I am back on campus at Kentucky for the first time since my graduation three years ago! Grateful for all this place has given (and continues to give) me

I love baseball, history, and the history of baseball - so what a treat to finally see a game at Fenway Park!

I am almost done packing to head to Boston for @mhs1791.bsky.social ! So grateful for this fellowship allowing me to focus on dissertation research!

I am so excited to be in Philadelphia for #SHEAR2026 and take part in an exciting panel! Looking forward to the next few days!

Somewhere, there’s a Bolton Wanderers fan pointing at their tv exactly like this: [this is about Tim Ream]

Leonardo DiCaprio Points: 'Yes, That's It!'

ALT: Leonardo DiCaprio Points: 'Yes, That's It!'

static.klipy.com

I think Julian Green should be subbed on to deliver us the clutch goals we need. Maybe Aron Johannsson? Perhaps Mix Diskerud can stabilize the midfield. Or Brad Davis on the wings? [snaps awake from 2014 nightmare]

I am packing for a month long stay in Boston (for a research fellowship, woo!) but the anxiety of it all reminds me of packing for my first college dorm. All of a sudden, I am questioning every fashion choice and possession of mine. I just want to skip this part and be in the archive!

The best way to spend the day before #SCWH26 : at the American Civil War Museum! Really incredible artifacts blended with thought provoking exhibit labels/ texts. Highly recommend if you have time over the next few days!

Management here at the home office has a real “paws on” style

A cursed travel day: weather delayed flight in Philadelphia to Cincinnati. Arrive in Cincinnati only to be unable to leave the airport because the President/ Air Force One is soon to land. Thank goodness some Cincinnati beer awaits me.

Exchanging hellos with Martin O’Malley on the streets of DC when I was in high school.

Bolt451. He's Our Bastard ❤️@bolt451.bsky.social · last yr.

Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction

This semester I completed 4 written comprehensive exams, an oral exam, wrote a dissertation proposal - and defended it this morning, all while starting a new grad assistantship. This is a look at my plans for the next two weeks:

a cat laying on a couch with a remote control

ALT: a cat laying on a couch with a remote control

media.tenor.com

Richards Center CFA for the Mark & Ann Persun Visiting Scholars Program for tenured faculty in history at the rank of Associate Professor. For the 2026-27 academic year, the fellowship is open to scholars of the Civil War Era, broadly conceived, who study military or political history.

Congratulations to Richards Center affiliate and @jcwe.bsky.social Editorial Assistant Cameron Sauers, who published a book review essay entitled "Black Movement and Rebellion Across the Atlantic World" in the latest issue of Pennsylvania History: tinyurl.com/exbvayrc

Well, after many months of studying, I can share that I passed my comprehensive exams! I read a lot, learned a lot, and might even have enjoyed the process. Next on the agenda: catching up on sleep and then start the dissertation proposal!

My grandparents adopted two cats, Abby and Gibbs, about 9 years ago. My grandmother passed shortly thereafter and last Thanksgiving, my grandfather passed. My parents adopted both cats It melts my heart to see them alongside one of my childhood cats (who is 14!)

This is my home. The place I’ve lived all my life. I am afraid to read the article and the comments 😂

Financial Times@financialtimes.com · last yr.

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is a case study in a successful transition from an industrial past to a productive present — but voters in this former steel town shifted hard towards Donald Trump in last year’s election, endorsing his pledge to 'make America great again'. on.ft.com/4mt8XQo

Please consider applying to the great postdoc program at the Richards Center!

Richards Center Penn State@richardscenter.bsky.social · last yr.

Please share! We are looking for TWO postdoctoral scholars in African American history and history of the Civil War era. Fellowships are for TWO years, and the anticipated start date is July 1, 2026. The deadline to apply is NOVEMBER 1! Links are in the replies below.

If you’re at #SHEAR2025 today, I hope you’ll consider attending our panel this afternoon on Black families and activism in the Early Republic. I’ll be talking about how families navigated poverty and childcare in Philadelphia.

Selfie after an incredibly successful morning of work at the Rhode Island Historical Society! I am so grateful for their hospitality and excitement about their work. The collection I explored was so insightful for my research.

Redid my travel plans for SHEAR to leave a day earlier than expected so I can snag a few hours in the archive on Thursday morning looking at a collection that might be super useful for my dissertation! So excited for the next few days of research and scholarship.

A local radio station here in State College invited me out to talk about the Richards Civil War Era Center, the resonances of the Civil War and Reconstruction in the present moment, and some battle of Gettysburg “what ifs?” Listen to the interview here: www.987thefox.info/letstalkinte...

One of the great outcomes of the “The Great Gatsby” centenary has been the different editions of the novel edited by some leading scholars in Fitzgerald studies. Great to hear their reflections on the process!

I’m in NYC for the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society’s conference on the centennial of “The Great Gatsby” - but I still had time for some Civil War era sightseeing!

It is great to be back at Gettysburg College (my alma mater) for the annual Civil War Institute Summer Conference!

If you’re at SHEAR this summer, I hope you will attend my panel - All graduate students presenting their work on Black families, the law, and activism.

For the last 4 years, I have thought about writing an article on a topic I have been researching. For the last two years, it’s been on my “to-do list.” At the very end of my 3rd semester of research leave, I have finally drafted a VERY rough article. But, it’s still a draft!

Congrats to grad affiliate Cameron Sauers, who was interviewed for the debut episode of the National Park Service's new podcast, "Echoes of Camp Nelson: Uncovering the Stories of the Civil War Era." Cameron spoke on "Slavery and Law in Civil War Kentucky." Listen here! ⬇️

With three days to spare before the deadline, I submitted a 3,000 word book review/ essay that I was invited to write by a journal. Fingers crossed it will be in print soon - I really enjoyed writing it and think it turned out well.

I recently appeared on Camp Nelson National Monument’s podcast to talk about slavery, emancipation, and the law in Civil War Kentucky. You can listen here: www.nps.gov/cane/learn/p...