Photo of Gretchen with a full sized portrait of George Washington in the national portrait gallery
So thrilled this week to be at #CUFA2025 in DC with two papers about my research on George Washington, children's literature, and the social studies implications. The Dissertation process is hard but this helps remind me why it all matters.
I'm not an enemies to lovers girly but @ghohmeyer.bsky.social has been vibrating out of her seat for this one for YEARS. Who knew Neon Gods would lead us here? Certainly not me.
youtu.be/U6OVLGN2mn8?...
My corner of MA didn't have this many people, but however many people any of us stood with today had this size energy.
A new episode of our #readingroundtable #bookishpodcast comes out tomorrow... if you want a laugh and a sneak peak have a gander at the reel I just posted. Gretchen, @ghohmeyer.bsky.social , had a bit of a time with our #bannedbooks prompt. 🤣
www.instagram.com/reel/DP49gPV...
#booksky
Definitely not our favorite read of the year... but @ghohmeyer.bsky.social and I are back to talk about Sour Cherry and check off a feminist text from our buddy reading challenge.
#literary #horror #bookreview #booksky #bookclub #readingchallenge
youtu.be/Jdj9koYU6wE
(interior, Disney HQ)
"Lots of angry comments from folks upset about the Kimmel firing. Not sure how we recover."
"That's just Americans. We've still got tourists, right? I mean, they ..."
"Not anymore! Not since Trump!"
"Oh, shit, that's right."
"Oh shit."
(softly, from the back): "Gawrsh."
Failing a reading challenge? Never! (Always.) Is it about completing the challenge or using it to push your reading though? 🤔 @ghohmeyer.bsky.social and I talk about how we may be failures, but that's okay, in this week's Betwixt the Books video.
youtu.be/7A8bid405AU
Managed to get some #nonfiction recs up for #booksky. I've tried to cover a little something for everyone who wants some rich #history to dig into.
youtu.be/WzrrQDEBmFE?...
May this portion of the dissent by Ketanji Brown Jackson haunt John Roberts forever and be the final word on his tenure as Chief Justice.
Back again with @ghohmeyer.bsky.social to tick off another reading challenge for the year, and bringing attention to a book that might make you feel a little less crazy while navigating a world that seems to be devoid of empathy.
#booksky #nonfiction #review
youtu.be/9Mx9FFwWIuw
Erasing history. Another characteristic of autocrats and dictators.
Art of sailor moon with the words 'my tummy hurts and I'm mad at the government'
morning mood
A recommendation for #booksky. Berman succinctly and cogently puts together the history of minority rule starting in the founding, but then focuses on Trump 1/Biden. However, though the epilogue includes some success stories, finishing this book left me a little overwhelmed. We need to know this!
We always promise chaos, but this episode felt especially so. I read some experimental translated short fiction, @ghohmeyer.bsky.social talked romance bookstores and money in politics, and our guests brought literary fiction and psychological horror. #booksky #bookishpodcast
youtu.be/9tePbQQbNoY
WGA statement on Paramount’s decision to cancel the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“No right is safe in the new legal regime the Court creates.” –Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
One of the most chilling sentences I have ever read.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s dissent hits the target. She is reminding us of the stakes in this case. And she is spot on.
www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...
Happy Pride, #booksky! This month's Reading Round Table focused on LGBTQIA+ nonfiction as me & @piedpipercalls.bsky.social feature genres we may not typically pick up. This is a jam-packed episode with history, poetry + literary criticism, memoir, essays, and more! youtu.be/-u8hs5mmqt4?...
A goose wearing shades on a pink background with text that says "people pleasing is over, become unacceptable"
It’s the end of the school year and, yes, you’re exhausted but I guarantee your kids’ teachers are even more exhausted.
If you have someone you want to thank, shoot them a quick note. I did it for several of ours and they appreciated it even more than I’d hoped.
True story bro.
My dissertation data collection is kicking my butt but today is beautiful because my signed copy of Lawless by @leahlitman.bsky.social came today! Thank you to Politics and Prose for letting a huge fangirl of @strictscrutiny.bsky.social support independent bookstores at the same time as Leah!
A social media post featuring two tweets. The first tweet by Anne Applebaum states that every book published in the United States is sent to the Library of Congress, and mentions age restrictions for using the reading room. The second tweet from Acyn quotes a reporter asking why the president fired the Librarian of Congress, followed by a response addressing concerns about actions taken regarding the library and children’s books. The background includes the White House press briefing setting with a lectern and flags.
People who never read books now in charge of books.
The CRAZY thing nobody is talking about too is that nothing is ever gonna be cheap again.
If corporations see that we’ll pay these elevated prices, they have no reason to not make those prices their baseline
I had a fantastic time presenting from my chapter in "Building Civic Futures" vol. 1 at #AERA2025. Unfortunately, 2 intl grad students who should have been there were not for their safety. It is bittersweet to love what was shared, but know what was missed - and what will be missed in the future.
A post by Marco Rubio attacking Germany for tackling the alt right extremism of the AfD. The German foreign office responds. Rubio’s posts says: Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That's not democracy—it's tyranny in disguise. What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD-which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment's deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes. Germany should reverse course. The German foreign office responds with: This is democracy. This decision is the result of a thorough & independent investigation to protect our Constitution & the rule of law. It is independent courts that will have the final say. We have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped.
We are at the point in history where Germany is having to lecture the US on the need to fight fascism.
People are NOT understanding what empty cargo ships from China means.
It means no work for dock workers. No work for truck drivers, no work for retailers, fewer dollars circulating. The cascade effect is just mind boggling.
One of the reading challenges that @ghohmeyer.bsky.social and I set for ourselves this year was to find a replacement for an author that we had personally canceled. We roped some friends into that challenge (to varying success). Here are the results. #booksky #bookishpodcast
youtu.be/DkIvhf996yk
Coinciding with it's "No" letter Harvard has refashioned its university homepage into essentially an advertisement for the social benefits of university research. This is the current front page.