Writing and the Disciplines

I'm a teacher, researcher and inveterate self-improver. This tumblr is a record of my progress on my first book, When Sex Changed: Birth Control and Literature between the World Wars (Rutgers UP, 2013), as well as my research interests in reproductive health, World War I, and feminism, my ad hoc projects, and occasionally my cute kid.

[alaynepc]

The Unregulated Sperm Industry

In the United States, we do not track how many sperm donors there are, how often they donate, or how many children are born from the donations.

Vince Vaughn's movie Delivery Man sparks conversation about regulating the sperm donation industry. Interesting commentary on the new commerce in reproductive material.

[joshunda-deactivated20210106]

The Most Beautiful City in the World

I do not want to write about leaving Austin.

I don’t want to write about it because it feels like generalizing. Because, as someone noted, African Americans are the most vocal minority in Austin to be such a tiny group — 8 percent in a city with an estimated 843,000 folks. Because writing about it suggests ambivalence or ambiguity and I feel neither.

But I’m writing because I think there might be other black women living in Austin or considering living in Austin who might find some recognition in my observations after living here for 8 years - both in Austin and in Texas. These sentiments can probably be extrapolated to other groups and ethnicities but the black woman component is unique and to me, uniquely significant.

Read More

[alaynepc]

Backward photo booth pic of MY BOOK!!! 

[alaynepc]

Men Have Biological Clocks, Too

Men and women are roughly equally likely to be infertile, but for years the focus has been on female treatments.

I'm writing a paper for a panel at the National Women's Studies Association conference in November about women's online writing about their assisted reproduction journeys. I love how this article forefronts the huge impact our subjective experiences and interpretations (and those of our doctors) have on the medical care we receive.

[alaynepc]

Child art: always my fall back.

[diversityinya]

Broader, Better Literary Conversations | The Nation

Here at Diversity in YA we focus on, well, diversity in young adult books. Over at The Nation, Roxane Gay has posted about diversity in adult books — specifically, the proportion of authors of color being reviewed in various national outlets, including NPR and the LA Review of Books. To no one’s surprise, the numbers aren’t good. She concludes:

"These numbers suggest, quite plainly, that the people shaping the literary conversation are not reading diversely. If they are reading diversely, it’s a well-kept secret. Editors are not expanding their editorial missions. They are explicitly and directly responsible for the narrowness and whiteness of the literary conversation. They are responsible for the misguided notion that there simply aren’t that many writers of color or books written by writers of color. Of course people make that assumption. There’s no evidence to the contrary in most mainstream publications."

Read the whole post.

[alaynepc]

Great article stating the obvious, but with numbers!

[rookiemag]

Sunday Comic: The Difference

I felt defeated. Then I focused on my strengths.

[alaynepc]

Really simple and important story about learning differences--great for a teacher to read.

[alaynepc]

TX Coffee Shop Surprises

Pleasant: overhearing the word "Obama" in a good ole boy accent and automatically cringing, then listening for a second and realizing the older white man next to me is concerned about the growing gap between the rich and the poor and wishes our president would do more to address it.

Unpleasant: overhearing hipster baristas talking about laundry, and noticing that they apparently feel the need to whisper the word "Mexican" when describing Suavitel fabric softener.

[alaynepc]

I sent these packages of Buddy Apples to some teacher friends this week.

[yoisthisracist]

anonymous asked: I got an idea. White people can spend four-hundred years forcefully removed from their homes and placed under systemic oppression as the property of black people. They can spend the next century excluded and segregated from society, and forced to endure inferior educational and...

[alaynepc]

Yes!!

[alaynepc]

Thank you cards by 3 year olds count, especially when I'm doing the thank you note enforcement!

[alaynepc]

No turning back!!

[alaynepc]

I hadn't previously been aware of this speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered by his wife, Coretta Scott King upon his receipt of the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood in 1966.

[alaynepc]

[alaynepc]

52Weeks52Letters and Book Update

This summer I haven't kept up with documenting my 52 letters--I may have lost the will to document things when I'm not on semester time. (Read: summer vacation has seeped into my soul and is eating my productivity alive.)

I have written letters this summer, though not one a week. I made a care package for a family member who had surgery, Fathers Day cards for all the fathers in my fam, assorted birthday cards for children, and thank you/apology cards for my daughter's swim teachers, who deeply deserved them. I hope to get back into the documentation thing soon, especially because my mom made me a bunch of beautiful cards I'd like to post photos of.

I'm also planning to update Tumblr more often to talk about my book, which is finally coming out this fall/winter! Unfortunately, the issues the book discusses--contraceptive access, women's whole health, race/racism and reproduction, and conflicts between censorship and free expression--are as relevant now as they were during the time period the book covers--the 1910s to 1930s--so I'll try to illuminate some of those connections.

[feministryangosling]

[alaynepc]

Yes!!

[alaynepc]

Failed craft! I had this idea to embroider realistic-ish germs on fancy handkerchiefs, but it didn't quite work out. Still claiming points for trying!