Alison Laurence

@dinostalgia.bsky.social

441 Followers 484 Following

Cultural historian of extinction at work on DINOSTALGIA, a book about how dinosaurs became cultural artifacts, consumer goods, and spokes-creatures for consumption | History faculty @ San José State University https://www.alisonlaurence.com

Sam Neill as Cardinal Wolsey seated at a desk holding parchment and a quill. He wears a scarlet red cape and a gilded chain of office. He's smiling kindly, more Neill than Wolsey in this image.
Erling Haaland and his signature blonde bun walk along the tarmac, having returned to Norway from the World Cup with an exceptionally kitschy souvenir: a taxidermied raccoon posed as if drinking from a whiskey bottle. He is polling his 67 million Instagram followers as to what he should name his "new buddy." Cowboy, Ranger, and TEX are tied and 21%. In the lead, at 38%, R.O.W. or Raccoon on Wheels.
Image shows the title of an article: "Was Aesop a Nubian Kumasi (Folkteller)?" by Richard A. Lobban Jr., Rhode Island College, Providence
A screenshot from p. 17 of Bolman's History of Social Science article entitled "Institute Life." In a passage that details scholars' recommendations for Latour's faculty appointment to the Institute for Advanced Study, Bolman quotes an addendum provided by neuroscientist Roger Guillemin who wrote that Latour was of “one of the oldest and most highly respected families of the great vineyards of Burgundy. There is in him some of these profound qualities of the hard working people who, from what nature provides, make the greatest wines of France."
On the television, the Bears vs. Packers game. On the laptop, the Bulls game. Both Chicago teams won ❤️
Two cats peer out a window. One is a brown tabby with handsome stripes. The other is an adorable orange creature with a single eye.
An aged bas relief, the stone worn and weathered, depicting the legend of Romulus and Remus who as infants were nursed by a wolf. Photo Credit: Public domain photo via Wikimedia Commons (DerLudonaut / CC BY-SA 3.0)
On the cover of TIME magazine there stands a wolf with creamy white fur. Above the wolf, the word "extinct," in white font, is crossed out with a thick read line. Smaller text announces: "This is Remus. He's a dire wolf. The first to exist in 10,000 years. Endangered species could be changed forever." The article's author is Jeffrey Kluger. Photo credit: TIME Magazine, May 12, 2025 (though the article was published online on April 7, 2025)
An excerpt from "To Become a Fossil." The line breaks and indentations create the visual effect of a burial mound over a T. rex. The excerpt reads: "The waters of that seasonal stream prepared the remains of once and future regent for fossilization. The current, coursing past like mourners paying collective respect, deposited silt instead of gravedirt in steady tribute until, at last, sediment covered the tyrannosaur over entirely, a humble defense against scavengers, an embrace through decay. De- composition of soft tissues and other organic matter made space for something new. Mineral-rich water flowed in and— through chemical reactions not wholly understood, transformed the calcium and phosphate of the lingering bones into iron, calcite, siltstone. As ages and epochs passed, the stream dried up for good, the climate changed, continents drifted. For many millions of years, the fossil endured."
In an interview with Gregory Ellwood, Rian Johnson reflects on how Wake Up Dead Man is specifically a 2025 movie: "Yeah, it is fun. The movie is 2025, to the point where it was a futurism movie when we were shooting in 2024, and we didn’t know who was going to win the election. We were shooting it. So, that made it weird. But to the point where the baseball game that’s on the TV is a baseball game that happened. I found a Cubs game that happened at the right time on Good Friday in 2025. And right before we did our mix, we dropped it in the TVs, so it all lines up anyway. And I thought, oh, this is great. This could have actually happened on that day. And then the next day, after Good Friday or the Monday, the Pope died. And I was like, “Oh, well, it’s no longer quite accurate. They probably would’ve been talking about that in the movie.”"
A green and white concrete T. rex (rather derpy) seems to smile for the camera. In the distance, an American flag flies over a Brontosaurus, with the same green and white paint job.
A promotional image for an edited collection called "Lands of the Lost: A Field Guide to Dinosaur Parks Physical, Fictional, and for the Future." The collection editors Dr. Victor Monnin & Dr. Alison Laurence are putting out a call for contributions. Abstracts are due January 10, 2026 to dinoparkfieldguide@gmail.com. Find the full call at: https://tinyurl.com/dinoparks The background image is of the outdated-but-adored Iguanodon models at Crystal Palace Park.
A painting depicts two cars zooming in opposite directions on a roller coaster. In the first human riders are visibly afraid. In the second skeletons are reaching out. The meme overlay reads: "Skeletons who want to be friends with me." And over a frightened blonde woman, "Me, surprised, but excited to be friends with skeletons."
View out my kitchen window: a half dozen skinny palm trees and other greenery. The red and blue striped fumigation tent across the street looks like such fun. Why are they so inviting?
Two "Race the Wave" participants standing beneath a Santa Cruz Boardwalk sign. A wooden rollercoaster is behind them.
A drum kit sits in the middle of a verdant yard (where, on a few occasions, I've seen the most massive possum waddling her way toward a midnight snack). A wooden dining room chair awaits a drummer.
Text: ANTI-EXTINCTION: a syllabus to share; Image: a dearly departed dodo
On the left, Richard Attenborough (as John Hammond in Jurassic Park) looks longingly at an egg of amber. On the right, David Attenborough (as himself) gazes similarly at a toucan. Together, they are the Attenbros. Thank you and I'm sorry.
A screenshot of the ANTI-EXTINCTION syllabus cover page with a dodo representing extinct beings. The text reads: "Though extinction is a natural phenomenon, human activity has hastened species loss in recent centuries. What factors led to the loss of the dodo, the passenger pigeon, and thylacine? What brought the American bison and California condor back from the brink of extinction? What are the promises and perils of de-extinction projects that aim to recreate dire wolves and woolly mammoths? These case studies (among others!) offer critical context for understanding ongoing biodiversity and social justice crises. Organized around questions of multispecies justice, with an emphasis on the significance of stories, this course invites students to consider what kind of existence they want for themselves and for other beings amidst the Sixth Mass Extinction."
A cougar diorama crafted in the 1930s, a remote Sierra Nevada scene. The mother cougar rests, one cub bats at her tail, the other cub watches. The tan cats are camouflaged among the rocks.
A field of large white flowers sway gently in the breeze, floating in and out of focus.
A woman dressed in shades of green and brown stands before a battlement of yellow hay bales. She's holding a protest sign in front of her face. Because she couldn't come up with anything suitably clever or novel to write on the sign, she borrowed a protest slogan from the past. The sign reads "We want bread, and roses, too." It's what the striking textile workers of Lawrence, Massachusetts, demanded in 1912 when they walked out for fair wages. Every worker deserves compensation enough to meet their needs--our needs. Every being deserves to live with dignity, and beauty besides.
Flyer for a course called "Extinction & Justice." In the background a dodo lithograph. In the foreground a course description: "Though extinction is a natural phenomenon, human activity has hastened species loss in recent centuries. What factories led to the loss of the dodo, the passenger pigeon, and the thylacine? Wha brought the American bison and California condor back from the brink of extinction? What are the promises and perils of de-extinction projects that aim to recreate dire wolves and woolly mammoths? These case studies (among others!) offer critical context for understanding our ongoing biodiversity crisis. Organized around questions of multi species justice and with an emphasis on effective storytelling strategies, JRLC 66 invites students to consider what kind of existence they want for themselves and for other beings on this planet amidst what some are calling the Sixth Mass Extinction." The course satisfies the general education requirement for Environmental Perspectives.
A piebald goat chows down on dry, yellowed, grass.
A half dozen goats graze in a field of yellowing grass. They are black white, brown, and piebald. One--white with chestnut patches over its eyes and floppy ears--stares directly into the camera.
A young goat, mostly white with markings of reddish brown and small horns, searches through a a mess of branches for something good to eat.
A small white goat with some markets of pale tan locks at the camera with wide-set amber eyes. The goat's ear tag, a bright yellow, names this one #2131.
A red and white goat, standing in a patch of branches, chews on green grass.
A screenshot of The Vampire Lestat audiobook, with end credits playing.
Cardinal Lawrence walks forth to cast his vote in the papal conclave.
Pictured: Driftwood that has been turned into a grave marker. In black ink someone has written an epitaph. "In Memory. We will only ever after recall with joy the pleasure of your life which is like the heart song you sang to us all. We mourn eternal the quiet left without these voices. Nature, yes, but also no. Blessings be." Signed by "M." Not pictured: the nearby remains of a sea lion.
An osprey perched on a branch above the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, California. Its head is turned away from the camera, showing off its hooked beak.
A harbor seal, eyes wide, swims away with a large fish in its jaws. The waters of the San Lorenzo River ripple in its wake.