"“Etymology Nerd" Adam Aleksic

Join us for a conversation with Adam Aleksic, linguist, self-described “Etymology Nerd,” and social media celebrity with more than 3 million followers across all platforms.

A 2019 Albany High School graduate — the son of Serbian parents who immigrated to Albany in the 1990s — Aleksic achieved online stardom by exploring the unexpected origins of words and phrases.

His new book is the New York Times bestseller, Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language (2025). He investigates the brave new world of “meme-driven” change and upheaval, from “brainrot” and “incel slang” to emojis and A.I. accents.

4:30 p.m. Thursday, January 29
Conversation / Q&A
Main Theatre - UAlbany Performing Arts Center
University at Albany
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany NY 12222

Free and open to the public
Books will be for sale and a signing will follow the conversation

Cosponsored by the NYS Writers Institute, the AI & Society College and Research Center, and the Information Sciences and Technology Department of the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC), and the Honors College.

You may also like the following events from New York State Writers Institute:

• Next Tuesday, 3rd February, 04:30 pm, Brad Stulberg: The Way of Excellence in Albany
• Next Thursday, 5th February, 04:30 pm, Poet Margaret Rhee: Falling in love with robots in Albany
• Next month, 11th February, 07:30 pm, Allegra Goodman, author of "This Is Not About Us" and "Isola" in Albany

Also check out other Arts events in Albany, Performances in Albany, Theatre events in Albany.