Kimberly Hirsh

Want to read: Heroines by Kate Zambreno 📚

Want to read: Heroines by Kate Zambreno 📚

You can take the librarian out of the library, but I’m wearing a cardigan over another cardigan.

Okay whose idea was it to only have turbolifts on starships because people would be less likely to be trapped if there were also ramps or something.

I didn’t even notice the one year anniversary of my dissertation defense (4/14) but I realized today that I’ve been a doctor (of philosophy) for a year and a week. More reflection later on what that year has been like, maybe.

Today I’m reviving my newsletter Genetrix, curating stories of creative mothers. The upcoming issue includes links to 15 articles & 1 artist website. You can subscribe at this link .

As I mentioned earlier, I defended my dissertation a year and a week ago. It was a joyous defense, with my committee cosplaying and my friends and family able to attend via Zoom. My BFFs were there, plus lots of people I’ve met online. It was amazing and fun and at the end of it I was WIPED OUT.

Exactly one year ago today, I spent about 10 hours formatting my dissertation so I could graduate. That was not my favorite part.

Some people leave their PhD with a job in hand, whether in academia or industry. Other people, people like me, have no idea what comes next.

What came next for me involved a lot of sleep.

But there was other stuff, too!

A lot of the past year has been focused on parenting stuff, as my kid switched from remote preschool to F2F preschool. A lot of it has involved managing my health, trying different interventions and seeing what felt doable.

I’ve done some work for Quirkos, including writing two blog posts. I really enjoyed that work. I like figuring out what to say, how to say it, and how to make it meet a client’s needs. Content writing/marketing is on the table as a bigger potential stream of income for me in the future, and I like that.

I’ve done a bit of sewing: I made napkins, a blanket, and a pillow. I have fabric ready for making a maxi skirt. I love sewing, but it always feels like a bit of a production to set up. It’s not! It’s actually fast and easy! But it feels like it is, which means I don’t do it as often as I’d like.

I completed W’s application for Public Service Loan Forgiveness and consolidated my loans so I can start that process, too.

I applied for some jobs, not a ton, but maybe close to 10? I wasn’t scattershot: I picked out particular organizations I wanted to work for (like NoveList) or industries I wanted to work in (ed tech, libraries). I had meetings about three potential freelancing gigs but none of them panned out and that was fine.

I spent all of last summer as a Pool Mom, which was amazing: I would take M to the pool first thing in the morning for swim lessons and then he and I would just hang in the water for an hour or two. I loved it.

I presented at MIRA, ALISE, World View, Micro Camp, and FSN NA.

I got caught up on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Discovery. (That reminds me, new Picard today, yay!)

I participated in Micro.blog writer and reader groups sometimes, as well as continuing my participation with the Creative Adventurers community via Discord video chats (something else to look forward to today!).

I got vaccinated.

I got consultations about our broken driveway and eventually went with the choice suggested by our arborist: having Will use a sledgehammer to smash up the parts that were sticking up. This saved us thousands of dollars in driveway refinishing. I had consultations and scheduled work with the arborist and the electrician.

I had lunch with friends.

I let a lot of things go in all different areas of my life.

And I got my dream postdoc, which is huge and made me feel that the not-having-a-plan thing was worth it because I wouldn’t have been available to apply to this postdoc otherwise.

I know that’s just a chronicling of what I did, but I needed that before I could really reflect.

Life isn’t super different aside from the not-working-on-a-dissertation part. I don’t feel different. I do get confused whenever someone calls me Dr. Hirsh.

My postdoc is for one year with the possibility (dare I say expectation?) of a one-year renewal. I have no idea what I’ll be up to come January 2024. I’m privileged to be able to say that that’s okay.

So what’s life like, having been a doctor for a year? The biggest difference is that because I hadn’t been immersed in research from last April through December, I have to go back now and review my notes on earlier processes more when I need to do a technique I’ve done before.

Me, to myself: I can’t be everyone at once.
Me: OR CAN I?

🔖 Read Who Is Steven Hotdog? Or, Untangling the “Braided Essay” |.

What’s Steven Hotdog to me, or I to Steven Hotdog, that I should weep for him?

Ever since I learned about the Steven Hotdog essay I have loved this descriptor. Jess Zimmerman is one of my favorite writers.

🔖 Read The Rise and Fall of Getting Things Done.

I’ve been thinking a lot about personal productivity, what it’s good for and what it isn’t. This article is about a year and a half old now but it points in a direction of collective solutions.

🔖 Read Cranking.

It’s out! The latest issue of Genetrix, a very occasional newsletter curating stories of creative mothers!

🔖 Read Review: A riveting biographer — and mother — works to solve ‘the mind-baby problem’.

🔖Read Being a Public Librarian Can Be Dangerous Work, Why Don’t We Acknowledge That? - Electric Literature

Libraries are resolutely radical institutions. They are free to use and open to the public, spaces that demand nothing from you to enter and nothing for you to stay. No exchange of money occurs between library user and library, save for overdue book fees, which are becoming more and more obsolete. Libraries are sanctuaries for the mind, body, and spirit. They are repositories of language, literature, community care, and human growth. And they are also places of objectification, racism, sexual assault, and other human atrocities. They are embodiments of our history and culture, for better, and also for worse.

Want to read: Overdue by Amanda Oliver 📚

I know you’re not supposed to share your morning pages but in mine today I wrote “It’s time to develop a writing practice that fits my life instead of stealing someone else’s” and I’m really proud of and pleased with myself.

🔖 Read Should you ever NOT listen to user feedback?.

I’m exploring the possibility of a career in UX research & reading this article showed me that it’s definitely an area I could get into.

So I’m delighted by the premise of Is It Cake? but it really feels like a parody reality show from 30 Rock.

🔖 Read 11 Bookish Accessories to Make Reading More Accessible.

I love pieces like this. Getting a book holder changed my reading life.

Why Is My Child Still Awake? The Kimberly Hirsh Story

Anybody interested in becoming a Sesame Street librarian?

Yesterday I helped my parents sort out the logistics of making the house more accessible for my mom when she’s using mobility aids. A few hours later my kid got sick & we were up much of the night. Caregiving is a 24/7/365 deal. I chose it & it’s still a lot.

In other news, Season 5 of TNG is stacked with memorable episodes. Darmok. Silicon Avatar. The Game. Ethics. The Innermost Light. Time’s Arrow. 🖖🏻📺

It’s really weird to have been the precocious teen on the Internet 25 years ago and be the old person in the writer academia Discord server now.

Me, thinking about the logistics of attending my sister’s Master’s hooding: I mean, how many times does your sister finish graduate school?

wait for it

Me: Three, if you’re my siblings. Hmm.