Author: Black & White & Read All Over
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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…
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April 2, 2026: Selling Out Santa Out in the World: Op Eds
[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 1, 2026: Selling Out Santa Out in the World: Podcasts
[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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March 31, 2026: Selling Out Santa Out in the World: FSU Grad Colloquium
[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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March 30, 2026: Selling Out Santa Out in the World: Edgartown Public Library
[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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#ScholarSunday Thread 269 (3/29/26)
#NoKings, but lots of badass public scholars in my 269th #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more…
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March 28-29, 2026: Historic Baseball Teams: My Podcast’s New Second Season on Baseball at Manzanar
[In honor of MLB’s Opening Day, this week I’ve blogged about historic baseball teams! Leading up to this weekend post on the upcoming second season of my narrative history &…
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March 27, 2026: Historic Baseball Teams: The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings
[In honor of MLB’s Opening Day, this week I’ll be blogging about historic baseball teams! Leading up to a weekend post on the upcoming second season of my narrative history…
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March 26, 2026: Historic Baseball Teams: The House of David
[In honor of MLB’s Opening Day, this week I’ll be blogging about historic baseball teams! Leading up to a weekend post on the upcoming second season of my narrative history…
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March 25, 2026: Historic Baseball Teams: The Braves
[In honor of MLB’s Opening Day, this week I’ll be blogging about historic baseball teams! Leading up to a weekend post on the upcoming second season of my narrative history…
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March 24, 2026: Historic Baseball Teams: The Celestials
[In honor of MLB’s Opening Day, this week I’ll be blogging about historic baseball teams! Leading up to a weekend post on the upcoming second season of my narrative history…
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March 23, 2026: Historic Baseball Teams: The Massachusetts Game
[In honor of MLB’s Opening Day, this week I’ll be blogging about historic baseball teams! Leading up to a weekend post on the upcoming second season of my narrative history…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 268 (3/22/26)
Bracket busted? Join the club, & then check out all the winning picks in my 268th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming…
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March 21-22, 2026: Lilah Francis Mabee on Maritime Meanings
[On March 19th, 1951, Herman Wouk published The Caine Mutiny. That’s one of many important American novels set on ships, so this week for its 75th anniversary I’ve AmericanStudied Caine…
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March 20, 2026: Nautical Novels: The Hunt for Red October
[On March 19th, 1951, Herman Wouk published The Caine Mutiny. That’s one of many important American novels set on ships, so this week for its 75th anniversary I’ll AmericanStudy Caine…
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March 19, 2026: Nautical Novels: The Caine Mutiny
[On March 19th, 1951, Herman Wouk published The Caine Mutiny. That’s one of many important American novels set on ships, so this week for its 75th anniversary I’ll AmericanStudy Caine…
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March 18, 2026: Nautical Novels: The Old Man and the Sea
[On March 19th, 1951, Herman Wouk published The Caine Mutiny. That’s one of many important American novels set on ships, so this week for its 75th anniversary I’ll AmericanStudy Caine…
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March 17, 2026: Nautical Novels: The Sea-Wolf
[On March 19th, 1951, Herman Wouk published The Caine Mutiny. That’s one of many important American novels set on ships, so this week for its 75th anniversary I’ll AmericanStudy Caine…
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March 16, 2026: Nautical Novels: Billy Budd
[On March 19th, 1951, Herman Wouk published The Caine Mutiny. That’s one of many important American novels set on ships, so this week for its 75th anniversary I’ll AmericanStudy Caine…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 267 (3/15/26)
Before tonight’s Oscars, I’d like to nominate myself for Best Supporting Scholar with my 267th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past…
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March 14-15, 2026: James Wong Howe in Context: The You’re Missing Out Podcast
[Late last year, in preparation for a podcast appearance of my wife’s, we watched Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and through it were introduced to the groundbreaking cinematographer and all-around amazing…
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March 13, 2026: James Wong Howe in Context: Sanora Babb and Mid-Century America
[Late last year, in preparation for a podcast appearance of my wife’s, we watched Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and through it were introduced to the groundbreaking cinematographer and all-around amazing…
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March 12, 2026: James Wong Howe in Context: Cinematography and Film History
[Late last year, in preparation for a podcast appearance of my wife’s, we watched Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and through it were introduced to the groundbreaking cinematographer and all-around amazing…
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March 11, 2026: James Wong Howe in Context: Cecil B. DeMille and the American Dream
[Late last year, in preparation for a podcast appearance of my wife’s, we watched Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and through it were introduced to the groundbreaking cinematographer and all-around amazing…
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March 10, 2026: James Wong Howe in Context: Boxing and Semi-Pro Sports in America
[Late last year, in preparation for a podcast appearance of my wife’s, we watched Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and through it were introduced to the groundbreaking cinematographer and all-around amazing…
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March 9, 2026: James Wong Howe in Context: Chinese Americans at the Turn of the Century
[Late last year, in preparation for a podcast appearance of my wife’s, we watched Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and through it were introduced to the groundbreaking cinematographer and all-around amazing…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 266 (3/8/26)
Not ready to emerge into the “daylight” yet? Check out my super-sized 266th #ScholarSunday thread, chock-full o’ public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add…
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March 7-8, 2026: Incorporating America: Our 21st Century Moment
[125 years ago this week, the United States Steel Corporation was created. That was and remains one of the most striking moments of incorporation in American history, but it’s far…
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March 6, 2026: Incorporating America: Ida Tarbell and Standard Oil
[125 years ago this week, the United States Steel Corporation was created. That was and remains one of the most striking moments of incorporation in American history, but it’s far…
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March 5, 2026: Incorporating America: U.S. Steel
[125 years ago this week, the United States Steel Corporation was created. That was and remains one of the most striking moments of incorporation in American history, but it’s far…
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March 4, 2026: Incorporating America: Santa Clara County
[125 years ago this week, the United States Steel Corporation was created. That was and remains one of the most striking moments of incorporation in American history, but it’s far…
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March 3, 2026: Incorporating America: The Bank of the United States
[125 years ago this week, the United States Steel Corporation was created. That was and remains one of the most striking moments of incorporation in American history, but it’s far…
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March 2, 2026: Incorporating America: Trachtenberg’s Book
[125 years ago this week, the United States Steel Corporation was created. That was and remains one of the most striking moments of incorporation in American history, but it’s far…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 265 (3/1/26)
March has come in with more administration lyin’, which means all the more reason to share my 265th #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from…
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February 27, 2026: Hawaiian Stories: From Here to Eternity
[Back in December 2024, I dedicated a weeklong series to histories from our 50th state. This week, in honor of the 75th anniversary of James Jones’s debut novel From Here…
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February 26, 2026: Hawaiian Stories: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
[Back in December 2024, I dedicated a weeklong series to histories from our 50th state. This week, in honor of the 75th anniversary of James Jones’s debut novel From Here…
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February 25, 2026: Hawaiian Stories: Blue Crush
[Back in December 2024, I dedicated a weeklong series to histories from our 50th state. This week, in honor of the 75th anniversary of James Jones’s debut novel From Here…
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February 24, 2026: Hawaiian Stories: Hawaii 5-0
[Back in December 2024, I dedicated a weeklong series to histories from our 50th state. This week, in honor of the 75th anniversary of James Jones’s debut novel From Here…
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February 23, 2026: Hawaiian Stories: James Michener
[Back in December 2024, I dedicated a weeklong series to histories from our 50th state. This week, in honor of the 75th anniversary of James Jones’s debut novel From Here…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 264 (2/22/26)
Neither travel nor snowstorms can keep my #ScholarSunday threads from their appointed rounds—so here’s my 264th of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add…
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February 20, 2026: Non-Favorite Scholarly Ideas: Silos
[For this year’s post-Valentine’s non-favorites series, I wanted to follow up last week’s on scholarly books I’ve loved with a handful of scholarly ideas I don’t. Leading up to a…
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February 19, 2026: Non-Favorite Scholarly Ideas: Walter Benn Michaels’s First Two Books
[For this year’s post-Valentine’s non-favorites series, I wanted to follow up last week’s on scholarly books I’ve loved with a handful of scholarly ideas I don’t. Leading up to a…
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February 18, 2026: Non-Favorite Scholarly Ideas: New Critical Fallacies
[For this year’s post-Valentine’s non-favorites series, I wanted to follow up last week’s on scholarly books I’ve loved with a handful of scholarly ideas I don’t. Leading up to a…
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February 17, 2026: Non-Favorite Scholarly Ideas: The Dunning School
[For this year’s post-Valentine’s non-favorites series, I wanted to follow up last week’s on scholarly books I’ve loved with a handful of scholarly ideas I don’t. Leading up to a…
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February 16, 2026: Non-Favorite Scholarly Ideas: The Turner Thesis
[For this year’s post-Valentine’s non-favorites series, I wanted to follow up last week’s on scholarly books I’ve loved with a handful of scholarly ideas I don’t. Leading up to a…
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#ScholarSunday Thread 263 (2/15/26)
Celebrating Presidents in 2026? Fraught as hell, but what’s not is celebrating all the great public scholarship in my 263rd #ScholarSunday thread of writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books. Add…