My name is Nishaly Arous Nieves, and I’ll be your course instructor this semester!

A little about me…

I was born and raised in Worcester, MA, where I received my degree in Media, Culture, and the Arts at Clark University. My research centers on a few different topics: mainly Lacanian psychoanalysis, queer theory, and film studies. My most recent project was about the digital age consumer’s fascination with analog media and an ‘aesthetic of imperfection.’

My favorite movies are The Holdovers and Little Miss Sunshine, my favorite band is Big Thief, and don’t ask me my favorite book because it’s most likely the last one I read (right now it’s Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger).

I recently watched the Tony movie in theaters, and I really loved the film’s message about the parallels between cooking and writing. Cooking and writing are such community-building, creative endeavors, and Tony really beautifully highlighted that as a film. The film showed that when someone truly loves and respects what they do (something Tony painstakingly learns throughout the film), what they create has the power to bring people together and establish a legacy (as we see in one of the final scenes where they have a clam bake on the beach). All we truly need is good food and good books.

Looking forward to getting to know all of you!

~Prof. Arous Nieves