[With the spring semester entirely over and my long-awaited sabbatical commencing, I’m using this week to work on various ongoing and new projects, about which I’m sure you’ll hear more in this space. One of those projects could also use your input, though, so I wanted to feature a… Read full post »

[On Saturday, May 12^th, I had the honor to run the second annual New England ASA Spring Colloquium. We met in Salem, first at The House of the Seven Gables and then out and about in the historic district, and talked about historic sites, public history and memory, place and identity,… Read full post »

[On Saturday, May 12^th, I had the honor to run the second annual New England ASA Spring Colloquium. We met in Salem, first at The House of the Seven Gables and then out and about in the historic district, and talked about historic sites, public history and memory, place and identity,… Read full post »

[On Saturday, May 12^th, I had the honor to run the second annual New England ASA Spring Colloquium. We met in Salem, first at The House of the Seven Gables and then out and about in the historic district, and talked about historic sites, public history and memory, place and identity,… Read full post »

[On Saturday, May 12^th, I had the honor to run the second annual New England ASA Spring Colloquium. We met in Salem, first at The House of the Seven Gables and then out and about in the historic district, and talked about historic sites, public history and memory, place and identity,… Read full post »

[On Saturday, May 12^th, I had the honor to run the second annual New England ASA Spring Colloquium. We met in Salem, first at The House of the Seven Gables and then out and about in the historic district, and talked about historic sites, public history and memory, place and… Read full post »

[On Saturday, May 12^th, I had the honor to run the second annual New England ASA Spring Colloquium. We met in Salem, first at The House of the Seven Gables and then out and about in the historic district, and talked about historic sites, public history and memory, place and identity,/… Read full post »

[In honor of Mother’s Day, I’ll repeat this post, one of my favorites—because it’s on an amazing short story, because it deals with the challenges and complexities and amazing possibilities of one of my very favorite subjects (parenting), and because it reminds me of some of t… Read full post »

[With work on my current book project ramping up to a fever pitch, at precisely the same time that the end of semester grading pours in—thanks, universe!—this week’s series will be particularly quick hits: each day a single American Studies insight, not necessarily earth-shattering… Read full post »

[A break in the insight-full series to pay tribute to one of 20^th century America’s most unique and talented artists.]

Those who know me, and more exactly know how I feel about William Faulkner, will know just how much of a compliment it is for me to say that Maurice Sendak… Read full post »

[With work on my current book project ramping up to a fever pitch, at precisely the same time that the end of semester grading pours in—thanks, universe!—this week’s series will be particularly quick hits: each day a single American Studies insight, not necessarily earth-shattering… Read full post »

[With work on my current book project ramping up to a fever pitch, at precisely the same time that the end of semester grading pours in—thanks, universe!—this week’s series will be particularly quick hits: each day a single American Studies insight, not necessarily earth-shattering… Read full post »

[With work on my current book project ramping up to a fever pitch, at precisely the same time that the end of semester grading pours in—thanks, universe!—this week’s series will be particularly quick hits: each day a single American Studies insight, not necessarily earth-shattering… Read full post »

[Fifth and final entry in the week’s series on great American historical fiction! But I’m always thinking about this genre, so continued nominations, feedback, and other responses still very welcome as always!]

For the fifth post, quick hits on five more nominees for amazing American hist… Read full post »

[Fourth in the week’s series on great American historical fiction! Nominations, feedback, and other responses very welcome as always!]

Today’s nominee for an amazing American historical novel is James Michener’s

Hawaii (1959).

It’s fair to say, using the categories for which… Read full post »

[Third in the week’s series on great American historical fiction! Nominations, feedback, and other responses very welcome as always!]

Today’s nominee for an amazing American historical novel is Russell Banks’s

Cloudsplitter (1998).

I’ll admit it, for a long time I hated Ban… Read full post »

[Second in the week’s series on great American historical fiction! Nominations, feedback, and other responses very welcome as always!]

Today’s nominee for an amazing American historical novel is Octavia Butler’s

Kindred (1979).

The premise of Butler’s science fiction historic… Read full post »

[Starting a week’s series on great American historical fiction! Nominations, feedback, and other responses very welcome as always!]

One of the central questions with which any scholar or reader (or even any writer) of historical fiction has to engage is what works in the genre hope to accomplis… Read full post »

The month that was in American Studying:

April 2: Fools Rush In: A week of April Fool’s-inspired posts starts with one on fighting the good fight, Albion Tourgée, and A Fool’s Errand.

April 3: Seward’s Folly: On what we can learn from how, when, and why Alaska, Hawai’/… Read full post »

To follow up this week’s series on five very talented American authors and five of their best short stories, and make clear how much these traditions continue—as well as how lucky I am to have the gig I do—here, in no particular order, are five great young authors who happen to… Read full post »

[As work on the writing project continues, this week’s brief posts will highlight some of my favorite American short stories, by some of our most talented authors in this unique and compelling genre. Suggestions, and even guest posts, very welcome as always!]

Today’s great American story… Read full post »

[As work on the writing project continues, this week’s brief posts will highlight some of my favorite American short stories, by some of our most talented authors in this unique and compelling genre. Suggestions, and even guest posts, very welcome as always!]

Today’s great American story… Read full post »

[As work on the writing project continues, this week’s brief posts will highlight some of my favorite American short stories, by some of our most talented authors in this unique and compelling genre. Suggestions, and even guest posts, very welcome as always!]

Today’s great American story… Read full post »

[As work on the writing project continues, this week’s brief posts will highlight some of my favorite American short stories, by some of our most talented authors in this unique and compelling genre. Suggestions, and even guest posts, very welcome as always!]

Today’s great American story… Read full post »

[As work on the writing project continues, this week’s brief posts will highlight some of my favorite American short stories, by some of our most talented authors in this unique and compelling genre. Suggestions, and even guest posts, very welcome as always!]

Today’s great American story… Read full post »