Alicia Andrzejewski (she/her)

my favorite part about starting to walk again is all the books I read now, by listening to them. do not underestimate the power of audiobooks.

next week is spring break & I have some grading I need to finish & a talk I’m giving on Wednesday & my book proofs to look over & an article to finish—but other than that I’m going to relax.

I presented myself to my husband this morning & asked how I looked. he said, "wow, you look great." I pointed out he didn't even put his glasses on & he responded, "what are you, an eye chart?"

the joys of marriage.

the English major is so important now with the rise of ChatGPT. yes, the humanities are in decline; they’re seen as less useful than STEM, but with the rise of AI, we need people thinking about humanity.

what is the human? what makes us human? what could be more important?

so it’s even more important that we have people in English majors now with the rise of AI & ChatGPT. we need people in the humanities, people thinking about humanity. what is the human? what makes us human? what could be more important right now?

I have so much faith in that. if you prompted ChatGPT to replicate one of my student’s voices & put whatever text it generates in front of me, I could tell you in a second that it’s not them, that it’s AI.

I was interviewed about AI & here’s what I said:

I believe in the idea of a writer’s voice—a unique voice that’s particular to you, that only you can write with. & I really work hard to develop that with my students. AI will never have your voice—it cannot touch that voice.

I’ve been on a GLP-1 for a little over a week. I’m an addict & my relationship to alcohol, sugar, & shopping is transformed. all the compulsions, urges, & noises are quieter. there’s so much more space to think—& live my life.

I don’t care about losing weight; I care about this.

my friend called me unexpectedly today. she was driving & crossed the VA state line & thought of me.

I know there’s a lot of jokes out there about never calling people, but it was really good to hear her voice. much more intimate than messaging.

just to say, call your friends.

happy Monday, friends. it’s going to be a great week.

“I thank my stars I am happy.”

very mad my husband got to hang out with @rjacksonjoseph.bsky.social this weekend & not me!

check out her amazing work here:
rhondajacksonjoseph.com

Sula.

we have a guest in our house & he just asked if I have a rule that every stack of books has to have Toni Morrison in it.

yessir.

this is my mindful breathing tool. it switches color lights to tell you when to breathe in, hold, then breathe out.

I got my daughter one too & when I was upset last night she ran & got them. we did a few breaths & I instantly felt better. highly recommend.

very mad my husband got to hang out with @rjacksonjoseph.bsky.social this weekend & not me!

check out her amazing work here:
rhondajacksonjoseph.com

I keep saying my book, Queer Pregnancy in Shakespeare’s Plays, coming out in a couple of months, is my first book.

but that’s a lie.

I’m reading “The Body Keeps the Score” & maybe this was obvious to everyone else but, a warning: it’s really triggering. good & important, but very hard to get through if trauma is living in you, too.

in better news, when the dental assistant called my name today she said, “Dr. Andrzejewski?” & I felt fancy af.

went to the dentist today & learned I have a collapsed bite, TMJ, multiple teeth in need of extraction, & likely need full mouth rehab. I’m 37.

we need to talk more about how hard it is to come out of depressive episodes & survey the wreckage—almost harder than being depressed.

I found out today I won William & Mary’s Alumni Fellowship Award.

“to honor faculty whose classroom work has already achieved notoriety among students, colleagues & staff.”

I’m truly stunned, because I believe our faculty are some of the best in the world. I am honored to be among them.

to be determined lol

a student interviewed me for a piece today & my daughter was there. the last question was, “what’s the one thing you’d want people reading this profile to know about you?” I said, “hmm, Evie what do you think people should know about me?” & she said, “that you’re a great person.”

day 4 on a GLP-1 as an addict & I have no desire to drink. at all. I’m no longer binge eating, so I’m sleeping better, drinking more water, & spending less money on junk. zero side effects.

but it has not helped my addiction to social media or aversion to grading, so not a cure all.

I’m American but grew up as an expatriate & spent four years in Canada (London, Ontario). when I was in middle school, Canada beat the US in men’s hockey for gold & the kids came to school with a huge Canadian flag and wrapped me up in it.

I hope they’re crying right now.

I’m an alcoholic. day 3 on a GLP-1 & I have absolutely no desire to drink. the thought of drinking is unappealing to me. I will continue to do therapy & trauma work but we need to keep talking about & researching this.

wrote a mentor to tell her I got tenure & to thank her for guiding me & supporting me. she wrote back:

“remember—Alicia did this.”

definitely stealing that line for when my students write me about their accomplishments.

took the little grey one in for her post-op checkup & teared up a little reading the report. I, too, would like to be “bright, alert, responsive, & hydrated.” but at least my babies are.

it’s rough out there for English majors—& everyone, really. so if you’re a teacher & your students make you proud, tell them why & how. I’ve been trying to do this more consciously lately.

I don’t have words to express the profound impact Toni Morrison has had on me. it is a gift to assign her to students & watch them awaken, too.

she taught me so much, including to make sure I never let anyone give me “a secondhand lonely.”