Winning The Earthquake, my bio of America’s first woman in Congress and Progresssive trailblazer Jeannette Rankin is now available as an audiobook! #womeninpolitics #americanhistory #progressivepolitics #mustreads #biography

Not able to attend one of my book talks? I just gave a webinar on Amelia Bloomer for the State Historical Society of Iowa, and it's now online! @beltpublishing.bsky.social

#OnThisDay, 14 Nov 1917, US suffragists held at the Occoquan Workhouse are assaulted by the guards, at the order of the supervisor. The “Night of Terror” galvanises support for the women. #WomenInHistory #OTD #History #WomensHistory #VotesForWomen #AmericanHistory 🗃️ 1/2

Not able to attend one of my book talks? I just gave a webinar on Amelia Bloomer for the State Historical Society of Iowa, and it's now online! @beltpublishing.bsky.social

This Thursday!

Never ages, alas

🧵

Yup. Common hydropathy treatments from the 1800s.

They didn’t know what vitamins were. They didn’t have ibuprofen or antibiotics. People died from paper cuts that got infected. They spent a wild amount of money trying not to die.

This. It's a significant theme in my biography of Amelia Bloomer. She got into the "short dress and trousers" (ie, bloomers) by way of alternative health circles, including water cures, after getting her health destroyed by mercury treatments.

Whatever your thoughts on the hypocrisy vs. scamminess debate re that woman calling churches for formula, would you like to throw a few bucks at my UU church's free baby gear org? Free new car seats to whoever asks, no strings, is the center of it. Can't keep up with demand.

If you don't see much of what's going on with professional animators vs AI lately, this 🧵 and all the comments are a great window into it all.

Out here building community with UU newcomer brunch. Much coffee, and a vegan option.

I'm holding a free webinar for the State Historical Society of Iowa on Amelia Bloomer, who moved out to the Wild West of Council Bluffs in 1854. Register here!

Amelia Bloomer turns up in the oddest places.

Good morning! I wrote a biography of someone who helped found the women's rights movement in the 1850s, and kept at it through the Civil War, scandals, chronic illness, and decades of defeats.

This week @stmartinspress.bsky.social brought out the excellent feminist icon JEANNETTE RANKIN's 1st major biography, WINNING THE EARTHQUAKE: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress, by LORISSA RINEHART #Booksky expendablemudge.blogspot.com/2025/11/winn...

A List of Things Said to Have Been Ruined by Women 🧵

I was thinking about Zohran’s transition team and today’s anti-feminist piece in the New York Times, and my mother’s book on the first generation of women to work in the city government in New York City. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

I am sick and tired of being forced to relitigate and defend the basic human dignity of anyone. It is the year of our Lord 2025. WE DO NOT HAVE TO RELITIGATE THIS. "Debate me, bro" is not a pillar for a functional society. It's OK for us to just decide there are some settled tenets here.

I still remember getting teargassed at nursery school recess when the Minneapolis police thought it was a bright idea to drop it from a helicopter onto a Cambodia protest. We need to ban that shit.

On being told to step up.

On being told to step up.

If you're learning about Eugene Debs today and want to know more, @haymarketbooks.org has an amazing collection of books for you! www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1246-t...

I pass out early because of a week of newborn related insomnia, and I wake up to a blessed TL 🙏

this was posted four months ago. the lesson? Ignore the appeasers. they are bad people. and they don’t know how to win.

So, last winter a little group at my UU church in a college town made hot dinners for the county's impromptu Code Blue shelter a block away, taking turns with other churches. Usually for 20-30 people, groceries out of our own pockets. Just found out the starting request this month is for 70.

short 🧵 !

I hate gay Halloween what do you mean you’re an uncataloged book someone tried to rebind with duct tape

I was interviewed last March about Amelia Bloomer and women in trousers for this @artefr.bsky.social episode of "Is It True That...?" on clothing and gender! Love how it turned out.

Thanks NPR Music

One way in which the world has definitely improved:

One way in which the world has definitely improved:

This is fabulous

Better than most! But still puts the trousers at the center of Amelia Bloomer's chosen causes, and suggests her motivation was political, both untrue. I wrote a book about her...

Beautiful chilly morning. Got some late planting done, scuffled up the colorful leaves from the wet clay soil, saw little insects that survived the frosts, listened to the bluejays, crows, and a red squirrel in the pines.

Are you interested in how publishers’ archives illuminate the history of the American book? Apply for RBS's winter online course, H-95v: Reading Publishers’ Archives for the Study of the American Book! 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝟭 𝗗𝗲𝗰. 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. rarebookschool.org/courses/history/h95v

Let's take a deep dive into the pumpkin spice archives (because why not) 1. Pumpkin Spice Can Be Used Many Ways, 1965

‘Which fonts do you want for the sale poster?’ ‘Yes’ #fonts #typography #museum #allthefonts @fontsinuse.com @themerl.bsky.social

If anyone has a great method for tracking biographical webs of friendships and professional influence I'm all ears. Right now the crackpot bulletin board full of push pins and string is starting to call me.

Good morning! Doing that early research thing where I take out stacks of library books, and figure out what to buy for the reference shelf. This just went on the to-buy list, but I can also recommend it in general! If you care at all about US history and politics, it will spin your head around.

This two-parter below is exactly why it's hard to make clothes in the United States. Let's look at how much it costs to produce a button-up shirt in the US. 🧵

Excellent chaotic food history 🧵

i love you all but there isn't one of you i wouldn't turn on for this moby dick chess set

@bookshop.org has free shipping today and tomorrow! Have you read my book yet? It is encouraging, and entertaining, and very damn topical.

Libraries all over the world trade books and other items in their collections for study and intellectual exchange. Tariffs are about to isolate US libraries, some of whom have books out that they can't get back now.

Fantasy arts event space of the morning (near where I had my book event Sunday). www.realtor.com/realestatean...