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Allison Van Deventer

@allisonvandev.bsky.social
1.6K followers 1.4K following 1.6K posts

Developmental editor for academic authors. Author: The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook (UChicago Press). Workshop facilitator. She/her. Comp lit PhD. www.allisonvandeventer.com

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Reposted by Allison Van Deventer
Dr. Amy Nusbaum @amynusbaum.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
One of my students had their dad kidnapped by ICE yesterday. Eli is a wonderful student, devoted daughter, and incredible community member. Please consider donating if you're able: gofund.me/018e810bd
gofund.me
Donate to Help Bring Jose Becerra Home and Cover Legal Fees, organized by Briceida Rosales
Help Bring Our Dad Home My name is Elisabet (Eli) and I am rai… Briceida Rosales needs your support for Help Bring Jose Becerra Home and Cover Legal Fees
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Katherine Carroll @katherinecarroll.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Notes in academic writing have gotten shorter & typically include very little/no commentary. Need to reduce or eliminate the commentary in the notes? I have a list of steps to evaluate each note & decide whether to move, leave, or cut the commentary. theeditorialally.substack.com/p/streamlini...
theeditorialally.substack.com
Streamlining Footnotes and Endnotes
Welcome to TEA Delivered, the newsletter of The Editorial Ally (TEA)!
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UNC Press @uncpress.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Authors, have you ever wondered how to turn a revised dissertation into a proposal? Or when the best time is to submit? Our acquisitions team has answers to these FAQs and more 👇 uncpress.substack.com/p/what-autho...
uncpress.substack.com
What Authors Ask Most
Advice from UNC Press acquisitions staff on proposals, timelines, and more
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University of Washington Press @uwapress.uw.edu · 09/09/2026
Now available: Xu Ma’s BOUNDARIES AND BODHISATTVAS, a new study of women, religious spaces, and literary culture in Ming and Qing China. Learn more: uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295...
Boundaries and Bodhisattvas: Women, Lay Buddhism, and Religious Spaces in Late Imperial China by Xu Ma"Weaving together literary, archival, and archaeological materials, Boundaries and Bodhisattvas powerfully redefines how we understand women and religion beyond the nei (inner)–wai (outer) divide of late imperial Confucian society. Bold, interdisciplinary, and innovative, this book will captivate students and scholars of Chinese literature, history, religion, and gender studies."

- Xiaofei Kang, author of Enchanted Revolution: Ghosts, Shamans, and Gender Politics in Chinese Communist Propaganda, 1942-1953
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Association for Asian Studies @asianstudies.org · 28/08/2026
Call for Applications: 3-day faculty development workshop on Global Asia(s), open to faculty based at institutions in Asia. Workshop will be held at Nanyang Technological University, January 13-15, 2027; apply by October 1. cga.shanghai.nyu.edu/teaching-globa…
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
We're running the Book Chapter Shortcut again this fall! The BCS is a 10-week Zoom-based workshop designed for busy scholars who want to turn a pile of messy writing into an argument-driven chapter draft. Find out more and sign up here: workshops.dissertationtobook.com/p/chapter-sh...
Promotional text with a teal background: The Facilitated Book Chapter Shortcut: 10 Weeks to Chapter Clarity. Wednesdays 1-2:30pm ET. Sept 14-Nov 20, 2026. Logo: Academic Book Central. Image of Allison Van Deventer and Katelyn E. Knox, two white women smiling in conference attire.
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Reminder: FREE Zoom workshop today! Join us to think about your book's structure and have some fun doing it! What: Assessing Your Book's Table of Contents When: 2-3:30pm Eastern Time Sign up here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... (You'll get the recording if you sign up!)
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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 18/08/2026
Via @kathrynpost.bsky.social: As ICE closes in, Ohio churches line up families to care for Haitian kids left behind religionnews.com/2026/08/17/a...
religionnews.com
As ICE closes in, Ohio churches line up families to care for Haitian kids left behind
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (RNS) — In Springfield, Ohio, ICE shifts tactics to stealth raids and ankle monitors. Churches are responding by helping Haitian parents line up temporary caregivers, preparing for t...
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This summer, my family and I are rewarding ourselves for working on “projects” with these tiny animals. We are learning cursive, learning to type, practicing Portuguese, reading the Iliad, practicing the piano, exercising, and writing encrypted messages. We are obsessed.
Around 15 tiny, cute, translucent plastic animals grouped on a coffee table.
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Authors of scholarly books: we're giving another free workshop! Your table of contents can yield a surprising amount of insight into your book-in-progress if you ask the right questions. Come with your list of chapters, and let's see what we can find! us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Promotional image with a pink background. Text reads Assessing your book's table of contents: A free Zoom workshop. Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 2-3:30pm ET. Katelyn E. Knox and Allison Van Deventer.
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AI Moratorium for NYC Schools @aimoratoriumnyc.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
If you’re going to read one thing this weekend, read this.
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jessamyn @librarian.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I work at a public library. People who want to use AI seem to have no trouble doing so. People who don't want to use AI have a harder time. I crowdsourced and then finalized this document "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI" and then gave it a short URL: notoai.org Please pass along if it's useful
An aircraft passenger oxygen mask: a drop down passenger mask with air bag and yellow plastic mouth and nose cover, oxygen tube has been cut; Demonstration model used by flight attendant crew for passenger instruction. Has text on the side indicating that it's non-functional.
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Carly Goodman @carlygoodman.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Rendering hundreds of thousands of people “illegal,” out of status, overnight, makes it obvious that illegality is produced by policy, an event version of something that has taken place over years and decades
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
An editor's adventures in questioning their life choices: "Thank you for letting me line-edit your book on respectability politics" "Here are some strategies for improving this book on eugenics" "This point about porn studies isn't coming—" DAMMIT
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
AWFUL. Ordering ICE to target an ethnic group the president has repeatedly attacked is bigotry as official government policy. TPS recipients are the most vetted immigrants here. They have to pass background checks every 18 months. Most Haitians with TPS entered legally also!
cbsnews.com
ICE plans to target Haitians as Temporary Protected Status is set to end, sources say
The plans include arresting migrants in Ohio and quickly putting them on deportation flights to crisis-stricken Haiti, the internal documents indicate.
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Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
If you live in Massachusetts and want to protect your Haitian neighbors this is a great time to consider joining or supporting LUCE.
lucemass.org
LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of MA
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The Trump admin's latest strategy to mass generate removal orders is diabolical: - Take a huge group of people with hearings scheduled in late 2026, 2027, or 2028. - Send them a physical letter rescheduling all of their cases to next week. - Those who inevitably miss court get ordered deported.
thecityreporter.nyc
Deportation Orders Soar in NYC as Trump 'Mega Master' Hearings Accelerate
A new report finds removal orders for people who missed hearings more than doubled in New York City in June, as a new tactic of hastily scheduled court dates rolled out.
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Laura Portwood-Stacer @lportwoodstacer.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
At my free webinar on August 14th, I’ll explain how publishers see dissertation-based book projects, and I’ll offer concrete tips on how to avoid the dreaded “we don’t publish dissertations” rejection when submitting a proposal for your diss-based book courses.manuscriptworks.com/courses/diss...
courses.manuscriptworks.com
How to Publish a Book from Your Dissertation
Learn how to reframe your dissertation project so publishers will see it as an appealing future book. This webinar will explain what scholarly publishers are looking for in new books and how to increa...
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Last call for the May–July cohort of the Book Chapter Shortcut! This workshop both is and isn't a shortcut. You still have to write the chapter! But with a clear method and practical exercises, you can cut through a lot of the self-doubt. workshops.dissertationtobook.com/p/chapter-sh...
workshops.dissertationtobook.com
Book Chapter Shortcut: May 19 to July 24, 2026
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Nathalie Maréchal, PhD @nathaliemarechal.net · 22/04/2026
🧵 I want to crack down on Big Tech as much as anyone, prob more than most. But the draconian and unworkable kids' online safety bill that the MA House passed earlier this month is not the way to do it. From @evangreer.bsky.social & me in today's @bostonglobe.com : www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/22/o...
bostonglobe.com
A flawed fix for social media’s harms - The Boston Globe
The state’s approach could create new risks for users while letting tech companies off the hook.
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Me: "OK kids, time to put on your shoes, let's go!" 7yo: "Just a minute, Mom. First I have to do an overview of how I can do Yankee Doodle starting from every note." (actual quote)
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
The most recent iteration of The Book Chapter Shortcut was a resounding success, so I'm running it again for the late spring/summer crowd! Come join me in the "make a mess, then clean it up" approach, with practical exercises and lots of community! workshops.dissertationtobook.com/p/chapter-sh...
workshops.dissertationtobook.com
Book Chapter Shortcut: May 19 to July 24, 2026
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
When I signed our 7yo up for piano lessons, I never dreamed that I would end up listening to so much Yankee Doodle. Yankee Doodle fast and slow. Yankee Doodle in all 12 keys. Yankee Doodle staccato and remixed with the Gravity Falls theme. My visiting parents are losing their minds
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
The most recent iteration of The Book Chapter Shortcut was a resounding success, so I'm running it again for the late spring/summer crowd! Come join me in the "make a mess, then clean it up" approach, with practical exercises and lots of community! workshops.dissertationtobook.com/p/chapter-sh...
workshops.dissertationtobook.com
Book Chapter Shortcut: May 19 to July 24, 2026
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
A fresh batch of library books from my gorgeous local public library
Stack of library books: Darkology, More Than Words: How to think about writing in the age of AI, Daughter of Genoa, A Legacy of Murder, Bonsai: the art of growing and keeping miniature trees, Librarian Spy. The books are resting on a table with high arched library shelves in the background.
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Dr. T. Flo (Trying to get back on two feet in 2026) @tnflorvil.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Please share and/or consider applying to the Cambridge Amplifying Grant for underrepresented scholars. Applications are due next Monday, April 13. www.cambridge.org/us/universit.... This is a great opportunity!
cambridge.org
Amplifying voices
New Cambridge grant to help under-represented scholars publish
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Amy Sherman @andcleverness.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
"oh, do I have to include the notes and bibliography in the word count?" only if you want them to be part of your book!
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Celeste Ng @pronounced-ing.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
"A people sometimes will step back from war, elect an honest man, decide they care enough, that they can’t leave some stranger poor. Some men become what they were born for..." - "Sometimes," Sheenagh Pugh
poemsontheunderground.org
Sometimes
Visit the post for more.
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Jane Friedman @janefriedman.com · 02/04/2026
Over the past 18 years as a developmental editor and writing coach, @sarahchauncey.com has noticed certain patterns among her clients with ADHD, and why neurotypical writing advice doesn’t always land for ADHDers.
janefriedman.com
Why ADHD Writers’ Brains Are Like Lions (and How to Harness Their Power) | Jane Friedman
By learning to embrace the nonlinear nature of the ADHD brain, you can learn to write with more ease and less frustration.
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Katherine Wiley @goldenrod-ed.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Have an argument that just won't come into focus? Want to feel more confident in your writing? Try this FREE workshop! I'm a former tenured professor turned dev editor and I can't wait to share my insights on argument! Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #AcWri #PhDSky #AcademicSky
Text with gold banners at top and bottom. Text reads free argument workshop! Come with a scholarly argument! I'll talk you through two writing exercises. Leave with useful tools and a refined argument. Wednesday, April 8 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern via Zoom
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
I don’t have a screenshot, but my favorite ever was @manongarcia.bsky.social’s attempt to get ChatGPT to write her bio paragraph. She had just written a work of academic philosophy on submission and it mistook her for…a practitioner
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
"What can matter such as gravel tell us about race, a characteristic often conceived as intrinsically human?" "Racial Beings: Experiments in Asian American New Materialisms" by @nancyhelicopter.bsky.social (@dukepress.bsky.social) is dazzling and unforgettable, and I'm honored to have worked on it.
Cover of Racial Beings: Experiments in Asian American New Materialisms by Michelle N. Huang. The cover is an abstract image in yellow, pink, and blue.
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Jenn Rossiter @jbrediting.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Who wants to chat #academicgrants? Join the Academic Editing group's Book Club discussion next week on The Grant Writing Guide. Come listen and learn (and bring your questions!) as @bettyslai.bsky.social chats with Letitia Henville. See you there! To register: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Text on graphic background reads: Academic Editing Book Club. Tuesday, April 7. 4:30 pm PT / 7:30 pm ET.
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Just look at that gorgeous table of contents! Certain passages from this book have stuck in my mind like scenes from novels. www.dukeupress.edu/racial-beings
Acknowledgments  ix
Introduction. Human: Reading Besides the Individual Racialized Subject  1
1. Object: Excavating Waste’s Ecologies of Entanglement  25
2. Gene: Rethinking Clone Fiction’s Consciousness  57
3. Element: Relating Water’s Phase Changes  93
4. Species: Reorienting Alien Encounters  127
5. Atom: Dissipating Nuclear Exceptionalism  159
Conclusion. Race: Accessing a Multiverse of Matter and Meaning  189
Notes  199
Bibliography  225
Index
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
"What can matter such as gravel tell us about race, a characteristic often conceived as intrinsically human?" "Racial Beings: Experiments in Asian American New Materialisms" by @nancyhelicopter.bsky.social (@dukepress.bsky.social) is dazzling and unforgettable, and I'm honored to have worked on it.
Cover of Racial Beings: Experiments in Asian American New Materialisms by Michelle N. Huang. The cover is an abstract image in yellow, pink, and blue.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 29/03/2026
“I don’t want to be one of those people that sat,” said Libby Blyth, an accountant who drives people to work who are afraid of being spotted by ICE and delivers food to families in hiding. “I don’t want to be somebody’s history lesson.”
projects.propublica.org
Trump Called My Neighbors “Paid Agitators.” This is Who They Really Are.
After ICE came to Minneapolis, ProPublica journalist Peter DiCampo saw his community step up to patrol the streets, drive strangers to work and provide aid to families in hiding. These are his neighbo...
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Katherine Wiley @goldenrod-ed.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
As scholars, we've been writing arguments since (probably before) college. But it can be hard to come up with an argument or tell if it's a strong one. Let's make it easier! Come to my FREE argument workshop on April 8 from 3 to 4:30 Eastern. us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #AcWri #AcademicSky
us06web.zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Thinking Through and Testing Your Argument. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
This free workshop will be structured around guided writing exercises to help you better develop a scholarly argument. One exercise will help with thinking through what motivates your argument, while ...
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Katherine Carroll @katherinecarroll.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Authors often tell me that they don't know what to write in the conclusion; they've already said what they want to say & a summary feels redundant. Try the format "because THIS (what you have demonstrated in the chapter, article, or book), then THAT (a larger take-away or so what)." #AcademicSky
Robin bird sitting on a branch.
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Our 7yo, who has had 5 piano lessons in his life so far, just banged a barstool against the counter and casually announced that it was a C sharp, and then played the note on the keyboard and omg (we had already figured out he has perfect pitch but wow)
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Massachusetts people! I've compiled a page of state and Boston-area resources related to immigration. Sharing here in case it can be useful to anyone: woburnwelcomes.com/resources-fo...
woburnwelcomes.com
For Immigrants and Allies
Quick Links Think you see ICE? Call LUCE to confirm: (617) 370-5023. The MIRA Coalition: Know Your Rights Facing deportation? Call MACI for free legal help. Report ICE misconduct to the governor&#8…
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 20/03/2026
NEW: In 2024, Trump won Idaho by one of the largest margins in the country. Now, its secretary of state is resisting the administration’s efforts to gather sensitive voter data ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
propublica.org
As Trump Demands Voter Data, This Fiercely Independent Red State Says No
Wary of federal intrusion, Idaho passed a law three decades ago allowing it to sidestep so-called motor-voter laws. The exemption and the sentiment behind it are fueling resistance to President Donald...
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Massachusetts people! I've compiled a page of state and Boston-area resources related to immigration. Sharing here in case it can be useful to anyone: woburnwelcomes.com/resources-fo...
woburnwelcomes.com
For Immigrants and Allies
Quick Links Think you see ICE? Call LUCE to confirm: (617) 370-5023. The MIRA Coalition: Know Your Rights Facing deportation? Call MACI for free legal help. Report ICE misconduct to the governor&#8…
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Julie Ingersoll @julieingersoll.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
What's a Christian Nation look like for Hegseth and Wilson? New from me @thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com/p/douglas-wi...
thebulwark.com
What Pete Hegseth’s Spiritual Mentor Wants for America
Pastor-theologian Douglas Wilson advocates theocracy, the restriction of the franchise from women and nonbelievers, and much else—and he is closer than ever to real power.
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Dawn Durante @dawnd.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
@bethanywasik.bsky.social and @maselli.bsky.social break down the recent report on university press editorial boards. Understanding how these boards work is helpful to authors and publishing professionals alike. #FeedingTheElephant @hnetbookchannel.bsky.social @aupresses.bsky.social
networks.h-net.org
What Can Authors and Editors Learn from the AUPresses Editorial Board Survey? | H-Net
A guest post from
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Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
People are showing up to court in Massachusetts for minor issues and being kidnapped by ICE. I hope the legislature moves quickly on several pending pieces of legislation that will limit ICE's ability to operate in courthouses, including expanding virtual hearing access.
Jeanneth’s husband walked into Lynn District Court last September to dispute a minor civil infraction — a light out on his car.

As he left his hearing, he video-chatted with Jeanneth. That’s when she saw four immigration agents detain him. There were four more outside.

“I saw the security officers at the court, then the ICE officers, and he said to me, ‘Please, take care of the children.’ And then they took away his phone,” she said.He was detained at Plymouth, transferred to Louisiana and Texas, and eventually deported to Guatemala. Jeanneth says he has no previous criminal record or charges, and had a notice to appear. in immigration court, standard practice for immigrants. He had a special immigrant juvenile visa for immigrants who come to the U.S. as a youth, and had a pending immigration court hearing to adjust his status.
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Congratulations to Stephanie Bosch Santana, one of our Dissertation-to-Book alums, who just received the ACLA's 2026 Harry Levin Prize for an outstanding first book! Her book is "Forms of Mobility: Genre, Language, and Media in African Literary Cultures" (@nupress.bsky.social) and it's stunning!
nupress.northwestern.edu
Forms of Mobility - Northwestern University Press
Presents alternative categories of fiction through which to examine how contemporary writers have envisaged Africa’s changing literary terrains Stephanie B...
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
There's a food distribution project, teddy bears for kids, street theater, spinoff groups, pressure put on local businesses, mutual aid for people who are released from the facility. There's so much going on and I'm not even involved—this is just what I've heard about through adjacent work.
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Allison Van Deventer @allisonvandev.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Something I'd like you to know is that there's an ICE facility in the town next to mine, and protesters are there almost every day. The biggest weekly event has been drawing 700-900 protesters, in the middle of a working day, through the worst of a Boston winter, in an office park with no parking.
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Indivisible Melrose Wakefield MA and Beyond @indivisibleinn.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Community Bystander Training, LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of MA Apr 1, 7-8:30pm Melrose UU, 70 W Emerson St, MUUC Pro-Democracy Team ● LUCE Mass ICE Watch, immigrant organizing ● Know your rights ● How to use the Hotline & identify ICE ● How to become involved with LUCE ● Questions from attendees
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