My New Book!

My New Book!
My New Book!

Thursday, January 12, 2023

January 12, 2023: Five Years of Considering History: Early American Lit and Lives

[Five years ago this week, my first Saturday Evening Post Considering History column dropped. That space and work have become crucial components of my career over these years, so for this anniversary I wanted to reflect on a few particular, telling columns from my first year there. Leading up to a special weekend tribute and request!]

While I hope and believe my 100+ Considering History columns have covered a wide range of topics, I’d say that most have been inspired by the kinds of subjects I’ve mentioned in the prior posts this week: current events, historical anniversaries, and/or personal Ben-tastic connections. But occasionally I’ve had the chance to venture a bit further afield, and those columns tend to stand out in my memory as particularly fun to write (and hopefully to read!). One of the first of that type was my October 9, 2018 column “Predatory Men, Vulnerable Women, and Foundational American Texts and Lives.” Yes, part of my starting points there were ongoing (to this day) conversations about gender, sex, consent, #MeToo, and more. But also and especially this was a chance to share and think about two of my favorite under-read American novels and one of my very favorite under-remembered Americans—if you want to know more, as LeVar Burton and friends would put it, read the column!  

Last anniversary reflection tomorrow,

Ben

PS. Thoughts on these columns? Your own writing to share?

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