Kate Carpenter

In case you missed it, we've launched the newly expanded Drafting the Past, a publication devoted to nonfiction history, with book reviews, interviews, publishing news, and more. Check it out: www.draftingthepast.com

This looks cool!

Ahh a feature on graphic novels and comics in Technology and Culture! I love this.

Serious question after reading several YCSE think pieces (have not seen the movie): are people gaga over this because they haven't seen a lot of good documentaries? Or is it really that mind-blowing?

Writers' block happens to all of us, at some point or another. How do you get through it? Here are some tips and tricks, which I have accumulated over the years. I hope they help! @draftingthepast.bsky.social #skywriters

I got a thermal label printer and now I am unstoppable.

Heads up! We're closing our Founding Member subscriptions after Nov 30. Are you excited about what we're doing with Drafting the Past, and have a little extra cash? Do you want to be in our advisory circle? Do you want an EXCLUSIVE TOTE BAG?? Sign up here: www.draftingthepast.com/founding-mem...

Putting this out into the world: I would love to do guest interviews with podcasts or newsletters about @draftingthepast.bsky.social (I imagine @mkn.bsky.social would, too, but I won't speak for her!). Hit me up at kate@draftingthepast.com if you're looking for a guest!

An old truth, but one I have recently learned again: working on projects is much more fun with a great collaborator than by yourself.

Great post on writing tips by @mkn.bsky.social @draftingthepast.bsky.social Getting Through Getting Stuck www.draftingthepast.com/getting-thro...

For #WHA2026 attendees, we are thrilled to offer 40% off this first ever full story of pioneer Biddy Mason. Historian Kevin Waite uncovers an extraordinary story of survival and the woman that helped build Black Los Angeles. Visit our WHA website for details: www.ucpress.edu/book-lists/w...

I'm experiencing major #wha2026 FOMO this week, but as the conference kicks off I wanted to make sure that my fellow Western historians saw @mkn.bsky.social's review of The Rush in Drafting the Past this week: www.draftingthepast.com/mining-the-p...

🌌💡🌃🛰️ #TransformingNight is one month old! (lol) 🥳🎂 30% OFF from @uwapress.uw.edu w/code WST30 (YAY university presses!) uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295... {mumbles you can read Intro+Ch 1 if you go to the Evil Online Empire site} #LightPollution #ArtificialLight #ALAN #Darkness #Night #LightJustice

Update: went to the yarn store yesterday and now I just want to shirk all of my responsibilities and knit.

Question for other historians of the 20th century: When you write, do you pick music from the era to write to?

You guys are being real weird about You Can See Everything. If I give this thing 3 hours of my life and it's disappointing, I'm gonna need some answers.

Picked up knitting needles for the first time in 15+ years and now I'm deeeeep in the yarn rabbit hole.

Shane White (emeritus history professor at the University of Sydney) joined Kate on the podcast to talk about his career and his dogged approach to research, especially for his newest book is A Moment in the Sun: Black Manhattan Before the Civil War (@liveright.bsky.social). Listen: buff.ly/HzygUFm

A weird request I really need some help with: I'm looking for great quotes about history written/said BY WOMEN (and yes, I know Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, obv)

Megan has a lot of good lines in this one, but I particularly chuckled at "the many adventures of George Washington" www.draftingthepast.com/mining-the-p...

Dear Barnes & Noble: I love you (ish), but you cannot name the best books of the year when the year is only 75% over.

Is Nathaniel Philbrick’s latest book worth reading? Well … Read my answer to that question in my review of THE RUSH for @draftingthepast.bsky.social www.draftingthepast.com/mining-the-p...

I feel like a lot of people don't even know you can do this (mine has a super easy form!), and it's magical.

+ In my Books section I shared the inaugural @draftingthepast.bsky.social book reviews (congrats @katecarp.bsky.social & @mkn.bsky.social!), featuring @lollardfish.bsky.social on @jtpmedieval.bsky.social & more! + www.draftingthepast.com/waking-up-fr...

Jobs that tempt me to go on the market...

One of the great pleasures of founding Drafting the Past has been interviewing @drmchatelain.bsky.social, who is both brilliant and completely delightful. This Q & A is packed with reflections on being a writer (and parent!) and on the work of history. www.draftingthepast.com/q-a-with-pul... 🗃️

One day at a tanning salon when I was 16. It's probably a funny story but honestly, still humiliating to me.

HELP NEEDED - a family friend was recently detained by ICE while working a contracting job in upstate NY. His family set up a GoFundMe to support paying their lawyer and legal fees (which are STEEP). If you can, please donate what you can, and share with your networks. Thank you for reading ❤️🙏🏽

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Marcia Chatelain joined Kate for a wide-ranging chat about the challenges of writing history, seeing herself as a writer, and the power of storytelling. It's a fun and enlightening conversation that you don't want to miss! buff.ly/aApvbkP

Happy to announce that I am once again leading, with my colleague @jimambuske.bsky.social, another edition of the Sinclair Workshop on Historical Podcasting at the upcoming AHA Annual Meeting in New Orleans. @historians.org #historypodcasting There will be two sessions this year...

It is really chilling to see how quickly Black, Caribbean, and African writers and academics have become the global face of AI use and accusations of plagiarism. For such a serious charge, @vauhinivara.bsky.social's article rests on...a Pangram scan. www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/1...

You're going to want to read @wellesley.edu prof Katherine Grandjean's book KINGDOM OF DEVILS (@penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social). But first, you're going to want to listen to her conversation with Kate on the DTP podcast. Listen: buff.ly/Tr5FC1R

What a day! I've been overwhelmed by all the subscribers, the support for what @mkn.bsky.social and I are building with @draftingthepast.bsky.social, and all the kind words. This is just the beginning!

Blueskis, it's Launch Day for @draftingthepast.bsky.social! Come on over to Insta to help me and @katecarp.bsky.social celebrate TONIGHT at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT. If you're not into Insta, we get it. If you want to ask us any questions you would have asked there, please do so here!

It feels like each year, major newspapers and magazines review a smaller and smaller number of nonfiction books, so I'm very excited to see this launch.

It's Launch Day for DRAFTING THE PAST, a new platform for history book reviews, essays, and more. Next! @lollardfish.bsky.social's review of a book about Charlemagne that seeks to recast the Carolingians w/in the long history of rising and falling empires. www.draftingthepast.com/waking-up-fr...

It's Launch Day for DRAFTING THE PAST, a new platform for nonfiction history book reviews, essays, and more. First! Paul Harvey's review of two books (from @wwnorton.com/@liveright.bsky.social) about evangelical women and their power in conservative politics. www.draftingthepast.com/living-laugh...

Drafting the Past, a terrific podcast that talks to historians as writers, is expanding into a website that reviews nonfiction. You can follow them at @draftingthepast.bsky.social or check out the site: www.draftingthepast.com

Listen: if you care about History, especially history written for broad audiences, we need review sites. It’s basically impossible for me to sell book reviews the mainstream media applications now. So I’m asking you to subscribe to this one.

Ooh I look forward to reading these!