iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 25m

I know it’s spooky season now, but it’s also always solidarity season—so here’s my 296th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, scare—I mean, share—widely, & enjoy, all! 🗃️ +

blackwhiteandread.com

#ScholarSunday Thread 296 (10/4/26) – Black and White and Read All Over

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 18h

As I write in a weekend follow-up post, from subscribing to one of the free newsletters to contributing a Guest Post to emailing your suggestions for the Resources, each of those ways you can support & contribute to B&W&RAO are so important & so appreciated! 🗃️ blackwhiteandread.com/october-3-4-...

blackwhiteandread.com

October 3-4, 2026: One Year of B&W&RAO: Requests for Y’all – Black and White and Read All Over

These are things I’ve already said elsewhere and often this week, but I can’t end a series on our website, communal as it is designed and intended to be, without reiterating a few key and very earnest...

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Dustin A. Chacón @lingdustin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I've heard people make claims that AI would lead to a new Renaissance, but I didn't imagine it'd happen like this:

Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads:

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Four years ago I wrote this about Warner Bros and these scam-juggling fools have proven it time and time again. It's abhorrent.

A tweet from me in September 2022 that reads It's more profitable and legal to just like destroy one of the oldest studios in Hollywood so they're doing it with absolutely no chagrin or hesitation or concern for what this does to art and media and culture.

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𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗡: 𝙰 𝙼𝙰𝙳 𝙼𝙰𝚇 𝚂𝙰𝙶𝙰 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Every single thing is The Producers now. Nobody actually trying to do something, just trying to buy companies and ruin them as a stock market scam.

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Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her) @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Slavery would still be legal if enslaved and free people had thrown up their hands and done nothing. But they fought. Fight! It's not okay to use ecocide-plagiarism-enslavement-harassment-psychosis-radioactive-waste-machines. I feel so much grief at the gullibility & complicity of educators.

buttondown.com

The 'I only use AI for...' fallacy

Hallo friends, and welcome, new readers! I hope you’re managing to navigate safely whatever weather challenges may have come your way this year. In today’s...

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Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her) @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I don't need to enslave people and measure how much effort I save when they do the work. Slavery is wrong all the way down. Commercial LLM-based genAI products are bad! bsky.app/profile/did:...

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Angie Nixon @angieforfl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I don’t go high when they go low. I get LOUD. Because the soul and humanity of this country are at stake. /end

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Code-era smut is so amazing because this film has seven sex-starved old men who see a hot Barbara Stanwyck in their home, and instantly become cartoon wolves in desperate need of an ear, nose, and throat specialist to surgically remove the train whistle and steam emitting from their fragile skulls.

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

My favorite genre is "Code-era smut" because they put the dirtiest things in these movies (like Gary Cooper insinuating he's too down bad to be gentle with Barbara Stanwyck) but they make it sweet by pretending the film is just a cute lil Damon Runyon meets Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs fairy tale

blackwhiteandread.com

The Horniest Nerds You Ever Did See – Black and White and Read All Over

A Formalist Approach to Ball of Fire (1941)

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David Hulloween 胡大衛 @hushuo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"Sugarpuss O’Shae" That is all.

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

So for the next post in my One Year of B&W&RAO blog series, three resources that embody our site’s communal ethos (& on which Vaughn has worked & continues to work incredibly hard, so check ‘em out and subscribe to our weekly round-up for updates!). blackwhiteandread.com/september-29...

blackwhiteandread.com

September 29, 2026: One Year of B&W&RAO: Communal Resources – Black and White and Read All Over

[Just over a year ago, Vaughn finalized and we launched this new public scholarly website, Black & White & Read All Over. There’s a lot about the site and what it has brought out of and added to our w...

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Review Roulette features many delightful subgenres of writing, & y'all should be reading them all. But there can be no doubt that "Vaughn describes Hollywood Legends who have to communicate Filthy Desires through witty Cinematic Choices" sits atop the list. See for ya self!

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

blackwhiteandread.com

The Horniest Nerds You Ever Did See – Black and White and Read All Over

A Formalist Approach to Ball of Fire (1941)

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It's our anniversary with Biscuits so we bought and cooked a teeny tiny salmon fillet and she was so excited, licking her lil chompers, ready for yum yums. (She refused to eat the salmon.)

A teeny tiny filet of salmon on Biscuits's treat dish

Biscuits licking her lips on the floor as I hold the dish of salmon

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It's our anniversary with Biscuits so we bought and cooked a teeny tiny salmon fillet and she was so excited, licking her lil chompers, ready for yum yums. (She refused to eat the salmon.)

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Starting with today's post on how & where the site started--why we left Substack, why we created our own site rather than using another platform, & why all of that depended & still deeply depends on all of y'all. blackwhiteandread.com/september-28...

blackwhiteandread.com

September 28, 2026: One Year of B&W&RAO: Why We Did It – Black and White and Read All Over

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

One year ago this past weekend, @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social & I launched Black & White & Read All Over, our public scholarly website. One year ago today, Biscuits came home with us. Obviously one of those things is most important, so I'll start this week's blog thread with the site's page for her. +

blackwhiteandread.com

Biscuits – Black and White and Read All Over

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A student just said "I wish all my professors were like Dr. Joy" and I said you're god damn right. I can submit that as an evaluation on job applications, right?

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Erin Snyder @erinlsnyder.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

We're doing Christmas book recommendations in September? One question: what the hell took us so long? Here are my non-fiction picks (I'm including historical fiction compilations here):

Photo of a bunch of awesome Christmas books: Santa Claus Worldwide by Tom A Jerman, Selling Out Santa by Vaughn Joy, Christmas Past edited by Thomas Ruys Smith, The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas by Al Ridenour, Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas by Alonso Duralde, and The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories Volume 5 edited by Christopher Philippo

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

AND it's Open Access! Free for all with a web connection from the publisher's site, B&N, Kindle, wherever you get e-books!

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

It's our first anniversary!!! 🎉🎉🎉 Not of marriage, but of @americanstudier.bsky.social's and my public scholarly website Black & White & Read All Over! I'm so proud of this website that got us both off Substack and has developed into a home for our work & resources for first-gen & indie scholars 🥹

blackwhiteandread.com

Black and White and Read All Over

Where Scholarship Meets the Public

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

+ & if you want to keep up on all the threads, remember you can subscribe to this newsletter--& any of ours—for free! This weekend is the site’s 1-year anniversary (thanks as ever to @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social for her amazing, ongoing work), & subscribers just happen to be our favorite gift! +

blackwhiteandread.com

Subscribe to our newsletters for a weekly round up of the site's new content, Vaughn's Review Roulette, or Ben's #ScholarSunday or daily AmericanStudier blog.

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

+ First, a reminder that I’m no longer able to tag here on Bluesky the scholars whose work I’m featuring—which makes it even more crucial that everybody who sees, enjoys, & wants to support these threads share them wherever & however they’re able. Please help get the word out, & thanks! +

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The first weekend of autumn brings not only a nor’easter, but also a great reason to stay hunkered down: my 295th #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy the scholarly storm, all! 🗃️ +

blackwhiteandread.com

#ScholarSunday Thread 295 (9/27/26) – Black and White and Read All Over

The first weekend of autumn brings not only a nor’easter, but also a great reason to stay hunkered down: my 295th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forth...

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

We sick in this bitch. Makin stew.

Wooden cutting board with vegetables for stew including purple, yellow, and orange carrots, celery, squash, baby potatoes, onion, and garlic

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Seconding everything but with an important correction: Vaughn did all the design in every sense (check out that penguin!), & continues to be our webmaster extraordinaire. Truly exceptional work & a model of digital public scholarship that I’m honored to be part of! 🗃️

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

blackwhiteandread.com

Black and White and Read All Over

Where Scholarship Meets the Public

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Charlotte Canning @cmcanning.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

As Richard Hofstader said back in 1962, “communism was not the target but the weapon.”

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

At first I went looking for an anti-AI sticker for my laptop to subtly remind students I'm not about that life, but then... well, then I made other decisions, too.

Stickers on my laptop advocating for my positions on things. From top left:
Protect trans kids
Smokey the Bear saying "Remember Only you can prevent AI data centers"
In rainbow coloring, With Liberty and Justice for All
Say no to data centers
Care about other people
Support your local data center written under nine examples of public institutions including theater, art gallery, historical society, music store, and public library
A crossed out circle over AI
"Read - it'll make you smart and stuff"
You are enough
Read banned books
Are you registered to vote? With a QR code to voter registration

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This week I watched Mystic Pizza which feels like eating an apple cider donut with a nice coffee in a big chunky sweater and blanket while listening to rustling leaves (apart from a momentary Mar-a-Lago jump scare), and it has such a classic 80s, precious little buried metaphor, ugh what a delight.

blackwhiteandread.com

Big Comfort Watch. Big. HUGE! – Black and White and Read All Over

A Textual & Symbolism Approach to Mystic Pizza (1988)

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Benjamin Riley @benjaminjriley.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Appreciate the reporting of my reporting (sincerely, we need to get the word out far and wide).

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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 23/09/2026

Y’all have seen the viral short clip. Here’s the full original. The energy we need when somebody tries to push disinformation down our throats.

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

So for the next post in my National Hispanic Heritage Month blog series, two childhood experiences that Sandra Cisneros' classic short story cycle The House on Mango Street gets perfectly right! blackwhiteandread.com/september-24...

blackwhiteandread.com

September 24, 2026: Hispanic Women’s Stories: Sandra Cisneros – Black and White and Read All Over

[Last week commenced National Hispanic Heritage Month, which like all of our commemorations during this craptastic year is particularly fraught. But they’re also occasions to better remember inspiring...

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I love this project on Harper & her legacies, featuring @marthasjones.bsky.social & colleagues!

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Martin L. Johnson @martinlj.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Ten years in the making, my new book traces how corporations successfully infiltrated the movies in the early 20th Century in spite of scandal and massive audience resistance. Out in December, but you can order it (with a discount!) now. www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=c0...

A picture of the cover of Commercial Cinema: The History of the Advertising Film in the United States and the text "The development of a pervasive but little-known genre from 1910 through the 1940s." You can get a 30 percent discount on the book by using the promo code F26UIP.

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I hope future generations judge us all for empowering Mark Zuckerberg, the man who only ever had one good idea which was born out of his desire to rank the hotness of women who would never look at him. He really is not the symbol of our times that we want, but he is the one we deserve.

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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This man has gotten more done in 9 months in office than most politicians achieve in their ENTIRE CAREERS all with that extreme good-muppet energy and that's why everybody else can't stand him because he gets it done, has receipts to back his words, and then just moves on to the next.

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

But the next post in my Hispanic Women's Stories blog series isn't my own extended take on that film--it's a link to @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social's phenomenal-as-ever Review Roulette piece on Salt of the Earth! blackwhiteandread.com/september-23...

blackwhiteandread.com

September 23, 2026: Hispanic Women’s Stories: The Salt of the Earth – Black and White and Read All Over

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

A 1954 film focusing on Mexican American miners, families, & community--made by & featuring countless activists, community leaders, & local connections. & with contributions from a blacklisted screenwriter to boot! I'm talking about the great & criminally under-remembered Salt of the Earth.

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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The only thing better than watching a film with Vaughn & Da Biscuits is knowing I'll get to read & share her delightful Review Roulette piece on it as well. Check!

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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I know that some people don't think these types of things are important but I really do. Cultural change precedes political change. When you don't have the culture, it's more difficult to win politically or to sustain political wins. newrepublic.com/post/215697/...

newrepublic.com

MAGA Festival With Kid Rock Canceled After No One Wanted to Go

The “Freedom Fest” is no longer happening after dismal ticket sales.

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Jo VanEvery @jovanevery.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

If you have also never seen this movie, I hope this review persuades you. And if you have, maybe we all need a rewatch. Keep an eye out for a very young Matt Damon in a very minor role. (And a great sweater? Did I remember that correctly?)

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Dr. Vaughn Joy @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

blackwhiteandread.com

Big Comfort Watch. Big. HUGE! – Black and White and Read All Over

A Textual & Symbolism Approach to Mystic Pizza (1988)

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Immigrant Punk @porcupunk.eurosky.social · 20/09/2026

Every single word of this review except that he'd be the Secretary of Transportation in 2026.

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