Thrilled to share the latest book in the U of Iowa Press Humanities and Public Life series Annie Valk and I co-edit!

The journal Public Humanities has created a wonderful resource that lists over 50,000 links to articles, blogs, podcasts, and more related to public scholarship. You can add your work, too. publicscholarship.org/explore

Extraordinary new public humanities resource that curates in near real-time over 50,0000 items from sources/channels of humanities-related scholars who create pubic-facing essays, podcasts, videos, blogs, etc.: publicscholarship.org

Just popping in to rec the Columbia, MO annual True/False Doc Film Festival. Provocative, moving films; energetic audiences; great conversations with directors; and costume parade! Tell your local indy theater to get "First They Came for My College" (about New College takeover) asap.

This Women's History Month we are highlighting the long history of female involvement in Parliament and politics. Below, Dr Kathryn Rix overviews the political involvement of women in the years leading up to some women gaining the right to vote in 1918. #WomensHistoryMonth #WHM

Researching national awards for humanities scholarship for a book series I co-edit, I found this list. Anybody recommend other lists, especially for more specialized or sometimes overlooked prizes? I'm especially interested in awards for publicly engaged scholarship and teaching. Thanks!

Finally, a note to the many professors in my networks: One other specific, small thing you can do from outside of Minneapolis is reach out to colleagues who are heavily affected (because of their own or their family's risk, or because they're very busy protecting neighbors) and offer a guest lecture

IC Friends--On Saturday, May 10 from 2-4, a host of great local bands are holding what promises to be a super fun Day of Dylan--playing many of Bob Dylan's hits. The proceeds will support this summer's Iowa City Summer of the Arts events. Please share! See you there!

This was a great session; recording coming soon @modernlanguage.bsky.social

@katinalynn.bsky.social interviewed over 40 recipients about the devastating impact on communities and scholars when NEH grants were cancelled. The scariest part? The cancellations came from a NON-governmental email address. Crucial reading. slate.com/news-and-pol...

While the world burns...grappling with Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop. Has anyone taught it lately? How? What on earth did students make of it? Reading it now, I'm convinced we're all getting Quilped on a daily basis.

COMPARE: the results of fighting back to the results of not fighting back

NINE STATES are now refusing to sign the public ed order from the federal government. I’m so so SO done with the ridiculous narrative that Vermont is giving nothing away by signing. THIS IS WHY we asked for someone with experience & integrity to lead the department 💔

Wonderful Hands Off gathering in Iowa City. And now back to making phone calls.

Adding a link to the data I shared earlier, for historical context. The Black Lives Matter uprising of 2020 (which postdates the chart below) remains the largest protest mobilization in U.S. history by every measure. bsky.app/profile/laka...

Some judges are telling the fElon #HandsOff too. Almost 350 of them. They’ve signed an amicus brief backing the Perkins Coie law firm in its suit against the Trump regime. Another brief signed by more than 300 law firms is expected. #HandsOff the rule of law! archive.ph/2025.04.04-1...

Looking forward to seeing lots of hopeful, determined friends tomorrow at the Hands Off rally in Iowa City (right after the great Darwin Day events)!

I'm going to post some of my fav humanities scholarship, in appreciation for the work that smart people do. The @ccp-org.bsky.social is one of my fav projects. It focuses on Black organizing in 19th century U.S. The websites and #DigBlk scholars are worth looking into. coloredconventions.org

Check your name here: thegriffinlist.com

I absolutely love seeing that little old Lisbon and Red Oak, Iowa are planning Hands Off! events this Saturday. I also love I'll be with so many of you in spirit all across the country when I head to our local Iowa City protest. ❤️ mobilize.us/handsoff/

ALA is deeply concerned by reports that IMLS is sending notices to libraries claiming to cancel grants that are required by law. This harmful action will disrupt libraries' ability to serve their communities. Tell Congress to protect library funding: bit.ly/CallCongressForLibraries #ForOurLibraries

Your State Humanities Council has probably hosted scholars at your public lib, public history projects, hard community conversations, and far more. NEH fellowships won't be far behind. Call your legislators with good stories of NEH impact asap! www.statehumanities.org/action-alert...

Watching NEH shut down grants and IPR / NPR threatened, I try to resist hopelessness. Mariame Kaba has a creative list of suggestions in case you're struggling, too. H/T @katinalynn.bsky.social for the reminder.

I agree that the Social Security Administration is not responsible for the improper disclosure of any information that the Social Security Administration has provided to me or any information that is on or from my computer or other device, whether due to my negligence or the wrongful acts of others.

1) Those of you getting SS—did you get a message today from SS asking you to sign an updated security statement? And was this final item on the usual checklist on there before? I’m calling a senator’s office before I agree to this—seen next message for the quote.

This essay by Peter Coviello--on what it is that the humanities, public higher ed, unions, and people can do--is what's giving me life today www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...

Seeing this happening in so many spaces, especially in higher ed.

Crowds are massive in Silver Spring, Maryland…the home of NOAA. People chanting, “Save NOAA Now!” and “We will not weather the storm.” Make your voices heard and keep it up. #NOAA #NWS Severe Weather is on its Way. And so is hurricane season. 🌀 🧪

Open letter from Lech Walesa to Donald Trump www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

2 year Postdoc opportunity in Environmental Humanities (focus on Multispecies Politics) at William & Mary. "We seek an individual with expertise in Multispecies Politics or Animate Ecologies...the postdoc will have substantial amounts of time to focus on their own research agenda."

America is now seen as the nation that betrays other democracies around the world. I think that means we are no longer considered a democracy. It’s been one month.

Freezing out the NIH's funding means freezing out American innovation. Research into curing cancer, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's all delayed. And ultimately it won't just cost us advancements in life-saving research, it will cost us lives.

"The protests were more than just an expression of outrage and an attempt to stop the slicing. They amounted to a massive public education project, showing the United States, in real time, the work its government actually does, and how many lives that work touches." inthesetimes.com/article/fede...

A year ago this would have probably been the most cynical, alarming confirmation vote in U.S. history. It’s only arguably among the worst three this year. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02...

Washington Post got their hands on internal documents from DOGE showing the entire plan to implement resegregation. They're going to purge minorities from government by calling them DEI. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...

"Move fast and kill folks. Destroy their workplaces, labs, clinics, food distribution networks, institutes. It’s easy for us to see this engine of knowledge destruction as tremendously powerful. The point is to make us too afraid to fight." utotherescue.blogspot.com/2025/02/line...

And that was just as of yesterday....

My new thing is having a total crush on congresspeople I’ve never heard of before saying awesome and correct things in congress about all this lawlessness and corruption.

this is a really good, really scary, summary

I didn't realize the US goal is to shoot things. Or people.

I keep writing to my Iowa congressional representatives and just asking them to do their jobs--i.e. overseeing all government agencies and spending--rather than handing over all the duties that came with their elected office to a random oligarch bro. #DoYourDadblastedJob

This is the person who wants to gut government spending for research, health agencies, programs addressing hunger, medicine for people living in poverty and who wants to cut taxes even further for corporations and billionaires? Oh, I see. (I just hope everyone else sees.)

Hope to see Iowa City friends on Sat Feb 22 at the Englert. Doors open at 10:30. Use the link below to register.

A little beauty as we head into another week of crazy.

Musk reportedly spent $40M on #Superbowl ads calling #USAID wasteful. Here’s how we would’ve spent that $$: 🏈 Bought 29K tons of produce and vegetable oil from American farmers to feed people, reducing mass migration youtu.be/PqUESHfuO_8 #saveforeignaid

I am so ashamed of Iowa’s senators. I thought they’d at least try to do their jobs instead of turning their responsibilities over to a renegade billionaire. #DoYourJob www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinio...

Trump fires archivist of the United States, official who oversees government records

1. Today the NIH director issued a new directive slashing overhead rates to 15%. I want to provide some context on what that means and why it matters. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

higher ed is the largest employer in 10 states and in over 60% of the 100 largest cities. destruction of federal research funds is economic sabotage.

The Emperor Nero energy is enormous