In today’s edition of Sally Franklin’s Bookshelf, @johngmarks.com stops by to discuss two centuries of debates about remembering Washington and shares tales about writing his new book, Thy Will Be Done. #America250 #VastEarlyAmerica www.cliodigital.media/sally/john-g...

Heading down to Clemson University for a book talk this week. Should have known that school would have its own giant hotel with a golf course! Seems so obvious now.

Transitioning to summer reading. Here's my pile of authors, I know most, + their new-ish books (except Twain; I'm doing a talk at Mark Twain House in June). The other theme is early republic or 19th century books. Unrelated, lighting the St. Julia candle to cleanse the aura in my apt.

For reasons I'll explain later, I'm currently looking up the "Nation's Gun Show" in northern Virginia. This website is wild. This quote is about the guarantees of racial equality embedded in the Constitution after the passage of the Reconstruction amendments.

Major League Baseball has big plans for the 250th this summer. Some of them are cool, like a partnership with drive-in theaters to show The Sandlot and then a game broadcast. www.mlb.com/news/mlb-ame...

So, instead of continuing a six-decade tradition of celebrating American multiculturalism, we get Kid Rock.

Probably a good time to remind everyone that the big Freedom 250 event that may or may not have musical performers to be named later displaced the Smithsonian Folklife Festival from the National Mall this year.

It’s strange that all of the knowledge I’ve gathered and expertise I’ve developed on the 250th commemoration over the past decade is gonna be basically useless in a month. Someone put me on TV before it’s too late.

Entire soundtrack just Girl Talk mashups

America250 just will not. stop. making. merch.

After several months, I finally managed to connect a 94-year-old woman from Alabama with an oral history program so she can make sure her experience with civil rights and desegregation gets saved. She reached out to me because of my 250th work and it had become my personal mission to get this done.

Bad Religion - No Control Bad Brains - s/t Gorilla Biscuits - Start Today Green Day - Dookie Descendants - Milo Goes to College It‘s my list I can do what I want!!

It’s pretty crazy that I start every day riding the longest escalator in the western hemisphere so I can get to the biggest library in the world.

Once again begging my history colleagues to use @aaslh.org and @frameworks.bsky.social research on how to best communicate about the complex process of doing history to a general audience. aaslh.org/reframing-hi...

historians have doubts about whether the moment depicted actually happened.

***DEEP SIGH*** George Washington has functioned as a symbol of America, a vessel for carrying the politics of the era, since the moment he died in 1799. This imagined scene is no exception.

A lot of my friends are impacted. This is what it means to run college like a business when the prevailing business strategy is modeled on private equity, leveraged buy-outs and contemptible short-sightedness.

For example! Radical Americana, all over Philadelphia: www.theclaystudio.org/exhibitions/...

Do not let the White House convince you that they are dictating what happens for the 250th. They're doing a bunch of stuff, but it's all fleeting spectacle. There is genuine, thoughtful, history-focused programming happening all over the United States. Get offline and go find it.

Love to celebrate 250 years of American democracy with gladiator fights and chariot races and putting the leader's face on coins. Very good, democratic stuff.

Let me also add two things: 1. Having a UFC fight for the 250th is more offensive to me because it's practically *all* we're getting. We've slashed money from museums to shovel it at Trump's pet projects. 2. I'm a 250th expert, you should invite me to come talk about this.

As someone who has been helping museums and historic sites prepare for this anniversary for nine years, and who has written and spoken about the 250th extensively over that time, let me just say: yes, this is stupid.

Me and the Pope, agreeing once again. johngmarks.beehiiv.com/p/read-a-book

So glad someone is producing something akin to a “Semiquincentennial minute” video series!

A 250 logo is never far away these days.

Feel like I need to drink this while recording a direct to camera video in the front seat of my car wearing wraparound oakleys.

If you’d like to learn more about how we’ve fought over this history for the past 250 years, check out my book! bookshop.org/p/books/thy-...

I really enjoyed these. Historical contingency woven into the story in really fun ways, great comments on the stakes of the Revolution without getting jingoistic. Appropriately patriotic! @straczynski.bsky.social

I suddenly very much need to talk with @straczynski.bsky.social…

Buy @gauthamrao.bsky.social’s new book! bookshop.org/p/books/whit...

In your subjective opinion, are people worse/more reckless drivers than they were 5 years ago?

Oh @michaelpollan.bsky.social is on here. Kudos!

Just finished *A World Appears* by Michael Pollan. The way understanding consciousness demanded he weave together psychology, neurology, biology, literature, philosophy, religious studies, and more is a really great case for comprehensive research universities. www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

Preview on Spotify too. Pretty exciting. open.spotify.com/show/5FbRqlj...

There's a preview of the audiobook for THY WILL BE DONE available! Audiobook comes out June 2. tantor.com/thy-will-be-...

Man, making "read a book" the subject of the commencement address I delivered just keeps looking better and better by comparison. johngmarks.beehiiv.com/p/read-a-book

My god. This is so much worse than the George Washington coffees and colognes.

I never know how these lists get put together, but I'm glad to have finally been included on one! aupresses.org/news/univers...

If a publisher would like to run an avant-garde experiment doing the opposite of this, in which we promote a book as written exclusively by AI but actually I just secretly write the whole thing myself, please know that I am available.

You guys been on Etsy lately? It’s almost entirely AI generated images. No idea how any of this stuff is actually getting made. At least half must be images on printer paper mailed to you in an envelope.

Yet again, @theonion.com was already ON IT. @bencollins.bsky.social. theonion.com/mcdonalds-br...

If you’d like to know the story behind the art on the cover of my book (and, unlikely me, can read this article without grumbling “but my book!”) this review of the Titus Kaphar show at VMFA is great.

If you’d like to know the story behind the art on the cover of my book (and, unlikely me, can read this article without grumbling “but my book!”) this review of the Titus Kaphar show at VMFA is great.

When I was a senior in college at Lynchburg, the director of the senior thesis class made us write about the Civil War. So my project searched for the origin's of the stories about the "Battle of Lynchburg," and found they were basically all post-war fabrications.

Took my kids to Air and Space this morning, having totally forgotten about the Freedom 250 prayer event. It was also GWU's graduation. Leaving the metro, had someone announcing "George Washington to the left, Freedom 250 to the right" and wow that was a weird experience for me, personally.

Had a great book event at Politics & Prose tonight, with top-notch moderator @clintsmithiii.bsky.social. Seeing this book display was very cool.

Since it's commencement speech season (and since AI and smartphones keep coming up as themes in them), here's the text of my remarks. johngmarks.beehiiv.com/p/read-a-book

Since it's commencement speech season (and since AI and smartphones keep coming up as themes in them), here's the text of my remarks. johngmarks.beehiiv.com/p/read-a-book

Last week, I talked to University of Lynchburg's Class of 2026 about the importance of reading (and boredom!) and how we should all reject the attempts of the world's largest corporations to degrade and monetize our time and attention. www.youtube.com/live/j5vYyKj...