eldritchhobbit

Yay!

2026-04-20T17:38:51Z

My proposal for an academic essay on Andor and Rogue One has been accepted for an upcoming anthology on Star Wars and politics. I’m delighted.

For Ferrix! For Jedha! Rebellions are built on hope.

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We're going back to Panem!

2026-04-19T13:18:29Z

Our Hunger Games series went so well the first time, we're doing it again! And it's perfect timing, too, given that the film adaptation of Sunrise on the Reaping will be coming this autumn.

You're invited to join me in SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) online via Signum University to talk about all five books in The Hunger Games series! The first module has been confirmed to run in June 2026.

What lessons do the Capitol and Districts have to teach us? What warnings should we heed? What road leads from here to Panem? Over the course of five months, participants in these SPACE modules will read and discuss a modern classic of dystopian storytelling, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.

In this hybrid series, each week will include one lecture and one live discussion. The lectures will examine the inspirations behind, allusions in, and questions posed by that month's novel. In live discussions, participants will share their insights on, interpretations of, and reactions to the story. Together we will consider why this series has spoken to so many readers and explore how its messages remain relevant today.

Here is more information.

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Only 2 seats left for May!

2026-04-19T13:15:41Z

Now confirmed! I am so happy to report that in May 2026, I'll be offering a standalone module with SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) online via Signum University on Donna Tartt's The Secret History.

May 2026: The Secret History by Donna Tartt: Unpacking the "Whydunit" Mystery

The Secret History, the 1992 debut novel of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donna Tartt, has its own secret history, including an origin story at an actual college campus and inspiration from a real-life missing person case. The celebrated novel opens with the murder of a Classics student by his eccentric and close-knit group of college friends. The tale then unfolds as an inverted mystery, a “whydunit” rather than a “whodunit,” a narrative that interrogates the nature of obsession, beauty, and education.

Featuring ingredients of the campus novel, the coming-of-age story, and the New England Gothic, The Secret History has long been hailed as a modern classic, and now it’s been rediscovered by a new generation of readers who consider it a foundational text of Dark Academia storytelling. Why does this mystery have such staying power? How does it serve as a turning point in genre history? And how do its haunting themes relate to us and our search for knowledge today? In this module we will explore the fictional Hampden College and peel back the literary layers of The Secret History.

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Dark Academia Inspired by True Crime (Updated!)

2026-03-22T11:59:51Z

Hello, all! I am always looking for recommendations of Dark Academia works (novels, short stories, films, television series) based on true crime. I just updated my working list. I would be grateful for any suggestions for it Thank you!

I am intentionally casting my net widely, defining the Dark Academic genre (as opposed to the aesthetic) as one that focuses on an academic setting and educational experience, employs Gothic modes of storytelling, cultivates a dark mood by contemplating the subject of death, and offers critique for interrogating imbalances and abuses of power.

Here is a link my current list of Dark Academia Works Inspired by True Crime Cases. All suggestions are welcome!

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Pseudopod! (Just in Time for Friday the 13th.)

2026-02-13T22:48:14Z

It was a thrill to narrate “Dread and Faith” by Ash Vale for Episode 1016 of the Pseudopod podcast!

You can listen to the episode here.

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New Science Fiction Works for Your TBR!

2026-01-22T23:03:59Z

On my latest “Looking Back on Genre History” segment on the StarShipSofa podcast (Episode 774), I discuss four recent works about science fiction that are perfect for your 2026 "To Be Read" list.

Listen here!

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Darmok!

2026-01-18T23:11:58Z

The latest episode of the Strange New Worlds podcast features an interview with the brilliant Dr. Kristina Šekrst talking about the linguistics of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok," the subject of her amazing essay in our book Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier!

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Stranger Things-Related Call for Papers

2026-01-14T22:48:24Z

Call for Papers: Welcome to Hawkins: A Special Issue on Stranger Things

Slayage plans a special issue on Stranger Things for publication in late June 2026. Here is more information.

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Timely quote

2026-01-10T00:19:05Z

For in the midst of his military and political victories, that was Hitler’s most diabolical triumph—one man succeeded in deadening every idea of what is just and right by the constant attrition of excess. Before this “New Order” was ushered in, the world would have been horrified if a single human being had been murdered for no reason, and without recourse to the law. Torture had been considered unthinkable in the twentieth century, and expropriation was called, in plain language, robbery and theft. However, after a whole series of St. Bartholomew’s Eve Massacres, of prisoners tortured to death in SA cells and behind the barbed wire of concentration camps, what was still wrong, what did earthly suffering mean? After the annexation of Austria In 1938, our world became inured to inhumanity, injustice and brutality as never before in hundreds of years. Once what happened in the unfortunate city of Vienna alone would have been internationally condemned, but in 1938 the conscience of the world kept quiet, or murmured just a little before forgetting and forgiving.

- The World of Yesterday (1942) by Stefan Zweig, translated by Anthea Bell

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Star Trek-Related Call for Book Chapters

2026-01-08T23:15:24Z

Here is a Star Trek-related Call for Papers for a forthcoming academic anthology of essays:

Call for Book Chapters: Beyond the Next Star: The Importance of Failure in Star Trek

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Sunrise on the Reaping and Implicit Submission

2026-01-07T22:10:05Z

Our trek through the The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins reaches its finale this January as we begin a month-long exploration of Sunrise on the Reaping in SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) online via Signum University.

May the odds be ever in our favor.

Speaking of Sunrise on the Reaping, I've been thinking a lot today about the David Hume quote that opens the novel:

“Nothing appears more surprising to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers. When we enquire by what means this wonder is effected, we shall find, that, as Force is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion. It is therefore, on opinion only that government is founded; and this maxim extends to the most despotic and most military governments, as well as to the most free and most popular.”

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Dark Academia in SPACE!

2026-01-06T22:55:44Z

Now confirmed! I am delighted to report that in Spring 2026, I'll be offering two standalone (but related) modules with SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) online via Signum University. Each focuses on an important novel related to the same real-life, true-crime unsolved case.

March 2026: Last Seen Wearing by Hillary Waugh: Discovering a Turning Point in Crime Fiction

May 2026: The Secret History by Donna Tartt: Unpacking the "Whydunit" Mystery

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Rebellions Are Built on Hope - in SPACE!

2026-01-06T22:53:58Z

Now confirmed! Here are the details of the new three-part online module for SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) that I'll be offering for Signum University in Spring 2026.

Rebellions Are Built On Hope: A Star Wars Series

Over nearly half a century of storytelling, Star Wars has challenged audiences to find their own agency and power in the face of injustice and tyranny. The Star Wars works Andor (2022, 2025), Rogue One (2016), and A New Hope (1977) fit together to provide a story of resistance, resilience, and rebellion built on a deep engagement with history, philosophy, and political thought. Join Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as we consider how Star Wars wrestles with big ideas, invites conversation and action, and inspires hope in unprecedented times.

This SPACE series consists of three hybrid modules:

Module 1 (Only 1 seat left!) (Feb. 2026) covers the series Andor, Season 1 (more info here);

Module 2 (March 2026) covers the series Andor, Season 2 (more info here); and

Module 3 (April 2026) covers the films Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (more info here).

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Feminist Utopian Thought

2025-12-29T21:55:15Z

On my latest “Looking Back on Genre History” segment on the StarShipSofa podcast (Episode 772), I discuss early feminist science fictional utopias and focus on A Few Hours in a Far-Off Age (1883) by Henrietta Dugdale.

Listen here!

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Star Wars and Resistance

2025-11-24T11:49:48Z

My half-hour talk "Star Wars and Resistance" is now on YouTube as part of the SPACE Showcase. My talk kicks in around 11 minutes into the Showcase.

This talk is a "sneak peek" into my new three-part online module for SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) for Signum University in Spring 2026.

Rebellions Are Built On Hope: A Star Wars Series

Over nearly half a century of storytelling, Star Wars has challenged audiences to find their own agency and power in the face of injustice and tyranny. The Star Wars works Andor (2022, 2025), Rogue One (2016), and A New Hope (1977) fit together to provide a story of resistance, resilience, and rebellion built on a deep engagement with history, philosophy, and political thought. Join Dr. Amy H. Sturgis as we consider how Star Wars wrestles with big ideas, invites conversation and action, and inspires hope in unprecedented times.

This SPACE series consists of three hybrid modules:

Module 1 (Feb. 2026) covers the series Andor, Season 1 (more info here);

Module 2 (March 2026) covers the series Andor, Season 2 (more info here); and

Module 3 (April 2026) covers the films Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (more info here).

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Rebellions Are Built on Hope

2025-10-16T18:50:01Z

I'm delighted to share that I will be teaching a new three-part online module for SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) for Signum University in Spring 2026.

Module 1 (Feb. 2026) covers the series Andor, Season 1 (more info here);

Module 2 (March 2026) covers the series Andor, Season 2 (more info here); and

Module 3 (April 2026) covers the films Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (more info here).

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The Dracula "Group Read" Experience

2025-10-01T11:48:34Z

Happy October! 🎃 On my latest “Looking Back on Genre History” segment on the StarShipSofa podcast (Episode 766), I praise the Dracula "group read" experience. Here is the episode.

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Upcoming Presentation

2025-09-29T10:40:44Z

I'm tickled to share that my paper "Star Trek’s Son of the Royal Navy: Malcolm Reed’s Subversive Voyage in Space, Then and Now" has been accepted for NavyCon 2025, a conference sponsored by the Center for International Maritime Security, King’s College, and the Naval War College. The theme is “The Influence of Navies on Science Fiction, NASA, and the Future of Space,” and the event will be held online on December 6. 🖖

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"The Liar" by Darcie Little Badger

2025-09-14T20:59:07Z

I'm delighted to say that my narration of "The Liar" by the brilliant Darcie Little Badger is now available on Episode 651 of the Cast of Wonders podcast.

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It's almost time for The Hunger Games!

2025-08-21T15:18:30Z

You're invited to join me in SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) online via Signum University to talk about all five books in The Hunger Games series! The first module has been confirmed to run in September 2025.

What lessons do the Capitol and Districts have to teach us? What warnings should we heed? What road leads from here to Panem? Over the course of five months, participants in these SPACE modules will read and discuss a modern classic of dystopian storytelling, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.

In this hybrid series, each week will include one lecture and one live discussion. The lectures will examine the inspirations behind, allusions in, and questions posed by that month's novel. In live discussions, participants will share their insights on, interpretations of, and reactions to the story. Together we will consider why this series has spoken to so many readers and explore how its messages remain relevant today.

Here is more information.

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Timey-Wimey

2025-08-07T20:30:41Z

Timey-Wimey

On my latest "Looking Back on Genre History" segment on the StarShipSofa podcast (Episode 762), I talk about Doctor Who, history, time travel, and the new Who novel Shirley Jackson and the Chaos Box by Kalynn Bayron.

StarShipSofa 762 Gustavo Bondini

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"Exploring Star Trek" in Fall 2025

2025-07-31T21:27:19Z

I’m excited to say that in Fall 2025 I will be offering the 12-week online class “Exploring Star Trek” for M.A. students and non-degree-seeking auditors alike at Signum University. I’m delighted to be teaching this course once again!

Here is more information.

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I hope you'll join me in Panem (starting in September 2025)!

2025-07-25T13:56:49Z

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On Edge on StarShipSofa!

2025-07-09T12:08:05Z

On my latest "Looking Back on Genre History" segment on StarShipSofa (Episode 760), I discuss Ashley Lawson's new book On Edge: Gender and Genre in the Work of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Leigh Brackett.

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Help launch Hangsaman!

2025-06-19T17:23:29Z

My "Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson: Exploring a Gothic Campus Mystery" one-month module with SPACE (Signum Portals for Adult Continuing Education) online via Signum University is currently "on the launchpad" for potential launch in the autumn of 2025.

Here is the official description:

"Shirley Jackson is rightly celebrated as a master of Gothic storytelling thanks to her most well-known novels such as The Haunting of Hill House (1959) and We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962). In recent years, however, her earlier novel Hangsaman (1951) has received new attention and critical appreciation from fans and scholars alike.

"Far ahead of its time when it was published, Jackson’s deeply personal Hangsaman is many things: a psychological study of a young woman’s coming of age; a haunting Gothic mystery; a pointed critique of gender roles, family dynamics, and higher education; a meditation on trauma and mental illness; and an ancestor of today’s dark academia storytelling. Shirley Jackson drew inspiration from a variety of sources to craft this remarkable campus novel, from folk ballads and the Tarot, myth and ritual, to a real college campus and an unsolved New England cold case of a missing sophomore student.

"In this module, we will unpack this gem of a Gothic story, following freshman Natalie Waite as she searches for her 'essential self' and discussing why Hangsaman feels freshly relevant and important to many readers today."

Here is more information on the Hangsaman module.

To help launch this module, please go here, log in, and put this module on your launchpad short-list. Thanks!

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