Saturday, June 1, 2019

June 1-2, 2019: May 2019 Recap


[A Recap of the month that was in AmericanStudying.]
April 29: Rodney King in Context: Rodney King: On the anniversary of the King verdict, a series on related histories begins with King himself beyond the stereotypical soundbites.
April 30: Rodney King in Context: The LAPD: The series continues with two mid-20th century riots that together anticipated the King story.
May 1: Rodney King in Context: Korean American Businesses: An ethnic and communal space that was complicatedly pulled into the King riots, as the series rolls on.
May 2: Rodney King in Context: Anna Deavere Smith’s Dramas: Two one-woman shows that are as evocative and historically informative on the page as on the stage.
May 3: Rodney King in Context: The People vs. O.J. Simpson: The problems and possibilities of shoehorning historical footage into historical fictions.
May 4-5: Rodney King in Context: “Race Riots”: The series concludes with the need to remember specific riots while pushing back on the whole phrase and concept.
May 6: Travel Writing: Good Newes from New England: A travel writing series kicks off with what separates and links colonial propaganda from travel literature.
May 7: Travel Writing: Sarah Kemble Knight: The series continues with what a unique 18th century travel narrative helps us understand about the period.
May 8: Travel Writing: Thoreau’s Cape Cod: Two complementary reasons to read Thoreau’s often overlooked travel book, as the series journeys on.
May 9: Travel Writing: The Boston Cosmopolitans: Two positive American effects of an elite community’s international travels.
May 10: Travel Writing: Exiles’ Returns: The series concludes with the promise and perils of returning home after many years away.
May 11-12: “I Stand Here Ironing” and the Challenges of Motherhood: A special Mother’s Day post on a short story that helps us remember and celebrate one of society’s toughest and most vital roles.
May 13: Spring Semester Reflections: Hurston and Beyoncé in 20C Af Am Lit: A Spring recap series kicks off with a pairing that helped me add African American women’s voices into my class more fully.
May 14: Spring Semester Reflections: Espada and Cisneros in Ethnic American Lit: The series continues with two distinct but complementary ways to challenge exclusionary propaganda.
May 15: Spring Semester Reflections: Chopin and Far in American Lit II: The delightful surprises that come from juxtaposing texts, as the series rolls on.
May 16: Spring Semester Reflections: Celeste Ng in Capstone: How a class full of readers and writers can offer distinct and valuable takes on a familiar text.
May 17: Spring Semester Reflections: Short Stories in my Adult Learning Class: The recap series concludes with three of the wonderful stories highlighted in my ALFA course.
May 18-19: Summer and Fall Book Plans: A special post on my plans and goals for my forthcoming book (now due out a full month earlier, on July 15!).
May 20: As American as Blue Jeans: Levi Strauss: On the anniversary of their patent, a blue jeans studying series kicks off with three exemplary American sides to their co-inventor.
May 21: As American as Blue Jeans: Cowboys: The series continues with myths, realities, and an iconic American type.
May 22: As American as Blue Jeans: James Dean: How blue jeans do and don’t help us remember the iconic actor, as the series rolls on.
May 23: As American as Blue Jeans: Jean Jackets: Three famous denim jackets that embody three recent eras.
May 24: As American as Blue Jeans: Advertisements, Then and Now: The series concludes with what two older and two contemporary ads tell us about continuities and changes over time.
May 25-27: Remembering Memorial Day: My annual Memorial Day special post, on why and how to remember the holiday’s origins and meanings more fully.
May 28: Decoration Day Histories: Frederick Douglass: A Decoration Day series kicks off with Douglass’s stirring 1871 speech.
May 29: Decoration Day Histories: Roger Pryor: The series continues with an invitation and shift that mark two troubling changes in American attitudes.
May 30: Decoration Day Histories: “Rodman the Keeper”: A local color short story that helps us remember a community for whom the holiday didn’t change, as the series rolls on.
May 31: Decoration Day Histories: So What?: The series concludes with three ways to argue for remembering Decoration Day as well as Memorial Day.
Next series starts Monday,
Ben
PS. Topics like you’d to see covered in this space? Guest Posts you’d like to contribute? Lemme know!

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