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Albany High 2019 salutatorian and New York Times best-selling author Adam Aleksic will kick off the spring 2026 season of events for the NYS Writers Institute with a fun and engaging presentation,

Aleksic is an accomplished linguist and social media celebrity with more than three million followers across platforms, known to them as @etymologynerd. The son of Serbian parents who immigrated to Albany in the 1990's, Aleksic achieved online stardom by exploring the unexpected origins of words and phrases. His short-form videos showcase his brilliance and penchant for humor. 

Aleksic's book Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language was published last year and has become a New York Times bestseller. In his book, he investigates the brave new world of “meme-driven” change and upheaval, from “brainrot” and “incel slang” to emojis and AI accents. The Washington Post called Aleksic “a code-switcher for the algorithmic age, fluent in both the old language and the new.”

This free event will take place at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center in the Main Theatre on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 4:30 p.m. No registration, RSVP or ticketing is required. Free parking is available in the .