THE AMERICAN ELSEWHERE

From the University Press of Kansas. The American Elsewhere delves into the cultural and emotional world of adventurers in the early nineteenth-century United States. With their words and images, they energized the mythologies of the West and contributed to the justifications of territorial conquest. They told stories of exhilarating perils, boundless landscapes, and erotic encounters that elevated their chauvinism, avarice, and violence into forms of nobility. As self-proclaimed avatars of American exceptionalism, adventurers transformed westward expansion into a project of romantic nationalism. For more information see The American Elsewhere.

CURRENTLY

I recently interviewed with Tom Barber of Civil War Book Review, an online forum sponsored by the Special Collections at Louisiana State University Libraries. We talked about my book The American Elsewhere. Tom asked some great questions, and my answers were a rambling mess, but it was a fun conversation. Check out Civil War Book Review for the transcript.

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ELSEWHERES

I wrote a guest blog-of-sorts for the Smithsonian's "What It Means to Be American" site. I discuss the history of buckskin as an example of Anglo Americans appropriating the symbols of Native Americans. The title was not mine as I do not talk about headwear, but I suppose that placing "Davy" Crockett into the title will grab some attention. Special thanks to editor Eryn Brown for her support and patience throughout the process. Follow this (link).