In Chicago!
I’m at the annual meetings for the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. And it’s a beautiful day.
The Phillies are crushing it
I need to go to bed, but I think the Phillies have this one in the bag. Two down, two to go.
Fall scenes from around Philly
The leaves they are changing as we slide into November. Time for hot cups of tea and good books.
A new review in Italian of Red Valkyries →
Video of my book talk at the People's Forum →
Event at the People's Forum on October 25th →
New interview with Rev Left Radio
My latest guest appearance on the always-fun podcast, Revolutionary Left Radio
Amazing time at the inaugural Maine Lit Fest!
I had such a wonderful time in Portland, Maine at the inaugural Maine Lit Fest. I got to see Brandon Taylor in conversation with Lily King and Susan Conley interviewing Keri Arsenault and the ever-amazing Rebecca Traister.
The leaves they are a'changin'
Beautiful autumn visions in mid-coast Maine. I really miss this time of year up here.
Back in Maine for Fall Break
What a glorious place to be at this time of year.
Me and my daughter
We went to a wedding together in New York City last weekend and got this lovely fashion drawing of the two of us as a souvenir.
The economic case against unpaid domestic work →
A very thoughtful article on a real problem in our society.
A new newsletter for the Autumnal Equinox! →
September brings new beginnings.
It’s harvest season and the start of a new school year. Where I used to live in Maine, it’s when the “leaf peeping” tourists flood the state to spy the spectacular fall foliage. In Germany, Oktoberfest actually begins in this month, and in Japan the major national breweries (Kirin, Asahi, Suntory, and Sapporo) replace the light, effervescent beers of summer with their darker and heavier autumn ales. In Bulgaria, the 9th of September is either celebrated as the glorious launch of the country’s post-WWII socialist era or mourned as the commencement of its ignominious descent into totalitarian hell. It depends whom you ask and how drunk they are when you ask them. Read more here
It's decorative gourd season, Motherf....
It's been one year since my grandmother passed away
I still miss her and hope she is in a better place.
It's official! →
I have been elected as a Member-at-Large to the Board of Directors for the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES).
So fun to see my book on David Shor's bookshelf →
A student of mine spotted my book in a photo for a recent New York Times article!
It feels so weird to be back...
I’m on campus again and teaching in person without masks. Although I know that there are students still getting sick with the virus, it seems as if everyone has forgotten about the pandemic. My classes have started and I am now chair of my department, which comes with more responsibility than I counted on. But at least Philadelphia is really beautiful this time of the year.
Sheesh, this is exactly how I feel right now
As of July 1, I became the new chair of Russian and East European Studies at Penn, but the workload and responsibility of this position has only really kicked into gear in the last week. That facial expression says it all!
