Author: Black & White & Read All Over
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July 11-12, 2026: Catholics in 2026 America
[On July 7, 1946, Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini became (posthumously) the first American to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. So this week for the 80th anniversary…
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July 10, 2026: American Saints: Katharine Drexel
[On July 7, 1946, Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini became (posthumously) the first American to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. So this week for the 80th anniversary…
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July 9, 2026: American Saints: John Neumann
[On July 7, 1946, Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini became (posthumously) the first American to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. So this week for the 80th anniversary…
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July 8, 2026: American Saints: Kateri Tekakwitha
[On July 7, 1946, Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini became (posthumously) the first American to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. So this week for the 80th anniversary…
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July 7, 2026: American Saints: Mother Cabrini
[On July 7, 1946, Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini became (posthumously) the first American to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. So this week for the 80th anniversary…
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July 6, 2026: American Saints: Elizabeth Ann Seton
[On July 7, 1946, Frances Xavier “Mother” Cabrini became (posthumously) the first American to be canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church. So this week for the 80th anniversary…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 283 (7/5/26)
Happy 250th, America! My gift to you, as is the tradition of course, is all the phenomenal public scholarly writing, podcasts, & books in my 283rd #ScholarSunday thread. Add more…
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July 4-5, 2026: AmericanStudying the 250th: Responding to Current Events
[It’s impossible to think about our ongoing 250th anniversary without engaging with the frustratingly Trumptastic American250 Commission. And so, after a weeklong blog series AmericanStudying 1776 histories, for this weekend…
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July 3, 2026: AmericanStudying the 250th: Summer in New York
[It’s impossible to think about our ongoing 250th anniversary without engaging with the frustratingly Trumptastic American250 Commission, and I’ll write about such current events in my weekend post. But at…
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July 2, 2026: AmericanStudying the 250th: July 2nd and 4th
[It’s impossible to think about our ongoing 250th anniversary without engaging with the frustratingly Trumptastic American250 Commission, and I’ll write about such current events in my weekend post. But at…
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July 1, 2026: AmericanStudying the 250th: Drafting the Declaration
[It’s impossible to think about our ongoing 250th anniversary without engaging with the frustratingly Trumptastic American250 Commission, and I’ll write about such current events in my weekend post. But at…
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June 30, 2026: AmericanStudying the 250th: The Second Continental Congress
[It’s impossible to think about our ongoing 250th anniversary without engaging with the frustratingly Trumptastic American250 Commission, and I’ll write about such current events in my weekend post. But at…
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June 29, 2026: AmericanStudying the 250th: State Constitutions
[It’s impossible to think about our ongoing 250th anniversary without engaging with the frustratingly Trumptastic American250 Commission, and I’ll write about such current events in my weekend post. But at…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 282 (6/28/26)
Then is finally now—it’s Mel Brooks’ 100th birthday! I think the maestro of mensches would agree that there’s no better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than with a thread…
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June 27-28, 2026: AmericanStudying “Indian Wars”: Little Big Horn
[June 25th marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Little Big Horn, one of countless fraught moments across the long history of the so-called “Indian Wars.” There are few…
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June 26, 2026: AmericanStudying “Indian Wars”: The Battle of Bear Valley (1918)
[June 25th marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Little Big Horn, one of countless fraught moments across the long history of the so-called “Indian Wars.” There are few…
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June 25, 2026: AmericanStudying “Indian Wars”: The Bannock War
[June 25th marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Little Big Horn, one of countless fraught moments across the long history of the so-called “Indian Wars.” There are few…
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June 24, 2026: AmericanStudying “Indian Wars”: The Seminole Wars
[June 25th marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Little Big Horn, one of countless fraught moments across the long history of the so-called “Indian Wars.” There are few…
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June 23, 2026: AmericanStudying “Indian Wars”: Sitka in 1802-04
[June 25th marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Little Big Horn, one of countless fraught moments across the long history of the so-called “Indian Wars.” There are few…
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June 22, 2026: AmericanStudying “Indian Wars”: The 18th Century Cherokee Wars
[June 25th marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Little Big Horn, one of countless fraught moments across the long history of the so-called “Indian Wars.” There are few…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 281 (6/21/26)
Father’s Day is my most important holiday of the year, for a pair of interconnected reasons that I’ll get into at the end of this thread. So I’m really excited…
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June 19, 2026: Summer Song Studying: Summertime Sadness
[The approaching first day of summer means we can all start searching for the Song of the Summer—and AmericanStudying some summer songs from years past, natch. Add your thoughts on…
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June 18, 2026: Summer Song Studying: Summertime
[The approaching first day of summer means we can all start searching for the Song of the Summer—and AmericanStudying some summer songs from years past, natch. Add your thoughts on…
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June 17, 2026: Summer Song Studying: Summer in the City
[The approaching first day of summer means we can all start searching for the Song of the Summer—and AmericanStudying some summer songs from years past, natch. Add your thoughts on…
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June 16, 2026: Summer Song Studying: Summertime Blues
[The approaching first day of summer means we can all start searching for the Song of the Summer—and AmericanStudying some summer songs from years past, natch. Add your thoughts on…
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June 15, 2026: Summer Song Studying: Summer Wind
[The approaching first day of summer means we can all start searching for the Song of the Summer—and AmericanStudying some summer songs from years past, natch. Add your thoughts on…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 280 (6/14/26)
It’s Flag Day, & let’s counter the dumpster fire at one of our most historic public sites with all the great public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books in…
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June 13-14, 2026: Supreme Court Superlatives: Miranda v. Arizona
[On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Miranda v. Arizona decision, ruling in favor of the rights of the accused in interactions with law enforcement. That was…
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June 12, 2026: Supreme Court Superlatives: Lawrence v. Texas
[On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Miranda v. Arizona decision, ruling in favor of the rights of the accused in interactions with law enforcement. That was…
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June 11, 2026: Supreme Court Superlatives: Loving v. Virginia
[On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Miranda v. Arizona decision, ruling in favor of the rights of the accused in interactions with law enforcement. That was…
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June 10, 2026: Supreme Court Superlatives: Brown v. Board
[On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Miranda v. Arizona decision, ruling in favor of the rights of the accused in interactions with law enforcement. That was…
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June 9, 2026: Supreme Court Superlatives: United States v. Wong Kim Ark
[On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Miranda v. Arizona decision, ruling in favor of the rights of the accused in interactions with law enforcement. That was…
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June 8, 2026: Supreme Court Superlatives: Worcester v. Georgia
[On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court issued its landmark Miranda v. Arizona decision, ruling in favor of the rights of the accused in interactions with law enforcement. That was…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 279 (6/7/26)
It’s June, & with it comes my 279th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below,…
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June 6-7, 2026: Marilyn Monroe’s Centennial: 21st Century Echoes & Legacies
[On June 1, 1926, Norma Jeane Mortenson was born in Los Angeles. 100 years later, the woman who became Marilyn Monroe remains both as famous and as easily misunderstood as…
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June 5, 2026: Marilyn Monroe’s Centennial: “Candle in the Wind”
[On June 1, 1926, Norma Jeane Mortenson was born in Los Angeles. 100 years later, the woman who became Marilyn Monroe remains both as famous and as easily misunderstood as…
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June 4, 2026: Marilyn Monroe’s Centennial: Her Death
[On June 1, 1926, Norma Jeane Mortenson was born in Los Angeles. 100 years later, the woman who became Marilyn Monroe remains both as famous and as easily misunderstood as…
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June 3, 2026: Marilyn Monroe’s Centennial: Her Marriages
[On June 1, 1926, Norma Jeane Mortenson was born in Los Angeles. 100 years later, the woman who became Marilyn Monroe remains both as famous and as easily misunderstood as…
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June 2, 2026: Marilyn Monroe’s Centennial: Her Films
[On June 1, 1926, Norma Jeane Mortenson was born in Los Angeles. 100 years later, the woman who became Marilyn Monroe remains both as famous and as easily misunderstood as…
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June 1, 2026: Marilyn Monroe’s Centennial: Her American Origins
[On June 1, 1926, Norma Jeane Mortenson was born in Los Angeles. 100 years later, the woman who became Marilyn Monroe remains both as famous and as easily misunderstood as…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 278 (5/31/26)
Let’s close out this eternal month of May right, with my 278th #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week.…
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May 30-31, 2026: Decoration Day Histories in 2026
[This week I’ve featured a series on histories, figures, and texts to help us better remember Decoration Day, the holiday that preceded and evolved into Memorial Day. Leading up to…
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May 29, 2026: Decoration Day Histories: So What?
[A series on histories, figures, and texts to help us remember Decoration Day, the holiday that preceded and evolved into Memorial Day, leading up to a special post on the…
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May 28, 2026: Decoration Day Histories: “Rodman the Keeper”
[A series on histories, figures, and texts to help us remember Decoration Day, the holiday that preceded and evolved into Memorial Day, leading up to a special post on the…
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May 27, 2026: Decoration Day Histories: Roger Pryor
[A series on histories, figures, and texts to help us remember Decoration Day, the holiday that preceded and evolved into Memorial Day, leading up to a special post on the…
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May 26, 2026: Decoration Day Histories: Frederick Douglass
[A series on histories, figures, and texts to help us remember Decoration Day, the holiday that preceded and evolved into Memorial Day, leading up to a special post on the…
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May 25, 2026: Better Remembering Memorial and Decoration Day
[Before a series on histories, figures, and texts to help us remember Decoration Day, the holiday that preceded and evolved into Memorial Day, an introductory post on shifting our collective…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 277 (5/24/26)
On this fraught, frustrating, profoundly American holiday weekend, here’s my 277th #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add…
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May 23-24, 2026: Fast Cars in American Culture: The Fast & Furious Films
[On May 21, 1901, Connecticut enacted the first speed-limit law in American history (freakin’ Connecticut, am I right anyone who has to drive through New England?!). So for the 125th…
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May 22, 2026: Fast Cars in American Culture: Springsteen, Natch
[On May 21, 1901, Connecticut enacted the first speed-limit law in American history (freakin’ Connecticut, am I right anyone who has to drive through New England?!). So for the 125th…
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May 21, 2026: Fast Cars in American Culture: “Fast Car”
[On May 21, 1901, Connecticut enacted the first speed-limit law in American history (freakin’ Connecticut, am I right anyone who has to drive through New England?!). So for the 125th…
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May 20, 2026: Fast Cars in American Culture: American Graffiti and Grease
[On May 21, 1901, Connecticut enacted the first speed-limit law in American history (freakin’ Connecticut, am I right anyone who has to drive through New England?!). So for the 125th…
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May 19, 2026: Fast Cars in American Culture: Rebel Without a Cause
[On May 21, 1901, Connecticut enacted the first speed-limit law in American history (freakin’ Connecticut, am I right anyone who has to drive through New England?!). So for the 125th…
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May 18, 2026: Fast Cars in American Culture: The Great Gatsby
[On May 21, 1901, Connecticut enacted the first speed-limit law in American history (freakin’ Connecticut, am I right anyone who has to drive through New England?!). So for the 125th…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 276 (5/17/26)
Coming to you from this AmericanStudier’s hometown of Cville, here’s my 276th #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more…
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May 16-17, 2026: What’s Next
[While I did teach a couple online courses during my Spring semester sabbatical, I didn’t have my usual slate of classes by any means. So in lieu of my usual…
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May 15, 2026: Sabbatical Reads: The Maggie Hope Novels
[While I did teach a couple online courses during my Spring semester sabbatical, I didn’t have my usual slate of classes by any means. So in lieu of my usual…
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May 14, 2026: Sabbatical Reads: Funny Man: Mel Brooks
[While I did teach a couple online courses during my Spring semester sabbatical, I didn’t have my usual slate of classes by any means. So in lieu of my usual…
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May 13, 2026: Sabbatical Reads: American Peril
[While I did teach a couple online courses during my Spring semester sabbatical, I didn’t have my usual slate of classes by any means. So in lieu of my usual…
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May 12, 2026: Sabbatical Reads: Train Dreams
[While I did teach a couple online courses during my Spring semester sabbatical, I didn’t have my usual slate of classes by any means. So in lieu of my usual…
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May 11, 2026: Sabbatical Reads: The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration
[While I did teach a couple online courses during my Spring semester sabbatical, I didn’t have my usual slate of classes by any means. So in lieu of my usual…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 275 (5/10/26)
For this holiday weekend, here’s the mother of all #ScholarSunday threads, my epic 275th of public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more…
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#ScholarSunday Meta-thread (Ahead of Thread 275)
Tomorrow I drop my 275th #ScholarSunday thread! In honor of that momentous occasion, I wanted to share a Saturday short meta-thread of a few things I’ve learned about public scholarship…
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May 9-10, 2026: Little Rhody Remembered: The Reading List
[On May 6, 1776, Rhode Island became the first colony to formally declare its independence from England. That’s one of many ways this smallest state has made a big impact,…
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May 8, 2026: Little Rhody Remembered: The Horror
[On May 6, 1776, Rhode Island became the first colony to formally declare its independence from England. That’s one of many ways this smallest state has made a big impact,…
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May 7, 2026: Little Rhody Remembered: The Gilded Age
[On May 6, 1776, Rhode Island became the first colony to formally declare its independence from England. That’s one of many ways this smallest state has made a big impact,…
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May 6, 2026: Little Rhody Remembered: The Declaration
[On May 6, 1776, Rhode Island became the first colony to formally declare its independence from England. That’s one of many ways this smallest state has made a big impact,…
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May 5, 2026: Little Rhody Remembered: The Slave Trade
[On May 6, 1776, Rhode Island became the first colony to formally declare its independence from England. That’s one of many ways this smallest state has made a big impact,…
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May 4, 2026: Little Rhody Remembered: The Name
[On May 6, 1776, Rhode Island became the first colony to formally declare its independence from England. That’s one of many ways this smallest state has made a big impact,…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 274 (5/3/26)
It’s gonna be May—well, it is May, & with it comes my 274th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the…
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May 2-3, 2026: Columbo Villains: Just One More Thing
[It’s criminal how little I’ve written in this space about one of my favorite characters and cultural works. Well that changed this week, as I’ve AmericanStudied a handful of the…
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May 1, 2026: Columbo Villains: Joe Devlin
[It’s criminal how little I’ve written in this space about one of my favorite characters and cultural works. Well that changes this week, as I’ll be AmericanStudying a handful of…
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April 30, 2026: Columbo Villains: Hassan Salah and Luis Montoya
[It’s criminal how little I’ve written in this space about one of my favorite characters and cultural works. Well that changes this week, as I’ll be AmericanStudying a handful of…
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April 29, 2026: Columbo Villains: Lyle Rumford
[It’s criminal how little I’ve written in this space about one of my favorite characters and cultural works. Well that changes this week, as I’ll be AmericanStudying a handful of…
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April 28, 2026: Columbo Villains: Beth Chadwick
[It’s criminal how little I’ve written in this space about one of my favorite characters and cultural works. Well that changes this week, as I’ll be AmericanStudying a handful of…
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April 27, 2026: Columbo Villains: Martin Hollister
[It’s criminal how little I’ve written in this space about one of my favorite characters and cultural works. Well that changes this week, as I’ll be AmericanStudying a handful of…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 273 (4/26/26)
Here it is, my 273rd #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, please share widely,…
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April 25-26, 2026: Earth Day Inheritors: Aidan and Kyle Railton
[Earth Day has been around for more than 50 years, but it’s more important than ever here in 2026. So for this year’s commemorations I’ve AmericanStudied a handful of the…
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April 24, 2026: Earth Day Founders: Walter Reuther
[Earth Day has been around for more than 50 years, but it’s more important than ever here in 2026. So for this year’s commemorations I’ll AmericanStudy a handful of the…
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April 23, 2026: Earth Day Founders: Walt Kelly and Pogo
[Earth Day has been around for more than 50 years, but it’s more important than ever here in 2026. So for this year’s commemorations I’ll AmericanStudy a handful of the…
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April 22, 2026: Earth Day Founders: Julian Koenig
[Earth Day has been around for more than 50 years, but it’s more important than ever here in 2026. So for this year’s commemorations I’ll AmericanStudy a handful of the…
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April 21, 2026: Earth Day Founders: Marc McGinnes & Denis Hayes
[Earth Day has been around for more than 50 years, but it’s more important than ever here in 2026. So for this year’s commemorations I’ll AmericanStudy a handful of the…
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April 20, 2026: Earth Day Founders: Rod Nash
[Earth Day has been around for more than 50 years, but it’s more important than ever here in 2026. So for this year’s commemorations I’ll AmericanStudy a handful of the…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 272 (4/19/26)
Live from New York, because #ScholarSunday travels, here’s my 272nd thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share…
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April 18-19, 2026: General Studying: Military Leaders in 2026
[On April 11, 1951, President Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his position as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. MacArthur is one of many U.S. Generals who have a…
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April 17, 2026: General Studying: Westmoreland and Vietnam
[On April 11, 1951, President Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his position as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. MacArthur is one of many U.S. Generals who have a…
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April 16, 2026: General Studying: The Anti-Bonus Army Generals
[On April 11, 1951, President Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his position as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. MacArthur is one of many U.S. Generals who have a…
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April 15, 2026: General Studying: Smedley Butler
[On April 11, 1951, President Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his position as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. MacArthur is one of many U.S. Generals who have a…
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April 14, 2026: General Studying: Longstreet, Lee, and Benjamin Butler
[On April 11, 1951, President Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his position as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. MacArthur is one of many U.S. Generals who have a…
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April 13, 2026: General Studying: Revolutionary War Generals
[On April 11, 1951, President Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his position as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. MacArthur is one of many U.S. Generals who have a…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 271 (4/12/26)
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…
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April 11-12, 2026: Why NeMLA Matters More than Ever in 2026
[About a month ago Vaughn and I had the chance to attend and present at the 57th Northeast Modern Language Association Convention, held this year in Pittsburgh. So as I’ve…
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April 10, 2026: NeMLA Recaps: Special Events
[About a month ago Vaughn and I had the chance to attend and present at the 57th Northeast Modern Language Association Convention, held this year in Pittsburgh. So as I’ve…
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April 9, 2026: NeMLA Recaps: NeMLA Books
[About a month ago Vaughn and I had the chance to attend and present at the 57th Northeast Modern Language Association Convention, held this year in Pittsburgh. So as I’ve…
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April 8, 2026: NeMLA Recaps: Twain Panels
[About a month ago Vaughn and I had the chance to attend and present at the 57th Northeast Modern Language Association Convention, held this year in Pittsburgh. So as I’ve…
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April 7, 2026: NeMLA Recaps: Vaughn’s Panel on Food & Culture
[About a month ago Vaughn and I had the chance to attend and present at the 57th Northeast Modern Language Association Convention, held this year in Pittsburgh. So as I’ve…
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April 6, 2026: NeMLA Recaps: My Panel on Asian and Asian Diasporic Fiction
[About a month ago Vaughn and I had the chance to attend and present at the 57th Northeast Modern Language Association Convention, held this year in Pittsburgh. So as I’ve…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 270 (4/5/26)
Call me a bizarre anthropomorphic rabbit, because I’ve got so many Easter Eggs in my 270th #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past…
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April 4-5, 2026: Selling Out Santa Out in the World: (Some of) My Takeaways
[My awesome wife Vaughn Joy’s book Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy has been out for about four months, which means Vaughn has had the…
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April 3, 2026: Selling Out Santa Out in the World: Contingent Magazine
[My awesome wife Vaughn Joy’s book Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy has been out for about four months, which means Vaughn has had the…