Here it is, my 271st #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, please share as widely as you can, & enjoy, all!
Articles:
Starting with a couple great pieces to contextualize Artemis II, including Danny Robb’s visual history of exploring the far side of the moon.
I also really enjoyed this MIT Press post from Nicholas de Monchaux on the bra-and-girdle maker who fashioned the impossible for NASA, an excerpt from his book Spacesuit.
For another historic anniversary from the past week, check out the folks at LitHub on the publication of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are.
Turning to other excellent articles published this week, here’s William Horne for the Journal of the Civil War Era on the brief military career of the gender-nonconforming soldier Margaret Cathrine Murphy.
Powerful essay from Matt Weinkam for the Cleveland Review of Books on what it means to re-read the iconic Toni Morrison in our moment.
For the Pittsburgh Review of Books, Aaron J. Johnson shared a moving remembrance of the Pittsburgh musician & educator Dr. James Tare Johnson Jr., who passed away in March.
While also for the PRoB, Jordan Snowden interviewed documentarian Tony Buba & historian Marcus Rediker about their new film on the 18th century abolitionist Benjamin Lay.
For the Dallas Observer, Michael Phillips, Rick Halperin, & Hadi Jawad argued that in this moment of reckoning with who & what we commemorate, Dallas County should strike Henry Wade’s name from its juvenile justice center.
& for a much more positive civic figure, check out Elisabeth Egan for the New York Times (that’s a gift link) on Jeff Martin, owner of the independent bookstore Magic City Books & the “Literary King of Tulsa.”
Four important open-access academic articles to share this week, including a pair for the Social Science Research Network: Etienne C. Toussaint on the spirit of oligarchy in American agriculture; & Samuel R. Bagenstos on the crisis of appropriations law.
Also open-access is Hannah Charnock in the History Workshop Journal on resourcing feminist activism in 1970s Bristol, England.
& likewise open-access is the Journal of the British Academy’s transcript of a conversation on witchcraft, religion, & persecution featuring India Rakusen, Ronald Hutton, Laura Kounine, & A.K. Blakemore.
Three new pieces from Saturday Evening Post colleagues to share this week, including Rich Warren on visiting Harper Lee’s hometown for the 100th anniversary of her birth.
Also for the Post, Irene Rawlings interviewed legendary chef Jacques Pépin on cooking, art, & a lifetime of simple, honest food.
While Jill Robbins wrote for the Post on how travelers can find pieces of the Old West in Wyoming’s Jackson Hole. & on a similar note, check out this 1926 piece from the Post archives, offering reality checks for aspiring gunfighters.
Current Events:
Turning to important current events writing from the week, Dan Froomkin wrote for Press Watch on why we have to start by acknowledging Trump’s derangement.
While for The American Prospect, David Dayen & Maureen Tkacik interviewed John D. Feerick, the legal scholar who drafted the 25th Amendment, about what it can & can’t do.
& in a similar vein, Julia Azari wrote for her Good Politics/Bad Politics on why the question of what makes an impeachable offense isn’t a straightforward one.
Here’s Ishaan Tharoor for The New Yorker on why, whatever happens with the Iran ceasefire, Trump’s stone age mentality will endure.
Also for The New Yorker, the legendary Bill McKibben wrote about how the Trump administration has gutted the vital resource that was the Forest Service.
While Irie Sentner of Politico reported on a couple of Holocaust Museum former employees who have shared how the museum preemptively altered content to avoid negative attention from Trump.
Bracing & vital essay from Rebecca Gordon in the Pittsburgh Review of Books on the metastasizing network of concentration camps across the US. (For more on them, see the latest Inning of my podcast.)
Equally bracing & important is Claire Zagorski’s guest column for the Austin American-Statesman (that’s a gift link) on how the University of Texas’s restructuring is blurring rich differences into a single “Other.”
Speaking of threats to education, Jill Walshaw wrote for the Canadian Historical Association on what her history of money course taught her about AI in the classroom.
For an impassioned cry for AI resistance, check out John Nichols in The Nation on lessons from 19C textile workers for a new Luddite movement.
While for a resistant case for higher ed, here’s Nils Gilman for Noēma magazine on why a liberal arts education will soon be more valuable than ever (h/t Mark Anthony Neal for sharing this essay).
Inspiring Harper’s BAZAAR essay from Camonghne Felix on the need for new language to describe & push through our moment.
While over at Liberal Currents, Alan Elrod argues that we can find inspiration for our moment from Jimmy Carter’s unfairly maligned “Malaise speech.”
Podcasts:
Tons of great new podcast episodes this week, including the latest for Kelly Therese Pollock’s Unsung History, featuring Brandy Schillace on Weimar Germany’s groundbreaking Institute for Sexual Science.
Speaking of Brandy Schillace, over at her Peculiar Book Club podcast she was joined by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein to discuss her new book The Edge of Space-Time.
Speaking of new books, Megan Kate Nelson joined the Chuck ToddCast to discuss The Westerners & the American West we didn’t get in history class.
& this week Megan Kate Nelson also became the first repeat guest on Kate Carpenter’s Drafting the Past, returning to discuss some behind the scenes details of trade press publishing.
While speaking of Kate Carpenter, she joined Evan Axelbank for a special 200th episode of Axelbank Reports History & Today, talking about their respective podcasts.
Liz Covart’s Ben Franklin’s World podcast is up to its 438th episode, which features Rick Bell on the American Revolution & the fate of the world.
Over at their War of the Rebellion podcast, Niels Eichhorn & Andrew Houck interviewed Jack Furniss about his new book Between Extremes: Seeking the Political Center in the Civil War North.
While the latest episode of Alycia Asai’s Civics & Coffee podcast is the second half of her two-part series on Garfield assassin Charles Guiteau.
Two new episodes of Liam Heffernan’s America: The Story of the USA podcast to share, including this one featuring Jenny Chan on why the US covered up Japan’s infamous Unit 731, & the latest installment of Liam’s In the Making series, featuring Tim Galsworthy on the Iran War & more.
The latest episode of Ian Sanders’ Cold War Conversations podcast tells the story of the Afghan War’s brutal battle of Zhawar.
While the latest episode of Matt Gabriele’s American Medieval podcast features Natalie Hopwood on Norse sagas & medieval comics.
Over at the Jessie Gender After Dark podcast, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein joined to discuss Star Trek, queerness, & the lie of “objective” science.
While the latest episode of Public Books’ Novel Dialogues podcast features historical novelist Peter Orner in conversation with host & critic Sarah Wasserman.
Turning to current events conversations, Lilliana Mason joined Micah Sifry’s This Old Democracy podcast to discuss why we have to stop thinking about politics like sports.
While Elizabeth Saunders joined Greg Sargent’s THE DAILY BLAST to discuss divisions between Trump & MAGA over the Iran War.
Over at John Fugelsang & Corey Brettschneider’s The Oath & the Office, Lawrence Douglas joined to talk about Hegseth, Nuremberg, & the criminal state.
For her latest American Conversations episode, Heather Cox Richardson interviewed Senator Andy Kim.
& also make sure to check out the latest installment of Heather & Joanne Freeman’s What the Heck Just Happened?
Finally, to tie together historical & current events conversations, here’s the latest, Third Inning of my podcast’s new season Diamond in the Rough, with this Inning focusing on Manzanar, modern incarceration camps, & the worst & best of American communities.
Books:
A number of important books published this week, including John Garrison Marks’ Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery & the Fight for American Memory from UNC Press. & for that occasion John wrote for Time on how our 250th anniversary celebrations are repeating a familiar mistake when it comes to remembering slavery.
Also out this week from UNC Press is Alyssa A. Hunziker’s Histories in Common: Native American Literatures, Extra Archives, & the Indigenous Transpacific.
While now out from Manchester University Press is Justin Bengry, Matt Cook, Rebecca Jennings, & E-J Scott’s edited collection A Queer Scrapbook: Britain & Ireland since 1945.
& finally, out this week from Penguin Random House is Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s aforementioned The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, & the Cosmic Dream Boogie.
Forthcoming this Tuesday is Catherine Fletcher’s The Firearm Revolution: From Renaissance Italy to the European Empires from Princeton University Press.
A couple excerpts from recent publications to share this week as well, including Megan Kate Nelson in LitHub on why the Turner Thesis was a flop he first read it.
While the folks at Oxford University Press are offering free access until May 10th to the Introduction of Anna O. Law’s Migration & the Origins of American Citizenship.
Two reviews from the Pittsburgh Review of Books to share this week, including Emily Wilson on Michael Luo’s Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, & the Epic Story of the Chinese in America.
While Todd Shy wrote for the PRoB on Pulitzer-winning novelist Jayne Anne Phillips’ memoir of an Appalachian childhood Small Town Girls.
Also two reviews for Public Books to share this week, including Lorraine Daston on Albert O. Hirschman’s The Passions & the Interests: Political Arguments for Capitalism before Its Triumph.
Also for Public Books, Marlene L. Daut interviewed Alex Gil about his new translation of Aimé Césaire’s play …And the Dogs Were Silent.
For the latest USIH book review, Christopher B. Bean wrote about Aaron Sheehan Dean’s Fighting with the Past: How Seventeenth-Century English History Shaped the American Civil War.
While over at the Urban History Association’s Metropole, Robert Dubovy reviewed Stuart Schrader’s Blue Power: How Police Organized to Protect & Serve Themselves.
& for her Bookish Substack, Lynne Perednia reviewed Beverly Gage’s This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History.
Finally, Jenn M. Jackson led the 15th installment of her Black Feminist Book Club, featuring Austin Channing Brown’s I’m Still Here.
Newsletters and Blog Posts:
Gonna end with a bunch more newsletters & blog posts from the week as ever, including Douglas Mack for his Medium column sharing the perspective of his young friend in Tehran.
Scott Kurashige wrote for his newsletter on how all of the worst of the “American Century” is coming back to haunt us.
For his Drezner’s World newsletter, Daniel W. Drezner analyzed what happens when U.S. foreign policy is run by illiterate faux intellectuals.
While for his Crawling Towards the Wreckage newsletter, Phil Nugent described the Schrodinger’s Presidency we’re all living under.
Over at his Democracy Americana newsletter, Thomas Zimmer used the birthright citizenship “debate” to remind us that no right is ever safe, but progress is possible.
For her History Teaches… newsletter, Felicia Kornbluh likewise wrote about birthright citizenship, among other Supreme Court news from the week.
While for her Civil Discourse newsletter, Joyce Vance highlighted Trump’s latest attempt to keep us from voting.
Speaking of such challenges, for his Campaign Trails newsletter Kevin M. Kruse shared a recent talk on connections between the Civil Rights Movement & our moment.
Turning to more historical topics, Winifred Burton wrote for her blog on a horrific example of what it meant to be Black under mandatory military service registration.
While for his Good Grief newsletter, Luke Epplin wrote about Cleveland Indians legend Gene Bearden & a mysterious case of WWII stolen valor.
For the latest installment of the In Pursuit newsletter, the iconic Lonnie G. Bunch wrote about Martin Van Buren & the possibilities & limits of coalitions.
& for the 10th installment in his wonderful More, America newsletter, Max Perry Mueller shared his 1860s nominee, the amazing Ely S. Parker.
For her History in the Margins blog, Pamela D. Toler wrote about how the amazing story of inventor Bette Nesmith Graham saved her sanity in college.
For his Liberating Narratives blog, Bram Hubbell wrote about teaching anti-imperial solidarity using the 1955 Bandung Conferen
For his Matt’s Historical Ephemera newsletter, Matt Eaton highlighted the growing importance of British Army welfare in WWII India & Burma.
Really fun & illuminating blog post from Scott Manning on his ten years calculating how bored the knights were on the quest for the Holy Grrrrail.
While for the Ideas Roadshow newsletter, Howard Burton traced what we can learn from the history and artistry of maps.
Over at his newsletter, John Grindrod shared a recording of his conversation with Backlisted’s Andy Miller, as well as ten books on suburbia he found helpful when writing Tales of the Suburbs.
Speaking of the writing process, Theresa Kaminski shared her 11th Dispatch from the Writing Life, on things she’s learning while revising her book on Jane Grant.
For his Freedom Papers newsletter, Etienne Toussaint wrote about bell hooks, love as practice, & becoming what you seek through writing.
While for the Journal of the Early Republic’s Panorama, Elena Telles Ryan wrote about becoming part of an intellectual community while in grad school.
Gonna end with a bunch of excellent cultural studies pieces as usual, including Benjamin Dreyer for his A Word About… newsletter on the etymology & history of “carom.”
Compelling piece from the editors of Verbum Libere on why the 1980s were obsessed with the future & what that tells us about today.
Over at his Sound is Magic newsletter, Brain Harnetty shared the familial & music history inspirations for “For You,” the second track from his Mort and Dot album.
The Bright Wall/Dark Room issue on comedy continued with Gary Suarez on Method Man & Redman’s weed-at-Harvard film How High.
At his Everything is Horrible newsletter, Noah Berlatsky wrote about The Girl with All the Gifts & rooting for the multi-racial children’s apocalypse.
& for her latest Review Roulette newsletter, Vaughn Joy offered a bracing & badass take on what we can learn from Dr. Strangelove in our own apocalyptic moment.
Finally, I have to share a couple of the wonderful new items Vaughn has added to this page’s Resources tab, including this one on tips for first-gen academics & this one on ways to shift to public scholarship. Check ‘em out & add more suggestions, please!
PS. I’m sure I missed plenty as ever, so please add more writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books below. Thanks, & happy reading, listening, & learning, all!
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