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siueiris.bsky.social
IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
@siueiris.bsky.social
1K followers 660 following 100 posts
The IRIS Center at SIUE is a place for students, faculty, staff, and community members to collaborate on research, teaching, and community engagement in the digital humanities.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
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siueiris.bsky.social
Calling all storytellers! Emplace, a new digital publication, invites community members to contribute stories about how they build community, relationships, and a sense of place in the St. Louis region. We welcome established and emerging voices and a wide variety of formats. #stl #DigitalHumanities
Call for Community Storytellers Emplace, a new digital publication, invites community members to contribute stories about how they build community, relationships, and a sense of place in the St. Louis region. We welcome established and emerging voices and a wide variety of formats. Emplace centers placemaking through storytelling as a creative practice. The term emplace evokes intentionality, care, and action in relation to the work of strengthening communities through sharing local stories. Stories have the power to create change. Stories shape who we are, how we understand the world around us, and how we imagine the future. Through storytelling, Emplace advocates for spatial justice, in which people have access to healthy living environments, equal access to resources and services, and the ability to contribute to the identity and future of their homes. Emplace supports its contributors with developmental editing and community-based review, creating a genre of public scholarship that values the works of diverse contributors. The interactive story genres on Emplace include data visualization, video production, podcasting, mapping, graphic networks, and scrollytelling, a technique that dynamically reveals multimedia content as a reader scrolls through a narrative. Contributors don’t need to have technical expertise, just a story to tell. SIUE’s IRIS Center for Digital Humanities will support contributors in bringing their digital stories to life, including technical and editorial support. Contributions will be reviewed prior to publication, and accepted authors will receive honoraria of $500 per piece. Submit a Proposal View the full call and submit a proposal at https://emplace.siue.edu/call-for-storytellers.
September 9, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
erinannmcc.bsky.social
Possibly my favorite answer to "What is DH?" yet. 🍩
megsmith.bsky.social dr. meg smith @megsmith.bsky.social · 16d
Week 1 is always a little strange in a DH course, because students are trying to wrap their heads around what exactly DH is. And that’s fair, because today, #DigitalHumanities is transporting 2.5 dozen donuts across state lines for the @siueiris.bsky.social open house. (1 bike, 3 buses, 1 train)
The back of a bicycle, with three boxes of donuts strapped to the rack The top of a donut box from Donut Drive-In, sitting in a metro car
September 2, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
Week 1 is always a little strange in a DH course, because students are trying to wrap their heads around what exactly DH is. And that’s fair, because today, #DigitalHumanities is transporting 2.5 dozen donuts across state lines for the @siueiris.bsky.social open house. (1 bike, 3 buses, 1 train)
The back of a bicycle, with three boxes of donuts strapped to the rack The top of a donut box from Donut Drive-In, sitting in a metro car
September 2, 2026 at 1:16 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
Congratulations to @megsmith.bsky.social! Last week, she received the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award from the Saint Louis University Department of History. The award recognizes all the fantastic, collaborative work in IRIS, supporting history & the humanities at SIUE and beyond! #DigitalHumanities
Meg Smith (right) stands next to Mark Ruff, chair of the history department at Saint Louis University. Meg holds a glass award.
May 6, 2026 at 10:25 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
More art for IRIS, courtesy of @literaturegeek.bsky.social’s @wolfproofpress.com! Critical tech, care ethics, and creative scholarship are all essential to IRIS’s ethos, and it’s so cool to see that inscribed on the space like this. #DigitalHumanities
IRIS’s welcome wall, featuring a quilted rainbow banner, a quilted public library sign, an appliqur namer that reads i-r-i-s, and two letterpress prints. One print reads “HTML is the letterpress of the digital world,” and the other features an image of a Luddite throwing something (presumably a clog), with the text “Maybe it’s just vaporware. luddites pointing out the (tech) emperor has no clothes since (well before) 1811. Luddites didn’t “fear technology.” They broke the machines that allowed the rich to enshittify livelihoods. Who’s your tech for? No tech’s adoption is inevitable (lol blockchain). Glitch their cistems.” An image of a letterpress print titled “This is a printing office.” Text: THIS IS A PRINTING OFFICE Like all technology: human choice, if evil or good This place is not a place of honor but it could be a place of hope Refuge of arts, craft, community, learning, a megaphone for justice, fearless truth slipping bit rot & digital censorship; or playing at a whitewashed past; to pretend away present fascism The center of danger is here; the center of hope is here The danger is still present, in your time, as it was in ours (the possibility, too From this place you may send words of justice, liberation, reparation, collective care; or serving capital, stoking hate A press is but its printers Friend vou stand on ground Myou make sacred-or not THIS is a PRINTING-OFFICE Remixed text (in italics) from Beatrice Warde & Sandia National Laks; & new text by Amanda Wyatt Visconti, VA Ctr for the Book FINFUSE
April 17, 2026 at 3:59 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
Look who's gracing the pages of the Alestle this week - our very own Dr. Kristine Hildebrandt! Featuring a nice shoutout to IRIS and the need for #DigitalHumanities infrastructure

www.alestlelive.com/news/article...
English chair publishes book on endangered language, earns distinguished research professor recognition
Kristine Hildebrandt, chair of the Department of English, published a book detailing an endangered language in September and was awarded status as a distinguished research professor in December.
www.alestlelive.com
April 16, 2026 at 6:40 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
Congrats to our SIUE presenters at the STL #DigitalHumanities Showcase!
💿 Kezia Miller, “Beautiful Dreams of the Past: Preserving Family Histories through Textual Recovery”
💿 Mauri Johnson, Rayna Sims, & Colin Strasser, “Digital Storytelling on the Hiking Trail at Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area”
A group of seven people stand outside in front of a garden. From left to right: Dr. Jacquie Shea, Colin Strasser, Mauri Johnson, Rayna Sims, Dr. Meg Smith, Kezia Miller, and Dan Schreiber Kezia Miller gestures at a slide while presenting her digital edition. The edition shows her markup schema, an example of marks up text, and two images of handwritten text demonstrating an emendation and a misspelling Rayna Sims presents her digital timeline of the ecology of St. Stanislaus Conservation Area Mauro Johnson looks up at a slide while presenting his video essay on Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area. The slide offers a few images of the park and connects them to broader issues of historical interpretation
April 15, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
Hey library folks! Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Lovejoy Library is hiring a tenure track digital archivist. I'm on the search committee and happy to answer questions or direct them to the search chair! Apply at apply.interfolio.com/184021.

#DigitalHumanities #LibraryJobs #ArchiveJobs
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
April 2, 2026 at 2:58 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
Another big congratulations to Dr. Kristine Hildebrandt! Yesterday, she received her Distinguished Research Professor award and was recognized for her tremendous accomplishments in endangered language documentation, digital and public humanities, and innovative pedagogy. We are lucky to have her!
Kristine Hildebrandt poses wearing a VERY large medal awarded for her Distinguished Research Professor rank. She is smiling in front of a lovely background of green trees.
April 1, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
The @siueiris.bsky.social glowup continues! New additions include the public library symbol for our welcome wall and some cozy tea and books for our tea corner. #DHMakes
Quilt art on a wall: a rainbow banner made of log cabin blocks, some bunting that reads “iris” on it, and a public library symbol (a person reading a book) Quilt art on a wall: a steaming mug of tea on top of a stack of books. On the desk in front of the wall is a tea kettle and some tea bags
March 30, 2026 at 8:21 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
IRIS now supports Manifold! Create of rich, interactive texts and facilitate reader engagement through social annotation and reading communities. It’s a great choice for OER, student projects, and public scholarship. Learn more Friday at our March Morning Bytes!
IRIS Center Morning Bytes Introducing Manifold Manifold is a web platform for publishing rich, interactive texts, ideal for OERs, open access research, and student projects. It facilitates engaged reading through social annotation and reading communities. Come learn about this new IRIS-supported resource! Friday, March 20, 10:00 AM CFDI (Lovejoy, 2nd floor)
March 17, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
Some very cool conversations unfolded across these pieces. They are all well worth the read! #DigitalHumanities
thenacbs.bsky.social TheNACBS @thenacbs.bsky.social · Mar 13
And that’s a wrap on our blog series on artificial intelligence!

Thanks to @amywb.bsky.social @chriscampbell1.bsky.social @phdhurtbrain.bsky.social @megsmith.bsky.social @ktl10.bsky.social and Anushmita Mohanty for their wonderful contributions!

Visit nacbs.org/broadsides to read the full series!
March 14, 2026 at 11:13 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
Another contribution to @siueiris.bsky.social’s crafty makeover, courtesy of my mom! #DHMakes
March 14, 2026 at 2:22 AM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
Spoiler: I think the answer is yes!

#MedievalSky #skystorians #IrishHistory #DigitalHumanities
thenacbs.bsky.social TheNACBS @thenacbs.bsky.social · Mar 6
“Do the strategies employed by subjects of empire offer productive models of resistance and subversion?”

In the penultimate piece in our AI series, @megsmith.bsky.social offers vignettes from early modern Ireland that could suggest productive models of resistance.

www.nacbs.org/post/contest...
Contesting Colonial Technologies: Historical Models for Resistance
"Do the strategies employed by subjects of empire offer productive models of resistance and subversion?"
www.nacbs.org
March 6, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
Step 1 of @siueiris.bsky.social’s glow-up! More #DHMakes to come, including data quilts, literary craft, subversive cross stitch, and whatever else strikes our collective fancies.
A strip of homemade fabric bunting in greens and blues with the letters i-r-i-s appliquéd on the flags
March 6, 2026 at 11:15 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
Have you checked out the @blacklitnetwork.bsky.social yet? It's got a wealth of creative tools for engaging with Black literature! Head over and check out the Literary Navigator Device to find your next read. (Give them a follow on your social media platforms while you're at it!) #DigitalHumanities
blacklitnetwork.bsky.social BlackLitNetwork @blacklitnetwork.bsky.social · Mar 3
Finished your stack and looking for your next read? Want to find coming-of-age stories, thrillers, or sci-fi? Maybe you want new material to teach young learners. Our literary Navigator can narrow down 2,000+ Black-authored works to find what you’re searching for! blacklitnetwork.org/publications
March 4, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
Since I made this for freshmen, it’s light on early modern content. But here’s my guide to finding usable media for our digital humanities students. (Copied from a Wordpress site, so excuse any formatting weirdness.)

docs.google.com/document/d/1...
February 25, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
Another Dickinson-inspired appliqué! This one’s from her poem “To make a prairie” about intentional placemaking. It evokes ecological care, but I wanted something that blends that with human infrastructures that also manifest care. So here’s an ode to public transit! #DHMakes #PublicTransit
An appliqué block featuring two trains crossing the Eads Bridge in opposite directions. The Arch is visible out to the left side. Flowers grow along the tracks, including one clover and one bee - a reference to Emily Dickinson’s poem “To make a prairie.” Emily Dickinson 1830 - 1886 To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee. And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few.
February 15, 2026 at 5:25 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
Join us for a series of workshops on teaching and researching with digital tools! The IRIS Center Morning Bytes series offers hands-on tutorials, activities and lesson plans, and spotlights on ongoing digital humanities projects. #DigitalHumanities
A flyer for a workshop series in the IRIS Center at SIUE: Interactive Storytelling with the Scrolly Story Generator Meg Smith and Dan Schreiber (IRIS Center) Jan. 23, 10:00-11:00, Center for Faculty Development and Innovation (Lovejoy Library, 3rd floor) Teaching with Leaflet Storymaps Laura Fowler (History) Feb. 13, 10:00-11:00, Center for Faculty Development and Innovation Digital Publishing with Manifold Meg Smith and Dan Schreiber (IRIS Center) Mar. 20, 10:00-11:00, Center for Faculty Development and Innovation “Beautiful Dreams of the Past”: Building a Digital Edition Kezia Miller (English) Apr. 17, 10:00-11:00, Center for Faculty Development and Innovation
January 14, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
🤩 Thanks again to @literaturegeek.bsky.social for immortalizing this line from the NEH wake session at ACH. If I have a scholarly motto, this is it — infrastructure is mutual obligation and mutual benefit. #DigitalHumanities #DHMakes
A framed print that reads “Infrastructure is something we owe to one another. - Meg Smith” Made by Amanda Wyatt Visconti! It’s printed in a beautiful pink-blue gradient.
January 14, 2026 at 2:13 AM
siueiris.bsky.social
Congratulations to Prof. Maurina Aranda on receiving the Paul Simon Outstanding Teacher-Scholar Award! Maurina is an integral member of the CODES team and developed the Community-Engaged Science course. We’re grateful for her creative pedagogy, wide knowledge, and thoughtful collaboration!
www.siue.edu
January 12, 2026 at 1:32 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
ICYMI: Check out this @jitp.bsky.social article for assignments and activities that use small data sets to engage students with critical data literacies and place-based research. These are quick bloom-and-fade activities that are easy to build into a syllabus! #DigitalHumanities
siueiris.bsky.social IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences @siueiris.bsky.social · Dec 23
It’s publication day! Check out this new piece from @megsmith.bsky.social and Laura Milsk Fowler on #DigitalHumanities pedagogy. Meg and Laura offer bite-sized but powerful classroom activities that teach humanistic approaches to data and build tech skills and confidence to tackle larger projects.
Small Data for Maximal Effect: Integrating Digital Humanities, Digital Ethics, and Pedagogy across a College Curriculum | Small Data for Maximal Effect: Integrating Digital Humanities, Digital Ethics,...
by Margaret K. Smith and Laura Milsk Fowler
cuny.manifoldapp.org
January 5, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by IRIS Center for Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
megsmith.bsky.social
Already watched Knives Out and jonesing for more murder, hellfire and brimstone, and possible revenants? Well! 125 years ago today, William Le Queux published "The Mystery of Montmartre" in @stltoday.com. I threw together a little edition for the Christmas ghost story crowd.

#DigitalHumanities
The Mystery of Montmartre
Ghost stories were a mainstay of holiday entertainment at the turn of the 20th century. This tale, written by William Le Queux and published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on December 23, 1900, sets a...
msmith0913.github.io
December 23, 2025 at 10:58 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
It’s publication day! Check out this new piece from @megsmith.bsky.social and Laura Milsk Fowler on #DigitalHumanities pedagogy. Meg and Laura offer bite-sized but powerful classroom activities that teach humanistic approaches to data and build tech skills and confidence to tackle larger projects.
Small Data for Maximal Effect: Integrating Digital Humanities, Digital Ethics, and Pedagogy across a College Curriculum | Small Data for Maximal Effect: Integrating Digital Humanities, Digital Ethics,...
by Margaret K. Smith and Laura Milsk Fowler
cuny.manifoldapp.org
December 23, 2025 at 2:04 PM
siueiris.bsky.social
🎉🎉 Huge congrats to IRIS co-founder Dr. Kristine Hildebrandt on being named Distinguished Research Professor of English!

The award recognizes her significant achievements in the field of linguistics & her many contritions to research, mentorship, and DH infrastructure at SIUE and beyond.
www.siue.edu
December 18, 2025 at 4:38 PM