Author Archives: cari hovanec

I have been writing a book about vermin, pests, and parasites, and the surprising virtues of vile creatures. As part of my research for this project, I’ve been devouring essays and stories and poems about pigeons, rats, worms, even cockroaches. … Continue reading →

Here’s the abridged syllabus for my fall 2018 Writing and Research course. I’m really excited about this one, especially since we will be paying a visit to the Tampa Book Arts Studio, which is a treasure. Course Description so much … Continue reading →

I’m in Slate this week, writing about dogs and authorship and why Karl Ove Knausgaard could learn a thing or two from Virginia Woolf, J. R. Ackerley, and W. H. Auden. Check it out yo!

The ebook of Animal Subjects is now available! Hardbacks coming soon, so stay tuned. I also wrote a couple of things in recent months: a blog post on the etymology of compost for my pals at Suncoast Compost, and an … Continue reading →

Ruth Leys, The Ascent of Affect: Genealogy and Critique (University of Chicago Press, 2017) In this book Ruth Leys looks back at the history of the emotion sciences, including the debates between, on the one hand, Silvan S. Tomkins and … Continue reading →

Of the remaining twelve chapters in The Affect Theory Reader, there are six that stand out to me. Lauren Berlant’s “Cruel Optimism” is one of the most cited pieces in affect studies, and the basis of her 2011 book of … Continue reading →

I’ve finished The Affect Theory Reader and am feeling slightly less confused than last time I posted. I remain nonplussed by affect theory qua theory, but excited about affect studies as it pertains to specific affects. I could not explain … Continue reading →

One of the annoying things about having a Ph.D. is that you’re supposed to now be capable of teaching yourself. I am trying to teach myself affect theory for a new project, and I would much rather take a class … Continue reading →

AWR201 Writing and Research Other Worlds  Course Description: Unlike realistic fiction, which tells stories set in a world indistinguishable from our own, speculative fiction creates story worlds that are different from ours. Science fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic fiction, fairy tales, superhero … Continue reading →

(This is the text of a talk I gave last fall at the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities’ Timescales conference. It feels depressingly relevant this year in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, which, as my paper argues, … Continue reading →