eldritchhobbit

Thank you to all of the podcasts that invited me on this year!

My "Looking Back on Genre History" science fiction segment ran each month on StarShipSofa.

I talked to Potterversity about my book chapter "Dark Arts and Secret Histories: Investigating Dark Academia"; to Trash Compactor and New Books Network about my book Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away; and to New Books Network about my book Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier.

I also talked about Alexis de Tocqueville with the Vital Remnants podcast and Mary Shelley (twice, once about The Last Man and once about Frankenstein) with The McConnell Center podcast.

Links to all of these podcast episodes are here.

Some of the university and conference talks I gave this year are now online.

“Missing Students & Their Fictional Afterlives: True Crime, Crime Fiction, and Dark Academia" (presented at the Popular Culture Research Network’s “Guilty Pleasures: Examining Crime in Popular Culture” conference).
View this presentation here.

Why You Should Read The Last Man by Mary Shelley

Watch on YouTube

Why You Should Read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Watch on YouTube

"A Fortnight in the Wilderness" with Alexis de Tocqueville

Watch on YouTube

On December 1, 1946, sophomore Bennington College student Paula Jean Welden vanished. Her disappearance remains an unsolved mystery.

I'm currently working on a book project that involves the Welden case. Today it feels especially important to say her name.

Note: If anyone would like a (very brief!) peek into my current book project, here is a video of my presentation “Missing Students and Their Fictional Afterlives: True Crime, Crime Fiction, and Dark Academia." I gave this talk earlier this year at the Popular Culture Research Network’s “Guilty Pleasures: Examining Crime in Popular Culture” conference.

This image of Paula Jean Welden (a black-and-white portrait of a young woman in her late teens) was circulated in missing person flyers and newspapers at the time of her disappearance in 1946. She is wearing a sweater with a collared shirt and necklace, sitting with one arm beside/behind her on the back of the sofa, regarding the photographer.

The Missing Person flyer circulated after Paula Welden's disappearance on December 1, 1946, including photos and a writing sample of hers, as well as descriptions of her and instructions on where to report information about her disappearance and/or whereabouts.

On November 18, 1897, junior student Bertha Lane Mellish vanished from Mount Holyoke College. Her disappearance remains an unsolved mystery.

I'm currently working on a book project that involves the Mellish case. Today it feels especially important to say her name.

Note: If anyone would like a (very brief!) peek into my current book project, here is a video of my presentation “Missing Students and Their Fictional Afterlives: True Crime, Crime Fiction, and Dark Academia." I gave this talk earlier this year at the Popular Culture Research Network’s “Guilty Pleasures: Examining Crime in Popular Culture” conference.

Missing Person flyer offering a $500 reward for help finding missing student Bertha Lane Mellish. This broadside, which includes a portrait of Bertha Mellish, was posted December 10, 1897, during the search for missing Mount Holyoke College student.

The opening screen of the video for "Missing Students and Their Fictional Afterlives: True Crime, Crime Fiction, and Dark Academia" by Amy H. Sturgis, with an image of a newspaper clipping from 1897 that reads "Missing from the College: Strange Disappearance of Miss Bertha Lane Mellish."

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

On November 18, 1897, junior student Bertha Lane Mellish vanished from Mount Holyoke College. Her disappearance remains an unsolved mystery.

I’m currently working on a research project that involves the Mellish case. I’ll be posting more! Today it feels especially important to say her name.

Entries tagged with true crime

2024 Wrap-Up: Podcasts

2024 Wrap-Up: Talks

Paula Welden and the Missing Student

Bertha Mellish and the Missing Student

Dark Academia Works Inspired by True Crime Cases?

On This Day: November 18

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