Ben Railton

blackwhiteandread.comBaseball, Bigotry, and the Battle for America – Black and White and Read All OverSeason 2: Diamond in the Rough A system of horrific, inhumane camps where more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated. Homegrown baseball diamonds at the camps that became sites of communal...

5 June

Kenichi Zenimura, the "Dean of the Diamond," building a baseball stadium at his WWII incarceration camp--& coaching his teenage sons & their peers to an inspiring victory over a championship team. That story & much more in Diamond in the Rough: Baseball, Bigotry, & the Battle for America, S2! 🗃️

memorydaycalendar.blogspot.comOctober NomineesOctober 1: Daniel Boorstin , the towering historian and Librarian of Congress whose pioneering and influential scholarly works include T...

Happy Sylvia Plath Day & Maxine Hong Kingston Day! Ain't that American lit? memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/october-no...

blackwhiteandread.comOctober 26, 2026: PlayoffStudying: 19th Century Championships – Black and White and Read All OverOn fascinating contexts for three legendary 19th-century championship games (all three of which I learned about through SABR’s excellent Games Project). Upton vs. Medway, October 1859: This iconic ear...

15h

Before you watch the WS Game 3, learn about the 1859 championship team “renowned for their skill at catching a base by their hands, swinging around them with force enough to throw themselves completely through the air, & leaping flamboyantly forward to the next base”! @keithlaw.bsky.social 🗃️

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

Today's first post in the series focused on a trio of fascinating late 19th century championships, including the first fully professional championship game in 1871 that featured Nate Berkenstock, the aforementioned 40 year old amateur star! blackwhiteandread.com/october-26-2...

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The Rays & Brewers have assembled World Series rosters in unique & interesting ways--but does either feature a 40-year-old Jewish American amateur athlete playing in the first & only professional game of his career? That 1871 championship is one of countless amazing baseball stories in our history.+

Ben Railton reposted

events.teams.microsoft.comMicrosoft Virtual Events Powered by TeamsMicrosoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Replying to @americanstudier.bsky.social

This Thursday at 7pm, join us for a Halloween-week interdisciplinary roundtable on Horror, Fear, & Reality! Featuring @robinfield.bsky.social & other fantastic scholars. Register for free to support Vaughn's series & join this community! 🗃️ events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d24bec...

saturdayeveningpost.comConsidering History: Three 1926 Championships and the Role of Baseball in American History | The Saturday Evening PostBaseball has the ability to show us the worst and best of American history. One striking such moment took place 100 years ago, in the autumn of 1926.

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First, a note that I complemented this week's series in my latest @satevepost.bsky.social Considering History column, on three baseball championships from 1926 that help us challenge that era's segregations & remember the sport's & nation's diverse stories.

22h

@walterdgreason.bsky.social

So this week on the blog, in honor of the ongoing Fall Classic & all that baseball opens up in our stories & histories, identities & communities, I’ll offer some AmericanStudies contexts for baseball playoffs over time. Leading up to a weekend post on takeaways from my latest podcast season! 🗃️

Ben Railton reposted

The Gray Sage

Replying to @tylermcbrien.com

We need more connections between #legalsky and #scholarsunday. bsky.app/profile/amer...

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

Live from the American Studies Association conference in Chicago, it’s my 299th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, please share widely, & enjoy, all! 🗃️ + blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...

blackwhiteandread.com#ScholarSunday Thread 299 (10/25/26) – Black and White and Read All OverLive from the American Studies Association conference in Chicago, it’s my 299th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. A...

blackwhiteandread.comOctober 23, 2026: Practicing Public Scholarship: SSN and NeMLA – Black and White and Read All OverOn what we can learn from one organization entirely focused on public scholarship and one where it’s more of a work in progress. In lieu of a full first paragraph for this post, I’m going to ask you t...

As part of last week's Practicing Public Scholarship blog series, I highlighted the awesome series of interdisciplinary roundtables that @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social has organized & is running for NeMLA. A model of supporting public scholars & building community--& the next one is Thursday! +

events.teams.microsoft.comMicrosoft Virtual Events Powered by TeamsMicrosoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

memorydaycalendar.blogspot.comOctober NomineesOctober 1: Daniel Boorstin , the towering historian and Librarian of Congress whose pioneering and influential scholarly works include T...

Happy Mahalia Jackson Day! memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/october-no...

americanstudier.blogspot.comAugust 31, 2023: Contextualizing the March on Washington: Marian, Mahalia, and Odetta[ August 28 th marks the 60 th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom , one of the single most important events in 2...

As I blogged here, her March on Washington performance should be much better remembered: americanstudier.blogspot.com/2023/08/augu...

Ben Railton reposted

Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast

@civicspod.bsky.social

More great public history this week thanks to @americanstudier.bsky.social - and this week’s episode is dedicated to all things Gilded Age Halloween. 🎃 #ScholarSunday

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

Back in Massachusetts, & one more time, here’s my 299th #ScholarSunday thread. Please share to support all this great work, thanks! 🗃️ @hcrichardson.bsky.social

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

At our ASA session this morning, Vaughn & I talked about how public scholarship isn't just about sharing our own work--it's also & especially about supporting & sharing that of our colleagues. I love the chance to do that each week, & would love y'all to share it as well! @lollardfish.bsky.social 🗃️

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

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@walterdgreason.bsky.social

Ben Railton reposted

Einav Rabinovitch-Fox

@einavrfox.bsky.social

Another great thread from @americanstudier.bsky.social. Enjoy!

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

Ben Railton reposted

The Gray Sage

#ASA26 Valuable new work. @shanavwhite.blacksky.app @civilwarmemory.bsky.social @larryglickman.bsky.social

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

+ I’m sure I missed plenty as ever, especially with travel & conferencing. So add more writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books, & newsletters & blog posts below. Thanks, happy reading, listening, & learning, & please share the whole thread widely if you’re able, thanks!

Ben Railton reposted

The Gray Sage

@walterdgreason.bsky.social

Find more research. Teach the truth. #Minnesota @sahanjournal.bsky.social

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

Ben Railton reposted

Dr. Vaughn Joy

@gvaughnjoy.bsky.social

Our first time co-hosting an academic event!

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

+ Speaking of the ASA, @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social & I are here to lead a workshop on public scholarship, which will include this website in a prominent role, natch! All week on the blog I’ve reflected on public scholarly examples & goals, leading up to a special weekend post on our workshop. +

blackwhiteandread.comOctober 24-25, 2026: Practicing Public Scholarship: Our ASA Workshop! – Black and White and Read All OverFirst and foremost: if you’re at the American Studies Association conference and will be around and free tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 8:30, consider joining us in the Wilson Room (3rd floor of the Pal...

vaultofculture.com“They just don’t like the word Nazi, that’s all”: The Politics of Adapting Politics in the Age(s) of Trump in The Boys — The Vault of CultureIn this feature, Shawn Gilmore explores the unsubtle nature of Amazon Prime’s adaptation of The Boys (2019-26), which shifts the crass satire of The Boys comics (2006-12) forward to critique Donal...

+ & I really enjoyed @gipperfish.bsky.social's @vaultofculture.bsky.social essay on The Boys & the politics of adapting politics in the age of Trump. + www.vaultofculture.com/vault/featur...

benfranklinsworld.comLGBTQ+ Experiences in the American Revolution %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%%Exploring LGBTQ+ life in the American Revolution & how people in revolutionary era understood same-sex desire, gender nonconformity.

+ Episode 453 of @lizcovart.bsky.social’s Ben Franklin’s World podcast features @rachelcleves.bsky.social @manionjen.bsky.social & John McCurdy on everyday LGBTQ+ lives in the American Revolution. + benfranklinsworld.com/episode-453-...

+ The Books section in this week’s thread features a trio of much-anticipated new releases that finally came out this week, from @drlindseyfitz.bsky.social @miriamposner.com & @laurenfklein.bsky.social! +

theguardian.com‘Sometimes it’s not perfect, but it works’: film-maker Charles Burnett on his chronicling of Black working-class lifeA restored version of his 1983 film My Brother’s Wedding, set in South Central LA, brings Burnett’s vision to a new audience

+ I will still highlight a handful of featured items each week, such as @adriawalkr.bsky.social’s Guardian piece on @mayascade.bsky.social’s restoration of Charles Burnett’s film My Brother’s Wedding. + www.theguardian.com/culture/ng-i...

spokesman-recorder.comOperation Metro Surge: How Minnesota Built Civilian DefenseHistorian Walter D. Greason argues Minnesota’s civilian defense during Operation Metro Surge became a global blueprint for resisting authoritarian overreach.

+ @walterdgreason.bsky.social shared a trio of important resources for this week’s thread, including his latest @spokesmanrecorder.bsky.social column on Minnesota’s neighborhood resistance. + spokesman-recorder.com/2026/10/22/o...

+ & speaking of supporting public scholarship, a reminder that I’m no longer able to tag all the folks featured in my thread, so I’m even more reliant on y’all sharing it as widely as you’re able. I really appreciate any & all shares, which make the work feel more meaningful. Thank you! +

You’re in view here at the American Studies Association conference, @audacityofdespair.bsky.social!

memorydaycalendar.blogspot.comOctober NomineesOctober 1: Daniel Boorstin , the towering historian and Librarian of Congress whose pioneering and influential scholarly works include T...

Happy Annie Edson Taylor Day! You don't have to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, but a good day to remember that our life explorations should always continue. memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/october-no...

Taking four college dudes (my sons & two of my younger son's good friends) to Olive Garden tonight for their never-ending pasta promotion. Kinda hoping we make the restaurant tap out at some point.

Inject this right in my veins. (Not the brunch, although yum.)

memorydaycalendar.blogspot.comOctober NomineesOctober 1: Daniel Boorstin , the towering historian and Librarian of Congress whose pioneering and influential scholarly works include T...

Heeeeeeeeeeere’s Johnny Carson Day! memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/october-no...

Drake Maye be overrated.

Most everything 21C technology can fuck right the fuck off. But I’m watching football at 30,000 feet & texting with @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social about it.

blackwhiteandread.comOctober 22, 2026: Practicing Public Scholarship: Online Spaces – Black and White and Read All OverOne of the best parts of assembling my #ScholarSunday threads every week for the last 6.5 years has been the chance to learn about so many online spaces that are publishing public scholarly goodness. ...

C'mon folks, you know you want to share today's post to support all the great public scholarship being published by @contingent-mag.bsky.social, @literaryhub.bsky.social, Made By History, @nichecanada.bsky.social, & @publicbooks.bsky.social! 🗃️ @hcrichardson.bsky.social

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

So for the next post in my Practicing Public Scholarship blog series, public scholarly lessons from five exemplary such communal online publications: @contingent-mag.bsky.social, @literaryhub.bsky.social, @inquirer.com's Made By History, @nichecanada.bsky.social, & @publicbooks.bsky.social!

Ben Railton reposted

NiCHE Canada

@nichecanada.bsky.social

Thanks @americanstudier.bsky.social!

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

memorydaycalendar.blogspot.comOctober NomineesOctober 1: Daniel Boorstin , the towering historian and Librarian of Congress whose pioneering and influential scholarly works include T...

Happy Daniel Boone Day & John Reed Day! Ain't that the complex story of America? memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/october-no...

blackwhiteandread.comOctober 21, 2026: Practicing Public Scholarship: Heather Cox Richardson – Black and White and Read All OverI’ve written a lot in this space over the last few years about the one and only Heather Cox Richardson, in a couple different veins: Posts that have traced the key role that she played in my early yea...

How @hcrichardson.bsky.social's Letters from an American newsletter exemplifies & models some of the most important elements & goals of contemporary public scholarship--the next post in my Practicing Public Scholarship series! 🗃️

Ben Railton@americanstudier.bsky.social

So for the next post in my Practicing Public Scholarship blog series, a few exemplary aspects of the genre that @hcrichardson.bsky.social's Letters from an American newsletter models, from timeliness & brevity to the paramount importance of passion. blackwhiteandread.com/october-21-2...