Proud to have an essay in this volume. And congrats to Jon for his fabulous work as editor! @upmississippi.bsky.social

It kills me that I live an easy drive from this archive (I mean, @rlevay.bsky.social even worked on the same campus!) but have never visited. Friends, let me know if you’d like to help rectify that by making a trip to Logan.

Thrilled to see my childhood team in the playoffs. But here’s hoping the Mariners take the whole thing.

Let’s go M’s

We have an incredible schedule of panels and roundtables at the MSA in Boston in TWO weeks. Also, don't forget to check out the TWO amazing keynote plenaries with Kelly Rich and Jina Kim AND with Kevin Quashie and Evie Shockley. Don't forget to register ASAP! See you in Boston!!!

Got outside

Bruce Hornsby and the Range, Scenes from the Southside

Battling doomscrolling with five small pleasures: The sound of a clothes dryer at night Baseball on the radio, also at night Old newspapers, especially the comics Browsing eBay with no intention to buy Making lists

If we’re sticking with television, any self-contained, early-ish episode of The X-Files that sees Mulder and Scully visiting a small town, interviewing a series of eccentric locals, and poring through decidedly un-digitized records.

The news I needed: new Vikingur Ólafsson album coming this fall.

I reviewed this book for @mmodernity.bsky.social a few years ago, and it’s incredible. Check it out!

In all seriousness: play this one at my funeral.

Made some sleepy friends at the Eastern Idaho State Fair.

Little Free Library comes up again.

I desperately want every single one of these.

School starts tomorrow for us. Back to “English lit”

Just one more reminder that MSA early bird registration closes on Aug. 31, and it's not too late to register for a Seminar, even if you're not presenting at the conference this year.

Almost forgot to post something to commemorate Leeds’ glorious return to the Premier League. Here’s hoping for an equally glorious season.

Exciting news! The CFP for the joint MSA/ BAMS conference in Loughborough next July is out now. Because this is a joint conference in the UK, there are a number of changes to note for MSA members, including the earlier deadline (Dec. 1) for papers, panels, workshops, etc. More details at the link!

Once again, the best antique/vintage clothing store in Pocatello comes through.

The MSA offers a limited number of $500 travel grants for conference participants in the Boston conference this Oct. The deadline is this Friday, August 15! Apply here: www.moderniststudies.org/members/trav... Don't forget to register for the conference by Aug. 31 for reduced registration rates!

Found sitting in a pile of free old magazines at the local public library.

The International Comic Arts Forum (ICAF) is now accepting applications for three positions on our Executive Committee. We are looking for a Fundraising Coordinator and two Members-at-Large. Deadline for applications is September 1, 2025. Send a CV/resume and cover letter to [email protected]

Dick Tracy, Gasoline Alley, Little Orphan Annie

In 2026, the MSA Conference will look a bit different-- weird, even! That's because we're having a joint conference with BAMS @modernistudies.bsky.social in Loughborough, UK from July 1- 4, 2026. The CFP will be out soon! But in the meantime, please save the date.

Once again I’ve been reminded that thoughtful, incisive, and timely readers’ reports are an absolute force for good.

Sights from the running trail, today used for dog walking.

Pre-ordering books is always the way to go, one reason being the unexpected joy of finding something you’d ordered months ago waiting for you at the bookstore.

One day I’ll write that essay on ‘90s aesthetics as filtered through the lens of Vertigo Comics, and this kind of book will be exhibit A.

My favorite part of every summer: Montana Shakespeare in the Parks comes to Pocatello. Support public arts programs—a common good, open to all.

This is a fascinating piece in modernist periodical studies, and for me a timely one. Lately I’ve been reading the early Gasoline Alley comic strips, and one storyline centers on all the characters becoming obsessed with the new crossword puzzle fad.

I vividly remember watching all of these on Nick at Nite, and finding them strangely fascinating. LA friends: go to this and tell me how they hold up!

My favorite player. As a kid I often rooted for the Cubs over my home team (the Reds) solely because I could watch him on WGN every afternoon when I came home from school. No one else could look so effortless while giving every play everything he had.

Registration for the 2025 MSA Conference is now open! If you didn't have a chance to submit a paper this year, there's still a chance to participate by registering for a seminar. Seminars are a great opportunity to get feedback on drafts. Seminar topics can be found here:

Important correction! Early registration rates for the MSA 2025 Conference in Boston will be available until August 31. Please make a note of this! We'll send reminders too.

Glad to live right next to a National Forest, which makes a spontaneous camping trip easy. Public lands for all, forever.

My father introduced me to Tom Lehrer’s music when I was far too young, which is also the perfect time for it. Goodbye to a favorite.

This graduate mentoring program designed by @jessmasters.bsky.social is a new MSA initiative, and I wish existed when I was a grad student. Pass it along to any graduate students working in modernism or modernist-adjacent fields, like the Harlem Renaissance, 20th-century studies, etc.

Finally, the MSA Board is excited to announce a new graduate mentoring program! Graduate student MSA members have the opportunity to be paired with a senior faculty member for one-on-one mentoring sessions. More info can be found when you register for the conference. @jessmasters.bsky.social

Registration for MSA 2025 in Boston is now open! Register here before Sept. 20 for the reduced rate: www.moderniststudies.org/conference/M...

It would be hard to do, but if someone were to write a history of soap opera comic strips, I would be the first person in line to buy it.

Just learned that there is a BlueSky account devoted to neckties in film noir, and if this isn’t the greatest possible use of social media, I don’t know what is.

For those who (wisely) check social media only in the evening:

Also, feel free to smash that preorder button.

The New Old Style now has a page on the @univnebpress.bsky.social website! Stay tuned for updates.

This weekend my five-year-old and I stayed at a Basque sheep herder wagon just below our local ski hill. It was so magical — sunset, stars, deer, hawks, the smell of sagebrush and a cool breeze that still carries a little snow chill, all with one of my favorite people.

Apropos of nothing: Larry McMurtry, style icon.

Here you go! I'll write some new ones for this semester too. They loved them. The "read without your phone or screens in the room" was a revelation, and many of them decided to keep doing it. They had NO IDEA (& were horrified) how often they interrupt themselves to look at a phone for no reason.

Really enjoyed this piece on Wes Anderson’s late style.