February 4-5, 2023: January 2023 Recap

[A Recap of the month that was in AmericanStudying.]

January 2: 2023 Anniversaries: 1773 and the Tea Party: My annual anniversaries series kicks off with the 250^th anniversary of a few key 1773 moments.

January 3: 2023 Anniversaries: 1823 and the Monroe Doctrine: The series continues with the limits and possibilities of James Monroe’s signature policy on its 200^th anniversary.

January 4: 2023 Anniversaries: 1873 Inventions: From blue jeans and barbed wire to obscenity laws, the 150^th anniversary of three influential inventions as the series commemorates on.

January 5: 2023 Anniversaries: 1923 and Hollywood: The Hollywood sign, Disney Studios, and overt and enduring symbols of cultural hegemony.

January 6: 2023 Anniversaries: 1973 in Music: The series concludes with a handful of groundbreaking albums that together tell the story of a year.

January 7: 2023 Predictions: As the New Year got underway, a trio of things I’m looking forward to in 2023!

January 7-8: Einav Rabinovitch-Fox’s Guest Post on Senatorial Fashion: My latest great Guest Post, and first of 2023, on Senator John Fetterman and fashion in the big chamber.

January 9: Five Years of Considering History: The First Few Columns: For the 5^th anniversary of my Saturday Evening Post column, a series of reflections kicks off with how the first few columns set the stage for what has followed.

January 10: Five Years of Considering History: June 2018: The series continues with a pair of columns that reflect how I’ve been able to connect to multiple sides of my life and work.

January 11: Five Years of Considering History: Cville: The vital opportunity the column has afforded me to write about my hometown, as the series reflects on.

January 12: Five Years of Considering History: Early American Lit and Lives: A column that illustrates how I’ve had the chance to venture far afield from my usual subjects and ideas.

January 13: Five Years of Considering History: The Mexican American Series: The series concludes with a trio of interconnected columns of which I’m particularly proud.

January 14-15: Five Years of Considering History: Two Tributes and a Request: A special weekend post paying tribute to two meaningful voices and asking for your voices as the column and I move forward!

January 16: Spring 2023 Previews: Intro to Sci Fi and Fantasy: My Spring semester previews series kicks off with a new author and text I’m excited to teach in this long-time favorite class.

January 17: Spring 2023 Previews: The American Novel to 1950: The series continues with a novel that just plain makes me happy to read and teach.

January 18: Spring 2023 Previews: Grad Class on Multi-Ethnic American Lit: How a new Grad class offers me the chance to finally teach a favorite early 20^th century novel, as the series teaches on.

January 19: Spring 2023 Previews: First-Year Writing II: The limits and benefits of using contemporary multi-media texts in a first-year writing course.

January 20: Spring 2023 Previews: Short Stories for ALFA: The series concludes with my long-overdue return to literature-focused adult learning courses.

January 21-22: My New Book Project: A special weekend semi-update on my new book project that’s also a request for ideas and suggestions for possible homes!

January 23: AbortionStudying: Roe v. Wade: On the 50^th anniversary of the Roe decision, an abortion studying series kicks off with four key figures from that pivotal court case.

January 24: AbortionStudying: Sarah Grosvenor: The series continues with two important contexts for a famous and tragic colonial-era case.

January 25: AbortionStudying: The Eleventh Virgin: What an autobiographical novel helps us see about history and politics alike, as the series debates on.

January 26: AbortionStudying: Dirty Dancing: Finally I get to write about Dirty Dancing in this space, as an alternative to how pop culture texts often present abortion.

January 27: AbortionStudying: George Tiller: The series concludes with two important takeaways from a horrific act of domestic terrorist violence.

January 28-29: AbortionStudying: Dobbs and Everything After: A special weekend post on three ongoing aftermaths of a disastrous June 2022 Supreme Court decision.

January 30: Travel Stories: Around the World in Eighty Days: For the 150^th anniversary of the English publication of Verne’s novel, a series on travel writing kicks off with American influences on and from that classic story.

January 31: Travel Stories: Sarah Kemble Knight: The series continues with what a unique travel narrative helps us see about the early 18^th century.

February 1: Travel Stories: Thoreau’s Cape Cod: Two complementary reasons to read Thoreau’s posthumously-published, often-overlooked book, as the series travels on.

February 2: Travel Stories: The Boston Cosmopolitans: Two positive effects of an elite community’s international travels.

February 3: Travel Stories: Until September and Americans in Paris: The series concludes with two enduring roles of Parisian escapes in the American imagination.

Super Bowl series starts Monday,

Ben

PS. Topics you’d like to see covered in this space? Guest Posts you’d like to contribute? Lemme know!