Word with a Past: Gerrymander

  If Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814) had played his cards right, he could have been a minor but respected figure in American history. He signed the Declaration of Independence, helped draft the Bill of Rights, served two terms in Congress, and was the fifth Vice President of the United States. His contemporaries thought him intelligent, gentlemanly,…

Read More

Let There Be Light

One thing leads to another when I write. One minute I’m focused on the topic at hand. The next thing you know, I’m scurrying down a research rabbit hole. Earlier this week I was working on an article about a very minor (but quite delightful) artist named named Maurice Busset (1879-1936) who created a portfolio…

Read More

Women Warriors (aka A Moment of Blatant Self-Promotion)

Those of you who’ve been hanging out here in the Margins for a while now are well aware that I’ve spent much of the last two years* working on a global history of women warriors. Now it’s mostly out of my hands. (Though I did get a second round of copy edits this afternoon. The…

Read More