Kaya Oakes
@kayaoakes.bsky.social
Writer of nonfiction, Oakland kid, faculty in writing at UC Berkeley. Book #6, Not So Sorry, is available now. Ask me why breast cancer sucks. Missives: kayaoakes.substack.com
This is all Rod Dreher's fault.
November 19, 2025 at 7:48 PM
This is all Rod Dreher's fault.
I've gotten a half dozen variations of this email from a "person" who has "read" one of my books and wants to offer "real readers" who can mass review it on Amazon for a fee. The cruelest thing about this is that the AI that wrote this sounds like it actually liked my books.
November 8, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I've gotten a half dozen variations of this email from a "person" who has "read" one of my books and wants to offer "real readers" who can mass review it on Amazon for a fee. The cruelest thing about this is that the AI that wrote this sounds like it actually liked my books.
I just can't believe the media lied to us like this!
November 4, 2025 at 3:09 PM
I just can't believe the media lied to us like this!
UC Berkeley's homoerotic football statue has entered the chat.
September 25, 2025 at 10:06 PM
UC Berkeley's homoerotic football statue has entered the chat.
To be fair I also got a free pen once.
August 28, 2025 at 9:33 PM
To be fair I also got a free pen once.
UC Berkeley asks us to provide headshots for the department website and I hate the way I look in photos, so this year I uploaded this instead.
August 23, 2025 at 4:02 PM
UC Berkeley asks us to provide headshots for the department website and I hate the way I look in photos, so this year I uploaded this instead.
For all of my fellow educators staring down the end of the school year: remember your Paolo Friere.
kayaoakes.substack.com/p/a-teaching...
kayaoakes.substack.com/p/a-teaching...
May 2, 2025 at 12:47 AM
For all of my fellow educators staring down the end of the school year: remember your Paolo Friere.
kayaoakes.substack.com/p/a-teaching...
kayaoakes.substack.com/p/a-teaching...
Me whenever someone talks about reading On the Road
January 30, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Me whenever someone talks about reading On the Road
The halt at the NIH also means a halt to cancer research. When do we start the ACT UP style protest group of cancer patients? Imagine thousands of us showing up wheeling our chemo bags.
January 28, 2025 at 12:31 AM
The halt at the NIH also means a halt to cancer research. When do we start the ACT UP style protest group of cancer patients? Imagine thousands of us showing up wheeling our chemo bags.
My students mentioned this executive order in class today and I hadn’t actually read it. This is chat gpt word salad. It’s garbled nonsense.
January 24, 2025 at 2:04 AM
My students mentioned this executive order in class today and I hadn’t actually read it. This is chat gpt word salad. It’s garbled nonsense.
Everyone dreams of writing a book and making money from it. This is what I earned in a YEAR. In the Bay Area this is barely enough for a carton of eggs.
January 22, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Everyone dreams of writing a book and making money from it. This is what I earned in a YEAR. In the Bay Area this is barely enough for a carton of eggs.
The pressure is off, everyone.
January 19, 2025 at 2:02 AM
The pressure is off, everyone.
When I lost my hair to chemo a lot of google searches showed people with long hair after only a year, and, well, that’s not happening. This is 10 months of growth. I’ll take it, but I’m pretty sure those were pictures of wigs.
January 17, 2025 at 8:02 PM
When I lost my hair to chemo a lot of google searches showed people with long hair after only a year, and, well, that’s not happening. This is 10 months of growth. I’ll take it, but I’m pretty sure those were pictures of wigs.
Favorite art I saw in Santa Fe. Alas I did not get the name of the gallery or the artist, but if this looks familiar to anyone let me know.
January 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Favorite art I saw in Santa Fe. Alas I did not get the name of the gallery or the artist, but if this looks familiar to anyone let me know.
Today’s Irish lesson took a gloomy turn.
January 3, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Today’s Irish lesson took a gloomy turn.
I wrote about why ambition is a dead end. open.substack.com/pub/kayaoake...
December 30, 2024 at 7:09 PM
I wrote about why ambition is a dead end. open.substack.com/pub/kayaoake...
Oh sorry this is a more accurate selfie from Christmas
December 26, 2024 at 9:27 PM
Oh sorry this is a more accurate selfie from Christmas
Twice recently I’ve run into people I haven’t seen since cancer treatment started and they didn’t recognize me. Here’s a before and after. I don’t think I look that different!
December 26, 2024 at 9:18 PM
Twice recently I’ve run into people I haven’t seen since cancer treatment started and they didn’t recognize me. Here’s a before and after. I don’t think I look that different!
The actual header of my most recent newsletter.
December 15, 2024 at 8:52 PM
The actual header of my most recent newsletter.
I’m being attacked.
December 12, 2024 at 4:39 AM
I’m being attacked.
As a person with cancer I love waking up and reading that people think I should die. That and a good cup of coffee really puts some pep in your step.
December 7, 2024 at 6:21 PM
As a person with cancer I love waking up and reading that people think I should die. That and a good cup of coffee really puts some pep in your step.
Men: let’s dominate literary culture for hundreds of years
Women: but most of us were forced to be functionally illiterate until the last hundred years or so, give us a chance to catch up
The New York Times:
Women: but most of us were forced to be functionally illiterate until the last hundred years or so, give us a chance to catch up
The New York Times:
December 7, 2024 at 5:19 PM
Men: let’s dominate literary culture for hundreds of years
Women: but most of us were forced to be functionally illiterate until the last hundred years or so, give us a chance to catch up
The New York Times:
Women: but most of us were forced to be functionally illiterate until the last hundred years or so, give us a chance to catch up
The New York Times:
Reading this kind of headline as a cancer patient
December 5, 2024 at 12:21 AM
Reading this kind of headline as a cancer patient
Little known side effect of breast cancer treatment is that chemo can lead to gum infections and tooth loss. Lost three teeth in July. In two weeks the implants go in but I’ve kind of appreciated having the Shane McGowan look.
November 29, 2024 at 9:26 PM
Little known side effect of breast cancer treatment is that chemo can lead to gum infections and tooth loss. Lost three teeth in July. In two weeks the implants go in but I’ve kind of appreciated having the Shane McGowan look.