Pitching, Panels, and Prose

Pitching, Panels, and Prose

This could be you. At a little, round table with an agent to make an in-person pitch. Washington Writers Conference, May 4-5.

Read More

"Dealer in Slaves" to Freedom House

"Dealer in Slaves" to Freedom House

There's been a lot in the paper lately about Freedom House in Alexandria. Here's some background.

Read More

Harriet Jacobs Alive (sort of)

Harriet Jacobs Alive (sort of)

An evening with Nikki O'Dell, who portrayed Harriet Jacobs in the PBS documentary Slavery and the Making of America.

Read More

#JuliaWilburRoadTrip

#JuliaWilburRoadTrip

A great trip to Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut, with lots of connections and conversations.

Read More

Dr. Edwin Bentley and the Body Parts

Dr. Edwin Bentley and the Body Parts

We all have our particular interests.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

The Presidio in the Civil War

The Presidio in the Civil War

No, the GG bridge wasn't built in the Civil War, but the Presidio was up and running.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

New Year's Eve Day--A Sad Time for Julia Wilbur

New Year's Eve Day--A Sad Time for Julia Wilbur

December 31, 1859, was a sad milestone for Julia Wilbur, but one that propelled her in a very different direction.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

Holiday Gift, 1850s: Autographs for Freedom

Holiday Gift, 1850s: Autographs for Freedom

Hot Christmas gift in 1853-1854: Autographs for Freedom, compiled by the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society.

Read More

At the Gettysburg Cemetery: The Minnesota Urn

At the Gettysburg Cemetery: The Minnesota Urn

Daryl and Diane Sannes' generosity calls attention to Minnesotans who fought at Gettysburg and suffered a horrific casualty rate. And it turns out that their own home has a connection to two members of the regiment, one of whom died in the battle.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

Book Plates from Afar

Book Plates from Afar

Want to give someone a signed copy of A Civil Life in an Uncivil Time from afar? Here's the solution

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

Thanksgiving in Alexandria, 1862

Thanksgiving in Alexandria, 1862

In 1861, Julia Wilbur celebrated Thanksiving quietly in New York State. The following year was a different story.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

Visiting Dr. Mudd

Visiting Dr. Mudd

Contemplating the role of Dr. Samuel Mudd in the Lincoln assassination, while surrounded by his and his family's possessions.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

Lost Alexandria

Lost Alexandria

Lance Mallamo helped a rapt audience "find" some pieces of lost Alexandria.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

Goat Castle

Goat Castle

"Murder, aristocracy, recluses, and goats"--and race relations in this book by Karen L. Cox.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

From Diary to Biography

From Diary to Biography

I hope my guest blog for the University of Nebraska Press gives you some useful tips to go from diary pages to a narrative.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

Chicago's Abraham Lincoln Book Shop

Chicago's Abraham Lincoln Book Shop

Watch my conversation with Bjorn Skaptason on Author's Voice at Chicago's Abraham Lincoln Book Shop.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

Honoring Anna Lynch

Honoring Anna Lynch

Anna Lynch (1925-2017), much loved and respected, honored at the Lyceum on September 23.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

Sgt. Major Christian Fleetwood: USCT Member, Medal of Honor Recipient, Diary Keeper

Sgt. Major Christian Fleetwood: USCT Member, Medal of Honor Recipient, Diary Keeper

Few first-person accounts by USCT are known, which is why the diary of Sgt. Major Christian Fleetwood caught my interest.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

National Book Festival: At the Virginia Booth

National Book Festival: At the Virginia Booth

i got to volunteer at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities' booth at the National Book Festival.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF

The Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria

The Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria

Meredith Barber on the history of the Athenaeum building in Old Town Alexandria.

Read More
Comment
Print Friendly and PDF