Mother Jones wasn’t interested in being “ladylike.”
She organized workers, challenged brutal conditions, and became a symbol of hope.
I’ve been thinking about her story—and the monument that honors her.
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/vr9ms7vt
Always glad to see philosophy being used to fight for human rights, this time by philosopher Mathias Risse reminding us that speech acts can be a crime.
#philsky
www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/carr...
“Spies and Space” was not what I expected.
Cold War nostalgia on one side. Soviet triumph and propaganda on the other.
Same history. Very different stories. 🗃️
She saw it early.
Sigrid Schultz reported from Nazi Germany and warned Americans before most were ready to listen. 🗃️
Her story: https://www.pameladtoler.com/books/dragon-from-chicago/
Ten years ago I wrote about Civil War nurses—women with little training, working in terrible conditions, often unwelcome.
They didn’t just do the work. They changed the work.
I’ll be telling their story at the Marietta History Center (April 20, 6pm). Come join me.
https://tinyurl.com/bddumdye 🗃️
A little late to the date—but still thinking about it.
Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861.
Standing there, raising the flag with a group of strangers, made the history feel very close. 🗃️
Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/3kjtbxrw
I shared this last week, but I keep coming back to it.
I overlooked Bessie Beatty the first time I read her work.
Not this time. 🗃️
Read it here:
Afford *headsmack*
The first one was Caroline Harrison. The second one I’m holding tight for the moment
Giving myself the treat of an hour at the Art Institute and lunch with a friend—downtime I can’t really aggord this week, but desperately need
I tripped over my own ignorance this week.
Looked up the name of a First Lady I didn’t know—and fell straight down a rabbit hole.
Now I’m wondering how many stories we’ve missed because we didn’t even learn their names. 🗃️
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BLUESKIS. If you love behind-the-scenes drama, you will love this episode of @draftingthepast.bsky.social!
@katecarp.bsky.social and I talk about all the things: pitching ideas that fail, writing proposals, ditching protagonists, killing the darlings, production drama, all of it.
Check it out!
Join Me!
On Wednesday, April 8, I’ll be on WW2TV talking about Sigrid Schultz—the reporter who warned Americans about Nazi Germany early. 🗃️
I look forward to talking with @ww2tv.bsky.social.
Join here:
Earlier this month: a rabbit hole, a familiar name, and a journalist I should have paid more attention to—Bessie Beatty. 🗃️
Read more:
What I needed to read today.
Scholarly Easter eggs! Does it get better than that, people?
According to Thomas Edison, "in a discovery there must be an element of the accidental, while an invention is purely deductive." I'm not sure I agree. You?
Talking about Heroines of Mercy Street soon—and I’m looking forward to it.
Civil War nurses, a hospital at the center of everything, and medicine on the brink of change.
If you’re near Marietta, GA, I’d love to see you. 🗃️
Find more information here: https://tinyurl.com/mt3nn2p6
Sharing this story feels especially important right now. Save The Date.
April 12, Houston: I’ll be speaking at Holocaust Museum Houston about Sigrid Schultz—who reported on the rise of the Nazi regime in real time. 🗃️
6:30–8:30 PM.
More here: https://hmh.org/event/author-talk-with-dr-pamela-toler/
Women’s History Month ends—but the work doesn’t.
This year felt different. And maybe more necessary than ever. 🗃️
Read more: https://tinyurl.com/5ax5sv87
Reminder: I’ll be talking at Edgewater Branch Library tonight—and I’d love for you to join me.
Edgewater Branch Library
6000 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
🗓️ Tuesday, March 31, 2026
⏰ 6:00–7:00 PM
There will be a drawing for a copy of The Dragon from Chicago.
https://tinyurl.com/nhehktrv
Closing out Women’s History Month with Della Leavitt—and a conversation that feels very much of the moment. 🗃️
Read it here: https://tinyurl.com/3sx2epha
I’ll be be speaking at Edgewater Branch Library—and I’d love for you to join me.
Edgewater Branch Library
6000 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
🗓️ Tuesday, March 31, 2026
⏰ 6:00–7:00 PM
There will be a drawing for a copy of The Dragon from Chicago.
https://tinyurl.com/nhehktrv
From the archives—and yes, I fan-girled a little.
A conversation with Dava Sobel on writing, science, and rethinking women’s place in it.🗃️
Read here: https://tinyurl.com/nd47xjv9
Save the date (March 31, Chicago): I’ll be speaking at the Edgewater Branch Library about Sigrid Schultz—“that dragon from Chicago”—and her reporting on Hitler’s rise to power.
Edgewater Branch Library, Chicago
6000 N. Broadway. Chicago
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
6 PM
https://tinyurl.com/nhehktrv
From the archives!
Raye Montague helped revolutionize naval engineering—and is still far too little known.
Paige Bowers tells her story in Overnight Code.
Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/bdeaxx78
A dip into the archives!
Lydia Maria Child was far more than a Thanksgiving poem—she was a radical abolitionist and reformer.
Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/55he74nk
Another post from the archives!
People think they know Amelia Bloomer—but her story is much bigger than bloomers. 🗃️
Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/2d99x77x
Today in St. Paul: I’ll be speaking at the Minnesota History Center about Sigrid Schultz and reporting on the rise of the Nazi Party in real time.
Come join me if you’re nearby.
📍 Minnesota History Center
🗓 Today
⏰ 7:00–9:00 PM
345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102
Some subjects stay with you for a lifetime.
Ericka Verba’s work on Violeta Parra brings together music, history, and decades of curiosity. 🗃️
Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/pmkd535j
