Your Fantabulous GTAs!
The Graduate Teaching Assistants of #sdsusdrc25
Sex Drugs Rock and Comix @ SDSU, Fall 2025

Victoria Valle Remond PINK FREUD (ABALOS to DIAZ) contact: lvalleremond5964@sdsu.edu My name is Victoria Valle Remond and I'm a graduate student in the MALAS program. I grew up in Mexico City + the Bay Area and graduated from Chico State in 2024 with a B.A. in Latin American Studies and a minor in Cinema.  My academic interests include Latin American studies, film theory, history, and comparative literature. I'm especially fascinated by all types of "othering", from how the female body is portrayed in American body horror cinema to how immigrant kids are educated in the K-12 public school system. When I'm not scrawling in a book, you'll find me watching movies, playing flag football, eating tacos, or hanging out in nature. My office hours are Tuesdays from 12:30 - 1:30 PM & Wednesdays from 2:45 - 3:45 PM in the Arts & Letters building. I'll be at either one of the alcoves by the elevators on the 3rd floor—and if these times don't work, I'm happy to make an appointment as well.  Feel free to come by and discuss any and all things related to the class, being in undergrad, or whatever else you can think of :)

Natalie Gonzalez FREUD'S FAVORITES (DUBBS to HOPKINS) ngonzalez2930@sdsu.edu Hi, my name is Natalie Gonzalez, I'm a San Diego native, born and raised, and I'm pursuing my Bachelor's Degree in English and Comparative Literature here at San Diego State University. Like most writers, I'm a little narcissistic, and as a result, I have a passion for writing personal essays. I've worked in the service industry for the majority of my adult life as a server and bartender, and I enjoy writing about the absurd experiences I've encountered and the trauma-bonded, grimy subculture that comes with being in the "industry." Coming from a working-class family, I have a deep appreciation for the stories and lives of blue-collar workers, and hope to continue writing about the unnoticed people who keep our world running. As a child, I wanted to be a court jester (or any job that required a hat with bells), and I have made writing into an opportunity for me to live this dream out by (hopefully) making people laugh while slipping in some honesty.

Gwen Brown THE SUBLIMINAL JEREMIAHS (HUBBARD to M. LOPEZ) gbrown5776@sdsu.edu Hello! My name is Gwen Brown, and I love learning about the extent of human creativity. Art is not confined to the walls of a museum – it can be seen and heard everywhere, and it is important to take the time to appreciate it. Literature morphs the way you think and allows you to interact with the world in new ways.  Recently, I have challenged myself to spend less time staring at a screen and shift my focus to the real world. Admittedly, I do spend more time playing Sudoku after deleting social media, but I have also read the books that were starting to collect dust on my shelf. Having a “boring” phone has also afforded me the opportunity to notice. Instead of tuning out the time spent in a long line, I can appreciate life around me.  My three favorite books from this year so far have been The Kite Runner, White Noise, and The Day of the Locust. Some of my all-time favorites include The Memory Police, Into the Wild, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. I am so excited to devour the books in this class.  I am studying business administration management with an English minor. I will graduate this spring, and I hope to move to a new state after graduation to start a new adventure. I love traveling and have been to 25 states and 12 countries. My favorite place, so far, is Thessaloniki, Greece, where I studied abroad last year.  I look forward to this semester!

Raine Porath KAFKA IN THE CLUB (R. LOPEZ to OKAMOTO) rporath@sdsu.edu Raine Porath (he/him) is a MALAS student who studies disability, trauma, and popular culture. He researches comic conventions, binges graphic narratives, and is creating his own multimedia comic about disabled robots. Raine will offer free tutoring to ECL undergrads starting next month, so watch out for drop-in office hours.

Ben Bird WHO THE FREUD ARE YOU (Orendain to Seher) bbird@sdsu.edu Hello, my name is Ben Bird. I'm a second-year student in the Fiction MFA program here at SDSU. I graduated from UC Santa Cruz back in the prehistoric pre-COVID times with a degree in Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing. I took a creative writing class at a community college ten years ago and decided from then on to dedicate my life to the craft. My short stories have been published in several magazines, including the Chicago Quarterly Review and the Arkansas International. I am extremely interested in how stories can facilitate and expand on human connection/understanding. My favorite comic series: The Far Side (though Invincible is a close second). To survive living in San Diego on a TA and GA salary, I also coach tennis on the weekends.

Bill Nericcio ID VICIOUS (Selivanov to Zucker-Abudi) bnericci@sdsu.edu Office Hours, Tuesdays 12:30 to 3:4 in AL 273, and by appointment A notorious Mexican-American public intellectual, SDSU Literature & Film Studies professor (and gleeful saboteur of the obvious), William Nericcio first crash-landed on Earth in 1961—either on the mythic “Streets of Laredo” or at Mercy Hospital, depending on which origin story you believe. He survived thirteen years under the gothic gaze of nuns, priests, and hall monitors at Blessed Sacrament Elementary and St. Augustine High—hence the online legend that he was “raised by nuns” (not entirely fake news). After an English Honors degree at UT Austin and a Comparative Literature MA/PhD at Cornell, he hustled through UConn before decamping west to San Diego. Today he runs SDSU’s Master of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences program, teaches English & Comp Lit, and directs SDSU Press, the oldest experimental academic press in the U.S. He’s the author of Tex[t]-Mex: Seductive Hallucinations of the “Mexican” in America and, with Frederick Luis Aldama, Talking #browntv, and has built a rep as a cultural critic who treats pop culture, memes, and Mexican-American identity like dynamite—best handled with a grin and a match. *No bear was hurt in the creation of this bio!