@shirleyinithaca
Writer, teacher, friend, mother, sister. October 28: “Haunted by the Civil War” (PUP, 2025) Now writing: “Women & Democracy in the C19 U. S.” (Edinburgh UP) Also (for now) a humanities chair https://english.cornell.edu/shirley-samuels
It’s currently 25% off a pretty reasonable sticker price on Amazon. About $25?
Let me know if that is still too much for you. I want to be in conversation about this kind of haunting.
Happy to read this first review—
#haunted
emergingcivilwar.com/2026/01/15/b...
I’m mostly lurking. But also always looking to make contact. Warm thoughts.
It was far too short but an excellent set of responses from people like Michael Jonik, Russ Castronovo, and Cecile Roudeau. Very grateful.
Happy (late) birthday!
Happy Sojourner Truth Day & Sarah Grimke Day! Ain't that America?
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/november-n...
Headed to Paris in a couple of weeks to talk about #Hauntedbook
How about you?
branca-2025.weebly.com
Friends helped me eat ghosts. Thank you! #haunted #cake/book #diadelosmuertos
OTOH I am haunted by the war so maybe autocorrect is making a point?
Thank you to @jsench.bsky.social for making it real. #haunted #halloween
Unboxing done.
#hauntedbook #halloween
I got my advance copy. They did a nice job with it and it’s making me happy!
Welcome to J19 journal with Sarah Chinn at the helm!
Just for a moment — taking a break
The code is P329
Brings it under $30
For a hardback…!
Coming soon:
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... Haunted by the Civil War | Princeton University Press
Reupping: Application period open to survey the history of books with me in Los Angeles this summer. There are amazing collections at amazing libraries staffed by amazing librarians in LA. We'll work with them to explore how books emerged, were made, used, & made meaning/information for centuries!
(That was either too subtle or too obvious as an account of children playing with matches. It’s a true story.)
Season 10 proposals are due on 2/15! We're looking for projects that explore the nineteenth-century United States! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Three guesses about what’s on my mind.
The first two don’t count.
We assumed they would want to play with matches and we just wanted to show them how to safely close the matchbook and only strike once it was closed. Away from flammable materials.
It’s hard to imagine all the protocols that would be in place now concerning research on human subjects, let alone young children.
We drove all over. We had matchbooks.
When I was an undergraduate in the San Francisco Bay Area, back when my major was psychology, I had a work study job in connection with a study of children who played with matches.
The idea was to train them in safety…
Respect the list. And solidarity with those who study the wild 19th century and hear echoes.
Yes, please add me.
Portrait of Frederick Douglass, ringed by the words "Power concedes nothing without a demand" and the url DouglassDay.org.
Hey friends at #MLA25!
Join us on Feb 14 to help transcribe Black archives with the Library of Congress! Over 125 schools & community groups and counting!
See DouglassDay.org to register.
Plus get access to our organizing kit, teaching guides, interactive tutorials, swag and lots more!
