors. Our traditions teach us that justice is indivisible—we are only truly safe when we ensure the safety and dignity of all. This is not merely strategic; it is sacred.
October 30, 2025 at 6:32 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
More from that alternate rabbinical letter, by "Jews for a Shared Future."
Text: In response to Jewish concerns about the New York mayoral race, we recognize that candidate Zohran Mamdani's support for Palestinian self-determination stems not from hate, but from his deep moral convictions. Even though there are areas where we may disagree, we affirm that only genuine solidarity and relationship-building can create lasting security. That work has sustained us for generations wherever Jews have lived, and remains our only path forward. We draw inspiration from the many Israelis and Palestinians bravely building mutual respect and caring across profound divides, and we commit to supporting their work.
October 30, 2025 at 6:31 PM
drsepinwall.bsky.social
It gets worse. The Bowdoin professors assigned Mamdani...

Frantz Fanon! Like, he may have read Wretched of the Earth and read case studies of French colonizers tormented by how they had tortured Algerians...

Better to read books about 🦄& 🌈 & getting rich quick in college, I guess?
Mr. Mamdani has recalled his Africana studies education fondly. Bowdoin, he said, is where he first read Frantz Fanon, the anticolonial militant and psychiatrist who wrote about the psychic injuries that racism causes.
October 29, 2025 at 12:38 AM