Joshua Yu Burnett
@joshuayuburnett.bsky.social
Prof of Multilingual Comp @ AWC. Degrees in Creative Writing & Af Am Lit, Scholarship in Black Speculative Fiction. Ex-expat in Bangladesh & Mexico. Dork/weirdo. Nonbinary, any pronouns fine as long as you don't call me "Mr." or "Sir." From the Bay.
Finished Doppelganger. Now reading: Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique.
December 23, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Finished Doppelganger. Now reading: Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique.
Now reading: Doppelganger by Naomi Klein.
December 20, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Now reading: Doppelganger by Naomi Klein.
We just started watching Somebody Somewhere, and in the second episode, the sister’s family has a cheesy pillow on their couch…and the exact same pillow is in the AirBNB we’re staying in. I was amused.
December 20, 2025 at 6:20 PM
We just started watching Somebody Somewhere, and in the second episode, the sister’s family has a cheesy pillow on their couch…and the exact same pillow is in the AirBNB we’re staying in. I was amused.
Almost done with Katabasis. It has an amazing line that encapsulates the worst kind of academic: “Making impingements, implying failure, when he had no grounds to do so except for being a dick.” Amazing.
December 20, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Almost done with Katabasis. It has an amazing line that encapsulates the worst kind of academic: “Making impingements, implying failure, when he had no grounds to do so except for being a dick.” Amazing.
Aaaaand this is what my laptop looks like all of a sudden and without any apparent cause. Oh boy, lucky me!!!!
December 18, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Aaaaand this is what my laptop looks like all of a sudden and without any apparent cause. Oh boy, lucky me!!!!
ChatGPT and Francis Fukuyama: two sources I can't imagine why anyone would ever listen to.
If we are banning cell phones for kids we need to be talking about banning chatbots for boomers
www.persuasion.community/p/my-chatgpt...
www.persuasion.community/p/my-chatgpt...
December 18, 2025 at 8:19 PM
ChatGPT and Francis Fukuyama: two sources I can't imagine why anyone would ever listen to.
Now reading. It’s about graduate students descending into Hell, which, for me, is highly relatable material.
December 16, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Now reading. It’s about graduate students descending into Hell, which, for me, is highly relatable material.
Every year, I have a personal goal to read a book per week on average – so 52 books a year. I haven't actually made that goal, though since 2018...until today.
I just finished reading Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead, and it was my 52nd book of the year. Woohoo!
I just finished reading Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead, and it was my 52nd book of the year. Woohoo!
December 15, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Every year, I have a personal goal to read a book per week on average – so 52 books a year. I haven't actually made that goal, though since 2018...until today.
I just finished reading Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead, and it was my 52nd book of the year. Woohoo!
I just finished reading Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead, and it was my 52nd book of the year. Woohoo!
Now reading.
December 12, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Now reading.
This is my undergrad alma mater. Lang, class of 2003. This is awful.
"[The New School for Social Research] is a place that built, cemented, and still upholds a legacy of social justice and anti-fascist scholarship. This legacy is what is at stake today."
www.e-flux.com/notes/678343...
www.e-flux.com/notes/678343...
Open Letter on The New School’s “Restructuring” Plans - Notes - e-flux
Signed by hundreds of faculty, students, and supporters, this letter refutes the claim that a radical “restructuring” of the The New School for Social Research is financially necessary.
www.e-flux.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:57 AM
This is my undergrad alma mater. Lang, class of 2003. This is awful.
GRADES ARE SUBMITTED HELL YEAAAAAAAAAH.
December 10, 2025 at 3:31 AM
GRADES ARE SUBMITTED HELL YEAAAAAAAAAH.
Tonight’s dinner: lima bean tagine.
December 9, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Tonight’s dinner: lima bean tagine.
First example of this I remember was how Henry Hyde, while leading the impeachment of Clinton, dismissed his own past affair as a "youthful indiscretion." He was in his 40s when it happened.
It's only gotten worse since then.
It's only gotten worse since then.
Wild that someone can be in their 30s, have a massive book deal, a full-fledged journalism career, and live in Malibu or some sht, and people will talk about them like "oh, but they're so YOUNG, can they really be responsible for their behavior when there were OTHER PEOPLE around??" JFC.
December 8, 2025 at 9:53 PM
First example of this I remember was how Henry Hyde, while leading the impeachment of Clinton, dismissed his own past affair as a "youthful indiscretion." He was in his 40s when it happened.
It's only gotten worse since then.
It's only gotten worse since then.
I've been working as hard as possible to grade work that was submitted early for several days, but my end-of-semester grading deluge begins officially this morning.
As of right now, if every student who requested an extension turns in their work, I have 65 portfolios to grade in the next 4 days.
As of right now, if every student who requested an extension turns in their work, I have 65 portfolios to grade in the next 4 days.
December 6, 2025 at 5:05 PM
I've been working as hard as possible to grade work that was submitted early for several days, but my end-of-semester grading deluge begins officially this morning.
As of right now, if every student who requested an extension turns in their work, I have 65 portfolios to grade in the next 4 days.
As of right now, if every student who requested an extension turns in their work, I have 65 portfolios to grade in the next 4 days.
This is right across the border in Mexico. I walk past it every time I’m coming back across the border, and it makes me giggle every time because I am 12.
December 6, 2025 at 3:47 AM
This is right across the border in Mexico. I walk past it every time I’m coming back across the border, and it makes me giggle every time because I am 12.
My father, who has been teaching at the college level since the 80s, is teaching his last class ever as I type this. This after my mother – who had also taught since the 80s – retired last semester. It's kind of crazy to contemplate.
December 4, 2025 at 11:27 PM
My father, who has been teaching at the college level since the 80s, is teaching his last class ever as I type this. This after my mother – who had also taught since the 80s – retired last semester. It's kind of crazy to contemplate.
The really exhausting thing about dealing with AI-based plagiarism is how ambiguous it can be. There are cases when writing is very, very clearly AI and it's easy to prove. There are others where it's just a lot of grey area. In these, I have conversations with students and try to make a judgment.
December 4, 2025 at 10:33 PM
The really exhausting thing about dealing with AI-based plagiarism is how ambiguous it can be. There are cases when writing is very, very clearly AI and it's easy to prove. There are others where it's just a lot of grey area. In these, I have conversations with students and try to make a judgment.
If you didn’t know: there are a lot of wild turkeys in the East Bay.
November 30, 2025 at 3:49 PM
If you didn’t know: there are a lot of wild turkeys in the East Bay.
In an uncharacteristic display of extreme self control, I only bought 9 books while in the Bay Area!
November 30, 2025 at 1:13 AM
In an uncharacteristic display of extreme self control, I only bought 9 books while in the Bay Area!
Oooh.
Some of you may know that I curate a huge reading list if Palestinian fantasy, science fiction, and horror. It is not up to date… Please comment if you identify as Palestinian, or if you know of something that should be in the list! Please share for visibility. soniasulaiman.com/readpalestin...
Read Palestinian Speculative Fiction Reading List
The following is a growing reading list for the #ReadPalestinianSpecFic challenge. This is a work in progress to create a list of all available Palestinian speculative fiction. Novels: Novels by Na…
soniasulaiman.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:41 AM
Oooh.
Now reading. I already know the title story, but I’m excited to see the rest.
November 25, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Now reading. I already know the title story, but I’m excited to see the rest.
Never forget. www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
stokely hathaway: “i'm short, i'm bald, i can't get any hoes, i've been fighting my entire life!”
YouTube video by RahRah's Hit Posts (RahRahsHitPosts)
www.youtube.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Never forget. www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
Now reading.
November 20, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Now reading.
My wife is a few years older than me, and Snuffleupagus is a dividing line between us: she remembers him as Big Bird's imaginary friend, I remember him as real and interacting with everyone.
[November 18th, 1985] In the Season 17 premiere of Sesame Street, Episode 2096, the adults on Sesame Street finally meet Mr. Snuffleupagus and realize he is real, not imaginary.
Elmo is also introduced as a new character.
Elmo is also introduced as a new character.
November 18, 2025 at 11:44 PM
My wife is a few years older than me, and Snuffleupagus is a dividing line between us: she remembers him as Big Bird's imaginary friend, I remember him as real and interacting with everyone.