Guest Post — Senior Librarians as Publisher Change Agents: What's the Business Case? (Part 1) - The Scholarly Kitchen

Pockets!

@bethanywasik.bsky.social and @maselli.bsky.social break down the recent report on university press editorial boards. Understanding how these boards work is helpful to authors and publishing professionals alike. #FeedingTheElephant @hnetbookchannel.bsky.social @aupresses.bsky.social

Congratulations to Stevie Ruiz on the publication of STEWARDS OF THE LAND: RACE AND RECLAIMING ENVIRONMENTAL LABOR IN THE AMERICAN WEST, the newest book in @uncpress.bsky.social’s Justice, Power, and Politics series.

"Without academic freedom, scholars self-censor, innovation stalls, and universities cease to be spaces of critical inquiry and knowledge production. When scholars cannot pursue research puzzles and questions freely, knowledge production becomes constrained."--Ilyas Saliba and Lou Peck

AI in Peer Review: Revisiting an 8-year-old Debate scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2026/03/16/a...

A quick #OAH26 travel tip: book your hotel soon. Our discounted conference rates are available through March 26 or until the block fills. And let’s just say… the historians are booking quickly. If you’re planning to join us in Philly, this is your sign to book now. 🔗 https://ow.ly/49PB50YrqkM

#skystorians! If you work on vast early America and want to develop your writerly and storytelling chops in community with other historians, please consider applying to the inaugural Craft Intensive sponsored by @oieahc.bsky.social (led by myself and Scott Heerman). For more details, visit:

Deadly Divide will be out next month and you can now pre-order it from UNC press using this 30% off discount code: 01SOCIAL30

More books flagged for removal from nat'l parks because of Trump's EO requiring elimination of info by/about people who aren't white or any complex #history. Contact elected officials & demand an end to this #censorship and #racism! www.defendresearch.org/take-action www.sfgate.com/national-par...

Nominations are open for our 2026 Emerging Leader Award! This award acknowledges up-and-coming leaders in scholarly publishing who demonstrate outstanding service and contribution. Any SSP member can nominate an award candidate, including you!

When DOGE Unleashed ChatGPT on the Humanities www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/a...

Someone has STOLEN the Surplus Sid’s on Saturday night. Barry wants it back. You know what to do, internet

"The risk is not that AI replaces societies. The risk is that societies fail to recognize the value of what they have and what they are." -- Ben Kaube (@cassyni.bsky.social) and Steve Smith (STEM Knowledge Partners).

New book tells Prince's story in the context of the city that formed him: Minneapolis www.kjzz.org/the-show/202...

Craving some democracy? You can vote for the theme of @peerreviewweek.bsky.social week at peerreviewweek.net! The themes are: Incentives and Metrics in Peer Review Mentorship and New Models in Peer Review Peer Review Capacity: Volume, Speed, and Quality Governance and Accountability in Peer Review

Guest Post — The Perils of Using Generative AI to Perform Research Tasks: Editors’ and Publishers’ Viewpoints scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2026/03/09/g...

Beware the book club scams!

This is a gift link to Jenny Schuessler’s essential article about the DOGE assault on funded peer reviewed humanities research at NEH. And about the lawsuit by @historians.org @modernlanguage.bsky.social and @acls1919.bsky.social that is bringing the details to light.

➡️ In a joint motion filed Fri., the American Council of Learned Societies, Amer. Historical Assn, Modern Lang. Assn, & Authors Guild—argue that DOGE illegally took control of [NEH] & made cuts that violated the 1st Amend. & equal protection clause of the Constitution. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/a...

THREAD: I got laid off from NYMag/Vulture after 14 years. The family lost 75% of income + medical. Now mzs.press bookstore, once a side project. is do-or-die for Judith & I. I feel weird telling you this because others are doing much worse. But if you could like or share this, we'd be so grateful!

Beautiful.

There’s a mini feature on my book in this week’s @publisherswkly.bsky.social! Excited to be included in their “Endnotes” series. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

You could say hello to @michellechn.bsky.social AND get a free book at #4C26? Sounds like an easy decision to me.

GW Journal of Ethics in Publishing announces new Editor-in-Chief Michelle Elizabeth Wilson

Dr. Nwachukwu Egbunike, head of the Pan-Atlantic University Press in Lagos, Nigeria, shares the challenges that African scholars and university presses face and a call to work toward a more inclusive global knowledge ecosystem for Africa and the Global South. via @scholarlykitchen.bsky.social

“The girls' school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit on Saturday during the first day ​of U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country. Iran's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said the strike killed 150 students.”

Are you an early career or alt-ac scholar considering editing a volume? #FeedingTheElephant co-editor @emily-elliott.bsky.social shares her experiences editing a volume as an early(ish) career academic specialist. The verdict: grab a red pen, find a mentor, and pour a coffee as you get to work.

Can confirm @lucaschurch.bsky.social is friendly and @uncpress.bsky.social has books at #AWP26.

This hybrid talk is tonight at 7 PM! Can't wait to share my work under the generous dome! 🗃️ #skystorians @uncpress.bsky.social

@oieahc.bsky.social is accepting applications for a 12-week workshop, The Historian’s Writerly Craft: A Summer Intensive Grounded in Discipline and Artistry, geared toward authors who are working on their second book or beyond. April by 4/20 for the summer workshop! oieahc.wm.edu/events-overv...

Guest Post — AI Fatigue and Vocational Awe in Academic Libraries - The Scholarly Kitchen

How do university presses market scholarly titles with general-interest appeal? https://bit.ly/3lyDsa5 University press publishers answer frequently asked questions like this one on our #AskUP site. Curious about how university press publishing works? #AskUP!

@emily-elliott.bsky.social shares the rewards and drawbacks of working on an edited volume, offering advice geared toward early career scholars and academic-adjacent workers considering whether to brave the process of editing a collection. #FeedingTheElephant @hnetbookchannel.bsky.social

A gorgeous cover for Richard Schweid’s new book that explores the q: should we farm a creature that has consciousness? LIFE ON THE OCTOPUS FARM coming Aug. 2026, galleys for media available now (email in bio) 🐙 @uncpress.bsky.social

*taps mic* @libraryjournal.bsky.social STARRED review for ROLLING STONE AND THE RISE OF HIP CAPITALISM by Charles L. Ponce de Leo just dropped 🤩

We need dreams! Dreams make history, even big ones that don’t come true. I’ll be talking about world-changing dreams at @amantiquarian.bsky.social on Thursday (3/5) @ 7 ET. Register for this free hybrid event here: www.americanantiquarian.org/programs-eve... 🗃️ #skystorians

Writing tip #1: No matter where you are in the writing process, imagine your ideal audience and write for it – small, large, simple, complex: friends, family, community, scholars, activists, children, theatre-goers, the general public. You pick the combination & decide to whom you want to speak.

"SSP’s second Pulse Check survey results paint a picture of an industry in defensive mode—cautious, structurally stressed, but not in freefall."

Today marks the first day of Women's History Month; yesterday was the last day of Black History Month. Every day is for women's history and Black history and Black women's history. Because these are not histories that are separate from histories of war and economy.

To recognize 20 years of Longleaf, we've created a new logo to reflect and celebrate who we have become as a company—and the future we're growing toward. We're thrilled to welcome our next chapter alongside over 25 phenomenal university presses. Thanks to Joanne Thomas for her work on our new logo.

Attention journals-publishing members: Make plans to attend this AUPresses Hangout: Let's Talk About…The Impact of AI on University Presses, Thurs 3/5 at 12p EST. Our Journals Committee is hosting this open discussion and exchange of ideas & resources. Register here: https://bit.ly/4rY0TcP.

On the blog today @aaronfountainjr.bsky.social explores how Black students fought for justice in a forgotten school sit-in in 1968 Cincinnati, Ohio. This is a timely read for Black History Month 👇 uncpressblog.com/2026/02/27/h...

As an editor, I really appreciate it when people declining to review suggest potential reviewers. We (editors) don't know everybody and this is super helpful.

The Elizabeth Detention Center continues to operate despite opposition over its existence. Edited by Ulla D. Berg and Carolina Sánchez Boe, "Elizabeth Detention Center: A Social History of Immigration Detention in New Jersey and the United States" publishes in July.

"The essence of editing is ethics; it’s the act of caring for the expression of the thoughts of another as if they were your own."

Are #openaccess fees that some journals charge authors too high? The Chinese Academy of Sciences, the world’s largest research institution, reportedly thinks so and plans to stop funding some, a move that could shake up #scientificpublishing. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

“Organizations must break the pattern of looking to the most impacted people to protect them from criticism, explain the issues, or lead the healing.” — Dianndra Roberts and Valarie Guagnini, “Stepping Up By Stepping Down,” @scholarlykitchen.bsky.social

What are the best/most vital scholarly history books about Latinas in the United States? (Or areas that became the U.S. - colonial period welcome)

Such a brilliant book.