Silas Lapham

interminablerambling.comThe Art and Surrealism of Leonora CarringtonRoland Penrose’s photo of Lee Miller, Ady Fidelin, Nusch Eluard, and Leonora Carrington (1931). Photo by the author. A couple of years ago, I picked up Leonora Carrington’s Down Below, a memoir she details a psychotic break that she had, in 1940, as the invading Germany army took her partner, Max Ernst, to a concentration camp and she tried to flee across the Pyrenees into Spain.

The Art and Surrealism of Leonora Carrington Roland Penrose’s photo of Lee Miller, Ady Fidelin, Nusch Eluard, and Leonora Carrington (1931). Photo by the author. A couple of years ago, I picked up Leonora Carrington’s Down Below, a memoir she details a psychotic break that she had, in 1940, as the…

interminablerambling.medium.comHelping Our Students Balance Working While in CollegeIt’s hard to believe that my wife and I have been married, this coming December, twenty-six years. We met and married in college, and…

How can we help our students balance work and the classroom? interminablerambling.medium.com/helping-our-...

Silas Lapham reposted

interminablerambling.medium.comThe 65th Anniversary of the Paris Massacre and October 17, 2026On Saturday, a colleague and I walked around the Latin Quarter on her last day in Paris. We strolled through the streets, ate at a…

Here are some of my more coherent thoughts on the protests in France and Paris last week in connection with the Paris Massacre. @vietthanhnguyen.bsky.social interminablerambling.medium.com/the-65th-ann...

With more mobilizations planned in Paris and France for this weekend, here is my reflection on last weekend and the connections I see to October, 17, 1961. interminablerambling.medium.com/the-65th-ann...

interminablerambling.comNaming and Language in Kamel Daoud’s “Meursault, contre-enquête”When my daughter and I were working on Classics and Coffee, we each chose books to discuss. She chose one of her favorite novels at the time, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre for one of the early episodes. After reading the novel, I came across Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, a postcolonial novel focusing on Edward Rochester’s wife Bertha Mason.

Naming and Language in Kamel Daoud’s “Meursault, contre-enquête” When my daughter and I were working on Classics and Coffee, we each chose books to discuss. She chose one of her favorite novels at the time, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre for one of the early episodes. After reading the novel, I came…

interminablerambling.comHow Does One Become a Better Writer? Read! Write! Repeat!Since I am in Paris for this semester, I am doing a couple of asynchronous courses online. One of those is my “Who is the Black Panther?” course for a literature and composition course. The other is a rhetoric and composition course, the first in the writing sequence. For that course, I am framing it, as I usually do, around personal essays, getting students used to writing in the classroom and the university.

How Does One Become a Better Writer? Read! Write! Repeat! Since I am in Paris for this semester, I am doing a couple of asynchronous courses online. One of those is my “Who is the Black Panther?” course for a literature and composition course. The other is a rhetoric and composition course, the…

Silas Lapham reposted

Keri Leigh Merritt

@kerileighmerritt.bsky.social

@shelf-awareness.com helping me get the word out about Lil!!!♥️ www.shelf-awareness.com/readers/2026...

shelf-awareness.comKeri Leigh Merritt: A Near Erasure from HistoryKeri Leigh Merritt is a historian and the author of An Inconvenient Woman: The Extraordinary Life of Lillian Smith, the Southerner Who Defied Jim Crow America, a revelatory biography of a key figure i...

Seen today on walk. Remember the past.

Silas Lapham reposted

SACosby

@blacktopkid.bsky.social

Just got home from the TRUTH TO POWER mini-tour Thank you to all the people who came out and were kind enough to check out my adventure with Harlem's Hero in the Old Dominion Im not a writer without readers so Thank You and thank you to #Marvel for allowing me to write about Luke Bring the pain

medium.comWords, Memories, and the Reviving of the PastWhen I picked up Amélie Nothomb’s Métaphysique des tubes (The Character of Rain) I had no clue what to expect. I found Nothomb’s book in…

One thing I love about the place I am staying in Paris is the library. There, I found Amélie Nothomb’s Métaphysique des tubes. It was a really engaging and fascinating book that explored a lot of the things I have been thinking about lately. medium.com/@interminabl...

interminablerambling.comThe Decline of Empires in James Baldwin’s “No Name in the Street”While doing research on the massacre of around 200 Algerians in October 1961 and William Gardner Smith’s novel The Stone Face, which concludes with the massacre, I came across James Baldwin’s discussions, specifically in his 1972 book No Name in the Street, on his time in Paris and his interactions with Algerians in France’s capital. I didn’t bring a copy of Baldwin’s book with me, and I couldn’t find one to read online, so I finally went to Shakespeare and Company and picked up a copy, the first book I’ve bought there, even though I have been there multiple times.

The Decline of Empires in James Baldwin’s “No Name in the Street” While doing research on the massacre of around 200 Algerians in October 1961 and William Gardner Smith’s novel The Stone Face, which concludes with the massacre, I came across James Baldwin’s discussions, specifically in his 1972…

interminablerambling.medium.comHold Me Closer Until the Execution’s Over: Mob Mentality and Live Streaming ExecutionsSo won’t you hold me closer Just one more minute Until the execution’s over? “My First Kiss at the Public Execuation” The Blood Brothers

People smarter than me have written about the move to livestream an execution. Along with authoritarian aspects of the plan, it also contains connections to the lynching of individuals & the psychological impact on the perpetrators of such violence. interminablerambling.medium.com/hold-me-clos...

interminablerambling.medium.comWhy I am Boycotting Expedia!Since my daughter is studying in Madrid this semester and I am in Paris, I wanted to make the trip over to Spain to see her for a few days…

There’s a lot of reasons to despise Expedia. Here is why I am never using them again. interminablerambling.medium.com/why-i-am-boy...

Silas Lapham reposted

Based on last experience with Expedia, I will never use them again. interminablerambling.medium.com/why-i-am-boy...

@timothysnyder.bsky.social

Based on last experience with Expedia, I will never use them again. interminablerambling.medium.com/why-i-am-boy...

Silas Lapham reposted

Drew Harwell

@drewharwell.com

Hard to overstate how much Hegseth's execution stream mirrors the U.S. military's traditional description of ISIS propaganda: broadcast killings designed to send a message, strike fear and create a social media spectacle. Will almost certainly be repurposed by online terror cells

Silas Lapham reposted

Timothy Snyder

This is what Christo-fascism looked like — specifically the Romanian fascism of the 1930s. Hegseth is a Christo-fascist. (1/3)

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social

This is so dark. Hegseth has some serious issues.

nbcnews.comPentagon says there will be a livestream of firing squad’s execution of the Fort Hood shooterThe execution of Nidal Hasan is scheduled for Dec. 3.

Silas Lapham reposted

medium.comSearching for Frank Yerby in MadridFrank Yerby and Blanca Perez’s Grave. Photo by the author.

A couple of weeks ago I went in search of Frank Yerby in Madrid, and after hours of searching, I found him. @booktweeting.bsky.social medium.com/babel/search...

interminablerambling.medium.comFascism and Fears of Interracial IntimacyDuring my time in Paris, I am also giving talks about my ongoing research and other topics. Recently, I met with a group of students in a…

Last week I gave a talk on fascism and the fears of interracial intimacy. This is part of my current research project. @kerileighmerritt.bsky.social @jeffsharlet.bsky.social interminablerambling.medium.com/fascism-and-...

@kerileighmerritt.bsky.social

I’ve been in France four months and today was the first day I ate McDonalds. I saw this Nagi Bao Burger on the menu and gave it a try. Gotta say, was not disappointed.

Silas Lapham reposted

Keri Leigh Merritt

Another ⭐️starred⭐️ review for #AnInconvenientWoman!!! So, so honored, @shelf-awareness.com!!! Thank you for the kind words.⭐️ I cannot thank y’all enough for the ♥️♥️♥️ this book has received thus far… @stmartinspress.bsky.social @macmillanusa.bsky.social #writer #writersofinstagram #book

medium.comSearching for Frank Yerby in MadridFrank Yerby and Blanca Perez’s Grave. Photo by the author.

A couple of weeks ago I went in search of Frank Yerby in Madrid, and after hours of searching, I found him. @booktweeting.bsky.social medium.com/babel/search...

medium.comTalk on Interracial Intimacy and Loving v. VirginiaDuring my Fulbright in Norway, I had the opportunity to give talks at various universities in France, Poland, Austira, and elsewhere. In…

This week, I gave a lecture on f*scism and interracial intimacy, which is part of my ongoing project. To prepare, I looked back at the presentation I did back in 2019 when a colleague invite dme to speak in France. Here is that initial presentation. medium.com/@interminabl...

Silas Lapham reposted

Erin Reed

@erininthemorning.com

Transgender girls have a biological advantage at... winning homecoming queen? That's apparently what Clayton County Public Schools in Georgia believes. They have blocked a transgender girl from running for homecoming queen in her high school Subscribe to support our journalism.

erininthemorning.comGeorgia School Blocks Trans Homecoming Queen, Citing Title IXA Georgia school district is saying Trump’s Title IX crackdowns means only cisgender women can run for Homecoming Queen.

Silas Lapham reposted

interminablerambling.medium.comSearching for Frank Yerby in Madrid“Damnit Frank, you don’t want me to find you, do you?” I asked this question multiple times as I walked amongst the five million…

Last week, I went in search of Frank Yerby in Madrid. He was elusive, as his work has been over the years, but I found him. @maryburke.bsky.social @kerileighmerritt.bsky.social interminablerambling.medium.com/searching-fo...

interminablerambling.medium.comDeath Does Not Apply becasue The Disease Remains: Confronting Virulent Ideologies in “Absolute…Since reading the first volume of Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez’s Absolute Martian Manhunter, I knew I wanted to pick up the second…

Picked up @denizcamp.bsky.social @javierrodriguez.bsky.social Absolute Manhunter vol 2 & thinking about how death does not kill ideologies. @jeffsharlet.bsky.social interminablerambling.medium.com/death-does-n...

us.macmillan.comAn Inconvenient WomanA revelatory and immersive biography of a white Southern woman who was a key figure in the early civil rights movement, devoting her life to ending segregati...

Excited to read @kerileighmerritt.bsky.social biography of Lillian Smith, “An Inconvenient Woman: The Extraordinary Life of Lillian Smith, the Southerner Who Defied Jim Crow America.” Ready for people to learn about Lil’s life and importance.

Silas Lapham reposted

Kristin Du Mez

@kkdumez.bsky.social

Several years ago, I briefly considered the possibility of writing a biography of Lillian Smith, only to discover that Keri Leigh Merritt was already on it. Very much looking forward to reading this one!

Keri Leigh Merritt@kerileighmerritt.bsky.social

Today is book release day!!! So thrilled that An Inconvenient Woman is finally out after years of research & writing. Thanks to everyone who has ordered or told their library to order - I truly appreciate you!♥️♥️♥️ @stmartinspress.bsky.social us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

Silas Lapham reposted

medium.comSearching for Frank Yerby in Madrid“Damnit Frank, you don’t want me to find you, do you?” I asked this question multiple times as I walked amongst the five million…

Last week, I went to Madrid in search of Frank Yerby, and after two hours, I found him in Cementerio de la Almudena. @madridlitmag.bsky.social @katoya.bsky.social @notingshaw.bsky.social @americanstudier.bsky.social @markanthonyneal.bsky.social @bittersouth.bsky.social medium.com/@interminabl...

Silas Lapham reposted

Keri Leigh Merritt

@kerileighmerritt.bsky.social

Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the death of Lillian Smith, bestselling author & civil rights activist. My new book, An Inconvenient Woman, hits shelves tomorrow. Please order or tell your library today!♥️🥰♥️ us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

us.macmillan.comAn Inconvenient WomanA revelatory and immersive biography of a white Southern woman who was a key figure in the early civil rights movement, devoting her life to ending segregati...

Silas Lapham@silaslapham.bsky.social

Lillian Smith passed away sixty years ago today. She was a white, queer activist whose friends included Martin Luther King, Jr., Pauli Murray, Eleanor Roosevelt, Eslanda Robeson, Mary Church Terrell, Mary McLeod Bethune, and countless others. Tomorrow, @kerileighmerritt.bsky.social biography of

salon.comA former FBI target has the playbook to fight Rubio's enemies listThe FBI's targeting of civil rights activist Lillian Smith provides lessons for solidarity and resistance

I can't post every piece I, or others, have written about Lillian. I will end, for now, with @kerileighmerritt.bsky.social article in @salon.com Check out @americanstudier.bsky.social Michal Choinski's, and Robert Brinkmeyer's work on Lil too. www.salon.com/2026/07/27/a...

yallaintright.coAn Inconvenient Woman Special CollectionThis collection comes out of a partnership with historian Keri Leigh Merritt, whose biography An Inconvenient Woman recovers the story of Lillian Smith, a white Southern writer who spent her life figh...

As well, check out @yallaintrightco.bsky.social merch to represent Lillian and her legacy. yallaintright.co/collections/...

For the morning crowd. Lillian Smith, the white, queer civil rights activist from North GA, passed away 60 years ago today. @markanthonyneal.bsky.social @filmmakerjulie.bsky.social @markhamillofficial.bsky.social @jamellebouie.net @firestorm.coop @booktweeting.bsky.social @maddow.bsky.social

Silas Lapham@silaslapham.bsky.social

unlikelystories.orgUnlikely Stories Mark VI came across The Muslims’ Fuck These Fuckin’ Fascists, a 12-song, 22-minute blast of pure punk resistance. The Black and Brown, all-queer, Muslim three-piece pushes back against white supremacy, the ...

The more I read Lil, the more I see her as punk, even though she adhered to the standards of Southern feminity, I would argue, as a rhetorical tool. unlikelystories.org/u5/content/t...

aaihs.orgMLK And Lillian Smith - AAIHSOn Sunday October 16, 1960, three days before the October 19 Atlanta sit ins where Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and jailed, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee concluded a three-day ...

I would be remissed if I did not point out the role that Lil had in the 1960s sit ins in Atlanta and her friendship with Martin Luther King, Jr. www.aaihs.org/mlk-and-lill...

You can also read the magazine, in its entirety, online. www.jstor.org/site/piedmon...

interminablerambling.medium.comLaurel Falls Camp at 100Note: This article originally appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of “A View from the Mountain,” the Lillian E. Smith Center’s newsletter.

Laurel Falls Camp for Girls was extremely important, and Lil and Paula ran it, taking it over from Lil's father, from the mid-1920s till its closure in the mid-1940s. interminablerambling.medium.com/laurel-falls...

ugapress.orgThe Serial SouthExamining a range of little magazines published across the Southern states between 1921 and 1945, The Serial South is the first full-length study of literary...

For more on their "little" magazine which boasted works by Pauli Murray, W.E.B. Du Bois, Jacob Lawrence, Sterling Brown, W.J. Cash, and others, check out @sianround.bsky.social upcoming book with @ugapress.bsky.social www.ugapress.org/978082038122...

As well, during my time at the Lillian E. Smith Center, we found countless recordings that Smith, Snelling, and others did at Laurel Falls Camp for Girls, and we had them digitized. www.jstor.org/site/piedmon...

interminablerambling.medium.com“Flashes of lightning to quicken our steps”: Lillian E. Smith and Christian FascismI have been sitting on this essay for a couple of years. It is an essay that Emma Williams and I co-wrote in my Lillian E. Smith and…

As well, she was calling out Christian fascism in the mid-1900s, exposing the hypocirsy inherent in evangelicalism. @antheabutler.bsky.social @jlweisenfeld.bsky.social @bradleyonishi.bsky.social @robertpjones.bsky.social interminablerambling.medium.com/flashes-of-l...

interminablerambling.medium.comThe Narcissism of White SupremacyEvery time I listen to Propaganda and Sho Baraka’s “Cynical,” new lines stick out to me. A lot of times, the first few lines of Sho…

Lil and her partner Paula Snelling, even in their magazine from the 1930s to 1945 called out the narcissim of white supremacy and the ways it infects everyone. @sianround.bsky.social interminablerambling.medium.com/the-narcissi...

us.macmillan.comAn Inconvenient WomanA revelatory and immersive biography of a white Southern woman who was a key figure in the early civil rights movement, devoting her life to ending segregati...

Smith debuts. @kerileighmerritt.bsky.social book revitalizes Smith for this moment. You can find "An Inconvenient Woman: The Extraordinary Life of Lillian Smith, the Southerner Who Defied Jim Crow America" below. us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

interminablerambling.medium.comThe Importance of Lillian Smith’s “Killers of the Dream” 75 Years Later in 2024The Importance of Lillian Smith’s “Killers of the Dream” 75 Years Later in 2024 This year marks the 75th anniversary of the initial publication of Lillian Smith’s Killers of the Dream, and as …

In the leadup to the 2024 election, I reread Killers of the Dream and Smith's words, 75 years after they initially appeared, resonated with this moment. interminablerambling.medium.com/the-importan...

Silas Lapham reposted

Mary M. Burke

@maryburke.bsky.social

lovely piece on an unjustly neglected & once bestselling American author

Silas Lapham@silaslapham.bsky.social