Wild and crazy Friday night over here

Wonderful afternoon talking about my book at Woodlawn historic site! Great to present in the room I first sat in 3 years ago to talk to staff about the project. Thanks to @elizamreese.bsky.social for inviting me! They’re doing awesome work there, really exciting to see it all come together.

Yesterday I wrote 1,000 words for a project I had tabled for over two years and today I got my first big journal byline! (Thank you @sarageorgini.bsky.social and the NEQ team!) I feel the fog of the past few months/coming out of grad school lifting!

Just over a week until publication day and the book tour in support of THY WILL BE DONE is up over 15 dates! Come see me this spring/summer or invite me to come speak near you!

This morning I spoke about Lafayette's impact on the semicentennial at the US Capitol and this afternoon I got some research and writing done in the most beautiful library in the world, where multiple people asked if I was a lawyer.

Hey! It's me!

If you are wondering what words the all-male Congress found so "blasphemous" that they felt compelled to literally scrape them off the monument, they were: ''Woman, first denied a soul, then called mindless, now arisen, declared herself an entity to be reckoned.''

The museums/history field is notoriously difficult to break into. As we work to make our historic site more accessible, can you share the below job posting to widen the reach? I know there are candidates perfect for this position just out of my digital reach and I need your help!

NOVA/DC AREA HISTORY FRIENDS Do you have students, friends, colleagues et al. who are bilingual/ASL proficient? I am looking for those with these skills & an interest in American History to become interpreters at Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House, a site of @savingplaces.bsky.social

Woodlawn, on the grounds of George Washington's Mount Vernon, is one of a number of historic home museums in the U.S. that share an expanded history of the enslaved Black people who lived and worked on their grounds. Read more from our Weekend Read: https://bit.ly/4txXrqL

There is a lot of despair out there. But I find so much hope and inspiration in my work and it was an honor to share it with @splcenter.org Visit your local historic site. Get involved. Be inspired. We cannot do this without community.

“I’ve reviewed over 50 sticky toffee puddings” is an incredibly powerful way to begin a video

Bad Bunny “together we are America”

Our historic house museum is closed due to the freeze, but we managed some visitors this afternoon

It's a wonderful time of the year where every doctor I've ever visited emails me to say they will be closed tomorrow due to the snowstorm.

Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is educate normal people on complex subjects in ways that are engaging and digestible.

What a day to get an ARC of @johngmarks.com amazing book in the mail. Looking forward to hosting him at Woodlawn later this spring. Originally part of Mount Vernon, Woodlawn has been inextricably entwined in the legacy of Washington and slavery.

Signs about the history of slavery in the U.S. and the 9 people George Washington enslaved are being removed right now at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia, across from Independence Hall, months after the Trump administration threatend to do so. How far we have not come in 250 years.

Theatre has always given people space to reflect on emotion and history. As @elizamreese.bsky.social says, it’s one of our most important art forms. Listen as we explore Edwin Booth’s legacy—and what the theatre meant to him—on Say It With History. redcircle.com/shows/6092bd...

I have voted in every single election I was eligible for since the day I turned 18 and today, for a firestorm primary, was the first time I've ever had to stand in line.

I don't often find myself thinking about John Wilkes Booth's feelings, but I do occasionally find myself wondering what he (a Know-Nothing supporter) would say if he knew that the most engaging and enriching portrayal of him in the 21st century was done by a West Belfast Catholic actor.

Hi, I’m John Marks, I’m a public historian and writer. I’ve been helping history museums prepare for the nation’s 250th anniversary for 9 years now. Despite everything else happening in history, I’m still excited about this anniversary—and you should be too. Here’s why. 🧵 /1

I had such a wonderful time talking to Holley about Edwin Booth, grief, and celebrity!

Working on a book proposal while the world falls apart feels an awful lot like this:

Watch out Swifties - Lafayette was first. Check out @elizamreese.bsky.social on 2 Complicated 4 History! (2c4hpod.com)

The slow, methodical work of archival research is often seen as an "aesthetic" but it is often the most time consuming and mental-labor intensive. Here I reflect on this work, my recently completed graduate degree, and more. open.substack.com/pub/elizabet...

The slow, methodical work of archival research is often seen as an "aesthetic" but it is often the most time consuming and mental-labor intensive. Here I reflect on this work, my recently completed graduate degree, and more. open.substack.com/pub/elizabet...

I cannot stress how good this book is. Every moment I'm not reading it, I'm thinking about it. It's so much more than the Shakespeare authorship question, though that's a major part, obviously. Favorite read of the year. "Shakespeare Was a Woman and other Heresies" by Elizabeth Winkler

This is absolutely awful news. Bill was a brilliant, passionate leader; he was everything good about this work and a beacon during a dark time. "Sculpting History" is perhaps the most profound exhibit I've ever seen. I am honored to have known him and I will miss him.

Christmas Eve is my favorite night to reflect on traditions and ancestors. Lighting my bayberry candle by the light of our Christmas tree, in front of a portrait of my great-great-great-great grandfather.

I know grades don't matter in the real world, but I finished my master's degree with a 4.0 GPA and I'm so, so proud of myself.

Grad school was a dream ten years in the making and now, it's done. I'll be more coherent soon, but this is the first time since 2022 I haven't been on deadline. It won't last long (I have a lot on the horizon) but I'm making it my mission to enjoy the rest of the year by doing NOTHING!!

And on a cold, December night, I finished my master's thesis.

I got tired of studies saying historians were one of the top professions that could be replaced by AI. It just didn't sound right to me. Librarians, curators, and teachers all score as much less "replaceable", and lawyers score much, much lower still. And I think I figured out why. /1

I'm ahead of schedule and on track to turn in my master's thesis at some point this weekend. Feeling an awful lot like Victor Frankenstein right about now.

Plus you’ll hear about @katecarp.bsky.social’s favorite pens (and mine)! We shared a lot of excellent nerdy joy here about thinking and writing history.

The number one piece of advice I can give people starting major research projects is to do your own transcriptions. There is no better way of understanding your subject, their lives, and who they were than looking at their handwriting and using your brain to figure out what they're saying.

I fully understand I am in the throes of my thesis deadline BUT....Morgan Spector please answer my calls

I've been feeling a lot of woo-woo signs from the universe lately but none more than today when I passed a set of street signs that were "LAFAYETTE" "ELIZABETH" "WOODLAWN" & "BOOTH"

Just in case you'd rather listen to the American Revolution then scramble to find the login for your PBS app, may I offer you something that will leave your Worlds Turned Upside Down? Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w... Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/5OfU87p... Website: www.r2studios.org

It Happened to Me: American Airlines cancelled my flight while I was at the airport. 🫠

I'll be speaking about my research on Edwin Booth, celebrity, and grief in Alexandria, VA next week and tickets are almost gone! If you're looking for something to do next Saturday, I can promise that you'll learn something new! www.eventbrite.com/e/brother-to...

My thesis deadline is a month away. This is about how I'm feeling right now.

Normal People Don’t Want This Shit is running away with the vote tonight

ulysses s grant

What's the future hold for public historians? In our latest digital history column, Rich Condon reflects on where things stand—and the challenges going forward—for those on the front lines of historical interpretation. Read it here: bit.ly/4qGcyNA @richcondon.bsky.social

HBD 🎂 (290?!) to the one and only John Adams! From the #archives: I wrote about how the descendant of a Puritan maltster raised a glass… 🗃️ earlyamericanists.com/2015/10/30/a...

The latest edition of my newsletter "The Ties of Time" is out today. My current research has personal roots, and this issue was a very special one to write. I'd love to hear your thoughts. elizabethmreese.substack.com/p/flesh-of-y...

See you tomorrow morning! elizabethmreese.substack.com

History pals! Do you know someone majoring in American history as an undergraduate or graduate student? DAR just announced it will award 10 scholarships, at $25,000 each, in honor of America250. Application portal opens on Nov 1st - happy to answer questions via DM! www.dar.org/discover/med...