Here it is, my 184th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Add more in comments & enjoy, all!
Also, a reminder that now more than ever these threads depend on your suggestions & contributions. I have a few places I know to look, but the whole point is that there’s more out there than any one of us could ever find. So help keep these communal & as full as possible by sending me all the public scholarly goodness by email (brailton@fitchburgstate.edu), please!
Starting with an excellent piece from Susanna Ashton for The Conversation on the impressive figure & story at the heart of her next book:
Kevin Levin continues to do great work for his Civil War Memory newsletter, this time on the anniversary of the 54th Massachusetts’ attack on Fort Wagner:
Likewise Josh Eyler for his It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way newsletter on grading & education, such as this timely piece co-written with Liz Norell:
& for the latest installment of his Academic Bubble newsletter, Dion Georgiou wrote about the first Thomas the Tank Engine book:
On the best public scholarly voices on current events remains Adam Serwer for The Atlantic, as illustrated by his new piece on J.D. Vance:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/07/america-nation-or-idea-jd-vance-speech/679116/
Turning to new podcast episodes, the latest episode of Unsung History features Dan Slater on organized Jewish crime in early 20C New York City:
https://www.unsunghistorypodcast.com/Incorruptibles/
While the newest episode of the SocAnnex podcast is an interview with Jessica Calarco on her new book Holding It Together:
https://socannex.commons.gc.cuny.edu/podcast/jessica-calarco-on-holding-it-together/
& for episode 47 of Drafting the Past, Kate Carpenter interviewed Kathleen Sheppard on employing novelist’s tools in history writing:
Speaking of Kate Carpenter, she shared her expertise in two pieces on the new film Twisters & storm chasers this week, including this one for Slate:
https://slate.com/culture/2024/07/twisters-new-twister-movie-2024-1996-glen-powell.html
& Kate also wrote for Time’s Made By History on how the first Twister helped inspire the real history of storm chasers:
https://time.com/6999581/twisters-tornado-real-history/
Speaking of Made By History, a trio of excellent pieces on the occasion of the RNC this week, including Marsha E. Barrett on the 1964 Convention:
https://time.com/6995385/rnc-history-change/
Charles J. Holden also wrote for Made By History on that 64 Convention:
https://time.com/6991064/rnc-history-1964-republican-convention/
While Ben Bradford wrote for Made By History on the 1976 Convention battle between Ford and Reagan that changed the GOP:
https://time.com/6998564/rnc-1976-ford-reagan/
Finally for Made by History this week, here’s Rebecca L. Davis on the cultural changes that Dr. Ruth (RIP) made possible:
https://time.com/6999931/dr-ruth-westheimer-history/
Important new book released this week, Cate Denial’s A Pedagogy of Kindness from the University of Oklahoma Press:
https://www.oupress.com/9780806193854/a-pedagogy-of-kindness/
& finally, I continue to share new daily posts & weekly series over at my AmericanStudies blog, including this week’s series inspired by a doubly historic Elvis Presley anniversary:
https://americanstudier.blogspot.com/2024/07/july-19-2024-elvisstudying-first-and.html
PS. I know I’m missing much of what’s out there these days, so please share more public scholarly goodness—including your own work, natch—below in comments, or shoot me an email any time you see something! Thanks, and solidarity!