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The Power of Names
Two events in November reinforced the power of calling out names of previously forgotten people.
Extracting History from the Everyday: A Conversation about Shopping Stories with Molly Kerr
Molly Kerr of History Revealed, Inc., describes how to extract stories behind seemingly mundane 18th-century store ledgers and correspondence,
A Conversation with Sara Fitzgerald, Author of The Silenced Muse
A conversation with author Sara Fitzgerald, who “un-silences” the woman who inspired many of T.S. Eliot’s most famous poems.
Harriet Jacobs Walking Tour
On Juneteenth (or any day), please join this tour of Harriet Jacobs in Civil War Alexandria that I put together for two special visitors!
A Conversation with Katie Bowler Young, Author of Enrique Alférez, Sculptor
Katie Bowler Young talks about the provocative subject of her 2020 biography and how she came to write about him.
A Conversation with Ted Pulliam, Author of True Tales of Old Alexandria
Ted Pulliam explained to me how previous research did double-duty in a new book, True Tales of Old Alexandria.
What's in a Name: Confederate Street Re-naming in Alexandria, Virginia
Streets named after Confederate generals and others—overdue for a change.
A Conversation with Samira Meghdessian, Translator of Remembering Ramallah
Samira Meghdessian talks about the joys and challenges of translating her uncle’s 60-year-old book from Arabic into English.
A Conversation with Mary Collins, Author of A Play Book
A treat for the head, heart, and hand—my conversation with author and friend Mary Collins.
A Conversation with Eileen Bjorkman, Author of Fly Girls Revolt
A great conversation with my writing colleague—author and pilot Eileen Bjorkman!
Interviewing Lynne Olson at the Gaithersburg Book Festival
A great conversation with Lynne Olson, author of a biography of French archaeologist Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt.
A Conversation with Brenda Mitchell-Powell, Author of Public in Name Only: The 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In Demonstration
Brenda Mitchell-Powell sheds light on an early civil rights sit-in—for equal access to the public library in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1939.
A Conversation with Diana Parsell, Author of Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees
A conversation with Diana Parsell about the subject of her new biography and about the ups and downs of bringing the book to life.