Category Archives: Conversations

Jennifer Putzi, William & Mary In the winter of 2021 I became obsessed with a diary. While preparing to teach a first-year seminar on “American Women’s Diaries,” I discovered the 1868 diary of Frances Anne Rollin at the Smithsonian’s Digital … Continue reading →

Pamela VanHaitsma, Penn State University I was in the late stage of research for my next book project when news of COVID-19’s arrival in the U.S. closed down universities, archives and, just as memorably, campus daycares. My project, tentatively titled … Continue reading →

Eric Gardner, Saginaw State Valley University I long ago became that person who maxes out photocopying at physical archives. I want a piece of paper on anything even remotely of interest that I can annotate or sometimes just stare at. … Continue reading →

Caroline Wigginton, University of Mississippi One of my distinct pandemic memories is of sitting in my quiet office on an almost empty campus in October 2020, attempting to write but mostly mourning a cancelled long-term fellowship at a research library. … Continue reading →

Jennifer S. Tuttle, University of New England In disrupting archival scholarship, the COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated its essential truths. One of the most obvious is the importance of in-person research. I have written elsewhere about how direct access to archival … Continue reading →

Elizabeth Bailey (Cherokee Nation, Choctaw) Sara N. Beam Midge Dellinger (Muscogee (Creek) Nation)  Laura M. Stevens Nevin Shane Subramanian We are collaborative participants in an archival research project begun during the shut-down phase of the pandemic. Our authorial group includes … Continue reading →

Courtney Murray, Penn State University After transcribing Anna Julia Cooper’s papers for Douglass Day 2020, the Douglass Day team sat in a Zoom room in Fall 2020 wondering how we could possibly plan a celebration in a pandemic. Many of … Continue reading →

Shermaine M. Jones, Virginia Commonwealth University In January 2020, I returned to teaching from maternity leave. I was excited to be back in the classroom. Preparing my lesson and engaging with my students reminded me of my identity as a … Continue reading →

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