Denise Kiernan | Author, etc.

My memories of measuring Helene…
#blueskyartshow #wood #photography #nature

Bruno says…

#dogsky #valentines #petphotography

Young Family Historians Essay Contest 2026 | American Ancestors The 2026 American Ancestors Young Family Historians Essay Contest is open for students enrolled in grades 4–12 in public, private, and home schools across the nation and US territories.

Today in American history...Our future historians!
I am a member of @americanancestors and delighted to share that this year's Young Family Historians Essay Contest is ON. Students in grades 4 - 12 are eligible. Please share with all of your favorite #history buffs. buff.ly/oUEA5lx

#education

But history cannot be erased. The fight in the courts to restore the panels continues in Philadelphia. In the meantime, learn much more about Hercules Posey and others over at Mount Vernon buff.ly/biHXThL
#historymatters #blackhistory

.“Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” It states that federal parks and museums are to be "solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage...." Mentions of slavery, climate change, Indigenous history and more are being removed at many sites.

One of the stories lost when 34 panels were removed from the President's House Site was that of enslaved chef Hercules Posey, who cooked for George Washington at Mount Vernon and in Philly when it was the nation's capital. The slavery exhibit at this site is a casualty of an executive order...

I LOVE THESE!

The Royall House and Slave Quarters is in Medford, MA, and is open to visitors.
Belinda Sutton petitioned Massachusetts for money owed her from her enslaver, Isaac Royall Jr. Her statement lives on, offering invaluable insight into the inhuman practice that existed throughout the colonies.
#History

Philadelphia sues over removal of slavery exhibit at Independence National Historical Park Outraged critics are accusing President Donald Trump of “whitewashing history” after the National Park Service removed an exhibit on slavery at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park.

I had friends among the colored people of Philadelphia, had my things carried there beforehand, and left Washington's house while they were eating dinner."

For more information about the removal of the slavery exhibit and the fight to restore it: buff.ly/BjsTLW4

#HistoryMatters #BlackHistory

The now missing panel read, in part:
read, in part:
"I am free"
"Whilst they were picking up to go to Virginia, I was packing to go, I didn't know where; for I knew that if I went back to Virginia, I should never get my liberty...

One of the panels removed from The President's House Site in Philadelphia depicted Oney Judge. Judge, a 22-year-old seamstress, was one of nine individuals enslaved in the Washington household during George Washington's presidential term. She also managed to escape...

#history #BlackHistoryMonth

Shadow of a small fir on a stone patio.

I grow in the #sunlight.
Shadows of what's to come.

#BlueSkyArtShow #ArtistsOnBlueSky #WomensArtBlueSky #Photography #PhotographersOnBlueSky #optoutside

Your library is an invaluable gift to ALL aspects of history. You are an example for institutions everywhere.

I love The President's House Site in Phila at 6th & Market. I hate that the Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation exhibit panels have been removed. But, the information remains at the NPS site. And many of us have photos. The next few days will be dedicated to this site of #BlackHistory.

@ClementsLibrary did not always hold vast primary source materials related to the Black experience. "Historian Benjamin Quarles would change the Library’s direction, publishing the first major work on African American history out of the Clements..." Read more:
buff.ly/F7O54L2
#BlackHistory

Book giveaway for Obstinate Daughters: The Rebels, Writers, and Renegade Women Who Ignited the American Revolution by Denise Kiernan Feb 02-Feb 23, 2026 Enter to win one of 30 free copies available. Giveaway dates from Feb 02-Feb 23, 2026. We're giving away 30 ARCs of this sweeping history that champions ...

Giveaway! 🎉 @duttonbooks.bsky.social is handing out 30 free Advance Reader Copies of my upcoming book, "Obstinate Daughters." Just click the link below to enter the giveaway. Deadline Feb 23. Do share with fellow readers, if you are so inclined... 🔗 bit.ly/4pvX6Sy #giveaway #ARC #goodreads #books

John Read privy pit circa 1715. Philadelphia.

While taking in the sites in Phila., look down or you might miss something. Case in point: The John Read Privy Pit in Franklin Court at 318 Market Street.
More than 251K markers are in the Historical Marker Database. The keyword privy brings up more results than you might think.
buff.ly/sgWkwW4

Roaming Colonial Williamsburg’s streets was a favorite way to research and be reminded that back in the day, taverns run by women like Jane Vobe and Christiana Campbell kept the colonies running—while enslaved hands did the unseen work.
Learn a little more: buff.ly/iHvUaHW
#History #WomenInHistory

#PhillisWheatley #historysky #Revolution250

Jan. 29, 2026, the USPS released the 49th stamp in their Black Heritage series to honor 18th-century poet Phillis Wheatley.

Artist Kerry James Marshall created this unique black-and-white portrait. Antonio Alcalá served as art director and designer for the stamp. More info:
buff.ly/tdcJCg0

#art

Why yes it is. Slightly smaller than a puncheon.
Sixty-three gallons is a lot of fuel when you venture too near the bunghole with an open flame.
I need to use these terms in casual conversation more often.

Snow day

#photography #landscapephotography

Denise is Curious: Thoughts, Journals, and the Art of Handwriting Discover the art of journaling with Denise Kiernan's reflections on Leuchtturm1917, exploring how handwriting transforms thoughts, memories, and ideas into meaningful stories.

Latest newsletter is out: commonplace books, perpetual diaries, women publishing women, und Denken mit der Hand.

Oh—and Bruno.

Denise is Curious: Thoughts, Journals, and the Art of Handwriting newsletter.denisekiernan.com/p/thinking-w...

#history #writingcommunity #booksky

That's not me in the picture (though I do have that outfit). I took this photo during my research travels for "Obstinate Daughters." Several of my characters' lives were influenced by the individual who once resided in this "palace" and the decisions that person made. Any guesses?
#history #travel

Here is one of my favorite things: the commonplace book. The index is from a 1706 book which shares physician-philosopher John Locke’s “New Method of Making Common-Place-Books.” But my favorite book is by Milcah Martha Moore (printed by Penn State) who is in "Obstinate Daughters."
#history #writing

#CaptionThis
I'll get you started:
"Stop splitting infinitives and get me a treat."

#dogsky #pets #writinglife

PERFECT.

While researching Obstinate Daughters I found inspiration in the ways women expressed their views—especially political ones—and creative expressions to a society that often overlooked them.
This embroidered image by Elizabeth Miltimore, “Sacred to the Memory of Washington,” resides at Mount Vernon.

Cartoon printed in London in 1776:
"The State Blacksmiths Forging fetters for the Americans."
Lords Mansfield, North, Sandwich, and Bute—the latter working the bellows—tend to the forge. King George III can be seen peeking in the window.
More @librarycongress www.loc.gov/pictures/ite...
#history

During a power outage—which we likely experience this weekend—folks often break out the candles. If you do, be sure to heed this article from the SOUTH-CAROLINA GAZETTE in 1771, and mind you don't hold the candle too near an open bunghole.

#history #RevolutionaryWar #rum