Mailbag
Why Write Historical Fiction?
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I wanted to understand a hidden part of my own family’s history.
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You Can Study That?
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What could be more satisfying than immersing yourself in the history of something you love?
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What Does A Public History Consultant Do?
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There are so many wonderful opportunities in this field. Sometimes, you create your own.
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Are You Making Money As A Consultant?
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When I tell people I’m a consulting public historian, this is how they respond.
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How Do You Do Research For A Podcast?
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Any historian knows that it is crucial to write to your audience. I’m writing to two audiences.
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Why Do Archivists Get Rid Of Things (And Enjoy It)?
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Just because something is cool doesn’t mean it belongs in an archive.
Mailbag
Why Can’t You Just Keep Doing Your Research on the Side?
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Frankly, even if I could, I wouldn’t want to.
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Who Do Historians Write For?
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“I want my reader to enjoy reading it as much as I want to challenge myself writing it.”
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What If… Historians Were Honest About Counterfactuals?
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A single choice can branch out to infinite realities.
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Why Can’t You Just Get A Job At Your Partner’s School?
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If an academic couple can’t get a partner hire, they’re faced with a life-changing choice.
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Why Wasn’t This in My Textbook?
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In both versions of this question, the assumption is that there’s a pure history out there somewhere, perhaps with answers in the appendix.
Mailbag
How Do You Publish A Book Off The Tenure Track?
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Publishing off the tenure-track is possible, but not without its challenges.
Featured in Category
How Do You Write A Biography?
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For this historian, the key in telling her subject’s story was to marry the personal with the public, as honestly as it might be possible to do.
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The Five Oral History Commandments
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Start at the beginning. Work towards the present day. This sounds simple, but it often gets overlooked.
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Don’t We Have To Judge People By The Standards Of Their Time?
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Many who reach for this cliché want it to function as a shield against judgment altogether.
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Why Do Historians Go To Conferences?
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Packs of historians roam the streets, name tags flapping in the breeze, only to disappear into hotel conference rooms for hours at a time. What are they doing in there? And why?
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Why Do Historians Still Have To Go To Archives?
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Why do historians go to archives? Hasn’t everything already been digitized?
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How Much Money Do Historians Make From Their Writing?
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In general, academic writing doesn’t earn you anything, and most of the time, it costs you.
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What Are the Different Kinds of College Faculty?
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Their jobs and salaries may differ, but you should still call them “Professor.”
