In December 2022, I was diagnosed with ADHD. It was a struggle to accept the diagnosis at first, since my brother was diagnosed with it in 1984 and his symptoms included extreme impulsivity that was, frankly, dangerous to himself and others. My son has the exact same expression in his…

Hi. I’m non-binary. This is not a comprehensive term for me. I use this term, largely, for the benefit and connection of others. Saying my gender identity in its natural state is, as I imagine it, like pronouncing words from languages your communication orifice is not equipped for. And this…

CW: Assault, domestic violence, sexual assault This week, #IAmAmberHeard was trending with countless stories of abuse, sexual violence, and physical violence. As I am very verbal in my own experiences with domestic violence and sexual violence (much of my writing involves my experiences) I joined in with the following Tweet: …

So, I am going to be a teacher. Of what, you say? Short Answer: Graphic Memoirs! Long Answer: I applied to my school’s “UTeach” program — this program allows upperclassmen to develop a class from beginning to end that will run for ten weeks, once per week. I was accepted…

For over a decade, I’ve made it my tradition every October to commit to a horror movie marathon. Starting October 1st, I watch anywhere from 15 to 31 movies in the month of October. However, this year’s a little different. I am currently halfway through a 2-year project for school based around horror writing. As part of my studies, I’ve decided to extend my horror movie marathon to encompass September as well. Starting Sept. 1, I will watch a horror movie a day (as time and schooling permits). If you would like to view my reviews, you can see them on my website: dee-richards.com

For the summer, I was selected for a fellowship in the UCI Libraries Digital Humanities Department based on an idea my partner and I came up with. The idea: A storytelling Twitterbot. …

“Over the mysteries of female life, there is drawn a veil best left undisturbed.” — John Brooke, Little Women (film, 1994) The experience of a woman is one of interiority — an inward focus of character — even in modern times. During the production of what is termed “Literature of…

I was assigned female at birth. This means a doctor saw my little body and proclaimed “It’s a GIRL!” My mom (half-awake) exclaimed: “Dorothy!” (because she wanted my name to reflect her favorite old aunt) The story goes that the doctor laughed and asked if we were going to move…

*Author Notes: This is probably my favorite scholarly essay to date. I was allowed free choice of topic for this assignment, and so it is the most representative of my work and sphere of focus. It was written on 2 June 2022. *CW: Gender-Based Violence, Spousal Abuse, Murder Mirror, mirror…